Bangkok
Our last stop after a hectic five weeks, all we did was shop and sleep 
Chang Mai
So finishing off the trip blog now I can definitely say Chang Mai was the most enjoyable for me ( Maybe not for Sue ) We met a taxi driver getting off the plane who had a list of people that recommended him a mile long. Some “As Gaeilge” too! So we arranged with him to take us around the next day.
Turns out he was actually a former Buddhist monk so it was great getting to know their religion what they’re allowed do and what they think of Catholicism and all of that. He didn’t mind explaining the whole thing to us. ( Think I might convert myself one day ) He brought us to a few temples, we visited the Tiger Sanctuary and a few other places.
So the next couple of days were the trek days, I would recommend it to everyone. We did the northern trek and I know I’m not that fit but it was pretty tough. climbing some kind of mountain through a jungle. Really enjoyable though and I think everyone felt like Indiana Jones by the end of it. That night we stayed in a remote village and had a few drinks with our guides, James Bond and Pan. A few of the young lads from the village cam up and I managed to introduce them to blackjack (only playing for stones). They had no English at all but were very quick at picking up the rules of the game.
The next day we went for an elephant ride, visited a waterfall, went bamboo rafting and white water rafting. Class stuff, really enjoyed the white water rafting and will definitely be taking it up again here in Melbourne.
We also dug a tarantula out of a ditch (which scared the bejesus out of Sue) which was pretty class and had a very very very slow oxen ride down the road a bit.
So that was about it in Chang Mai, it’s a bit of a short description but I’ve forgotten most of it at this stage.
We got the overnight train to Bangkok the next day which was a new experience, beats iarnrod eireann but if you’re looking for a good nights sleep I wouldn’t recommend it too much.
Phi Phi
So the ferry over the phi phi was pretty nice, we could sit up on top and they sold chang for half nothing so I was happy out. When we got the Phi Phi I knew this was a place I would like, the main part of the island is tiny and there are no cars at all on it, so you walk everywhere and no one is offering you tuk tuks (They are still on about the Thai Massage!). There’s a real laid back attitude on this island and I loved it. No one rushing around the place and everyone is again very friendly.
Our hotel / hut thing was very different, Phi Phi Casita, just a load of tiny bungalows on stilts surrounded by frogs and the likes. That night after checking in we just had a look around the town and had a drink on the beach watching a fire show (class).
The next day we hit the beach for an hour and decided to canoe out to Monkey Bay which was excellent, canoeing was a hell of a lot tougher than I remember but I reckon that’s cause we were canoeing out of a bay?
We had an island hopping trip planned for the next day which was the best trip out of the whole lot. We seemed to get a good deal and there were a few Irish on our boat which was a bit of craic. First stop was another Monkey Bay where a Monkey decided to sit on my head and have a look around. He seemed happy out anyway.
He then brought us to the back of Maya Bay (Where “the beach” was filmed) where we snorkeled over to a cave type thing and climbed through to Maya bay, it was pretty impressive, kinda spoiled by the speed boats in the bay but it was pretty picturesque anyway.
After that we stopped for lunch in this lagoon which was unbelievable, completely closed in from the sea, the water so blue and all of that.
We then went for another bit of snorkeling which I was slowly getting the hang of. You can definitely see the appeal of it, the fish we saw and the colours we saw were amazing.
Then we went to the nicest beach / island I have ever been on, Bamboo Beach, it was out of this world. We were also the only ones on the beach which made a difference but I just couldnt get over the scenery.
So to celebrate the great tour we had a few buckets of Thai Rum that night which are pretty good, not as strong as I was expecting but good all the same.
The next day was a pretty relaxing one, well until we decided to head up to the viewing point. A pretty steep hike up to the hills above Phi Phi, it was well worth it though when the sun was setting.
So that was about it for Phi Phi, of all the places I’ve been so far I would definitely recommend this place to everyone. Next stop Chang Mai!
