World Backpack

Well we’ve now been here for about two months, and have just over two months left…. what to do now?

On Bottle Beach

Since we last wrote, we have gone night fishing, and spent 5 days at a place called Bottle Beach, at the northern tip of this island. I will begin with our fishing trip…. we really wanted to go fishing, instead of just a regular trip somewhere - I heard we could go night fishing, but this one tour operator insisted that we couldn’t go because the weather is no good for it at this time of year. But, we persisted, and found one for 800 Baht per person, which is about $26.00 CAD per person. That’s a crazy price, because it’s more than 800 Baht for both of us just to take a taxi to the end of the island - the spot from which our boat departed. So they picked us up at our place at six, then we took a sangthew (a truck with benches in the back) to Thongsala (the main pier town) and they stopped and were like, “We’re stopping at 7-11, want some beer?” hahaha, so we stopped and got some Chang beer (when in Rome…), and then picked up a couple more Thai people, and went to a beach that was docked with fishing boats. We walked into the water and got on a boat; then a bunch of Thai taxi drivers came on board too, and broke out the food and drinks, and then we went for about 45 minutes, and by then it was pitch black. We have never seen so many incredible stars before - it was like we were sitting in an observatory… the only other lights we could see were from the squid boats (they’re extremely bright, and apparently there’s a ton of squid there!). Then they just gave us our rods, chopped up some squid, and we started fishing!

Me on the fishing boat

Me and my catch, SHARK!

The terrifying face of my shark

It was really more like going fishing with a bunch of people instead of taking a tour, because there was no instruction or anything - we were basically tagging along. Everyone started catching these little fish (about 6-8 inches long, look sort of like piranhas) but me (Steph), so I was a little sad, but then my rod started bending and I started reeling in my line, and I could hardly do it - my rod was digging into my stomach just so I could keep holding it, and then after quite a while, a bunch of people on the boat were yelling “Shark! Shark!” I CAUGHT A SHARK! A baby bull shark! Which, in reality, means there are a couple adult bull shark parents out there with a grudge against a certain Canadian girl who took their baby, but still… it was pretty cool. I felt bad, as it’s a shark, but I didn’t intend to catch it, and it would have died if I put it back. And we ate it the next day. And it was delicious. Anyways, we then went to a couple more spots, and they were not as successful as the first one, but everyone kept catching fish. Chris caught six! About half way through the night, we stopped at a place called Bottle Beach so we could get more squid for bait and use the washrooms, and Chris met these guys who were staying there and they told him how much it was to stay there, etc., and we decided to go there in a couple days. We then got back on the boat, and attempted some more fishing, but most of the people had drank a few too many, so there wasn’t much enthusiasm. At about 12:30, we got back to the beach, bagged the fish (and shark!), and they drove us back to our place at Leela Beach. We luckily had a fridge in our room, so Chris put the fish in an extra big Ziploc bag and they stayed nice and fresh in our fridge for the night. The next day we gave them to the people at the bungalow and they said they’d cook it up for us at dinner. It was amazing - we expected them just to fry it or something, but they filleted the shark, and made some sort of salsa for on top (with tomatoes, onions and capers), and then cooked the little fish whole. It was sooo good.

Delicious! The fish we caught, and a spicy dipping sauce.

The shark’s untimely (but tasty) demise as a fillet o’ shark

The next day we went back to Bottle Beach and stayed there for 5 days. It was only 300 Baht a night (less than $10 CAD), and it was really nice. The beach was by far the nicest beach yet, unbelievably clean, and the water was absolutely perfect. It was just really nice. The people who worked there were hilarious, and one of them would only accept being referred to as Johnny Depp. The weather, however, didn’t really cooperate, and it was too windy so just sit on the beach, you always had to be sheltered somehow.

On the 19th, we left Bottle Beach and spent the day at Koh Maa, a little beach/island combo that we fell in love with last time we were here, and we were actually really disappointed. It has changed so much it’s barely recognisable; several bungalow operations have since been developed there, and the beach is really dirty, and nearly all of the coral has died. Last time we went there, I remember snorkeling and being in complete awe - the colours were so striking, and there were mass amounts of fish - but now it’s dead coral and a lot of sea weed, but some fish are still around. It’s just because the place has been so over run with tourists, snorkelers, and divers, and people don’t understand that if you touch coral for a second, the whole thing dies - but it takes years to come back. It would be like if we touched a tree every time we went hiking and it died - there would be no trees left. It’s pretty sad - but this other couple that we met at Bottle Beach also came to Koh Maa and had never been there and they thought it was lovely - so if you don’t have anything to compare it to, then it’s great. Regardless, we had a wonderful time at both Bottle Beach and Koh Maa, and on the way back to Leela beach that night we stopped in Thongsala for dinner at the market - and boy was it delicious! We had Thai pancakes with pineapple and sweet milk (they’re more like pastries, and they are square and folded up - will definitely be making those when we get home), pineapple shakes, shared some pad thai and sweet sticky rice with mango, and then had a couple of mangosteens (sometimes you can get them at the store at home - if you ever come across one, try it - they are soooo good!).

