After a few days in NJoy!, we headed back to Grafton St to get a room in Gilligans. This place is a 5 star hostel! Its brilliant! It has everything...a bar, niteclub restaurant, washing machines, dryers, nice little water feature, internet, lounge area, with a big screen TV and bean bags, tourist office, which we booked a skydive in, and basically all the facilities are clean and of a high quality!
We got an 8 bed dorm so we shared with 2 other people when we were there. The place is right slap bang in the centre of town, so its perfect for walking to the bars, or shopping centre. Theres a lot of people cycling around here. The whole place is flat and in blocks so its easy to get around. A bike would be perfect for getting around. I might see if I can pick up a cheap one somewhere....
Maybe its just that we've only come from Thailand, but the thing that strikes me about this place is how clean and tidy it is. Obviously its miles away from Thailand, but compare it to Ireland and its just a really nice place! Hopefully the rest of Australia is like this....which reminds me. We're planning on getting camper vans to drive down the whole east coast to Sydney. Better start looking soon!!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Finally, we arrive in Oz!!
Yes, I can't believe it! We're actuall in Australia!! I'm expecting to see kangaroos running freely through the streets, guys wrestling crocs at every turn, and a koala in every tree!! Eh, not quite!
We flew into Sydney airport, and got our connecting flight to Cairns. We got a taxi into town and set about getting accomodation. The taxi man was nice and friendly and dropped us off at a place called Gilligans. We went in. No vacancys! This place was recommended by my Aunt and Uncle, who run a B&B in Cairns so we were kinda relying on this place. We searched around and managed to find another place 10 minutes walk up the road called NJoy!. It was decent enough. The first 2 nights myself and Christy shared with a slovenian couple, then we got our own room after that, until Gilligans had vacancies.
We began to explore the area (ie we went to the nearest Irish bar) and scope out the sights (FYI, there are a lot of very good looking women here!! ;)).
We actually had to sort our bank acounts out, so we made our way to the shopping centre, where the first person we spoke to was from Ireland (they're everywhere), and made our way to the ANZ bank. It didn't take long to sort out our funds, and back out to the shopping centre we went, ready to try out this new EFTPOS thingy we've been hearing so much about.....turns out its just a laser card! Haha.
On our 2nd night there, we were invited up to my Aunt and Uncles place for a BBQ. My parents happened to be in Oz also, and were actually staying with them for a while, so were all had a big BBQ, including my other Aunt and Uncle and 2 cousins, who I havent seen since we were 4 or so!! The older, Ian, came out drinking with us and showed us the sights, ie the good bars!! He also had a friend who worked in Gilligans so was able to come back to our room and hang out.
We went to PJ O'Briens most nights, and it was a lot of fun. Afterwards, we'd go to the Woolshed and stay there the night. Good times.
Photos
We flew into Sydney airport, and got our connecting flight to Cairns. We got a taxi into town and set about getting accomodation. The taxi man was nice and friendly and dropped us off at a place called Gilligans. We went in. No vacancys! This place was recommended by my Aunt and Uncle, who run a B&B in Cairns so we were kinda relying on this place. We searched around and managed to find another place 10 minutes walk up the road called NJoy!. It was decent enough. The first 2 nights myself and Christy shared with a slovenian couple, then we got our own room after that, until Gilligans had vacancies.
We began to explore the area (ie we went to the nearest Irish bar) and scope out the sights (FYI, there are a lot of very good looking women here!! ;)).
We actually had to sort our bank acounts out, so we made our way to the shopping centre, where the first person we spoke to was from Ireland (they're everywhere), and made our way to the ANZ bank. It didn't take long to sort out our funds, and back out to the shopping centre we went, ready to try out this new EFTPOS thingy we've been hearing so much about.....turns out its just a laser card! Haha.
On our 2nd night there, we were invited up to my Aunt and Uncles place for a BBQ. My parents happened to be in Oz also, and were actually staying with them for a while, so were all had a big BBQ, including my other Aunt and Uncle and 2 cousins, who I havent seen since we were 4 or so!! The older, Ian, came out drinking with us and showed us the sights, ie the good bars!! He also had a friend who worked in Gilligans so was able to come back to our room and hang out.
We went to PJ O'Briens most nights, and it was a lot of fun. Afterwards, we'd go to the Woolshed and stay there the night. Good times.
Photos
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Back to Bangkok
Today we said goodbye to Koh Pha-Ngan. Possibly the best place we've been so far on the holiday. Cookies had the nicest view, and nicest fruit salad with yoghurt, The Masons Arms had the nicest roast beef and gravy dinners, as well as lovely staff, and it also had the Full Moon Party. I'm yet to let loose and go on a mad one, based on a mix between lack of sleep, lack of comfort, and the incident on Phi Phi island involving my toe! Maybe thats why I didn't enjoy the Full Moon Party as much as I was expecting. It was fun though, just not as much as the hype would have you believe, in our experience.
So we said goodbye to the staff at The Masons Arms and actually got a lift off one of the barmenand got on the boat away from the island. We were told we were going back to the mainland, but we went to Koh Samui to pick up more people, and then headed on to the mainland. The was full to the brim so there was no seats inside. We had to stay out in the sun for over 2 hours. I got badly burnt on my face, arms and legs, even though I kept applying factor 50!! Dave also forgot to put suncream on his legs so developed a nice pair of red leggings later in the day.
