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2023 Travelling trip
  • Amy Firth
  • Thomas Baxter
  • Amy Firth
  • Thomas Baxter

2023 Travelling trip

After years of conversations, saving and planning, we set off on our adventure on NYE 2022 and landed in Bangkok ready for 5 and a half months of adventure. Read more
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  • 2023 Travelling trip

    Surat Thani

    March 1, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Today we arrived for our one night stop in Surat Thani to break our journey up. I'd say this would be a regret of our trip, but as we pre booked and planned this part of our journey we had to go here to get to Ko Tao. The journey itself was pretty smooth with 2 buses. Checked into our hostel which seemed fine (other than the open bathroom!) We were ravenous so had our weekly pizza was was good and then had a well needed nap before heading to the night Market. I wouldn't recommend Surat Thani, we described it as the working town of Thailand, it was fairly big but there was absolutely nothing going on. That night in bed, the worst thing happened... a cockroach on Tom's back!!!! This, along with scurrying sounds in the walls and on the roof (a rat?) meant for a sleepless night with Tom looking at moving hotels in the middle of the night of flights home.Read more

  • 2023 Travelling trip

    Koh Tao - Day 1

    March 2, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    After a lot of apprehension about the boat (from Tom) it ran absolutely smoothly and wasn't a bad journey at all! Taxis were a lot from the pier but we checked into our stamp hotel and she offered us a lower rate than we'd booked! We headed straight for our introduction at roctopus and did the first part of learning and found out how the next few days would run. After our dive instructor Chelsey had gone through everything, we returned to our hotel to complete 2 hours of homework! We then went to noodles and dumplings to meet up with Aran and Rachel for some food after theyd done their first dives in the sea. It was good to catch up since Phnom Penh!Read more

  • 2023 Travelling trip

    Koh Tao - Day 2

    March 3, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Day 2 started in the classroom at Roctopus HQ to progress our theory learning on the Open Water 20 course. We learned about buoyancy, the effects of subsea diving and breathing of gases at depth on the body. We continued until midday where we had an hour break (which Amy spent watching videos of what we were about to do) and moved into the pool to complete our 200m swim test and float test. The afternoon was focused on skills and getting used to the scuba equipment in a pool environment. It chucked it down for most of the day.

    Amy - The weather reflected my day in that the scuba skills got too much, from buoyancy problems, to being comfortable under water and clearing the mask. I had to admit defeat and leave Tom to complete his deep water skills whilst I walked through Koh Tao in the pouring rain, shoeless and in tears.

    We ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant on the main road which was very nice. We both opted for a chicken burrito and shared nachos, fries and fried jalapeños. We had a few drinks after and met up with friends who had just completed their OW20 course earlier that day.    Read more

  • 2023 Travelling trip

    Koh Tao - Day 3

    March 4, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Today was the first of the sea dives. It was a relaxed start, 9am in the restaurant close to Roctopus dive HQ. Following the final exam we headed to the pier to board the boat to the first dive spot. We completed two dives practising the skills learned in the pool.

    Luckily Aron and Rachel were still on the island as I'd found myself at an unexpected loose end for the weekend. As Tom set off on his first sea dives I went to meet them at a beach bar. On my way back I got a fruit bowl which was delicious for 70baht (£1.69) and treat myself to a facial whilst waiting for Tom to return.

    In the evening, we headed to a local Thai restaurant and later headed for drinks on the beachfront with Aron & Rachel.    Read more

  • 2023 Travelling trip

    Koh Tao - Day 4

    March 5, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    The Open Water 20 diving course was concluded on day 4 with two early morning dives at dives spots a bit further off the island. The first stop was Chumpon Pinnacle and there were high hopes on the boat that recent Whale Shark sightings may occur once again. Unfortunately it wasn't to be, however there were thousands of fish and the diving was great. The second dive was at Hidden Pee Wee, and I got to see the remains of a US frigate which was donated to Thailand for the purpose of diving. The ship was deliberately sunk off the coat to promote marine life and compliment the diving tourism in the island.

    By 12pm I was signed off as a certified OW20 Diver!

    Amy - I went for breakfast at living juices and had a yummy smoothie bowl plus a coffee (with Oat milk!) Aron came to pick me up after he'd dropped Rachel and we went to spend the day at Shark Bay. This was a fancy resort and we did some snorkeling which thankfully I could do! We saw lots of fish and sea cucumbers but no turtles sadly.

    In the evening, Tom headed to roctopus to meet up for finale drinks. Then we headed to Baracuda Bar & Restaurant (aptly named) and enjoyed a slap up meal including prawns, steak, and lots of other fancies. The only let down were the "Onion Rings" (see attached). We also treat ourselves to several glasses of red wine, despite Amy only getting hers by waiter error, and we highly enjoyed it. Aron & Rachel joined us after and we enjoyed some live music and a few more drinks. We headed to a few other bars after but soon found that the island nightlife winds down quite quickly! Possibly for the best, we headed home to bed anticipating a long day of travel tomorrow after our final goodbye.    Read more

  • 2023 Travelling trip

    Leaving Ko Tao

    March 6, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    After 4 nights on the island it was time to head back to the mainland with the Philippines in our sights. This involved a 1 hour ferry crossing to Chumpon, where we would board a VIP bus to Bangkok, this was scheduled to take a further 8.5hrs.

