Thailand- Bangkok, Koh Tao, Koh Phangan, Koh Samui

We arrived in Thailand after a short flight from Bali and met our new travelling companion, Luce’s sister, Soph in the airport. I was excited to arrive in Bangkok after spending time in some quieter areas; unfortunately it would be a while before my excitement would be satisfied. It took us about three hours in choc a block traffic to arrive at the infamous Khao San Road and we were all so shattered when we got there that we just booked into the first hotel with space. We actually ended up in D & Ds which is a busy hotel that I think a lot of backpackers are keen to go to. After the not so luxurious accommodation in Bali we were pleased to find a gorgeous hotel room with a roof top swimming pool.

That night we went to find some Pad Thai on the street for our dinner which completely filled us up and cost about 80p. This was also a bit of a luxury after Bali which was slightly more expensive. We had decided to leave Bangkok the next day and spend more time there on the way back when we fly out. As a result we didn't do much more than a bit of shopping on the first visit. It was a lot of fun trying to barter with the Thai people, although it wasn't as easy to bring down their prices as the Indonesians.

That night we had booked a night bus to Chumphon to get a ferry over to the island of Koh Tao that we wanted to visit first. We were all a bit apprehensive about how much sleep we would get on this. I barely slept at all but Soph probably had the worst experience; she went down to use the toilet which was a bowl full of wee, no flush and a load of bottles of water to try and flush your business down with. You can imagine the state of the floor on a moving bus... Anyway she had gone down to this lovely lavatory to find that there was a Thai man on the phone in there who had kissed her on the cheek earlier. After leaving the toilet he spent his time trying to open the door while she was in there and then gave her bum a smack on the way out- nice. 

After this we got dumped in the middle of nowhere at 4.00am, luckily someone else came to get us about ten minutes later and take us to a disgusting cafe to wait for our 7.00am boat journey. The ferry was unbelievable, I'm quite lucky that I never really get seasick but about 70% of the passengers were running to the top deck to be sick during the four hour journey that should have taken two. At one point I opened my eyes and saw the sea level with the boat but just thought, not much I can do about that, and went back to sleep.

After arriving we found a place pretty quickly and spent the afternoon settling in ready to go out that night. The weather wasn't great but luckily the storm from the boat hadn't followed us.

We went out to a place called Lotus on our first night which was as good as everyone we had met had promised. There were buckets of cocktails flowing freely as well as fire dancers performing on the beach that Lotus was on. We tried laughing gas which is basically the same as helium balloons but they make you laugh hysterically for about 5 seconds. I absolutely loved it; it was so funny (obviously). Later on we bumped into a couple of people who were on our kiwi experience in New Zealand which was really surreal but happens more often than you think with people all following similar routes.

The next day we moved rooms to a nice place right on the beach with a lush BBQ restaurant in front of it (where we ate every night).

We didn't go out again but we watched hangover part two the open night which we have been obsessively quoting ever since. We also watched some live music at the Fishbowl bar which was fantastic as it was only two guys and a guitar but they did some really good covers and sang Stereophonics for us because we told them we were Welsh.

On our last day in Koh Tao I was feeling really ill but we had decided to go snorkelling and I forced myself to go. I'm really glad I did as it was a lot of fun; in the morning we went to a private island off Koh Tao and snorkelled there. The beach was beautiful and we saw some things that looked like baby swordfish swimming around. Later on we took a taxi to a place called shark point and Gwenda and I swam in the water for about two hours until we saw three black tip reef sharks. It was completely worth it and Gwenda said it was hilarious watching me chase after a shark to try and get a picture of it.

We left Koh Tao the day after to visit Koh Phangan. Koh Phangan is renowned as a massive party place which is famous for its full moon parties. We were excited to go as we would be meeting up with Chad, Matt, Katy and a couple of other people that we knew. We had found some good accommodation called Thai Dee Gardens in the busy area of Haad Rin and had all managed to squeeze into one room. The first night we were there we went to a pool party which was fun but also disgusting as at one point I saw a condom float past me in the pool. We didn't do much during the days while we stayed here except start drinking. The full moon party was amazing; there were thousands of people all over the beach at different bars and everyone was covered in UV paint. I couldn’t be bothered to spend too much time on my body paint design and ended up with bright yellow feet covered in green spots- I’m extremely creative. On the beach there were also fire throwers everywhere and people limbo-ing under flaming ropes. Unfortunately, as it was completely packed we all lost each other in about an hour after going to the toilet, getting drinks etc so I did spend a lot of my time wondering about and dancing on my own.