Phuket
So this was definitely the longest journey yet, another ferry, an hour wait at a bus stop in Thailand, an 8 hour on a bus along Thai Roads and an hour in a taxi, all with a very very sore head.
This was one of our unplanned stops but it was definitely worth it just to experience a different type of island lifestyle. Patong Beach, Phuket is class and for any lads of groups of girls heading to Thailand I definitely would recommend this for a few days of partying. Again people are very friendly (even telling me the iphone on display was a fake), the drink is cheap and everywhere is a walk away.
We met up with Ken and Eimear that night for a few drinks and to compare notes. It was great to catch up and find out we’re all burning through our money like it grows on trees it was definitely good to meet people you know along the way though.
The next day we just had a wander around the shops and I bought a few games for the PSP (Indy Lego and Star wars Lego are class) we also rented out a jet ski and had a laugh on that, I would definitely have another go off one of them! That night we had some savage Thai food and a few drinks in some kinda cabaret bar and relaxed.
The next morning a ferry to Phi Phi!
Langkawi
Trying to play catch up with a few places we’ve been now, so I might be missing a few bits here and there. What I can remember is a very very very long trip to Langkawi from KL, about 7 hours on a bus and a ferry over to the island. We finally got to our hotel about ten or so. Very nice island, people (taxi drivers especially) are very welcoming only thing was the weather. We walked up and down the street (Chenang Beach) and got stuck out in what can only be called a monsoon. But after a few Chang Beers and some great Thai food we were ok again.
The next day we took it easy at the resorts private beach and pool and went to the Aquarium, which for an island was very impressive. I got to hold a python of some kind and we had a look at sharks, rays and a whole lot more.
That night again brought the rain and thunder and lightning which we were slowly getting used to, it was explained that we were probably a week or two before the season kicked in and it would be like this, lovely weather during the day and thunder and lightning at night. That night we decided not to be that adventurous and headed back to the Thai restaurant.
The next day we were booked in for an island hopping trip which was for me anyway the best part of our holiday so far. We got to go canoeing on an uninhabited island which was swarming with monkeys, we got to visit a beautiful beach and feed some eagles. All in all a very good day and extremely picturesque.
That night we had dinner at a restaurant on the beach with an Irish couple (Forgot the guys contact details for facebook) and had unbelievable steaks and way too many jugs of beer and glasses of wine.
The next morning (very very tired) we were off to Thailand.
Kuala Lumpur
So next on our trip was Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital city, and what a city! Just two hours from Melaka by coach and we were there. Our hotel just a walk from the bus terminal was great and the Swiss Garden hotel is a beautiful hotel and again very reasonable.
The first evening we unpacked and checked out the hotel, found the pool and Sue investigated the Spa treatments. We then went for a walk around Bukit Bintang and for the first time it over two weeks it rained which was actually welcoming. It was still warm as hell but it poured rain, we made it to Planet Hollywood for some regular food.
We were really impressed by this area of the city (me more so with the apple store :)) it was the most cosmopolitan city we have been to yet very busy late at night, shops bars and restaurants galore. Most of the shops being the more up market shops like Louis Vuitton, Tiffany (Sue had to be dragged out) and the likes.
The next day we walked around the rest of the city and visited the Petronas Towers, which I have been mispronouncing for the last 5 years. They are some feat of engineering and a great tour, a tip would be to get there early to book a ticket as they are free and tend to book out fairly quickly. 88 floors each unfortunately the tour brings you only to the sky bridge half way up but you still get a pretty good view of the city.
We discovered that Petronas is a large oil company with very obvious world domination plans.
That night there were electrical storms which were unbelievable, it was to be expected in that humidity I suppose but I was still impressed by them. The storms lasted for a few hours and were overhead for most of it, so on the 8th floor of the hotel we had a nice view of everything.
So were on the coach again heading to Langkawi, some pretty nice scenery along the way and it seems to be a very hilly area with the bus struggling up the hills along the way. The coaches are excellent though reclining practically horizontal and they take plenty of breaks for those that need them.