    The ferry was on schedule, however the bus took about an hour longer than expected so this meant an even longer day of travelling. Fortunately, the bus was very comfortable and we were able to sleep.

    We arrived in Bangkok with high hopes to meet up with Amy's cousin Oliver and his wife Nell; this would have been a fitting end to our time in Thailand, as we had previously seen them on our first day in the country, at the start of our trip. The delays hampered our plans though, and we didn't arrive at the hotel until around 11pm. We got sad toasties from 7Eleven for tea, Amy then ordered a Taco Bell from Grab to top it up. We went to bed in preparation for our flight to the Philippines the following day.    Read more

  • 2023 Travelling trip

    Bangkok🇹🇭 to Cebu🇵🇭

    March 7, 2023 on the Philippines ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Another travel day ahead, this time internationally to our next country, the Philippines. Before heading to the airport we tried to find a currency exchange as we still had some Vietnamese Dong and Thai Baht. We had been trying to change our Dong for days but all the exchange stalls were offering terrible exchange rates. Google maps led us on a wild goose chase and we didn't find an exchange. We walked through an area of Bangkok which felt heavily influenced by Japanese culture, there were lots of Japanese bars and restaurants. We stopped for a coffee and breakfast, then went back to the hotel and headed to the airport. Goodbye Thailand, I'm sure we will be back.

    We decided to try avoid staying in the capital of the Philippines, Manila, as we had heard a few negative things regarding safety and that generally it wasn't a very nice place to visit. Our flight to Manila was at 12.55pm and scheduled to take approx. 3 hours. In Manila we had a short wait where we changed terminals and get a flight to Cebu. The first flight was good, Thai Airlines service was excellent, very comfortable and we had a complimentary meal which was unexpected. The immigration process at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport however is a complete farce and takes far too long, in an area far too small for the number of people travelling.

    Unfortunately, upon arrival in Manila, we saw that our flight to Cebu was delayed by 2 hrs. Less said about our layover in Manila the better. The airport is poor, everything was closed and looked like it had been closed for years. We were sat there for the best part of 5 hours. Highly frustrating.

    We arrived in Cebu at around 1.30am and got a taxi to our hotel. The driver was super freindly considering the time and told us a bit about the city and pointed out a few points of interest on the way in. I felt bad for not being more engaged with him, but we were knackered. Our hotel in Cebu felt like going back in time and I was glad to only be there for a few hours. Despite this, the staff were great and very helpful - our first impressions of the Philippines were (perhaps unfairly) disappointing, although the people in general seem very welcoming and friendly.    Read more

  • 2023 Travelling trip

    Cebu to Moalboal

    March 8, 2023 on the Philippines ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We managed a few hours of much needed sleep in our 1970s accommodation. Breakfast was included and was a traditional Pinoy style breakfast of rice, fried eggs and spam. Amy was unaware she'd eaten Spam and wasn't sure what to make of it afterwards despite eating it all! I think it gets an unfair reputation back home...

    We packed up and left the hotel heading for Cebu South bus terminal. It was a 15 minute walk and we passed lots of schools and colleges. There were hundreds of students around - it must have been breaktime. We found the bus station and purchased our tickets for the air conditioned bus to Moalboal which cost approx. 200 Pesos each (£3).

    Google maps said the journey should take approx 2.5 hrs driving - however we had been warned that the bus can take up to 6 hours!

    The bus was 75% full with a mix of tourists and locals. We sat together but unfortunately Amy started getting bitten by ants, so we both moved into aisle seats to escape. The bus was also very hot despite the AC which made it quite uncomfortable. Throughout the journey, street vendors would get on and walk down the aisle selling snacks. We bought some steamed rice cakes which were actually very enjoyable. The bus made a short stop about half way to Moalboal which provided very scenic views off the west coast of the island - the sea is very blue here.

    Fortunately, despite earlier warnings, everything was running on time and we arrived in Moalboal 3 hours later. We got off the bus and were ushered into a tricycle - the latest variation on the classic Thai Tuk-Tuk.