When we finally got to the mainland, we were ushered onto a bus. This bus was to drive us about an hour to the train station. It was fairly straight forward, however, a bolt of lightning struck across the street from us!! It was so cool. The noise off it! It hit a telegraph pole on the side of the road. I'd never seen lightning up close and personal like that, and I don't intend on seeing it that close again any time soon!! Scary!
We arrived at the train station anyway, and boarded out train. It was cramped enough but we got by. Once the train had begun its journey, we started to relax. A guy came around taking orders for dinner in an hour or so, and then breakfast at 6am, just before we arrive in Bangkok. You paid in advance, and he basically woke you up for breakfast. Neither the dinner nor breakfast was anything special, but for 200baht (less than 4 euro), what do you expect!
After dinner, it was getting "late"! Not late for us, but late for the locals. We were wondering how we were goign to get any sleep on the uncomfortable, cramped chairs, until a guy came around with a metal rod and start fiddling with something above our heads. Suddenly, a bed folded down from above, and he then converted the chair we were sitting on to another bed!! So we had bunk beds! Fair enough. I got top bunk.
We were having a few beers and watching a film on my laptop when we were told to turn it off, as 10pm was the curfew time where there was no noise allowed afterwards. There was police on the train so we decided not to argue! The beds were actually decent enough, and we got a relatively good sleep.
We were woken at 6am for breakfast, and got into Bangkok after 7. A taxi man was waiting for us outside the station and took us to our hotel. This would be our home until we fly to Oz. After our experience with this place the first time, the plan was to just sit in our rooms with a few beers, watch telly, and relax. Haha this was not the case. We ended up every night in the MBK, a huge shopping centre with hundreds of shops, restaurants and a cinema. We even went back to Khaosan Road to revisit all the old spots!! Back to the Irish bars, the horrible street vendors, the smell of urine from every alleyway, the anorexic cats, the pushy stripclub guys trying toget you into ping pong shows, or offering you ladies! Haha how we missed this place! It was fun going back the one night but I wouldn't like to be surrounded by it all the time, with no escape, like the last time in Sawasdee Inn.
We stayed here anyway until the 26th, and it was off to Australia with us!! It felt like we were in Thailand for a year and we'd never get to Oz, but here we were in the airport!! Finally!! Civilised society awaits!!
Photos
So we said goodbye to the staff at The Masons Arms and actually got a lift off one of the barmenand got on the boat away from the island. We were told we were going back to the mainland, but we went to Koh Samui to pick up more people, and then headed on to the mainland. The was full to the brim so there was no seats inside. We had to stay out in the sun for over 2 hours. I got badly burnt on my face, arms and legs, even though I kept applying factor 50!! Dave also forgot to put suncream on his legs so developed a nice pair of red leggings later in the day.
When we finally got to the mainland, we were ushered onto a bus. This bus was to drive us about an hour to the train station. It was fairly straight forward, however, a bolt of lightning struck across the street from us!! It was so cool. The noise off it! It hit a telegraph pole on the side of the road. I'd never seen lightning up close and personal like that, and I don't intend on seeing it that close again any time soon!! Scary!
We arrived at the train station anyway, and boarded out train. It was cramped enough but we got by. Once the train had begun its journey, we started to relax. A guy came around taking orders for dinner in an hour or so, and then breakfast at 6am, just before we arrive in Bangkok. You paid in advance, and he basically woke you up for breakfast. Neither the dinner nor breakfast was anything special, but for 200baht (less than 4 euro), what do you expect!
After dinner, it was getting "late"! Not late for us, but late for the locals. We were wondering how we were goign to get any sleep on the uncomfortable, cramped chairs, until a guy came around with a metal rod and start fiddling with something above our heads. Suddenly, a bed folded down from above, and he then converted the chair we were sitting on to another bed!! So we had bunk beds! Fair enough. I got top bunk.
We were having a few beers and watching a film on my laptop when we were told to turn it off, as 10pm was the curfew time where there was no noise allowed afterwards. There was police on the train so we decided not to argue! The beds were actually decent enough, and we got a relatively good sleep.
We were woken at 6am for breakfast, and got into Bangkok after 7. A taxi man was waiting for us outside the station and took us to our hotel. This would be our home until we fly to Oz. After our experience with this place the first time, the plan was to just sit in our rooms with a few beers, watch telly, and relax. Haha this was not the case. We ended up every night in the MBK, a huge shopping centre with hundreds of shops, restaurants and a cinema. We even went back to Khaosan Road to revisit all the old spots!! Back to the Irish bars, the horrible street vendors, the smell of urine from every alleyway, the anorexic cats, the pushy stripclub guys trying toget you into ping pong shows, or offering you ladies! Haha how we missed this place! It was fun going back the one night but I wouldn't like to be surrounded by it all the time, with no escape, like the last time in Sawasdee Inn.