After the full moon party we decided to go and see a bit of the island. We didn't really want to hire mopeds as we had heard so many bad things about accidents but the taxis were so expensive and we thought as long as we were careful that it would be fine. It was a good laugh as there were ten of us riding around- Luce, Gwend, Soph, Chad, Matt, and Jon, Brian, Bryce and Robbie (boys who we had met on the island) but unfortunately when we were going down a gravelly, steep hill Matt slipped a bit and scratched his bike which cost him a couple of hundred when we got back, this was a massive shame for him as we had been having a fun day seeing some of the sights.

We've left Koh Phangan now and are on Koh Samui. It seems to be a more resort style place where couples come on holiday so is slightly expensive in comparison with other places. We are still with the boys and have also met up with Katy again so on our first night here we went to a Thai boxing match which was good but absolutely brutal; they give these massive kicks which are so fast you don't even realise what’s happened until the other person is on the floor. The kids competing are also pretty young which isn’t too nice to see. After the match some of the boys had a photo in the ring but when we tried we weren't allowed because we're women- what a nightmare.

Last night we decided to go and see a ping pong show- briefly this is when you go to watch Thai ladies shoot ping pong balls out of their lady parts. It’s quite gross but we felt like we couldn't come to Thailand without seeing one. We searched for ages and couldn't find one so decided to go to a lady boy show instead, when we couldn't find one of these either of course the boys suggested a strip club. For some reason we agreed to go. It was ridiculous but funny and Lucy, Soph and I ended up putting a ping pong each into a girl’s cleavage (that was apparently how you tipped them)! We soon got out of there and went to Green Mango, a famous open air club in Koh Samui.

Today we thought it was about time to actually get some culture in and went on a tour of the island. It was a weird but fab tour; we started off at some beautiful temples. Again when we tried to take a photo with a Buddha we were told we weren't allowed to touch it as we are women. It’s annoying but I suppose you have to respect their culture. After this we visited the famous golden Buddha which was huge and a really impressive sight. We went from there to a viewpoint where you could see a gorgeous view of the main beach in Koh Samui. Afterwards we went to a "monkey show" which we all found cruel as it wasn't a show it was just demonstrating to us how they use the monkeys to collect coconuts from the trees. It was horrible though because he had the monkey on a chain round the neck which he kept yanking. We did have a picture with one that seemed happier because he was being given lots of food. When I had my picture he dropped his fruit down my top and stuck his little hand down to grab it.

In the afternoon we went to look at the famous grandmother and grandfather rocks- this sounds lovely but it was actually two rock formations, one in the shape of a giant penis and one in the shape of a giant vagina. This was interesting but also quite disturbing. Our last stop was to a waterfall which wasn't overly impressive in itself but as they also do elephant trekking and tiger photos there we got to see both. We leave for another place tomorrow and are excited for April 13th because this is when the Thai New Year begins along with a massive water festival.

Bali

After leaving the Gili Islands we went back to Bali, aiming to spend the majority of our time in Ubud. We had a pretty scary moment in the taxi when our driver tried to charge us more than the agreed price; I was so tired at this point that my argument back when he was asking us to pay more was "No! Just no!" while Katy quietly slipped the bags out of the boot. However, when we arrived at the place we had booked we all had massive grins on our faces because we had an incredible infinity pool and a huge room with our own television. We were enjoying this luxury after our shady accommodation on Gili Trawangan.

On our first day we pretty much just relaxed by our new pool which resulted in me getting bright green hair from the chlorine and burning under my nose producing what looked like a red hitler tash. After another day staying in luxury we thought we'd better look for something cheaper, and did we find it. We moved to some really basic rooms which looked pretty grubby but at three quid a night we weren't too bothered. This was until Luce and I came back to our room and found huge cockroaches running around; after seeing one crawling on our bags we all decided to cram into one hot room for the night. Katy, Luce and I were in one bed, while we pulled a sun lounger in from outside for Gwenda. It was certainly a travelling experience.

