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Gavin’s Gone A-wanderingGavin’s Gone A-wandering
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Gavin’s Gone A-wandering

November 2022 - February 2023
Escaping winter, visiting a few bucket-list places, catching glimpses of paradise.. Read more
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  • TravelerGavin’s Gone A-wandering
    Day 79

    Arrived home (relatively) safely

    February 4, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    I'm back home.
    Bbrrrrrr, it's a tad chilly. But it's good to be back - honest.
    It's been that cliched 'rollercoaster ride', and by planes, trains, boats, buses, taxis, tuk-tuks, trike taxis and motorbikes.
    Thank you so very much to everyone who's followed me on this trip. I really appreciate your interest, support, 'likes' and comments. I've read them all and they've helped me on my way.
    If and when we meet in the flesh, I look forward to catching up with you on some of the details of what I got up to (the bits I can remember - it's all a bit of a blur at the mo).
    But, most importantly, I'm back. And it really is good to be home.    Read more

  • TravelerGavin’s Gone A-wandering
    Day 76

    Ao Nang, Last Full Day 1st February 2023

    February 1, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Right
    I only have today to get some thoughts down - tomorrow and the day after will be travel days, and experienced has told me that I probably won't have much opportunity to post anything meaningful whilst 'in transit', on buses, in airports, scrambling for trains during another strike etc.
    It's time to reflect on a few things:
    Hopefully, this will be a balanced account in hindsight of the trip. Yes, it's not quite over until I set foot inside my door in Brompton, but you know what I mean.
    Dislikes/things could have gone better:
    The flagrant scamming/ripping off that seemed to be acceptable in a few places (especially Vietnam and at Angkor Wat).
    The dual pricing of lots of things - eg. entrance charges to some temples - that hugely hike up the cost for travellers and non-natives of a country.
    Constant beeping car horns from taxi drivers, trying to either signal they're available for hire, or just to annoy pedestrians.
    No! I don't want a massage, or whatever it is you're offering. I can't afford it, I'm a pensioner and it might hurt.
    Airports, bloody airports.
    Getting dumped at random places in strange towns at godforsaken hours by rude and unhelpful bus drivers.
    Places and things I've been thrilled, delighted, amazed by:
    The Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi; Lalitpur in Nepal; Langkawi Island and Malacca in Malaysia; Yogyakarta in Indonesia; Gili Island off Lombok Indonesia; El Nido in the Philippines; Hoi An and Halong Bay in Vietnam; Chiang Mai, Koh Tao and several things whilst in Ao Nang in Thailand.
    Which single place would I go back to in a heartbeat? Gili Island.
    Favourite food?
    Probably Thailand, but Khin Wee's and Jen's cooking in Kuwait takes some beating.
    What have I missed doing/seeing/ experiencing?
    Honestly, not much. I avoided scuba diving - I've realised that the PADI system has some features of network marketing: they want to get you in and climbing up the qualifications ladder within their organisation. Therefore, a steady stream of either fresh blood or ambitious, well-healed amateurs who like the paraphernalia of it all keeps the PADI organisation thriving.
    Am I bored of Southeast Asia? No. not really, but I am a bit tired and jaded by so much travelling on a budget in a relatively short period of time.
    Will I do something similar again? Perhaps. South America could be on the cards.
    On balance, has it been enjoyable, or a thrill, or culturally enriching, or fascinating? Yes, definitely yes.
    Did I glimpse a few instances of paradise? It felt like that a few times.
    Yes, I 'ticked off' a few bucket-list places.
    Just as importantly though; I escaped winter and the crippling electricity bills back in Northern England. ("Oh England, where my heart lies." ) As Paul Simon sang many years ago, and perhaps still does. I know I do.
    And yes, I set off for home tomorrow :)    Read more

  • TravelerGavin’s Gone A-wandering
    Day 75

    Ao Nang, 7th day. 31st January 2023

    January 31, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ 🌙 23 °C

    It's getting around to the time I should be looking back at this trip and offering some observations, reflections and so on. I'll begin here with a few words about Thailand where I am at the present, and try in subsequent posts to work backwards and remember places and incidents in other countries earlier on in the trip.
    Ao Nang, where I've spent the last week, is an odd place. It's a good base from which to do the (much vaunted) island-hopping tours. It's well placed on the Andaman Sea coast of Thailand, so that the stunning rock formations, gorgeous beaches and idyllic islands are nearby or within a boat ride away in Prang Nga Bay.
    Maybe I've been here just a tad too long. It's getting increasingly easy to see a spectacular view, another lovely beach, and almost ignore it as 'just more of the same'. It's not paradise of course, but it's pretty okay thanks.
    In quite a few places in Thailand, some things have disappointed, and frankly annoyed the hell out of me. The concept of customer service seems to be foreign to far too many Thais working in areas like Ao Nang, Krabi, Chumphon, Bangkok. Often I've sensed that I should feel grateful that I'm allowed to be 'sold to' and hand over hard-earned money for whatever service or Chinese made trinket was on offer. But a 'please', 'thank you', or a kind word would have been welcome more than occasionally. There's obvious a cultural mis-match between my expectations and the day to day reality here. Perhaps, as often it is in American exchanges, politeness is 'inferred' rather than overtly stated, but Thais can still come across as rude and unhelpful sometimes.
    However, however...
    Some isolated events can re-kindle my enthusiasm for Thailand and South East Asia generally. Just yesterday I nearly lost the small digital camera I'm using on this trip. I left it in a cafe and had to retrace my steps to find it. It had been noticed and was held safely by the very nice staff in Cafe Amazon (reference to the river and Brazilian coffee rather than parcel delivery I think).
    Y'see. Their lovely people at heart.
    Which I hope today's section of shots illustrates.
    I spent most of the morning sunbathing-swimming-sunbathing, and the afternoon walking down to the posh end of Ao Nang, past the Monkey Trail, up and over the walkway that led to the very nice 'private/public' beach for Centara Grand Beach Resort and Villas. Very nice indeed.
    More positives/negatives and reflections tomorrow.    Read more

  • TravelerGavin’s Gone A-wandering
    Day 73

    Ao Nang, Part 2. 29th January 2023

    January 29, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Here's part 2 from Sunday's shots around Ao Nang, and some of the people and scenes I'd particularly like to record.
    (I've shot literally thousands of photos, so what gets onto this site is just a small selection.)Read more

  • TravelerGavin’s Gone A-wandering
    Day 73

    Ao Nang, Part 1. 29th January 2023

    January 29, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    Hopefully, my WhatsApp message yesterday will have reached most people, but then again, it might not have. I'm setting off home soon.
    If all goes as expected, I'll arrive back at Manchester Airport on 3 February, 2023, at 15:30. If I can get a train back to Northallerton in good time, I could be home for supper this Friday evening.
    Anyways...
    Today was another 'steady away' day. Y'know - eat, beach, eat, a gentle stroll.
    For the photos, I've concentrated on recording some of the people. Y'know, you can't take 'em with you.
    In two halves again, because the site restricts my uploads to 10 pics.    Read more

  • TravelerGavin’s Gone A-wandering
    Day 72

    Ao Nang, 4th Day. 28th January 2023

    January 28, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    It's simply amazing how lazy I can be when I really put my mind to it.
    Apart from getting a few pounds changed for Thai Baht, and a spot of sunbathing, I had nothing much planned for today. Plan accomplished!
    Although it's been overcast most of this morning, I went to the Ao Nang beach for a while until the fine spots of rain began earlier than usual.
    The hot news folks is that I've booked my flight home.
    I'll be checking out on Thursday morning 2nd February, getting a minibus from Ao Nang to Phuket Airport for the last few flights to round off this trip.
    I fly from Phuket to Doha, then Doha to Rome, then Rome to Manchester.
    More details to follow as things possibly change/fall completely apart.
    The two shots attached will have to suffice to illustrate this morning. Hope nobody feels cheated.    Read more

  • TravelerGavin’s Gone A-wandering
    Day 72

    Ao Nang, 3rd day, Part 1. 27/01/2023

    January 28, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    Part 1:
    Another lovely morning, and mixed afternoon/evening.
    This morning was taken up with another boat tour; this time around Phang Nga Bay within the Bay of Thailand. The tour took in a few things; the highlight being to visit the island of Khao Ping Kan (the 'James Bond island' featured in the film The Man With The Golden Gun.
    It was a long journey there and back, but well worth it. A cracking day out, which also included a longtail boat ride through the mangrove swamps, a cave for canoeing, lunch at the floating village at Koh Panyee, another temple complex within a cave (plus obligatory monkeys) called Suwankhuha, and a visit to a waterfall (dried up, so not much to see).    Read more

  • TravelerGavin’s Gone A-wandering
    Day 70

    Ao Nang, 2nd day, 26th January 2023

    January 26, 2023 in Thailand ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    After yesterday's rain-soaked exertions, I was determined to make today a lazy, holiday day. It worked.
    I had a lie-in and spent a bit of the morning checking on the times and prices for getting from here to the airport. Phuket is favourite as I don't fancy the bus and/or train and/or taxi up to Bangkok to save a few quid on the airfare.
    The minibus from Ao Nang to Phuket Airport it will be - in a few days.
    A few people have said something along the lines of 'Stay where you are, it's freezing cold and wet here.' Well, last night was as grim as it ever seems at home - and it should be gloriously hot and sticky and typically tropical.
    Yep, I'm going to spend a few more days in this area - in the Gulf of Thailand - visiting a few more idyllic beaches and topping up the tan. Then I'll head home.
    The hotel I'm staying at - almost certainly for the rest of my time in Thailand is called Fiesta Hostel, but it's the swankiest and priciest place I've staying in this trip. The pool photo is from here. The bar can be a bit noisy, but I slept alright last night. It'll do nicely thanks.
    Today's photos are a representation of what I saw when I opened my eyes in between sunbathing, nibbling fruit, and strolling along the beach-side streets in Ao Nang.
    Spare me some sympathy. It's hell out here :)    Read more

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