So that’s about it, again I’ll try and get the photos up as soon as I can and will let you know how Langkawi goes.
Melaka
We got a bus from Singapore to Melaka (Melacca) which took about four hours, the coaches over here are excellent, very comfortable and perfect if you’re trying to keep within a budget.
Melaka was our first stop in Malaysia and we were straight away impressed, lovely weather, great town and very affordable. Melaka is a strange mix of Portuguese, Chinese, Malaysian and a whole lot more. People are friendly and everyone thankfully has very good English.
One thing we did notice was that in any shop we were in we were followed around, I’m not sure if it was cause we looked dodgy or they were all on commission. Either way it was very very off putting.
So the first day we just relaxed in the hotel, the avalon legacy hotel which I’d recommend, as we didn’t get much sleep in the hostel the night before (Sleepy Sams, how ironic!). Most hotels have outdoor pools and this one was pretty nice. I’m getting a bit better at the swimming now between the beaches and the pools we’re using.
So the next morning we finally made it down before 10am and made breakfast and we were a bit surprised. I guess the Asian breakfasts are a bit different to the European ones, chicken sausages, noodles and all kinds of weird stuff for breakfast, I just went with the toast.
The second day we had a look around the town / city, had a look at the red building (A Portuguese or Dutch style building), visited Junkar markets, the night market looked pretty good! The heat was getting to me a bit at that stage to had to retire early.
There is also a massive shopping mall in Melaka which Sue was delighted with, prices were very reasonable. I also managed to break (and then fix) my camera. The camera being a bit sensitive to the desert sand of Dubai.
So that was about it for Melaka, a pretty short stay but a nice introduction to Malaysia all the same. All ready KL is looking a whole lot different but I would recommend Melaka as a different version of Malaysia anyway.
Singapore
So our trip to Singapore was pretty uneventful, I guess for most people it is a stop off city. A very expensive stop off city, especially considering the price difference in Malaysia 20 miles up the road. It is a very clean city and you would feel very safe there, due to the high penalties for crimes apparently. Most people do have english so it is an easy enough city to travel around.
We went the hostel route this time and pretty much regretted that. We stayed in Sleepy Sams, which if traveling on your own would be an okay place to stay but the private room we booked wasn’t very private. Basically a 6 foot high partition was placed between us and the rest of the dorm. Also the “ac” advertised wasn’t what we were expecting one ac machine for the entire floor only switched on at night, I suppose it was one way of getting used to the heat and humidity. Also we weren’t allowed check in early, after flying 7 hours overnight from Dubai all we wanted was our bed and some sleep which we had to wait 3 hours for.
So for the day and half we had there we visited Clarke Quay in the evening. It is a lovely part of the city with a whole load of restaurants and pubs along the quayside. Watch out for the drink though, two drinks cost us about 16 euro. The next day we visited Sentosa Island which has a whole load of attractions, dolphin parks and the likes. The beaches again were fantastic.
For anyone that is traveling to Singapore, don’t worry about the transport as taxis are cheap enough and the MRT (Subway in Singapore) is excellent with stops at all the main tourist locations.
So that was about it for Singapore, oh I did manage to leave my wallet in a taxi there so am now traveling without a credit card or pass card but that’s probably not a bad thing :). A nice lady called the taxi company for us but chances of it turning up are slim and none.
Just getting off the bus in KL now so I’ll sign off, don’t forget to message me on facebook!
Dubai
So we’re on the flight to Singapore at the minute and not getting arrested or anything in Dubai I’d say that was a successful trip :). Dubai was fantastic and completely not what I expected. Due to a few mix ups I didn’t end up staying in my uncles and managed to book a hotel to stay in while we were boarding in Heathrow for Dubai. There doesn’t seem to be a whole pile of hostels in Dubai unfortunately (none that I could find anyway) and accommodation seems pretty expensive. So we booked into the Holiday Inn Downtown Dubai, we decided to go for something affordable that we recognised first and then maybe move to something cheaper when we got to know where was where later in the week. I must say it was handy to have a swimming pool on the roof in 38 degree heat.
