Images in reverse order
1. My Ko Chang home
2. Paradise beach
3. Jungle
4. The nearest port/village Bang Bao
5. Bang Bao Beach
6. Bai Lan Bay
7. Mary with the lucky white elephants Bangkok
8. Blurry Bangkok biking experience
24th November 2007, Full moon festival, Bai Lan Bay, Ko Chang, Thailand.
So here I am having a real proper holiday for a bit. I arrived in Bangkok from Chang Mai after a night on the train and my first reaction was, "yuk! a big busy city, get out quick". But then just as I was about to check out a bus ticket to a beachy island at the train tourist service place, my phone rang and it was Charoon one of my new found Thai friends as of the Vietnam to Laos bus journey. So he invited me to spend a night at his house in the suburbs of Bangkok with himself and the wife and to have dinner out with the other 2 cyclists, Rat and Nue. So I couldn't turn down an invite like that so I said "yes please". Half an hour later I was collected from the station, ferried back to the house and then immediately set out again, this time on a fancy mountain bikes to see the sights of Bangkok. Not an experience I would be in a hurry to repeat but certainly one to remember. We were approx 25km out of town and the traffic was pretty mad, and the fumes unpleasant. But I just pedalled like mad, following my host in a blur, (that's why the photo is blurry). Once we got to the city centre things improved but it was still pretty hairy zooming from lane to lane in the traffic. Still it was a great way to get a quick understanding of the city layout, and to cram in a few sights. After all that I had had enough of cycling and Charoon called his son to come and pick us up in a van thank god. That night we were out for a great traditional Thai dinner, delicious fishes, rice, vegies and other yummy unidentified objects.
Next morning I was up bright and early, still keen to get out of the city. I caught a taxi to the centre and by 9am was on a bus bound for this island which I had picked pretty randomly on account of the fact that it was not too far from Bangkok and sounded like it might be quite nice from the guide book. And it certainly is very nice. I have a great little bamboo bungalow with ensuite loo and shower, overlooking the sea in the quietest bay on the island. A little sandy, almost deserted beach is 2 mins walk away. My hosts are a delightful Thai family with 3 small sweetie pie children. They run a restaurant, seating on platforms over the sea, food gorgeous and very cheap, (example, stir fried scallops, veg and rice costs 2 euro). My room costs around a fiver a night. It would be tempting to stay for ever. They have kayaks to borrow and I've bought a snorkle and mask. So I had a shot at that today. The sea is crystal clear. There's a place 5 mins away offering a herbal sauna followed by a Thai massage for about a tenner so I might treat myself to one of those tonight. Tomorrow I'm going jungle trekking. So I've been here 5 days and it seems like 5 mins and in only 6 days time I have to return to Bangkok to fly to Africa which will certainly not be idyllic. So I will stay here until then and enjoy it.
No comments:
Post a Comment