Because we are massive cheapskates we kept the room for another night anyway but kept ourselves busy by going to the huge Ubud market, getting some pampering for Katy's birthday and going to a dance show. The dancing included someone boogying around in a load of red hot charcoal which was quite a sight. In addition to this, we had heard quite a bit about the Monkey Temple in Ubud so took a trip there for Katy’s birthday. Luckily we had been advised not to buy bananas for the monkeys and on walking in, seeing a man with a banana getting piled on by some monkeys, I could see why. I know monkeys are supposed to be cute but I have to admit I found them quite scary. They were running around like devils in disguise stealing people’s things and jumping out of every little crevice imaginable. Katy also felt my distress after one monkey took a liking to her and was chasing her round tugging on her sarong. Needless to say we left fairly soon afterwards.

After leaving Ubud we got a taxi to Seminyak for our last night. At this point we had given up pre-booking accommodation as it had been so easy to find it. This was a massive mistake for Seminyak because it is quite an upmarket area and we trooped around in the blistering heat for hours trying to find a place. Eventually Luce and I waited with the bags and Gwenda and Katy went to find a place we had seen in Gwend's lonely planet guide book. When they came back they had got a taxi with them who had brought them back and was waiting to take us back to the place they had found. This taxi driver was insane. He couldn't even remember what day of the week it was let alone where he had picked the girls up from to take us back there. It was a stressful ten minute journey to the rooms and in the end we walked down the street to get there as the taxi driver couldn't understand a word we were saying but just kept grinning and giggling at us. 

Luckily the accommodation was perfect for us and within our budget so we left our stuff and spent the afternoon on the beach. In the evening Gwenda and I decided we wanted to try the local Balinese delicacy- Luwak Coffee. This originates from an animal called the Luwak which looks like a cross between a rat and a cat. The animal has a diet of coffee beans and when it digests these back out they are made into a different type of bean and turned into coffee. I have to say I was impressed with this drink- when you moved past how disgusting the idea of it was it was really nice, all the flavour of coffee but not bitter. 

This was pretty much the end of our stay in Indonesia. It was a nice relaxing time but we spent a lot of time relaxing and not doing many activities so unfortunately there's not a lot to say. The Indonesians were so nice and funny; when you walked past them in the street they would make jokes and wait until you laughed before bursting out into their crazy high pitched cackles which would get you laughing even more. It also seemed like a really diverse place with beautiful beaches but also amazing mountain scenery in places like Ubud. I think I would like to go back as a holidaymaker rather than a backpacker to make the most of all the trips and activities available. 

Indonesia so far..

From Cairns we landed in Bali late at night. The rain was lashing down and we had no accommodation booked which was not a clever idea. I was covered in bites and my leg had swollen up to twice its normal size after the flight giving me a very unattractive cankle. We went into an internet shop and quickly realised that most of the places for that night were already booked up. After a bit of a panic we managed to find a place in Kuta. We didn't really want to go to Kuta as we had heard that it was a bit of a scummy place, however we actually had a good day there. Our hostel was quite nice and there were a lot of young people staying there which was good because we made two friends, Katy and Simon to explore with the next day. Unfortunately the weather hadn't cleared up in the morning but we still found plenty to do. I bought a new dress and then took my bag to the laundrette and had the entire lot washed, dried and ironed for about six quid. This was the biggest luxury after sniffing clothes before wearing them towards the end of Australia.

After doing this we went to explore and I was desperate to get some tiger balm (I was literally covered in bites after staying in Queensland). We walked up and down the streets, firstly buying some umbrellas for about 50p. We got fairly hassled but it was quite nice as it made it such a lively atmosphere.

After we were fully drenched we went and had massages. These were nice but also pretty brutal. I could hear the others all getting slapped and whacked about around me. I also had a pedicure and the whole lot only cost about 6/7quid. Amazing.

We had a delicious meal that night- just because we can- and booked our ferry to the Gili islands for the next day.