Chris with our yummy market dinner - pineapple shakes, sticky rice (right), mangosteens (centre), and pancake (bottom)

A market stall in Thongsala

Yesterday was Chris’s birthday! Hoorah! We had a lovely breakfast, then booked our tickets to Cambodia (we leave on the 29th), and then spent the day just hanging out, playing paddle ball, and relaxing. We were going to go jet skiing, but the water was rough, so we settled for a Heineken on our hammock on our porch. Later, Chris got a head, neck, and shoulder massage and a foot massage at the spa where we’re staying (my birthday gift haha), and then the people at Sarikantang set up a lovely arrangement of stringed flowers hanging off our umbrella, honeysuckle sticks, and lanterns decorated with paper butterflies. I pre-ordered the Thai Royal set dinner a couple weeks ago, so they brought that out and it was amazing! We got drinks, rice crackers with some sort of chicken gravy, red curry with beef, sweet and sour veggies with fish, and king prawns with chillies. Then they brought us sweet sticky rice with mangoes! And just when we were about to leave, they brought out the birthday cake (which I completely forgot I ordered…) and we all sang Happy Birthday! It was so nice, they’re the sweetest people.

Chris and a piece of birthday cake.

Chris and some of the birthday decorations!

As I write this, we’re sitting in an internet cafe drinking jasmine tea and Chris is looking into flights to Vietnam, Indonesia, China, and Burma. We’re trying to figure out where else we want to go, our plans are kind of screwed up because of the weather, so we are thinking of flying somewhere else for a week or so because flights are so cheap and we have our triple entry visas. We’re leaving Cambodia (back to Bangkok) on the 6th of July, then we might explore around there (go to some markets, then up to Ayuthaya, Sukothai, and there’s a Tiger Temple north of Bangkok that looks pretty amazing), then we might just fly right out of there again for a week. Our plans for volunteering may not work out, as the whole country, except for where we are, is getting hit pretty hard with monsoon season, and there’s apparently a lot of flooding and such, so it restricts what we’ll be able to do.

That’s all we’ve got at the moment, hopefully we’ll have more plans by the time we write next! We hope everyone is wonderful, miss you, see you in about 9 weeks!

xo - Chris and Steph

PS - HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!!

RHINO BEETLE!

Well we’re still on Koh Phangan and it’s still beautiful. This place is probably my favourite place in the country; not because of its legendary Full Moon Party or its night life - quite the opposite actually. About 3 days after the Full Moon Party, this island is almost silent. It has this unbelievably peaceful feeling that just envelops you. The closer the days get to the full moon, however, the crazier this island gets… you half expect werewolves to come popping out of hammocks and from under the sand.

Steph at our the restaurant for the Full Moon Dinner.

Last time we wrote, it was four days until the Full Moon Party. It was still relatively quiet, but each day there were hordes of people coming in. That night we went out while Chris’s cousin Brendan was still here, we were approached by a girl, about 20 years old, who was clearly on a lot of drugs. I (Steph) was worried about her, so I went and bought her a bottle of water and sat with her for a while to make sure she drank it…. then she started chomping at the air and coming toward me like she wanted to eat me. In her defense, I did smell like a coconut, but I don’t think that’s a good enough reason. This island has a really bad reputation for drugs - the Full Moon Party along is known around the world, and every month between 10,000 and 30,000 people come to celebrate. The government, however, is really trying to crack down on drug abuse here, and have adapted a zero tolerance policy. This Full Moon Party was like none of the others we have been to before, and it’s because of this new attitude on the island. The military and police presence was huge. Regardless of where you looked, there were soldiers looking for people who were clearly on drugs. There were several hospitals/help centres set up for people who needed assistance, and groups of tourist police (Western women typically over the age of 40). I loved it. As a person who nearly got eaten a few days beforehand, I took comfort in all of the new-found precautions. I can also see how a lot of people (a good 10,000 party-goers or so) would not be all that pleased. Apparently the police are doing random checks in bungalows too … I believe I wouldn’t be too fond of that. Drug addicts and military aside, we had a great time at the Full Moon Party, had an amazing dinner at our bungalow beforehand, and simply “enjoyed with ourselves.”

