Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
We are still in Ao nang, however we have swapped our double room for a family room (as it is cheaper and liv and chris are now staying here too), so matt and I are on the bunks!
We have realised we have been racing through our money so we are trying to be more conservative, trips every other day and beaching for free the others. Although on our second beach day we both forked out a whole £6 each for an hour long aloe Vera massage (we didn't fancy a Thai beating with our sunburn!) It was so relaxing although I did squeak a little every time she tried to touch my feet. Since then the lovely Thai owner Tik Tik has allowed us to sit on her sun beds for free and offering us fresh pineapple every time she sees us.
On our way back from the beach we enquired about elephant trekking and booked a half day tour. In the evening we had an Indian and then headed to an Irish bar which was recommended in Liv's lonely planet guide. Whilst there the heavens opened and the heaviest rain we have ever seen turned the street into a river. It went on so long into the night that we had to enquire whether the trek would still be happening the next morning. They simply laughed and said that that was only a light downpour... heaviest light downpour we ever saw!
Our elephant was a 35 year old female called Dokiyo (or something similar). Matt was disappointed he didn't get one of the two enormous tusced males. The trek lasted about an hour and we enjoyed it thoroughly. The elephants are incredible animals; at one point two teamed together responding to verbal instructions from their owners and cleared a tree that was encroaching on the path. One pushed the trunk back until it snapped then the other cleared the debris. Matt even took the opportunity to sit on the elephant's neck and drive. When the trek finished we paid an extra bit to feed the elephant a basket of bananas (we'll try and add the video) as we felt it deserved them for carrying our fat arses (matt's being twice the size of mine) through the jungle.
After saying goodbye to the elephants, our minibus took us to the next part of the excursion, some natural hot springs about half an hour away. These were a lovely 35 degrees and full of minerals. Matt forgot his swim shorts so just went in with his boxers on.
Back at the hostel, liv and Chris introduced us to something called 'geocaching'. We'd never heard of it before. The concept is slightly odd. People have hidden small boxes containing note pads an a pencil all over the world in random locations. They record the position of the cache on a website and give clues (sometimes cryptic) for others to find them. Once you find one of these, you write your name on the pad and log your find on the website. Liv and Chris found out that there were several near Ao Nang beach and showed us how to find them. We found two out of three, discovering some beautiful hidden spots that we would otherwise not have found. Looking on the website , it is remarkable how many are in places we think we know so well and probably walk past everyday. We will definitely go look for them when we get home.
That afternoon, we paid to all go on a Thai cookery class excursion. The teacher, Mrs. Ya, has been on Gordon Ramsey's programme teaching him how to cook Thai food. She was a barrel of laughs and the whole experience was really enjoyable. Using our "bang bang chop chop" method, we made about 8 different dishes from scratch including soup, pad Thai, red and green curries and fried morning glory (snigger). We got to eat all the food we made (or as much as we could handle) but we had made a few dishes WAY too hot! A little tip: don't ever say you like spicy food in Thailand. A nice cool evening dip in the sea was just the ticket when we got back.
That night being our last, we went to our favourite bar, the K.R. bar, which has an amazing house band. Chris got up and played the drums with them after a few drinks to settle his nerves.
We will miss Ao Nang's stunning scenery and plethora of activities but it is time to move on. Next on the list is Krabi town, stay tuned blog fans!
- comments
Carla "Kelly Rowland" Sambells woop love this, and matt if your gonna make an elephant carry you I think you need to give it more then a few pesky bananas! jeeeees. where are these hidden notes? I want to find one love you guys xxxxx
Trish Shelley I feel sorry for the elephant carry you, the mount you tuck away Pipa. I 'm enjoying reading your notes, keep it up. Love to you borth Trish xx