It’s now Sunday and I am about to head back to Johannesburg. The past couple of days have been really good just relaxing with the folks, going shopping with mom, catching up on my blog, having nice home cooked meals and not having any stress.
But now it’s time to head back to reality, back to Johannesburg and back to the new life that I am carving for myself.
I am home in South Africa. Damn it feels good.
Work in progress!
All updates have now been included.
Again, photos are a little tough to include now based on my circumstances but will try upload some as soon as possible.
This will stay at the top for a while.
Read below for all the travel updates.
In short, “Thailand is incredible!”
Read on! From below upward. Reverse chronological order of course
Deeds and I touched down shortly after 6am as scheduled and we made it through customs and immigration very quickly. Her pops was there to pick us up and get us back to her house where I had left my car. Thanks M
I was already back on the clock. I had stuff to do with little time to do it.
On the drive home I had a call from KT asking about the holidays which was really kewl.
By 10am I had already dropped off my laundry for cleaning, gone to see the dealership about my electric windows, had gone to see the company that had fitted the windows, gone to see the place that was going to rip them out and put in better ones properly this time, dropped the dealership guy off and had taken his car home so that I had transport. KT was on her way through.
I was at the shops when KT arrived. Together we spent the rest of the day patiently running around from pillar to post trying to get everything sorted. That night once all was said and done we sat down with some Woolies box wine and proceeded to save the world’s problem in a heated debate or two. Good old US. We are so looking after the world so be grateful. Pity I don’t remember a lot of it. Apparently I got very drunk very quickly and I blame the jet lag but everyone else seemed to think it was the 2liters of wine I clubbed on my own. Must be the altitude in Johannesburg!
Thursday was not a good day for a hangover. I still had shit load to do and to add to that I was driving down to Durban to see my folks and celebrate my pops’ birthday with him. What a good son I am. KT and I finished our breakfast and running around at about 2pm. I called pops telling him I was coming down and by 2:30 I was all packed and on the road. KT and I went our separate ways and the next 5 hours were to be dedicated to safe driving down to the coast.
At 7:30, just as planned, I got to the folk’s house safe and sound. There was just enough time to shower and get ready for the dinner that had already been arranged. It was go go go. Dinner was very nice. We just went to friends of my folk’s and ended up staying there until well after midnight which really wasn’t bad considering how tired I was. We eventually went home and I crashed in my old bed in the folk’s new house. God it was good to be home
HAPPY BIRTHDAY POPS!
MONDAY 23rd June – TUESDAY 24th June
As like all good things, even Thailand holidays have to come to an end at some stage. This was one a great one but still it had to come to an end. Now we had two days left to do some serious shopping. It was time to hit the mall.
These malls are massive! Just look up MBK, Bangkok. They are hectic and very confusing. After about 20 minutes of walking around I felt like I was seeing the same stuff over and over again. I was. There are huge sections of shops that stock all the same stuff at all the same prices. There is half a floor dedicated to 100s of mobile phone stalls all selling pretty much the same accessories and phones etc.
Almost an entire day was dedicated to shopping and I walked out with very little. Just the way I like to shop!
Tuesday was pretty much the same but without the malls. Shopping was more localized to street malls and some junk food. Packing was the order of the day. I hate packing. It sux! There is never enough space to put everything. We did eventually get it all done though.
We had wanted to go to the Sky Bar for some incredible views of the city and the timing seemed perfect. Check out time from the hotel was midday. We had paid for an extra half day but that still meant we needed to be out by 6pm. Our flight was only at midnight. At 6pm we checked out and hit the sky train to the Sky Bar which really is breathtaking with it’s infinite views and spectacular lights of the city. Somehow we only managed to get to the Breeze Bar which is in the same building only a few stories lower but just as incredible. A great way to end a beautiful holiday. I’m sure you will agree.
8pm came along pretty fast so the last sips of Mai Thais were drunk and off back to the hotel to pick up our bags and set off for the final taxi ride to BKK, Bangkok International Airport.
After some food and a bit of shopping in duty free and soon it was time to get on that plane. The holiday was done. It was all over bar the sleeping for the next 11 hours.
Looking back and as we discussed it, we did it perfectly how we “planned” it, where and when we went places and doing everything that we wanted. It is quite easily one of the best holidays I ever been on. Deeds, thank you for being such an incredible travel buddy! I hope we get to do it again sometime soon! XXX
Back to life. Back to reality.
SUNDAY 22nd June
We did nothing. I was pretty hung over. Deeds found some Burger King and by the time I woke up to eat it, it was cold. She is such a sweetie.