It was STILL raining the next day but we sailed off to Gili Trawangan regardless- picking up an extra friend, Phil, on the way- and when we arrived the weather was boiling hot, hooray! The sea is such a gorgeous colour here and it’s so nice to be on such a small place where they don't even have cars.

However, it’s also a massive party island. There are people out all night every night and magic mushrooms are legal here so there are signs up everywhere and little Indonesian people grinning at you saying "mushi mushi". 

We decided to do a snorkelling trip whilst we were here. I really wanted to do this because we were told we would almost certainly see turtles in the water (we missed out on these on the reef). Unfortunately for us what started out as a beautiful day ended as a bit of a horror show. We stopped at two places and saw some interesting fish, including Nemo and Gill. At lunchtime we went to another Gili Island called Gili Air and had an omelette for about £1.00. However when we set off it started raining and we could see that the direction we were heading in looked a bit stormy. This was an understatement. I spent most of the journey huddled under my sopping wet towel, occasionally looking up to see the water level with the boat or feeling splashes hitting my back. I think most people thought we were going to capsize and at one point I turned round to see a group of people, including Katy, clutching life jackets. Phil and Simon had also put their snorkels back on because of all the water splashing in their faces. We eventually made it back to a huge cheer off everyone on board. It seemed as though the island had taken a pretty big hit from the storm too because the streets were completely flooded and we had to walk through a small river to get back to our hostel.

The sun is back out today and the streets look as if nothing had ever happened. We are hoping to go back to Bali tomorrow and stay in Ubud where 'Eat Pray Love' was filmed. I can't wait as they apparently have fantastic markets there.

Great Barrier Reef

Our last trip in Australia was out to the Great Barrier Reef. We had to get up at 6.00am for our trip but they had provided some nice pastries and fruit to keep us going. We were also looking forward to our trip because we were on the same one as our Canadian friends. We tried to have a bit of a snorkel at the first stop but the waves were quite choppy and there were jellyfish everywhere. One went into my hand and I accidentally squeezed it before I realised what it was. Luckily for me it didn't sting me. Loring also thought he may have swallowed one so we thought it best to get back onto the boat after that.

I was a bit nervous about the introductory dive we were going to do because when I did it in Turkey I felt quite panicky about it. There was no need to be nervous though as it was amazing. It was so easy to breathe and they talked us through the whole thing and looked after us. The coral was incredible and we could pick up sea cucumbers while the guides showed us which corals were safe to touch. There were also giant clams under the water where you could put your hand over the top and they would close up. 

After lunch they took us to this tiny little sand island which was really beautiful and we saw a huge turtle bathing in the shallow water. Chad also had his most unpopular moment here when he chased the turtle away.The next snorkelling stop was a bit calmer and we saw hundreds of fish and some really weird coral, including some that looked like it was covered in flowers. One of the crew was also in the water with us and he kept diving down and picking up sea cucumbers for us. One of them was massive and it was covered in star shapes. I put it on my head. It was so heavy and huge that it was dragging down my snorkel. It was making me laugh so much especially when the guide put it on his head because he had dredlocks so it looked like an extra massive dred. Laughing in the water is not really a good move though because you're soon choking like an absolute maniac and I also ended up with a load of snot in my snorkel.

That night, as part of our east coast package and because we were staying at the party hostel Gilligans, we went out on the Ultimate pub crawl. This night was amazing because A. Carly was still with us B. it was St.Paddy's and C. Wales won the Grand Slam!!! Woooohoooo!!

As well as this, it was our last couple of days with the Canadians we decided to do something to commemorate and got group piercings. Gwenda got her nose, Luce her tragus, Chad and I our top ear and Matt got both his ears. Chad may have passed out getting his done. 

Before coming to Australia I didn’t think anything could beat my time in New Zealand, however I absolutely loved Australia too. I had so much fun, meeting new people, doing all the incredible trips, especially the Great Ocean Road, Scooteroo and Uncle Brians. Now to see what Asia has in store... 

Magnetic Island and Uncle Brians

After leaving the Whitsundays and Airlie behind we went to a place called Magnetic island. We didn't know much about the it but after a hectic few weeks we were happy just to chill out. When we got there we were blown away by our hostel; it was right on the beach and had its own pool overlooking the shore. It was so pretty and the weather was fantastic. It got even better later on when we won $100 in the bingo at our hostel. 

Unfortunately it rained for the rest of our time there but it was nice to have a lie in and just chill our without drinking.

After leaving Magnetic Island we headed towards Cairns where it was also bucketing it down with rain (why did no one tell us that Queensland's summer is also the wet season?!) It was really strange arriving in Cairns as it's so green and tropical compared to the south. We had trips booked everyday in Cairns, although our white-water rafting got cancelled due to the weather.

On the first day we did a rainforest tour called Uncle Brians. This was honestly one of the best trips I have done. We were slightly hung over from our first night in Cairns but were soon bright and breezy as we had such an enthusiastic guide. The first place we visited was called Devil's Pools where you can see water rushing over these huge boulders. We also got to have a little swim in another pool and saw a little turtle. Afterwards we left for a place called Josephine Falls where we weren't sure if we were going to be able to swim. Our guide said it could be a bit dodgy but if we were strong swimmers he was happy for us to go in. I was panicking a bit but decided to go in and I'm so glad that I did because we got to climb and slide down these smooth rocks which were a lot of fun. It was a bit trickier when it came to getting back to the bank. The first girl to try had to be dragged in by a rope after panicking in the current and screaming for help. I got dragged under as well but thankfully managed to fight my way to the side. It was only after we got out that our guide told us that two people in the last couple of months had died in a spot just a little further downstream (not on the Uncle Brians tour).

After a huge lunch and pudding we went to the waterfall where Peter Andre filmed mysterious girl and they shot the timotei and herbal essence shampoo adverts. This of course meant that we got straight in belting Mysterious Girl at the top of our lungs and dancing in the waterfall. We also took pictures of us doing the famous timotei hair flick in the water.

On the first day we did a rainforest tour called Uncle Brians. This was honestly one of the best trips I have done. We were slightly hung over from our first night in Cairns but were soon bright and breezy as we had such an enthusiastic guide. The first place we visited was called Devil's Pools where you can see water rushing over these huge boulders. We also got to have a little swim in another pool and saw a little turtle. Afterwards we left for a place called Josephine Falls where we weren't sure if we were going to be able to swim. Our guide said it could be a bit dodgy but if we were strong swimmers he was happy for us to go in. I was panicking a bit but decided to go in and I'm so glad that I did because we got to climb and slide down these smooth rocks which were a lot of fun. It was a bit trickier when it came to getting back to the bank. The first girl to try had to be dragged in by a rope after panicking in the current and screaming for help. I got dragged under as well but thankfully managed to fight my way to the side. It was only after we got out that our guide told us that two people in the last couple of months had died in a spot just a little further downstream (not on the Uncle Brians tour).

After a huge lunch and pudding we went to the waterfall where Peter Andre filmed mysterious girl and they shot the timotei and herbal essence shampoo adverts. This of course meant that we got straight in belting Mysterious Girl at the top of our lungs and dancing in the waterfall. We also took pictures of us doing the famous timotei hair flick in the water.

Whitsundays Sailing

Another one of the trips we had left to do was the Whitsundays sailing that we had booked. We arrived in Airlie the day before we sailed off; this was a really lovely little town and we had a fairly nice hostel with its own pool. 

The next day we left to go and get on our boat- the New Horizon. When we turned up there were also a lot of people there who were sailing on the party boat- the Clipper. When they split us into our boats and we set off we soon realised that the clipper was an entire boat of boys and we were on an entire boat of girls- the disappointment on the boys faces when they realised they were going to be partying on this boat with a load of guys for the next few days was absolutely comical. Lucky for them five Swedish girls saw an opportunity and paid $100 to change onto their boat(!) 

I had seen pictures of the Whitsundays and previously thought that it was mainly just visiting beaches during the day. This, however, wasn't the case as we soon learnt that we would be getting the chance to go snorkelling- our first taste of snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef. We didn't do much of anything on the first day except settle into our dorms (where we had been told before leaving that bedbugs were living). 

We didn't get too drunk this first night because we had been told we would be woken at 6.00am the next day. We did manage to meet a few people off the boat though and luckily everyone was really nice.

The next morning our lovely crew member came and woke us up with a rap (I am NOT a happy camper in the mornings and I definitely did not enjoy this).

It was worth getting up though as we sailed to one of the world’s most beautiful beaches called Whitehaven, unfortunately the weather wasn't great so we didn't see it in its full glory, but we weren't complaining because at least it was dry.

We were now in the North of Australia and in jellyfish season which meant we had to wear stinger suits whenever we went in the sea. They have two of the most dangerous types of jellyfish in the world there so I was definitely keeping my suit on. 

After having a little swim and messing about on the beach, where we met up with Chad, Matt, Loring, Grant and Lasse, who were on the Clipper, we went back onboard for some lunch- they really provided with the food and I found myself stuffed the entire time.

In the afternoon we went snorkelling; they had told us that on the first day it was mainly looking at coral and that the following day we would be seeing more fish. I thought this would be a bit of a snore but the coral was absolutely incredible and we actually saw a lot of fish. We also saw so many jellyfish- so when they told us that you hardly ever see them it was a complete lie. They did tell us that only two out of 300 types of jellies are deadly though. 

That evening we played a few games, including one where Gwenda had to lick vegemite (gross version of marmite) out of my bellybutton. It was a good way to make friends though and we met three nice English girls, Abi, Amy and Becki, who we saw quite a bit along our travels. I also had to play a sex position game with Abi, so as I say, a lovely way to make friends. Later on, we saw some dolphins, a reef shark, some stingrays and squid from the side of the boat that had been attracted to the lights. This was amazing because the dolphin was jumping in and out of the water for ages, chasing fish that were skimming across the sea’s surface.

The next day we were woken again by a crew member who this time made a crow call to get us up. This was slightly better than the rap because it didn't last as long. We headed straight off to the reef after having breakfast and got our stinger suits back on to jump into the water. We had an amazing time seeing hundreds of fish including some that looked like zebras, rainbow coloured ones and a huge one that they called Elvis. I got to stroke him as they were throwing him some food off the boat.

After a bit more snorkelling we went back to the boat and spent some time jumping off the diving board. We were all sad for the trip to end and when we went to sit at the front of the boat our crew played Titanic music for us. 

Scoooooteroooooo

After leaving rainy Fraser Island behind we headed to a little place called 1770/Agnes Water. We arrived at as lovely hostel called Southern Cross which had its own pool and two dogs; I strongly believe that one of these dogs was actually a dingo. It went for two people just while we were staying there so god knows why it’s allowed to stay, either way I kept well away from the monster. 1770 was really just a stop off point to break up the journey to our next place but we had had a few people telling us that whilst we were there we had to do this thing called scooteroo.

I had heard a bit about the scooteroo; basically you ride around the town of 1770 on these little scooters that have been chromed up to look like Harleys. I was looking forward to it but I definitely underestimated how much fun this can actually be. It was really good for us because quite a few people from our Fraser trip were also doing it at the same time. So, together we went and got transfer tattooed and put on flaming leather jackets and hats. 

Now I really didn't think it would be too hard to drive these things but after having to complete a lap six times until they were satisfied with me I was thinking a little differently. You had to balance on them quite well which was a lot harder when you were going slowly. After this Gwenda and I ended up getting stuck at the back of the group- this was quite funny though as we could see everyone in front of us and were both just laughing our heads off at how funny we all looked in our gear driving around. After a while we were told we could overtake so we decided that we were sick of the back. Although I could barely even turn corners on my scooter we went crazy on the overtaking, whizzing past Lucy, cackling loudly, we soon caught up with our Canadian friends; Chad, Matt, Loring Grant and Lasse (Danish) from our Fraser trip and I managed to get a few before they overtook me back. At this point I had no idea where Gwenda was until she caught up with us at a stop to say her chain had fallen off as we were going for it.

The way back was the best part of the trip because we were riding into the sunset which looked incredible, especially as we were riding along on our little scooters, wind in our hair and all that. 

All in all it was definitely one of the best trips that we ended up doing in Australia.