Deb and Dan's World Tour: February 2007

Wat Phra Singh - Chiang Mai

Altogether, we had forty wonderful days in Thailand. We’d been before albeit on holiday but thoroughly enjoyed ourselves that time so we knew we were in for a treat. We finished our stay with four nights in Bangkok at the very plush President Park. Suffice to say we made the most of the room having already been to Bangkok once before.

Dan and Deb at the Bossotel Inn Hotel - Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai was our second from last stop in Thailand. Positioned in the North, Chiang Mai is the second largest city after Bangkok. We had five nights there in total and managed to see a lot of what the city had to offer. There are many temples in Chiang Mai some of which date back to the 1200s. We saw some of the larger ones as you will see below and even happened upon a group of monks chanting and worshipping Buddha one evening at the Wat (meaning temple) Chedi Luang. It was pretty special.

On our second from last day, we decided to venture to the elephant camp, the hill tribe villages and yet another temple at Doi Suthep. The elephant camp was good fun but Danny and I had doubts as to whether we ought to be enjoying it or not in light of the fact the animals were being kept in captivity. They seemed well treated though and were given loads of food from the crowds at the end of the show.

After visiting the elephant camp, we went to the hill tribe villages in Mae Rim. These villages are relatively new, the oldest of them having been there for five years. There were three hill tribes, the Akha Tribe, Lishu Tribe and the Long Neck Karen Tribe. The villagers live on the land, farm it and make wares to sell to passing tourists. We were told by a guide that we could take pictures but it felt a bit awkward snapping away at these people who were simply going through their daily chores. We bought some potent cigars from one of the families in return for a few pictures and made a contribution to another family as we had photographed the mother and her daughters. The village is becoming increasingly geared towards tourists apparently but the inhabitants seem to be genuinely carrying on with their lives as they would were they anywhere else.

We had a driver for this one day tour, Jim, and whilst driving from the hill tribe village through the mountains to reach Doi Suthep, he told us a little about Thai culture and Buddhist history. The Thai people are so lovely. It would be difficult to find fault. Nothing is ever too much trouble as we found during our day out with Jim.

The temple at Doi Suthep is positioned at the top of 306 steps so not for the faint of heart. There is a cable car but Danny and I braved it. Once at the top, the views of Chiang Mai are stunning but as it was a little hazy the pictures didn’t do it justice. We saw Buddha of all sizes and styles including an emerald Buddha which was surrounded by people praying and laying flowers and incense. Monks were giving out blessings in some of the temple’s prayer rooms. It was a great place to see but a little touristy so in all honesty, we preferred our experience in the quieter temples back in the city.

Our driver, Jim

Emerald Buddha at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep - Chiang Mai

Sacred elephant at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep - Chiang Mai

Blessing by monk at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep - Chiang Mai

Deb at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep - Chiang Mai

One of the many Buddha at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep - Chiang Mai

Commemorating the King at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep - Chiang Mai

306 steps to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep - Chiang Mai

Couple from the Akha hill tribe - Chiang Mai

View of hill tribe village

Long Neck woman

Long Neck mothers and daughters

Long Neck woman

Long Neck girls from the Karen hill tribe - Chiang Mai

Hut at hill tribe village - Chiang Mai

Rice fields at hill tribe village - Chiang Mai

Someone wants to say hello

Deb having a cuddle

Truly amazing paintings as completed by the elephants

Eat your heart out Rolf Harris

Footie anyone?

The welcoming party

Maesa Elephant Camp - Chiang Mai

Night Bazaar - Chiang Mai

Chedi (pagoda) Luang - Chiang Mai

Buddha at Wat Phra Singh - Chiang Mai

Wat Phra Singh - Chiang Mai

Wat (temple) Phra Singh - Chiang Mai

Phuket came and went without incident. The trip from Phi Phi was a ferry again and we had a taxi waiting to take us to Kata Hill Residence in Kata Beach when we arrived. We ventured to Patong one night which is a very popular tourist spot. We milled around the shops and markets and had some tasty cocktails at a dodgy bar as is customary in Patong and then made our way back to the hotel. Kata probably wasn’t the best place to stay in Phuket and we wouldn’t necessarily recommend it.

Deb at Kata Beach, Phuket

Dan with yet another girly cocktail - Kata Beach, Phuket

Deb at night market - Kata Beach, Phuket

Arriving in Phuket - four to one bike is not unusual

After Krabi we journeyed to Koh Phi Phi. This journey was slightly more civilized with us catching a longboat out to a ferry anchored out a little way at sea. We clambered aboard from the longboat which was a little awkward but there’s always someone around to offer a helping hand. Our luggage was stowed on the top deck and proceeded to have about fifty other bags thrown on top of it as longboat after longboat pulled up to the ferry with more passengers and more luggage.

The two hour journey from Krabi to Koh Phi Phi was superb. The scenery en route was stunning as you’ll see from the pictures below. We arrived on Phi Phi island and proceeded to wait for another longboat to take us on a five minute journey to our hotel, Bay View Resort, which was a little way along the shore and only accessible by the beach.

Sadly, what greeted us was the start of a blaze which would later consume about four properties, all of which contained the livelihoods of some of the local people. Not a great way to start our stay but during the following days, charity events were organized to raise money for those who had lost their businesses. We don’t believe anyone was hurt, fortunately.

Our hotel was positioned right on the beach and we had a bungalow looking out across the shore. We felt very lucky. Of an evening, the hotel restaurant spilled out onto the beach so you could eat under fairy lights and breathe in the sea air. This was particularly apt for Valentines.

The highlight of Phi Phi was our daytrip to Phi Phi Ley, the smaller of the Phi Phi islands. Phi Phi Don is the main island and it’s where everyone stays when they visit the islands. Phi Phi Ley is a National Park and as such, you can’t stay there but you can visit. Parts of the film “The Beach” were filmed on Phi Phi Ley. One of the many bays is Maya Bay which was used quite heavily in the film. As a result of this, the area is a tourist trap and we were advised to go early to avoid the crowds. I’m glad we took heed.

We met our captain, Nan, at 7:30am and climbed aboard our longboat. We had our own boat and captain for four hours and it cost a mere £18. We set off and after about twenty minutes, reached the Viking Cave. Not sure about the history of this spot but we paused to take some photographs and to admire the level of preservation. After this we continued round to the first bay. The sun didn’t reach this area so it was cool and echoey and perfectly tranquil. There was simply us and a solitary fisherman – gorgeous.

Next stop was another bay although this was more open so the sun caught the sea. Nan turned off the engine and gestured to the snorkels and masks. We stripped off to our swimsuits, donned our masks and jumped into the sea. After catching our breath, we snorkeled for a while. The sea was cool but pleasant and we saw some gorgeous tropical fish. We spent about twenty minutes here before clambering back aboard to move onto Maya Bay.

Maya Bay is stunning. Again, you enter through limestone cliffs on either side and a stretch of beautiful white sand awaits you. The backdrop is jungle. Could a place be any better looking? We reached Maya Bay at about 8:45am which is a great time to arrive as there was practically no one there. The beach was our own. We took some pictures and admired the view before heading off through the jungle to find another snorkeling spot that we’d read about. After about a five minute walk through the greenery, we reached a stony area. We walked across this towards a hole in the cliff. At this point, you can see through to the other side and turns out it’s another section of the bay where we snorkeled before albeit right around to the left hand side. With the use of a rope, we clambered over submerged rocks in the sea to a snorkeler’s haven. With masks and snorkels at the ready, we plunged right in. The marine life and coral was amazing. We saw some breathtaking sights and could probably have stayed there for quite some time but we caught a glimpse of a sea snake and couldn’t recall whether they were dangerous or not so decided to call it a day.

Early morning view from Bay View Resort

Bay View Resort by day

Bay View Resort at night

Our captain, Nan

Back to shore - