Monday, April 29, 2013

In Thailand !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So it is the 7th day that we have been in Thailand..and I have meant to post a million times before now..but simply haven't had a moment to breathe! here's a brief run down:
day 1 april 23Hot and humid night!!arrive in Bangkok hotel at 1am..go out until 3am..drinking beers on the street, and taking in the MADNESS!
day 2 april 24Hot and Sunny BANGKOK woke up at 3:30am in Bangkok, feeling ready for the day (crazy but we did get up-ate pad thai for breakfast..and I had an iced coffee..watching the drunks stumble around in full party mode! LOL)
Spent the day exploring the Khao San road area..shops, and food carts..and Tuk Tuks everywhere! People trying to get us off the street into tailor shops, to get custom made suits and dresses for cheap! Backpackers everywhere..the smells were intense..wafts of incense..then grilling meats..then garbage..then blossoms..then exhaust..just a literal assault on all senses..so deliriously tired..in bed by 6pm
day 3 april 25Hot and Sunny BANGKOKwoke up at 4:30am..ate green curry with rice for breakfast hahah..delicious..enjoyed the rooftop pool...agreed to a Tuk Tuk tour of the temples in the area..sleeping buddha, lucky buddha etc. beautiful! more pool time because wow it was hot..but overcast..and we still got some colour..dinner  and drinks..in bed by 6pm 
*at this point we hadn't had a conversation with anybody in english! only broken attempts at asking for directions etc.
Took the water taxi to the train station..(thought we could save money and decided to walk from the pier to the station..and it took 45 minutes in plus 45 degrees with 2 backpacks each on our backs..i think i actually almost died...made it to train..left at 900pm (1.5 hours late) from station to Surat Thani..Train was awesome! sleeper car..comfy beds and green curtains for privacy..
day 4 april 26 Rain/overcast SURAT THANI/PHUKETWoke up at 6am..had a lovely visit with 2 Irish girls (first conversation in english since arriving) arrived in surat thani at 930am...had a short wait for bus...took bus to Phuket..took cab from train station to Patong Beach in Phuket...(starting to realize that with cabs and trains and buses and tuk tuks that the budget could get severely out of control very quickly...) first impression of Phuket: crazy busy, overwhelming stench of exhaust, to the point where I felt my lungs aching..(and wishing I had one of those clever little face masks that I see Asian people wearing...) cab let us out at a hostel i named that i had read about online..street was raging with motorbikes, cars, cabs, tuks, bicycles, walkers..and NO SIDEWALK.. we were like right in there with the motors..hoping that we wouldn't get hit..wondering WTF is the beach??!!!!!
SO we stop at the first hotel we saw..(the one i had read about online "cheap charlies" gave me an unfriendly weird vibe..and wasn't all that cheap after all..b/c apparently the low season doesn't kick in until may 1) We ended up staying at Cello Hotel..a Norwegian owned vintage boutique style place..very lovely..stayed in a beautiful private room with king size bed, balcony and Air Con..which was totally un-necessary but we just were too tired to take another step. At this point Shaun and I were at each others throats..very irritable and overheated..just wishing that Phuket was a place we could have stayed for longer- but knew that we'd have to move on ASAP.
went to bed at 6pm after getting in a weird fight where I had like a mental breakdown because I felt like I failed as a tour guide, b/c it was I that planned this trip, and Phuket was a last minute change of plans (originally planned on Pattaya, then Ko Chang) but I allowed a tourist information centre employee talk me out of it..and was really regretting that..was overtired and worried that we had already spent way too much money..shaun was fed up as well..and we passed out after me bawling my eyes out for half an hour. Shaun actually said "I just want to go home" and my heart literally shattered. I wanted so badly for everything to be perfect...but then realized that this is self guided travel- it's a discovery, it has ups and downs..it is not an all-inclusive..this was hard work! but we can do it!!!
day 5 april 27Pouring Rain/super hot PHUKET/PHI PHIDecided that we were just overtired the night before, and that everything would work out fine b/c it usually does in the end for us..
After we booked 2 open ended ferry tickets..one to Ko Phi Phi and then on to Krabi ...we were walking down the street in the pouring rain, hoping that we made the right decision buying these tickets when we were pulled off the street by a salesman, after we scratched a card and were told we won a prize, if we'd listen to a presentation...so we spent the morning listening to a 90 minute presentation at a posh hotel drinking free coffee...and at the end won 7 days at a resort just for sticking around and listening to the hotels new form of marketing !!!!! which we have a year to redeem, and will use it for Spain..btw :) take ferry to Ko Phi Phi...WOW. it is overcast..but the sun was trying to come out..drank a couple of Chang beers..and chatted with two gentleman from England...arrived on phi phi and found a private room for b500 per night..booked it for 7 days....had an  awesome day/night exploring phi phi..and our worries vanished..we had ARRIVED IN PARADISE..met some guys from quebec..drank beers and watched the awesome fire dancers on the beach with blaring dubstep remixes of random songs like Papa Roaches "last resort" we
day 6 april 28 SUPER HOT PHI PHI snorkelling in the amazing Andaman Sea, feeding monkeys, exploring Maya Island- where they filmed the movie the beach ...which I must mention..was what inspired me to want to come to Thailand when I first saw it in high school..and a million times since then :) laying around on the beach.got real crispy even while using a sunblock with SPF 70!!!!! wtf?!!!.discovering what food carts are the cheapest..realizing that if we bought a "big chang" beer from 7-11 it costs 55-60 baht..rather then purchasing one at a restaurant for 80-90 baht!!! also, realizing that the "Pornthip Drinking Water" from thailand is 10 baht as opposed to the recognizable brands..like Evian for 40-60 baht...best food deal so far: Pad Thai with scrambled egg and veggies for b50....WOW...met a cool Canadian couple from Toronto..had drinks and pizza with them..and watched the fire dancers for a bit before retiring to our quartres at 10pm
day 7 april 29 SUPER DUPER HOT PHI PHI finally woke up at a normal time ..8am..had pad thai for breakfast..a canned ice coffee from 7-11 for b18...not worth it..much better to spend the b80 and get a fresh thai iced coffee from a cart..wholly shit! it's my 28th BIRTHDAY... whoahh...I get my hair braided for my b-day present soooo fun! hit up the beach..it's sooo damn hot! I'm feeling really good today..very well rested..i think my jet lag is gone..my brain isn't buzzing like crazy..i feel relaxed and comfortable where i am...i met a nice girl on the beach from france..had lunch together..decided to go back to the room for a rest...shaun fell asleep and I sent emails and wrote this crazy blog post..summarizing my 7 days here so far..but not giving the real emotion and detail that i hope to convey..BUT..now that i am caught up..it will be MUCH easier to go into detail, as everything will be SUPER FRESH in my mind. alright. now it is 6pm and i need to go wake shaun up..:)
love x love x love x 
!!!!!!!!

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