Somehow Pilly made it to the airport on time and made it on her flight and got home safe and sound. Still pissed though I think! Hey Pilly… Thanks a bomb for coming out. It was brilliant to see you again.
Deeds spent the day at the pool and I went back to sleep. Screw it, we’re on holiday. We’re allowed.
SATURDAY 21st June (Night)
What is a trip to Thailand without a stop at a ping pong show? At only 6pm though we figured it was a little early. There was another pub we had heard about called Cheap Charlie’s so thought that could be a nice way to kill a few hours which of course it was. Mainly because it consists of drinks and they are cheap.
While at Cheap Charlie’s we met a bunch of other travelers which were heading out to a ping pong show as well. They left before us and the tuk tuk driver that we eventually got had better ideas as to where we should go for a show. Why argue? This way we got along drive around Bangkok in a tuk tuk that’s great fun!
The show itself was as expected I guess. I think in my head though it was a little over-rated. I kind of expected more of a show as such but instead each of the numerous girls came up, danced one song like a robot, then did their thing. There thing however was quite impressive. I’m not going to go into explicit detail but just think, bananas, lights, strings of paperclips, cigarettes, razor blades and of course, ping pong balls.
The up side was huge Singha beers that they were feeding me continuously. When the show started to repeat itself we decided it was time to go. Besides, by now it was late and I was drunk.
Correction (Thanks to Deeds) – “gee you missed out on the clubbing after the ping pong. taking lots of photos with a whole bunch of thai girls (it was one of their birthdays). Pilly and i only got to bed at 4.30 cause she was talking to you cause she was convinced you were awake and then she tried to put on your new (MOOI) pant…kiff…. very funny evening. But thanks to me [she made it to the airport] else she would have still been there with us but maybe that would have been a great idea.”
Back at the hotel I passed out but the girls kept going. Seems Pilly had brought a few bottles of Sojo (sp?) from Korea. They are rumoured to have finally gone to sleep at about 3am which is brave since she had to be at the airport at 9am for her departing flight.
Good luck Pilly!
SATURDAY 21st June (Day)
Holy crap. Is that the alarm? Bloody hell. 5am??? Screw this for a joke!
Once we were all up and ready to go it felt better to be awake. We were all excited about the day ahead. Since Pilly had a very limited Thailand experience due to work commitments in Korea we had to get a hell of a lot done in a few short days. How much can you possibly achieve in one day? That’s easy. Book a super filled tour.
The first stop was a coconut farm. They explained everything about the use of coconuts, the growing of coconuts, the burning of coconuts and a crazy amount of other coconut stuff all the way down to the buying of coconut stuff. I was quickly getting tired of coconuts but it didn’t last forever. Just as it was getting really stale we were back on the road.
Somewhere along the way we stopped at a hand carving wood place. This was really interesting seeing HUGE carving that can take 6-8 months to do, hand carved furniture that weighed about a million tons, paper making by hand techniques and again a shop to help you drop a few more dollars.
I think one of the highlights of the day was the Floating Market. This place rocks! It is quite organized the way you get a boat and get driven or paddled or whatever around the market in this maze of canals. There is the whole barter thing going on, the consumption of kewl Thai soup, sunburn and the possibility of spending more money. I think I picked up a few interesting things but really it was so that I can say I went shopping on a floating market. Great fun!
After the Floating Market we made a stop at a massive crocodile farm that had elephant shows etc etc. We then found out that this stop wasn’t ours and we were in fact booked to go to some Rose Garden and watch some cultural stuff and have have some fancy lunch and watch some more shows. We had to set this straight. I jumped out the van and spoke to our tour guide and arranged that we get off here and they come back and fetch us later to which he agreed. It didn’t take him long to arrange tickets for entrance and lunch. He’s good!
We were just in time for the first show which was some silly magic show so we didn’t bother. Instead we took pictures of the 3 of us with fully grown twin tigers. That was awesome! The second show was an elephant show which was spectacular and funny. I was in mixed minds at times about the training of the elephants etc but still I couldn’t help being marveled at the skills these elephants have learnt. They play football and act really cute and cuddly. It is all very entertaining with a show of history and a big battle with explosions and sword fights. Deeds and Pilly then climbed up on an elli and took a quick trip around the arena. They loved it.
There was also a crocodile show with the usual “stick your head in the crocs mouth” act. Not like I would stupid enough to try that mind you. After 30 minutes of walking around the croc farm and feeding the killers, we walked to the gate so that we were not late for our pickup. On the way out we took more pics of some tuskers and checked out the tigers again.
Back in the van and after a short stop at another temple we were all asleep for the long journey back to the hotel. We dropped off the days loot that we had picked up at the hotel and prepped for another night of drinking. It was Pilly’s last night so was expected to be a big one!
God help us all…
FRIDAY 20th June
I have been sitting here and wracking my brains trying desperately to remember what we did in Bangkok and in what order. If I get the sequence of events a bit screwed up then so be it, please forgive me, it still happened and it was still fun.
Friday morning we went for a walk. Deeds wanted to see Lumpini Park that she had read about and seen in the movies. Apparently this park is known for it’s healthy visitors doing aerobics and Thai Chi most days. Well we walked and walked and the more we walked we more we found us to be the only ones in the park. Oh us and some pretty big Kimono Dragons. They were kewl but vicious looking. After we walked all the way through the park we started looking for food but it seems that all the restaurants marked on the map were out on the opposite side of the park.
Instead of walking back to find food we thought we would be adventurous and just try and find something on our own. There was nothing on the main road to we took a detour off the beaten track and found ourselves down some pretty small dark alleyways with real traditional food stands and locals that didn’t even bother to look at us when we walked past. Ok so we had officially left tourist district. It was fun for a while but it was getting really hot and we were all getting really hungry. To avoid heading all the way back the same way that we came, we just kept on going deeper and deeper into this area that showed no sign of ending.
Eventually we popped out on a main road and in front of us was what looked like a restaurant called Big Echo. We stopped in and asked about the menu. Only after agreeing that this was where we were going to eat, were we explained that included in the price was a booth for an hour and 2 microphones. We had just wandered into a all day karaoke bar. It was hysterical. I gave it a shot singing Green Day and was boo’d into submission and silence. The rest of lunch was spent listening to instrumental versions of great songs we all knew with no singing.
We got back to the hotel later in the afternoon and booked a couple of trips. The first one was a river boat trip dinner the same night for the 3 of us. The second was a full day out starting at 6:30am the next day (and that early comes with a DAMN good reason!) for a pickup which I will explain later. In the mean time it was time for the pub. Back to Gullivers! Whoop Whoop!
At Gullivers we saw someone else at the table next to us eating pancakes and thought that was an extremely yummy idea. Deeds and I ordered a plate of pancakes and 2 spoons of ice cream and Pilly ordered another whiskey! You cant keep that girl down. Somewhere during the pancake eating I engaged in conversation with the other someone that was eating pancakes. It turned into a big conversation and before too long she was sitting at our our table and it also turned out that “someone else” had a name, Bex, from Ireland. A few drinks later and it was time for us to head for dinner on the river so I asked (damn near insisted) that Bex joined us and it was not too much of a mission to twist her arm. It was quite simple to turn a table of 3 into a table of 4. Roughly 45 or so minutes later we were boarding our boat for dinner.
Dinner was incredible. 3 big courses of a mixture of Thai food and seafood which we all shared around amongst us. The boat took us up and down the river and pointed out some special things to see and then put on a dancing show for us. It was a very pleasant night and great to have Bex on board with us. Nice to meet you Bex.
We might have gone back to the bar but then again we had an early up the next morning so we might not have. I think we might have drunk our fair share already anyway. You think?
THURSDAY 19th June
Deeds and I were very used to now buying tickets, getting ready for the departure, checking out, getting a cab, getting to the airport, checking in and getting to where we need to be. Only this time when I tried to get the tickets I was hoping for it wouldn’t let me book them online and at 1am the airline offices are closed.
I just went to bed, set the alarm for really early, and we just got up and carried on like normal. Deeds booked a cab, I checked out and we were off to the airport with merely the intention of flying. By now it was too late to warn Pilly that we might not be there when she arrives. Just play it by ear. As we arrived however I went directly to the ticket office and got us seats on the flight I was hoping for which was due to land 45 minutes before Pilly’s flight from Busan, Korea. Our flight landed late, hers landed early. Typical. After a quick discussion with Deeds about the whereabouts of International Arrivals in Bangkok airport where I was proved WRONG thanks to me actually stopping and asking directions and being told crap from airport staff, Deeds was right and before long we were waiting for Pilly that had already made it through. No drama, she soon showed up and after big hugs and kisses and introductions it was time to hit the big city of Bangkok.
TAXI !!!!!
The taxi ride was a kewl time to catch up. Deeds and I had already done this trip twice so we were old hands at it. All until it was time to turn into Sukhumvit where we had decided we were going to stay. We had not chosen a hotel but simply chosen the area. What a kewl way to travel. Only thing now is we have all our bags and nowhere to put them while we found a place to sleep. “Let’s just sit down and drink about it”. Mai Thai time again only this time with a Lonely Planet, a bunch of bags and nowhere to go.