We stayed here anyway until the 26th, and it was off to Australia with us!! It felt like we were in Thailand for a year and we'd never get to Oz, but here we were in the airport!! Finally!! Civilised society awaits!!
Photos
Monday, July 21, 2008
Muay Thai Boxing
Tonight we went to see some Thai Boxing, or Muay Thai as its known over here. The surprise of the night was an Irish guy fighting in his first fight, against a local who has 50+ fights under his belt. I predicted a thrashing by the local and expected to see the Irish guy knocked unconscious after 5 seconds.....I was wrong! The Irish guy kicked the living jaysus out of the local. He had him knocked out in the first round! What a debut fight.
There was about 5 or 6 fights on the bill, including the Koh Pha-Ngan champion versus the Koh Samui champion! This was the headlining fight. The Samui guy won in the end. At least the local champ didn't get injured like a couple of the other fighters. One guy possibly broke his arm, another dropped holding his kdneys after he got a swift kick...actually that was the Irish guy who kicked him. I'd say your man will be pissing blookd for a week!! Nasty!
Anyway, see the photos here.
There was about 5 or 6 fights on the bill, including the Koh Pha-Ngan champion versus the Koh Samui champion! This was the headlining fight. The Samui guy won in the end. At least the local champ didn't get injured like a couple of the other fighters. One guy possibly broke his arm, another dropped holding his kdneys after he got a swift kick...actually that was the Irish guy who kicked him. I'd say your man will be pissing blookd for a week!! Nasty!
Anyway, see the photos here.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Full Moon Party, Koh Pha-Ngan
Wooh! So, finally we got to go to the Full Moon party. We'd been waiting for this for ages!! We had originally booked this island until the 19th, as we were told the full moon was on the 17th, but it changed due to a Buddhist holiday or something!
We had to ring the travel people in Bangkok and get them to change everything. In the end, we sacrificed going to Koh Samui so we could stay a little longer here.
We started off our partying on the island a few days before. There was a pool party in one of the beach resorts. It was packed and we destroyed ourselves with glow in the dark flourescent paint!! This stuff does NOT come off your clothes!! We ruined some nice clothes that night, but it was worth it!
On the 19th, we went back to Haad Rin for the full moon party. We went early enough and crammed into the back of the "taxi", which is basically a pickup truck with a metal roof on the back. They managed to squeeze about 11 people in this, including the people hanging off the back like binmen!! Dangerous! Especially when going up and down winding mountain roads!! One slip and you're off!!
So we arrived in one piece anyway. We start drinking straight away. We had a look up and down the beach and it was packed!! It was like sardines on a beach! The girls got designs painted on their legs, back, faces, basically anywhere with exposed flesh!
The festivities went on until 9am or so. There wasnt actually much to it, apart from masses of people getting drunk on a beach. Sure, we met some nice people, and got chatting to all kinds of people from all kinds of places, but that was basically it. The party relies more on the atmosphere generated by the people more than anything else. All the resorts along the beach had different DJs, playing different genres of music (No rock!!), but other than the face painters and food stalls, everything fun was generated by the people. I stayed until 9am or so then left. The rest of them had gradually gone home so I was last one leaving. There was only 1 place still going at that time and I was starting to sober up.
The funniest thing we saw all night was a very very drunk couple fumbling about the sand in front of us, obviously forgetting where they were, and the bloke was trying to get a little action on the beach! They were too drunk and werent able, so they got up and left. It was all very random....but funny!!
Something that strikes me over in Thailand is the amount of Irish people. Not just in Koh Pha-Ngan, but everywhere we went was absolutely packed full of Irish! It was amazing.
Anyway, despite everything I said, we still had a good time at the party. We had a day to recover and then it was off to the mainland to get an overnight train to Bangkok.
Not looking forward to going back there.....
Photos and Donnas photos from her bebo
We had to ring the travel people in Bangkok and get them to change everything. In the end, we sacrificed going to Koh Samui so we could stay a little longer here.
We started off our partying on the island a few days before. There was a pool party in one of the beach resorts. It was packed and we destroyed ourselves with glow in the dark flourescent paint!! This stuff does NOT come off your clothes!! We ruined some nice clothes that night, but it was worth it!
On the 19th, we went back to Haad Rin for the full moon party. We went early enough and crammed into the back of the "taxi", which is basically a pickup truck with a metal roof on the back. They managed to squeeze about 11 people in this, including the people hanging off the back like binmen!! Dangerous! Especially when going up and down winding mountain roads!! One slip and you're off!!
So we arrived in one piece anyway. We start drinking straight away. We had a look up and down the beach and it was packed!! It was like sardines on a beach! The girls got designs painted on their legs, back, faces, basically anywhere with exposed flesh!
The festivities went on until 9am or so. There wasnt actually much to it, apart from masses of people getting drunk on a beach. Sure, we met some nice people, and got chatting to all kinds of people from all kinds of places, but that was basically it. The party relies more on the atmosphere generated by the people more than anything else. All the resorts along the beach had different DJs, playing different genres of music (No rock!!), but other than the face painters and food stalls, everything fun was generated by the people. I stayed until 9am or so then left. The rest of them had gradually gone home so I was last one leaving. There was only 1 place still going at that time and I was starting to sober up.
The funniest thing we saw all night was a very very drunk couple fumbling about the sand in front of us, obviously forgetting where they were, and the bloke was trying to get a little action on the beach! They were too drunk and werent able, so they got up and left. It was all very random....but funny!!
Something that strikes me over in Thailand is the amount of Irish people. Not just in Koh Pha-Ngan, but everywhere we went was absolutely packed full of Irish! It was amazing.
Anyway, despite everything I said, we still had a good time at the party. We had a day to recover and then it was off to the mainland to get an overnight train to Bangkok.
Not looking forward to going back there.....
Photos and Donnas photos from her bebo
Friday, July 11, 2008
Koh Pha-Ngan
So after Krabi, we headed to Koh Pha-Ngan.....Home of the world famous Full Moon parties in Haad Rin Beach at the south of the island. We were expecting a lot from this.
We arrived on the boat anyway, and didn't get collected, as we had come to expect from everywhere else. Instead, we just got the nearest taxi. He brought us up to our resort, Cookies Bungalows, on the west of the island. It was about 20 minutes drive.
It was dark, and the taxi man start bringing us up mountains and down little small roads. We had to trust he'd take us to Cookies....and he did. We pulled up to a quaint little place by the beach and checked into our shacks! There was a little restaurant that we had a beer or two before bed, and checked the place out. It seemed like a relaxing place with a lovely view.
Next morning, we checked the place out more thoroughly. This place is absolutely gorgeous! The view was honestly the nicest one I've ever seen! For example, check out the view from our room or the view from the restaurant. This is my favourite place in Thailand by far!
The food here is really good too. They do a lovely fruit salad with yoghurt! Nicest thing I've ever tasted. The bill gets paid weekly here, so they basically get your shack number, and ad things to the tab until Friday, when you settle the bill. Everything here is so relaxing. They have little cushions that open up into mini chairs that you sit on the floor on. Its definately a place I'd come back to. However, we ended up leaving Cookies after a few days. The girls found a big tarantula sized spider in their cabin, and we found a huge lizard and a rat in ours. I would have been happy enough to stay but majority rules and we left.
We went about a mile down the road and came across an English pub called The Masons Arms. It was basically a road, with jungle each side, then a clearing, and then this pristine acre or two with nice grass, a red brick footpath, and then a big white English pub that stood out like a sore thumb. We went in and had a few beers, while looking at our maps to see if we could find somewhere for the night. It was already after 8, and pitch dark so our chances were dwindling by the minute. We rang a few places but everywhere seemed booked out...mainly due to the 10,000 travellers converging on the island for the Full Moon Party in a few days!
Luckily, we got talking to someone at the bar who happened to know soeone renting houses literally across the street from this pub. She had 3 spare chalets, which can hold 2 people in each! Perfect! We had a look at them and they were really nice. This would be our home for our remaining time on the island.
The chalets were next to a beach....I call it a beach, but it was in actual fact just where the sea met the land. It was nasty. There was a foamy substance on the edge of the water, and dead fish, conoms, bits of rubbish, tin cans etc all washed up. As I walked further up, I could see another resort. I went in for a look and was promptly confronted by their guard dog. This was the middle of the day, and he start barking at me quite aggressively. I decided to leave.....
So, we went over to the Masons Arms every day for food and drinks and got to know the staff there. They were really friendly, and used to take the piss out of my accent. I ordered a sprite every time I went in, and they found it hilarious in my Dublin accent! So every time I walked in, I'd hear "Sproite! Sproite!" from one of the Thai bar staff! It was funny!
One of the barmen showed us where to go for Thai Boxing matches, as there was an Irish guy, from Bray, fighting in his first fight the next night. He drove us there, for free. The locals in Thailand are actually really friendly and nice people. It was not what I was expecting. In saying that though, the taxi folk are the opposite! An absolute pain in the hole!!
Oh, and another thing. The place is full of guard dogs, so don't go walking around after dark or they'll attack you! Vicious little buggers!! Mself and Christy went for a walk and got barked at (not bitten), the girls got cornered by 2 sets of dogs either side of a bridge they were walkign across. They had to climb up it to escape! Another girl we met got bitten while sitting on the beach. They just went for her for no reason!! Crazy! She had to get tetnus injections and a few others. Thank god for mopeds, otherwise we would have been stranded.
Photos here.
We arrived on the boat anyway, and didn't get collected, as we had come to expect from everywhere else. Instead, we just got the nearest taxi. He brought us up to our resort, Cookies Bungalows, on the west of the island. It was about 20 minutes drive.
It was dark, and the taxi man start bringing us up mountains and down little small roads. We had to trust he'd take us to Cookies....and he did. We pulled up to a quaint little place by the beach and checked into our shacks! There was a little restaurant that we had a beer or two before bed, and checked the place out. It seemed like a relaxing place with a lovely view.
Next morning, we checked the place out more thoroughly. This place is absolutely gorgeous! The view was honestly the nicest one I've ever seen! For example, check out the view from our room or the view from the restaurant. This is my favourite place in Thailand by far!