    We arrived at the hotel - Junie Pension house, dropped our bags, and walked down the road to Panagsama Beach Village. Its a small town with a mixture of locals and tourists. There are plenty of bars and restaurants, with a very relaxed atmosphere. We wandered along the beach and stopped for a sundowner which was very welcome after our 3 days or so of what felt like constant travelling. The local beer in the Philippines is San Miguel, but not as we know it at home. Different varieties including San Miguel Pale Pilsen, Light, Apple, Lemon and the rarer Extra Dry Pale Ale. An alternative is Red Horse Extra Strong (6.9%!) We are also back to cheaper prices, approx £1.20 a bottle, Cheers!    Read more

  • 2023 Travelling trip

    Moalboal - Day 2

    March 9, 2023 on the Philippines ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    A long overdue lie in was welcome this morning! When we eventually got up, we packed our bags for the beach and headed back into the village for breakfast - Tom - fully embracing Filipino life - opted for a spam rice bowl which was delicious! From here, we jumped in a tricycle and headed to the famous White Beach. All the tricycle drivers use the white beach as their opening gambit and clearly it is a popular route for them. We paid 200 Pesos for the journey and were quite confused when the local driver started asking for something from us, we had no idea what he wanted. He gave up but it soon became clear we needed a ticket to enter the white beach area. We paid another 25 Pesos and received our "Pass Slip". The white beach was immaculate, beautiful sand surrounded by clear blue sea. We had a walk along the beach taking in the views then stopped for a beer. Following this we laid out our beach towels, hired a mask and snorkel and enjoyed an afternoon on the beach. Snorkeling was good here but we had heard its much better down on Panagsama beach - looking forward to that tomorrow.

    After a beautiful sunset, we packed up and headed back to the tricycles and negotiated a ride to our hotel. We checked a few restaurants out but we'd seen one earlier with an authentic wood fired oven and our minds were made up.    Read more

  • 2023 Travelling trip

    Moalboal - Day 3

    March 10, 2023 on the Philippines ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    We planned to visit the more local Panagsama beach today which was only a 10 minute walk from our accommodation. The beach is famous for its sea turtles and "sardine run" where huge shoals of sardines gather just off the shore. We found a beach cafe and had a late breakfast then headed to a local dive shop to rent snorkeling equipment. We managed to get snorkel, mask and booties for a reasonable 150 Pesos per person.

    Our first snorkelling outing was very successful, we saw the famous sardine runs within a few minutes of entering the water! Perhaps I was underestimating the number of fish we'd see, but it was quite incredible, there must have been millions of sardines just 20m off the shore. The sea floor drops away very quickly and this is where they gather. We could also see lots of scuba divers out diving below the fish to get an alternate view.

    The current was quite strong in a southerly direction and so our first swim we drifted down the coast - in a controlled manner, and only a short walk back to where we started. In the lower part of the beach, we spotted the first turtle swimming amongst the coral which was great.

    For our second swim, we hired fins from the dive shop so we could swim against the current more easily. This also allowed us to "free dive" under the water and swim amongst the fish.

    Three swims with the snorkel gear in total and we saw an abundance of sea life - Sardines, turtles, sea snakes, starfish - it was a great day interspersed with sunbathing on the beach.

    We returned our snorkelling gear feeling accomplished and grabbed a beer in a cool beach bar just next door - perfect. We returned to the hotel for a shower and change, and also enquired about a Canyoneering trip to Kawasan Falls for the next day. Our host offered to arrange the trip, and we headed out for dinner. Tonight we ate at Kugita Bar & Grill, which looked quite fancy and didn't disappoint. We had tempura shrimp, some maki roll sushi, steamed local fish, green beans and potatoes.

    We wandered into town for a few more drinks and enjoyed the relaxed vibe. We were also pondering our next steps on the trip, we'd originally planned 4 nights in Moalboal, but we felt quite content here and wondered whether it might be worth taking a moment to slow down and spend a few more days here. We decided this was a good idea and to stay for an extra 3 nights. Feeling revitalised by this decision, we ended up staying out for a few more drinks to celebrate. We thought we should try to postpone our Canyoneering until the day after tomorrow as it was an early start and we'd had a few too many drinks to be up super early, but were concerned that it was already organised for us! We rolled in quite late and there were no staff around at the hotel. We left a polite note asking to book 3 extra nights and also to postpone the canyoneering trip. Fingers crossed!    Read more

  • 2023 Travelling trip

    Puerto Princesa to Manila

    March 25, 2023 on the Philippines ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    An early morning indeed, leaving our room at 5.30am with nobody to be seen and no transport waiting for us (although we had prearranged with our hotel). So off we went, walked down the street for 5 minutes and thankfully for a tricycle who picked us up for the uncomfortable journey to the airport. Tom enjoyed some spam (his new fave) whilst I went for a mango waffle to get my last fix of the devine mangoes here!

    We arrived in Manila and the taxi situation wasn't obvious but after a while we got in one (who overcharged 200 pesos!) and arrived at our hotel, lub d. As it was only 9am, we had a while to wait until we could get into our room but thankfully, lub d had everything which meant we could sit there and book some things for Australia. Our room was the best we've had for a while and made the night in Manila more acceptable! We went for a short walk so I could endure a new, painful Cold wax experience and decided to head back to the hotel rather than walking around Manila, which we have not heard great things about. We had a final 7/11 stop for our San Miguel (lychee flavour!) and ate at the rooftop bar of our hotel.

    All was too good to be true, when we returned to our room ready for an early night at 9pm..the club classics began blaring out, even overpowering happy valley! Thankfully, the tunes were off at midnight!    Read more

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