So day one we went to the local mall and had a look around, by the looks of things everything seemed to be about the same price as at home so we weren’t too pushed. We decided we had enough of that pretty quick and took the “Big Bus Tour - Blue Line” out to see the sights and sounds, visiting Jumeira beach, Burg A L’Arab, Mall of the Emirates and a few more. We did have a bit of a culture shock seeing the lads going around in Thobes and the women in the Hijab but we got used to it and I think we came at the right time too as Ramadan was just over and they were celebrating IDE.
One thing that was pretty obvious all round was the fact that Dubai really caters for the tourist, with more reps than you could throw a stick at. They were all pretty good at letting you know what was what and all that. Must say the people of Dubai are unbelievably welcoming and all ways interested in where you are from and what you’re up to.
Day two we decided to spend some money and we visited the Gold Souk’s for some shopping, I haven’t lost my haggling ways of Beijing so I got on pretty well there, when I find out how much money I saved/lost I’ll let you know. We went on another more detailed bus tour that evening where we visited a pretty decent museum among other things. Dubai and Saudi Arabia has a pretty interesting History. A few Dubai facts that were new to me:
Only 5% of GDP is from Oil.
30% of the worlds cranes are in Dubai.
They haven’t actually said how many floors are going to be in the tallest building in the world.
80% of the population are ex pats.
They have the tallest flag pole in the world (WOW)
So Day three was spent in the Desert and for those who are planning to go I would definitely recommend it. Driving around the dunes was class and the barbeque was savage, you only get about 5 minutes camel riding and 5 minutes sand boarding (which seemed a bit too easy???). But to get out into the desert and see a different part of Dubai was well worth it. We did have a bit of an “incident” where the jeep behind us smashed into the back of us which I (saw it happening because I was in the back) though was brilliant but Sue thought otherwise. But that’s all part of the holiday I suppose.
Day four was spent at the beach and I must say they are the nicest beaches I’ve been on in a long time, clean, quiet and warmish water. I’m not the biggest fan of lying out at the beach but I had a good book (One Shot - Lee Child) and I was in and out of the water the whole time so I wasn’t too bored.
The rest of the time was spent packing / unpacking, beaching and eating. The food over here was excellent and very reasonable, never had a bad meal the whole time we were there and I think the most expensive meal was about 30 euro for both of us. By the way the taxis are dirt cheap too, 20 minutes in a taxi costing about 4 euro.
There were a few things that we weren’t too thrilled about. It did take a bit of getting used to all this richness and everything being the biggest and best and all of that, but once you get over that it isn’t as bad, (To be fair I didn’t see the point in saying they’ve the largest palm islands when they are the only ones with palm islands) The price of accommodation was another I suppose, the second hotel was about half the price of the Holiday Inn (Still expensive enough at €80 a night) but wasn’t in a very central area and wasn’t great compared to the holiday inn. Also a lot of our guides were from India or Pakistan and were basically sending money home, a lot of them with families at home that they’d see maybe once every two years. Most of the construction workers were also from India and were working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, 11 months a year for about $400 a month. Very tough lives around all this richness.
Apart from that I would definitely recommend this as a place to go for a holiday, if you can find affordable accommodation you are laughing and make sure to go some time after September when it cools down a small bit, the heat took a bit of getting used to.
So the sleeping tablet is kicking in here so I better close this one off, I’m on Facebook if you want to leave me a comment and apologies to the emails I haven’t replied to yet, I’ll get around to it when I can.
Flights
So here are the flights we’re getting and the air craft we’re using, found a great site Seat Guru that gives you ideas for where to sit on the plane.
Again if anyone has any tips or advice leave me a comment below.
- 1st October: Dublin - London BMI A320-100
- 1st October: London - Dubai Virgin Atlantic A340-600
- 8th October: Dubai - Singapore Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300
- 31st October: Bangkok - Singapore Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300
- 31st October: Singapore - Melbourne Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300
If anyone has an inflight charger let me know
