Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
I officially apologise now for being the clackest blog updater ever but what an awesome and fully packed two weeks i've had! Starting about two hours after my last blog entry in Nong Khai- here's how my eventful night went...went for dinner on a goegeous floating resteraunt on the river so i could get my last glimpse of Laos and play tourist photographer, then progressed for a short night stroll before saying night to Sharron (who was staying in a different guesthouse) and proceeded on to mine. Clever me then unlocked the front gate and then locked it behind me, (fine), then used the other key to open the padlock to my room (also fine), then gathered all my things for a shower, went outside me room and locked the padlock behind me THEN realised the key was inside the room (not so fine...). So there i was at ten o clock at night, locked in the guesthouse compound (but don't let the word compound make it seem anything significant-think three rooms-and i'm the only customer) and locked outside my room with a bar of soap and towl. The next hour and a half (literally) consisted of my wandering around the garden knocking on empty room's doors asking someone to help me while a dog was competing with me for loudness before finally at 11.00pm at night a very weary eyed owner had obviously woken up to come and save me- i felt so bad and have never locked my key in a room since...touch wood...
But after that everything went smoothly (as far as you can expect smoothly to go travelling). TIP; when wanting to splash out in Thailand and order a banana split, don't expect everything to be what you'd have at home...the nuts on top were salted cashews (interesting) and the sauce was tamarind marmalade and strawberry jam...made for an interesting concoction!
Having experienced a wide range of transportation methods on this trip (il make a list one day) i thought i was time to try out the night bus to bangkok (Liv's thinking-not only do i get to sleep cause it says they have reclining seats but also don't have to pay for a nights accomodation and will get there in the morning so have a full day!)..after a ride to the bus stop squished in the back of a ute while four husky's bounced on my bag in the back, i found out my thoughts weren't exactlyt correct. Firstly, all the reclinging seat means is that the guy infront of you can-basically you're legs have to be paper width to fit infront of you, and no- you will not sleep...a combinations of the snorers, bumpyness and the fact its impossible to get comfy will prevent it and lastly, arriving at 5am totally exhausted will not mean you get a full day wide eyed and sheery- but all in all i do get to add another method to my list and i did arrive in BKK safe and well.
Only ended up saying one night in Bangkok so i was able to escape before Songkran started and i'd be stuck in the city for 4 days. Ended up taking another night bus (i'm not a fast learner) to Chumpon then a boat here to Ko Tao and i'm loving it. Went straight to Crystal Dive resort and started my PADI open water the next day (thanks mum and dad for the birthday present!) although it did first involve a mad rushing around the town to find a fax machine and phone to get the form signed by mum because i was four days to young to sign it myself (much to the amusement of everyone at home!)....but oh my gosh was it worth it!!!!!!!! I LOVE diving...its so calm under there and the coral here is way better then New Caledonia and up there with the GBR in Australia and Naigani Fiji which i thought were awesome at the time!!!!!!! Definitly need to thank Steph & Toni for convincing me to do it..(i even got one of those blue manuals that i always saw everyone had at the hostel when i was little)...i was so convinced that i actually ended up doing my advanced open water as well...so that meant i spent my eighteenth birthday specialising in Fish Identification, Underwater Navigation then the best of the best a night dive (where you see more than you'd imagine and get the biggest adreniline rush ever!). Next day i completed it with my deep and multilevel dives which were also really neat-can't wait to come home and do the Rainbow Warrior now... Had my bank account not complained i would have stayed here longer and done my Nitrox course. To be honest the enviroment is so tempting here that i'd easily be tempting into staying to my instructors had it be possible. Had an awesome birthday though- whole group of us ended up going out for dinner and was even sprung with a suprise cake which was so awesome- thanks guys! And thanks to everyone for the birthday messages/emails/texts-all mean heaps!
Doing an eco dive tommorow for earth day (to be honest don't know what i actually involves but i get two dives so i'm happy- thanks Corinne!) am stoked. Have moved to cheaper bungalow but i reckon its even cuter- im on stilts literally 3m from the water -do have scarily big holes in floor though so even happier about moquito net and put my ear plugs in (not because its noisy mainly because i don't want to hear if some animal crawls in my room during the night...) Went out last night with group of us who were still here. Transport to the beach bars was on a VERY fast Saangthaw in which i definitly risked my life (i see a pattern here- went out in Laos where we managed to jam 13 of us into a VW combi then all got searched before going into a Vientienne night club) but was worth it- so relaxed here- literally sit on the beach on cushions with the water right at your feel and was quite quiet cause everyone was a Ko Phan Nang for full moon...loved it though.
Only have two weeks left in Thailand- so wierd that it went so fast- but am planning on staying here a few days then heading up to Hua Hin before BKK for some last minute shopping! Hope all is well- much love! XX
- comments