The food here is really good too. They do a lovely fruit salad with yoghurt! Nicest thing I've ever tasted. The bill gets paid weekly here, so they basically get your shack number, and ad things to the tab until Friday, when you settle the bill. Everything here is so relaxing. They have little cushions that open up into mini chairs that you sit on the floor on. Its definately a place I'd come back to. However, we ended up leaving Cookies after a few days. The girls found a big tarantula sized spider in their cabin, and we found a huge lizard and a rat in ours. I would have been happy enough to stay but majority rules and we left.
We went about a mile down the road and came across an English pub called The Masons Arms. It was basically a road, with jungle each side, then a clearing, and then this pristine acre or two with nice grass, a red brick footpath, and then a big white English pub that stood out like a sore thumb. We went in and had a few beers, while looking at our maps to see if we could find somewhere for the night. It was already after 8, and pitch dark so our chances were dwindling by the minute. We rang a few places but everywhere seemed booked out...mainly due to the 10,000 travellers converging on the island for the Full Moon Party in a few days!
Luckily, we got talking to someone at the bar who happened to know soeone renting houses literally across the street from this pub. She had 3 spare chalets, which can hold 2 people in each! Perfect! We had a look at them and they were really nice. This would be our home for our remaining time on the island.
The chalets were next to a beach....I call it a beach, but it was in actual fact just where the sea met the land. It was nasty. There was a foamy substance on the edge of the water, and dead fish, conoms, bits of rubbish, tin cans etc all washed up. As I walked further up, I could see another resort. I went in for a look and was promptly confronted by their guard dog. This was the middle of the day, and he start barking at me quite aggressively. I decided to leave.....
So, we went over to the Masons Arms every day for food and drinks and got to know the staff there. They were really friendly, and used to take the piss out of my accent. I ordered a sprite every time I went in, and they found it hilarious in my Dublin accent! So every time I walked in, I'd hear "Sproite! Sproite!" from one of the Thai bar staff! It was funny!
One of the barmen showed us where to go for Thai Boxing matches, as there was an Irish guy, from Bray, fighting in his first fight the next night. He drove us there, for free. The locals in Thailand are actually really friendly and nice people. It was not what I was expecting. In saying that though, the taxi folk are the opposite! An absolute pain in the hole!!
Oh, and another thing. The place is full of guard dogs, so don't go walking around after dark or they'll attack you! Vicious little buggers!! Mself and Christy went for a walk and got barked at (not bitten), the girls got cornered by 2 sets of dogs either side of a bridge they were walkign across. They had to climb up it to escape! Another girl we met got bitten while sitting on the beach. They just went for her for no reason!! Crazy! She had to get tetnus injections and a few others. Thank god for mopeds, otherwise we would have been stranded.
Photos here.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
The Snake guy
OH my god!
We went to see a snake show today!! It was cool!!!
The guy basically took us around what was a mini zoo for about 15 minutes, before bringing us to a ring, with chairs around the edge. On the far side, was 3 boxes....containing snakes!! We had seen lots of snakes around in cages, but these ones were gonna be let loose right in front of us!! Uh oh!!
The guy took out a baby king cobra from the first box and start messing with it. He was picking it up, and swinging it around, and kissing it and basically taking the piss out of it!! Oh, until it bit him on the neck!! Yeah, I'd say he didn't like that at all!! Ah no, he was grand. The snake is only dangerous to small children. Apparently, us adults can withstand the poison...apparently!
After that, he moved onto box number 2....an even BIGGER Snake!! He basically did the same with the first one, and took the piss out of it!!
The best part was after that. He took 3 snakes out of the big box!! He was totally taking the piss out of them!! haha it was great!!! Basically, he'd run over to one, and make it do stuff, like bite his hair or kiss him or whatever, then he'd run around and do it to another, all the while the other 2 would be trying to bite him! Finally, when he was finished, he picked them up with his bare hands, to show us how good he was at handling them.....only, there was 3 snakes and like the majority of us, he only has 2 hands. Dilemma dilemma...or so we thought. He went around and snook up behind the 3rd snake and picked him up with his mouth, without the snake noticing him!! It was so cool!! I have videos of it I'll try put up later, but for now, you can check it out in the photos below:
Photos from Krabi
We went to see a snake show today!! It was cool!!!
The guy basically took us around what was a mini zoo for about 15 minutes, before bringing us to a ring, with chairs around the edge. On the far side, was 3 boxes....containing snakes!! We had seen lots of snakes around in cages, but these ones were gonna be let loose right in front of us!! Uh oh!!
The guy took out a baby king cobra from the first box and start messing with it. He was picking it up, and swinging it around, and kissing it and basically taking the piss out of it!! Oh, until it bit him on the neck!! Yeah, I'd say he didn't like that at all!! Ah no, he was grand. The snake is only dangerous to small children. Apparently, us adults can withstand the poison...apparently!
After that, he moved onto box number 2....an even BIGGER Snake!! He basically did the same with the first one, and took the piss out of it!!
