***disclaimer: I put all my photos on Dropbox and took them off my iPod too free up some space, but now I'm having troubles adding them to the blog. Words only will have to do for now***
The only drawback of having a lot of fun travelling and keeping busy is that it's tough to find time to make new blog posts!
Kristina and I spent 3 crazy, fast-paced weeks in Thailand, and Kristina's good friend Biz took 2 weeks off work to join us for most of it.
The first stop was Ao Nang beach, on the west coast of the country, not too far from Langkawi in Malaysia, where we were coming from. This place is known for its superb rock climbing, which we of course had to try. It was hard work but tons of fun and absolutely breathtaking.
Next, Kristina and I went over to an island for a few days called Ko Lanta, which happens to be where we spent Valentine's day together. We rented another scooter and spent the day circling the island, then had side-by-side massages on the beach, so romantic!
Then it was time to move on to Bangkok. We had heard lots of crazy stuff about it, like the insane traffic, the lady boys, the drug industry, the dirtiness, and general chaos. While we found most of that to be true, we also found big, colourful markets selling everything you can think of, tons of delicious and cheap food, beautiful boats travelling up and down the river and canals, friendly used book stores at every turn, and an upbeat and exciting atmosphere. After a full first day of shopping and exploring, Biz arrived in the evening.
The following night we hopped on an overnight bus up to Chiang Mai, a really neat city in northern Thailand. But the best parts of Chiang Mai are the jungly mountains that surround it. On our first day there we rented a few scooters and left town in search of a butterfly and orchid garden, tigers, and waterfalls, all of which we found.
The next day we set out on an organized 2-day trek that involved going to an elephant camp where we got to ride them and bathe them in a pond! Possibly the highlight of the trip so far. We also met some really great girls who were in our trek group, Katie and Gemma from England and Eva from Germany.
Biz, Kristina and I then made our way back down south to visit more islands. First stop was Koh Tao, a hippyish island that is one of the top spots for learning how to scuba dive... So that's what I did! Kristina already has her open water certification and Biz has also done a few fun dives, so I signed up for the 3 day course on my own while the girls explored the island for pretty beaches. The course involved a bit of theory and lots of skill-training in a pool, but then we got to do 4 actual dives in the sea. Each one lasted 30-50 min and to a depth of at most 16 metres. It was SO great, we saw tons of fish and coral and even a turtle!
Then we went to a larger island nearby called Koh Samui, which has beautiful beaches and a lively nightlife. One night we took a ferry over to another island really close by called Koh Phagnan for a Full Moon party. This is a monthly event that the island hosts, and is basically a huge rave with tons of loud dance music on the beach that lasts all night. It attracts thousands of people, mostly foreigners, and nearly everyone shows up in neon outfits. Definitely tops the list of wild parties I've been to! We got on a boat back to Koh Samui at about 4 am and spent the next few days lounging on the beach and getting cheap massages, manicures, and pedicures. IT'S A ROUGH LIFE.
We took an overnight bus back to Bangkok for one last day of embracing pandemonium before Biz had to fly back home, and Kristina and I made our way to Cambodia, which is where we are now!