The people on Koh Phangan are so friendly too, they just have thier own vibe that is compeltely different from the rest of the country - which says a lot seeing as this is the “Land of Smiles”, a country that is known for its kindness… every morning we go to Nira’s Bakery for breakfast and get muesli and homemade yogurt and fresh fruit, and the girl who works there is soooo nice. Everyone is so nice - we should just move here.

The place we are staying at, Sarikantang, is the same place we stayed on this island five years ago. It has changed a bit, now has a spa, a pool, and many of the bungalows and the restaurant have been upgraded. Many of the same people still work there, and it truly is as much of a home away from home as we could imagine. The picture above is a sandcastle we made on our first day back at Sarikantang, situated on Leela beach.

A tire swing we found hanging off a very lopsided coconut tree!

Steph taking a stroll on the newly redone boardwalk to Lighthouse Bungalows.

Further along the boardwalk, a seriously amazing view!!

One of the beautiful views from the boardwalk, right before a storm approached. Also, Linda,  the tiny beach below is almost entirely made of sea glass!!!

Some people fishing in Krabi (old picture, but we forgot to add it before )

Us in Krabi (again, old one hehe)

For the last few days we have been, again, doing a ton of reading (Pillars of the Earth - Longest. Book. Ever.), and sorting out what our plans for the rest of the trip are. We are going to Cambodia at the end of the month most likely, a little sooner than we had originally planned. We are going to start in Phnom Penh (to see the Tuol Sleng Museum), then go to Choeung Ek (the Killing Fields), then over to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. Afterward, we might volunteer at an orphanage in Southern Thailand for a couple of weeks. Other than that we’re still not too sure - there are a few places in the Bangkok area that we’ll go to, such as Sukothai, and a Tiger Temple (it’s a temple where the monks take in tigers that need rehabilitation… there are just tons of tigers that live there with the monks!).

Some beautiful rocks and dried coral off the beach in Koh Nangyuan (Koh Tao)

Well, that’s all for now! We’re going on a night fishing trip tomorrow night and we’re sooo excited for that - we’ll definitely update after that. Take care, everyone - see you in August!

xoxo!

Chris and Stef

Hello all!

We are on Koh Phangan, and tons has happened since the last time we wrote. We met up with Chris’s cousin and his two friends on the 25th of May in Krabi, and hung out there for about a week, then we went to Koh Phangan for one night, to Koh Tao for two nights, then back to Koh Phangan. While in Krabi, we explored the area on motorbikes, went to Koh Phi Phi, and pretty much just relaxed. The weather didn’t really cooperate with us, and it rained a lot, so after Amanda left (she was only around for 3 full days), the guys took motorbikes and explored Krabi Province, and the stunning caves that are scattered within the many limestone mountains. On that day, I did some exlploring of my own and went to a local market to take some photos and try out some of the local food. I know what about 20% of the things I tried were, and the remainder is still a mystery to me haha… the people are so nice though, one girl even took it upon herself to feed me by hand hahhaa

After that, the guys decided they wanted to do some diving, so we planned to go to Koh Tao, in the Gulf of Thailand. We had to go to Koh Phangan first because of the ferry schedule, so we spent one night here, which was a blast, and then we went to Koh Tao the following morning. Koh Tao is a beautiful place, absolutely gorgeous, but as we were told by many people before, it offers nothing for non-divers. We got to our hotel, switched hotels (the first place was really misleading and not very friendly), and ended up staying at Poseidon on Ao Tanote. The next day we took a taxi to the other side of the island, and then we took a boat to this little trio of islands nearby called Koh Nangyuan - three small islands connected by sandbars. This is easily the most beautiful place I have ever seen. We hiked up to this viewpoint at the top of one of the islands and took pictures, then went and hung out on the beach and in the water. Later on, we went Sharkeling (snorkeling with sharks), and didn’t see any sharks, but I saw a moray eel.

We came back to Koh Phangan two nights ago, made the most of the boys’ last night here by hanging out at the bar on the beach on Haad Rin, and then they left yesterday morning. Now Chris and I are most likely going to stay on this island until we go to Cambodia, at the beginning of July. The best part of this island is that Mr.K’s Chicken corner is still here, and we are able to live on crepes and shakes for $2 meals and we can switch it up and get some chicken if we’re feeling adventurous. Seriously.

That’s all for now, I can’t add any pictures because the internet here is verrrrry slow, but we will ASAP. We hope everyone is doing wonderfully, we miss you and love you!

Take Care!

- Chris and Stephi

Ah, the wisdom of the Rasta guys is clearly rubbing off. We just spent the last two weeks on Koh Phayam, a very small island on the border of Thailand and Burma. It was certainly relaxing.

Stephie with a typical Phayam sunset

We spent one Saturday night at a Rasta bar down the beach from our bungalow, and, as I mentioned, thier wisdom rubbed off on us. Phrases like “Enjoy with yourself!” or “Just let’s it be” pretty much sum up the atmosphere on Koh Phayam. It’s relaxed, a little odd, and definitely a good spot for someone looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of  this country. There are no cars, electricity is only available for a handful or hours a day (wind/solar powered), and it’s only about 4 square kilometres!

    
Good friends at Phayam
   
We stayed at Bamboo Bungalows, the same place that we stayed last time we were there, and it had only changed slightly - and for the better. The island itself has hardly changed, but we heard rumors that a lot of the property has been bought up on the cheap, and will be developed as soon as the economy gets better - so for all we know, that may very well be the last time we see Koh Phayam look the way it does now.

Our room by the beach 

Stef deciding on dinner

Shells from Krabi

Most of our days there were spent doing the following activities: sleeping, eating, sitting on the beach, walking on the beach, swimming, body boarding, sea kayaking, sleeping, eating, reading, and occasionally renting a motorbike to go explore.

Chris and James ready to hit the surf

Insane waves for kayaking

The spiders there were so huge - bigger than my hand, and there webs were seemingly indestructable (trust me, Chris checked hahaha). Also, we stayed in a nicer room than usual, so there weren’t too many creatures, but of course we had the “experience” bathroom - it’s outside.

 
One of the smaller spiders

Chris relaxing on a swing

The first week was fantastic, the second week not so much. I ended up getting really sick; it started with a really bad headache, and as that got worse, a fever came along, as well as the feeling that several alligators (or similarly unpleasant creatures) were unleashed on the majority of my internal organs. This had  me slightly worried, as the nearest hospital was a motorbike ride across the island, a 2 hour boat ride to Ranong, and 20 minute taxi away. In 35 degree heat. We made it to the hospital though, and I was seen by a doctor, had my blood tested, and then seen by a doctor again, all within an hour. It turned out to be an infection in my stomach (not raging alligators as first assumed), and I brought antibiotics with me from Canada so I started them right away and now I feel almost totally better. Oh, and the whole hospital visit cost 90 Baht. Three bucks.

A couple last thoughts…

1. Be grateful for the dryness at home. I know it’s annoying, but extreme moisture is more annoying. The book I just finished is full of mould. Clothes NEVER dry. 2. Enjoy your mosquito bites. Sure, they’re itchy and give unsightly red bumps, but they aren’t going to give you malaria, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, or any other disease. 3. Hold onto your hats, as in addition to my regular driving style (that of an 80 year old, overly cautious woman), I will be introducing a few standard Thai methods: a) Using the horn liberally (when approaching a vehicle/person, when turning a corner, or approaching a hill); b) Driving on whatever side of the road I feel is appropriate; c) Driving at whatever speed I feel is appropriate.

There isn’t too much else to say at the moment, as I said, aside from my being sick, our last couple weeks have not consisted of much more than hanging out in the water, eating, and reading. But seeing as Chris’ cousin, Brendan, arrives tomorrow I am thinking we’ll have many more adventures to share in the near future. Until then, enjoy our pictures! We hope everyone is fantastic and we miss you and love you so much! xo!

- Stephie

You know you’re not in Canada when at 7am you are eating breakfast and you are dripping in sweat. Seriously dripping.

We’re in Ao Nang, Krabi Province, which is the place that we’ve always held so close to our hearts as our favourite place in Thailand. It has, however, changed so drastically, that I would hardly recognize it, had the beach not been in the same location. On the plus side, our hotel is the same one that we stayed in last time, and it is pretty much the same.

I suppose the increase in tourism here is what changed it, and prompted all the pretty stores to close and be replaced with vendors selling knock offs of Ed Hardy and Puma (which is often called “Tuna” instead… haha). Phra Nang beach, the one that is breathtakingly beautiful, is still as gorgeous as we remembered though, so I guess the rest of the craziness is worth it. Plus we met Kirstie from Ontario who’s really nice and we hung out with for the day which was awesome.