Super Deeds to the rescue. She suggested that Pilly and I sit and drink and catch up while she hit the streets in search of a hotel. I was getting a bit worried when 45 minutes went by and still no sign of her. Soon after though she showed up and boldly stated that she had conquered the accommodation problem. We finished our drinks, hailed another cab and went up two streets. Taxis rule ok! So does laziness.
Deeds had got us this kewl little hotel centrally located for a great deal. It was a largish sized twin room that they just shoved another bed into and charged us an extra 200 Baht per night. Not a bad deal I tell ya! Now we had dumped our bags and were deciding what to do next. Super Deeds then mentioned that she had found a kewl bar called Gullivers’ Tavern (Some reviews HERE) around the corner and do we want to go for a drink? She didn’t have to ask us twice. It is a fantastic bar / restaurant / pool hall where one bar counter is shaped completely like a massive guitar and above it is a car turning slowly over your head. A few hours were killed there drinking and playing with begging elephants walking down the street and soon we had to start thinking about dinner. I left it to the girls to decide and boy they did a fantastic job.
Cabbages and Condoms is an awesome restaurant. We had been held up for weather in an Aussie bar for a little while but the torrential downpour never lasted too long. It was quite a refreshing walk to the restaurant and inside is simply charming. The place is run by the Population & Community Development Association of Thailand and focuses on HIV / AIDS and all it’s profits goes towards AIDS awareness programs amongst other rural initiatives. There are mannequins dressed up as super models made completely of condoms, light fittings made of condoms and after dinner mints served with your bill is a pile of condoms. Very kewl idea for a place and for such a good cause. The food is exceptionally well priced and the service is good as long as you are male. They never rally seemed to like acknowledging Deeds and Pilly but I guess that’s just down to a cultural thing. Never-the-less we had a great time and a really nice meal.
For the life of me I cannot remember what we did afterwards but I’m sure it included drinking which adds to my failed memory so I am just going to add, “And then we went to bed”. Girls, feel free to correct me!
SATURDAY 14th June – THURSDAY 19th June
I’m not going to go into any great deal of detail about our stay in Phuket since there really isn’t a lot to talk about. And that’s exactly how we wanted it. Phuket was the place to chill. Or try to chill anyway.
After agreeing that our hotel was too far away from everything, we took a walk into the centre of everything and located another hotel that then became our home away from home. It was much closer to everything (slap bang in the middle of it all), was very nice and comfortable with air conditioning in the rooms and a roof pool that was about 5 meters from our door on the 4th floor. What more can you ask for?
Our time was much taken up with doing nothing at all. Walks down the beach, stopping and drinking at kewl bars, a bit of shopping in the road side stalls that line every street everywhere, nice chilled relaxing dinners and even a kewl full body oil massage or two. NICE!
A lot of the time Deeds did her thing, I did mine, we met up and went out or just stayed in and slept. It was very relaxing. The only thing does get in your face is the millions of people asking if you want a massage, a tailored suit, a watch, a tuk tuk or taxi, CDs or DVDs or some other crap that they are trying to get rid of for your cash. If you can see beyond that then you are doing really well. I managed ok until their insistence got in my face and had them grabbing my arm to drag me into their shop. A great way to piss me off something wild.
Deeds and I spoke about doing a tour that included islands etc. She wanted to do one and I wanted to do another so we decided that we would each do our own thing at the same time. She went on a lovely boat trip that stopped at Phi Phi Island amongst others and I went on a tour called “Hongs By Starlight”.
“Hong” in Thai simply means “room” so they call these hollowed out islands hongs that you can only access by water through caves at low tide on sea canoes. It is simply incredible. On the tour you visit 2 or 3 hongs in daylight, have about 45 minutes to jump in the water and swim a while before making a traditional floating offering to the water gods that is usually an event that takes place on the full moon in November. It’s nice to be able to learn and experience all of this while having a great day out. After sunset and a fantastic spread of Thai food on the boat we sailed around to our final hong of the tour. We all climbed into our canoes had made our way in pitch darkness through these caves and then lit our water offerings and set them out to float around the hong. On the way back through the caves they splash the water and it all lights up with phosphor luminescent amoeba in the water. It is simply spectacular. You can see their official website gallery here: Hongs By Starlight. Thanks Don / Samz for the great recommendation. Marco is great!
The rest of our time in Phuket went back to doing nothing but eating and drinking and sleeping and spending some time in the sun.
Thursday was time to get back to the airport and meet Pillik in Bangkok who was flying in from Korea for a weekend of drinking. God save our livers