The best part was after that. He took 3 snakes out of the big box!! He was totally taking the piss out of them!! haha it was great!!! Basically, he'd run over to one, and make it do stuff, like bite his hair or kiss him or whatever, then he'd run around and do it to another, all the while the other 2 would be trying to bite him! Finally, when he was finished, he picked them up with his bare hands, to show us how good he was at handling them.....only, there was 3 snakes and like the majority of us, he only has 2 hands. Dilemma dilemma...or so we thought. He went around and snook up behind the 3rd snake and picked him up with his mouth, without the snake noticing him!! It was so cool!! I have videos of it I'll try put up later, but for now, you can check it out in the photos below:
Photos from Krabi
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Onwards to Krabi
Today we got the boat to Krabi. It took, I think, around 90 minutes. I slept for most of it.
We arrived in Krabi and it seemed a nice quaint little island. We got picked up, as usual, by a taxi man at the port. He drove us to our next temporary home, a place called Tip Anda. On first glance, it seemed OK, but after staying there, the name TIP Anda seems eerily suitable for the place!!
The rooms were practically outdoor! They were little wooden shacks with no air-conditioning, no TV, no fridge, and no separate beds!!! With me and Christy sharing a room, that kinda becomes a problem!! We had to ask for a separate bed for the room, which they thankfully supplied. It wasn't comfortable, it was full of cockroaches, but the weather and the view were really nice. Sitting out on the porch was really nice. I did some of my blog just sitting out, typing away in the sun. It was nice...if a bit too quiet.
Thats the thing about Krabi. Its nice....but it has no nightlife or cinemas or anywhere for a group of twentysomethings to entertain themselves! We only plan on staying here another day anyway, then its onwards to Koh Pha-Ngan, where we will have the full moon party and all sorts of shenanigans to busy ourselves with!
Oh, and I went to the doctor today. He said nothing was broken in my toe or foot, and that I had just sprained my toe, foot and calf. Thats a relief!!
Photos from Krabi
We arrived in Krabi and it seemed a nice quaint little island. We got picked up, as usual, by a taxi man at the port. He drove us to our next temporary home, a place called Tip Anda. On first glance, it seemed OK, but after staying there, the name TIP Anda seems eerily suitable for the place!!
The rooms were practically outdoor! They were little wooden shacks with no air-conditioning, no TV, no fridge, and no separate beds!!! With me and Christy sharing a room, that kinda becomes a problem!! We had to ask for a separate bed for the room, which they thankfully supplied. It wasn't comfortable, it was full of cockroaches, but the weather and the view were really nice. Sitting out on the porch was really nice. I did some of my blog just sitting out, typing away in the sun. It was nice...if a bit too quiet.
Thats the thing about Krabi. Its nice....but it has no nightlife or cinemas or anywhere for a group of twentysomethings to entertain themselves! We only plan on staying here another day anyway, then its onwards to Koh Pha-Ngan, where we will have the full moon party and all sorts of shenanigans to busy ourselves with!
Oh, and I went to the doctor today. He said nothing was broken in my toe or foot, and that I had just sprained my toe, foot and calf. Thats a relief!!
Photos from Krabi
Monday, July 7, 2008
Limpy Joe
Ok, so my toe is still really sore! What do ya expect when ya rip the toenail half off and it starts bleeding!! By the way, its still bleeding. Not much, but its still bleeding! I need to go to the doctor!!
I went to the chemist. I got some anti-bacterial wash, some cleaning gel and a bandage. I've been walking around town all day and it is sore!! I can't walk fast at all!! It takes me about an hour to do a 15 minute walk, so its very frustrating!
I actually ran into a friend of mine from Dublin who I hadn't seen in a while. She told me there is a hospital on the island, that is actually quite good, and really cheap!! Unfortunately, we are leaving the island in the morning so I havent got time to go, for fear of being kept in over-night and missing my boat in the morning.
Seriously though, this limp is so bad!! My calf muscle is gone too!! I pulled it last night so I can literally barely walk! Its so frustrating!! I'm never drinking again!!!
Photos from Phi Phi
I went to the chemist. I got some anti-bacterial wash, some cleaning gel and a bandage. I've been walking around town all day and it is sore!! I can't walk fast at all!! It takes me about an hour to do a 15 minute walk, so its very frustrating!
I actually ran into a friend of mine from Dublin who I hadn't seen in a while. She told me there is a hospital on the island, that is actually quite good, and really cheap!! Unfortunately, we are leaving the island in the morning so I havent got time to go, for fear of being kept in over-night and missing my boat in the morning.
Seriously though, this limp is so bad!! My calf muscle is gone too!! I pulled it last night so I can literally barely walk! Its so frustrating!! I'm never drinking again!!!
Photos from Phi Phi
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Phi Phi and the TOE!
Hmmmm, ok. I have a not so nice blog to report here.
After another night out in Phi Phi, we ended up at the Hippies Bar again. It was just me and Christy and he went home early. So I decided to stay and talk to the people we were chatting to. One thing led to another, and I ended up getting way too drunk! I even start partaking in drinking contests with some Americans at the bar (I won, dont worry), however, that is the last thing I remember.
I woke up this morning, on my bathroom floor, with no recollection of how I got there. I remember bring in the bar, then I woke up thinking I was "still" lying down in the middle of the street. I emphasise "still" because that confuses me. I assumed I was still lying there, but have no recollection of lying down there in the first place, so what I assume happened was, I got really drunk, went home, fel over, decided to go asleep.
Now, what Christy had told me later that day was that around 10am there was a knock on the door that woke him up. It was an Autralian girl, with a member of staff....and me! Apparently, she found me lying in the jungle and brought me home!! This scared the crap out of me! I have no intention of drinking ever again!
Oh, and I havent mentioned the worst part!! When I woke up, I was covered in blood!! When I fell over (I cant remember falling but I must have) it seems I lifted my big toenail back,. At the moment, it is hanging off, with blood underneath it, and it is quite sore. I better go to the doctor, though I'm afraid he might have to take it off!!
Needless to say, I spent that whole day in bed.
After another night out in Phi Phi, we ended up at the Hippies Bar again. It was just me and Christy and he went home early. So I decided to stay and talk to the people we were chatting to. One thing led to another, and I ended up getting way too drunk! I even start partaking in drinking contests with some Americans at the bar (I won, dont worry), however, that is the last thing I remember.
I woke up this morning, on my bathroom floor, with no recollection of how I got there. I remember bring in the bar, then I woke up thinking I was "still" lying down in the middle of the street. I emphasise "still" because that confuses me. I assumed I was still lying there, but have no recollection of lying down there in the first place, so what I assume happened was, I got really drunk, went home, fel over, decided to go asleep.
Now, what Christy had told me later that day was that around 10am there was a knock on the door that woke him up. It was an Autralian girl, with a member of staff....and me! Apparently, she found me lying in the jungle and brought me home!! This scared the crap out of me! I have no intention of drinking ever again!
Oh, and I havent mentioned the worst part!! When I woke up, I was covered in blood!! When I fell over (I cant remember falling but I must have) it seems I lifted my big toenail back,. At the moment, it is hanging off, with blood underneath it, and it is quite sore. I better go to the doctor, though I'm afraid he might have to take it off!!
Needless to say, I spent that whole day in bed.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Haven't they ever heard of cycle lanes??
That last nite in phuket was cool!! Got shitfaced and went to Rock City again. There was a few different bands on including a Kiss tribute band. After a few more beers, the singer start putting the microphone out to the audience for us to sing the words. Nobody was singing so I took it upon myself to liven everyone up! I ran up to the stage, grabbed the mic, and sang the rest of the song on him!! The song was Rock n Roll All Nite. Some people might recognise it from Guitar Hero 3! It was cool. I was amazing! Didnt get any photos though. Ragin!!
So, next day, we had to GET THE BOAT to Phi Phi island. It took 2.5 hours or so and was an absolute killer!! There was people getting sick all over the place. Everywhere you look, people are availing of the complimentar sickbag! Luckily however, I didn't...thank jaysus!
At the moment, we've been on this island the last couple of days. The place is amazing. There's an irish bar (where is there not?) but its crap. Its an Irish "themed" pub, rather than an actual Irish bar. We were the only Irish in there.
We went on a pub crawl last night. Free bucket of whiskey and coke between midnight and ten past midnight in Tiger bar. Jaysus, once that kicked in, that was the end of it! I turned up at the hotel room this mornin covered in sand, soaked from head to toe. My phone is broken, and I have a big cut down my leg. How it got there is anyones guess! We went to the Hippy Bar on the opposite side of the island. I had to walk back from the Hippy bar in my borrowed flip flops. Not an easy task, for me! I didn't have my runners as I had ruined them earlier on in the night on the other beach party after I jumped thruough a hoop of fire and landed in the ocean. That was fun, but it destroyed my only pair of runners with water and sand. I was some sight to behold this morning at breakfast, still shitfaced, getting breakfast in the hotel. I got a big mountain of food (a far cry from Burger King on Grafton St after a night out) still while soaking wet!!
Something I noticed over here is the large number of Irish people. I knew there'd be some...just not this much!!
The hotel is lovely anyway. Nice little bungalows, surrounded by green plants and lizards and sorts of other local wildlife! I could have sworn I even heard a cow! MOOO!!!
I have to go get some grub now and probably go back out again. We've been out every nite since we left Dublin with the exception of the whole day we missed while travelling from Bangkok to Phuket. I honestly haven't a clue what day it is these days!! There's no structure, just drinkin', eatin', sleepin', and drinkin...ITS GREAT!!
The massage ladies here are funny too. You walk passed and they'll say "massage? massage? sexy man, massage?". It's funnier in person when you can hear it in their accent! Oh, and the vehicle of choice on the island is bicycle. They fly up the skinny paths at you and nearly knock you over!! All the warning you receive is, if you're lucky, a bicycle bell. If they're not equipped with one, they'll say "beep beep". Not 100% safe. Haven't they ever heard of cycle lanes???
So, next day, we had to GET THE BOAT to Phi Phi island. It took 2.5 hours or so and was an absolute killer!! There was people getting sick all over the place. Everywhere you look, people are availing of the complimentar sickbag! Luckily however, I didn't...thank jaysus!
At the moment, we've been on this island the last couple of days. The place is amazing. There's an irish bar (where is there not?) but its crap. Its an Irish "themed" pub, rather than an actual Irish bar. We were the only Irish in there.
We went on a pub crawl last night. Free bucket of whiskey and coke between midnight and ten past midnight in Tiger bar. Jaysus, once that kicked in, that was the end of it! I turned up at the hotel room this mornin covered in sand, soaked from head to toe. My phone is broken, and I have a big cut down my leg. How it got there is anyones guess! We went to the Hippy Bar on the opposite side of the island. I had to walk back from the Hippy bar in my borrowed flip flops. Not an easy task, for me! I didn't have my runners as I had ruined them earlier on in the night on the other beach party after I jumped thruough a hoop of fire and landed in the ocean. That was fun, but it destroyed my only pair of runners with water and sand. I was some sight to behold this morning at breakfast, still shitfaced, getting breakfast in the hotel. I got a big mountain of food (a far cry from Burger King on Grafton St after a night out) still while soaking wet!!
Something I noticed over here is the large number of Irish people. I knew there'd be some...just not this much!!
The hotel is lovely anyway. Nice little bungalows, surrounded by green plants and lizards and sorts of other local wildlife! I could have sworn I even heard a cow! MOOO!!!
I have to go get some grub now and probably go back out again. We've been out every nite since we left Dublin with the exception of the whole day we missed while travelling from Bangkok to Phuket. I honestly haven't a clue what day it is these days!! There's no structure, just drinkin', eatin', sleepin', and drinkin...ITS GREAT!!
The massage ladies here are funny too. You walk passed and they'll say "massage? massage? sexy man, massage?". It's funnier in person when you can hear it in their accent! Oh, and the vehicle of choice on the island is bicycle. They fly up the skinny paths at you and nearly knock you over!! All the warning you receive is, if you're lucky, a bicycle bell. If they're not equipped with one, they'll say "beep beep". Not 100% safe. Haven't they ever heard of cycle lanes???
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Phuket rocks!
Phuket rocks! I've met some very interesting "ladies". There was me fave, Di Di, who I bumped into the other nite. She was a lovely friendly girl! Had a bit of a husky voice, but she assured me it was coz she hadnt got much sleep from working nights. i asked her what she worked as and she said something about Bangkok. I think she said she works in a bank office in Bangkok. I'm not sure. She was tellin me all about Phi Phi (pronounced pee pee) and she said she loves Phi Phi. That's promising! I also asked her if she likes to swim in Phi Phi....she said yes! I can't swim, but for some reason felt the need to ask the question! The weird thing though, she had a lump in her throat that looked like an adams apple......it wasnt though. She had gotten a throat infection...obviously related to the husky voice she got from working late and not getting much sleep. Nice girl though.
Another nice lady offered me a massage while I was going to Subway for a sandwich! Very nice of her. She was nice and friendly and came up and gave me a hug and didn't want to let go! Ahh, so friendly! Since she didn't want to let go, I had to grab her by the arm and we skipped down the road after Christy, who had headed on to Subway. So, then i was gettin more hungry so said my goodbyes...but she was so friendly she jumped on my back. I didnt know what to do....so i gave her a jockeyback down the road. She was a big girl for such a little girl though. Luckily, she couldnt run that fast so I dropped her on her back and was able to outrun her!! lol, I think I deserved my Subway Club Sandwich!
Subway seems to be a focal point for all the weirdos, however. On the way back from subway last nite, this other lady came up to me and opened her hotpants and showed me her "shaven haven" while saying "pussy! pussy!" in order to prove, unlike Di Di, that she was an actual lady! I was suitably impressed by her tidyness, and obvious attention to personal grooming, but as a gentleman, I declined. Suddenly, from the corner of my eye, I spotted my massage friend from the other night. She tried to run after me again so I had to scarper quickly back to the hotel! Got a nice sandwich, got some exercise....what more do ya need?!?! Oh, the free drink in the rock bar from 9pm-11pm earlier in the night!! That was class.
Another nice lady offered me a massage while I was going to Subway for a sandwich! Very nice of her. She was nice and friendly and came up and gave me a hug and didn't want to let go! Ahh, so friendly! Since she didn't want to let go, I had to grab her by the arm and we skipped down the road after Christy, who had headed on to Subway. So, then i was gettin more hungry so said my goodbyes...but she was so friendly she jumped on my back. I didnt know what to do....so i gave her a jockeyback down the road. She was a big girl for such a little girl though. Luckily, she couldnt run that fast so I dropped her on her back and was able to outrun her!! lol, I think I deserved my Subway Club Sandwich!
Subway seems to be a focal point for all the weirdos, however. On the way back from subway last nite, this other lady came up to me and opened her hotpants and showed me her "shaven haven" while saying "pussy! pussy!" in order to prove, unlike Di Di, that she was an actual lady! I was suitably impressed by her tidyness, and obvious attention to personal grooming, but as a gentleman, I declined. Suddenly, from the corner of my eye, I spotted my massage friend from the other night. She tried to run after me again so I had to scarper quickly back to the hotel! Got a nice sandwich, got some exercise....what more do ya need?!?! Oh, the free drink in the rock bar from 9pm-11pm earlier in the night!! That was class.
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