Anyways, we took a cooking class yesterday and it was awesome. It was so hot though - and standing over a wok for 5 hours doesn’t make it any cooler

We learned how to make the following foods: Tom Yum soup with Prawns, Coconut soup with Chicken, Cashew Chicken, Pad Thai, Banana Spring Rolls, Thai Spring rolls, Green Curry Paste, Red Curry Paste, Penang (spelling?) Curry Paste (along with thier coordinating dishes - served with rice), Green Papaya Salad, Minced Chicken Salad, and Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango. Deeeelicious. If you people want us to cook for you when we get home, it’ll cost you, as we are now professionals. :)! Also, here are two random things we learned yesterday… 1: Thai food is always balanced with sweetness (sugar or plum syrup), saltiness (fish sauce), sourness (lime, kafir lime leaves), and spicyness (chilies). 2: The reason people in hot countries eat such spicy food is because when it’s hot, you really don’t want to eat - you just drink crazy amounts of water. So if your meal is really spicy, you need to eat other foods that are not spicy (ie: rice and veggies) to cool you down - and then you eat more! And it’s so true - we have hardly ate since we’ve been here! I guess we’ll just have to go to the market and get some chilies….

So anyhoo tomorrow I think we are going to go to Koh Phayam - it’s a little island near Ranong, and we are really looking forward to it being nice and quiet. We might not be able to email or update this for a little bit - so don’t worry if you don’t hear from us.

For the remainder of the day we are going to go to fossil beach - it’s a whole beach made of slabs of fossils. There’s also a pearl farm there and we might pick up some pearls for people - so if you want some, let us know and we’ll be sure to buy them for you We are also going to go to the beach north (? I’m assuming north…) of here later in the afternoon because the tide goes out like 1/2 a km and apparently it’s full of starfish!!!

Well, now that you’ve finished reading my novel, I’ll go - so enjoy the pictures, and keep in touch!!

xoxoxoxox!!!

-Steph

Oh! A quick last thought - we are contemplating perhaps cutting our trip 1 month short and heading over to Europe for the last little bit - any thoughts/suggestions?

We’ve arrived safe and sound and even in business class! Steph did her trademark passing out several times on the way to Korea so I got us upgraded to business class for the flight to Bangkok, which was muchos better :)

We stayed at Siam Piman hotel, and we’re leaving on a flight to Krabi in 4 hours- then we can finally sit back and relax..

Pics below!

Mountains on the way to Vancouver

Wandering in Vancouver

Scrumptious breakfast

Stefie at Bfast

Hotel room in BKK

View from hotel

After a crazy day of packing, food poisoning (Chris), sobbing (me), and throwing up (both), we’re ready to go! We’re down to a backpack each, and one small carry on bag!

We’ll update everyone once we’re settled in, probably some time on Wednesday. Until then, hugs and kisses - we’ll miss everyone so much! xoxoxoxoxo!!!!

- Stephie

Well, we’re officially less than a week away! I have invented a new word that describes my exact feeling: nerxcited. It’s a combination of nervous and excited, and I truly believe it should be a contender for a new word …  feel free to get ahold of Webster (the dictionary man).

On the excited side of things, I am pleased to announce that there is currently a blizzard outside, and today’s forecast for Bangkok is a high of 38, and a low of 26; what a welcome change of temperature that will be!

On the nervous side of things, now we just have to get all of the last minute things done… you know - vacuuming the sand out of the backpacks, making an attempt to pack my bag to a weight that I will actually be capable of carrying… the basics.

Also, the protests seem to have come to an end in Bangkok, and the State of Emergency has been lifted; therefore, we just have to avoid that lovely swine flu and all will be good.

So for now, I will continue to be nerxcited, as Chris continues to simply be excited, and soon enough we’ll be on our way.

So in exactly two weeks (to the minute!) we will be at our hotel in Bangkok! Then we’ll be taking a flight to Krabi the following afternoon, and the fun will begin. We’re going to go to a Thai cooking school in Ao Nang sometime within the first week of being there so we can learn to cook yummy Thai food and make even better sticky rice (mmmm….). Chris is pretty pumped for the new underwater camera - it shoots in HD video and will be amazing for snorkelling/diving. I’m also excited for it, but will be horribly embrassed when some sea creature approaches and my underwater screaming and flailing will be recorded for all to see… 

- Stephanie

Despite the recent violence in Bangkok, we are still planning to go at this point. The protests have been isolated to certain areas and the Canadian Government have not advised Canadians to not travel to Thailand; only to avoid Bangkok. We are flying into Bangkok and leaving a few hours later, and staying very close to the airport.

The protests seem to have calmed down quite a bit- link

We went to get our visas today but the Thai Consulate was closed for a holiday- we’ll be getting those shortly and upgrading our insurance and then we’re all set!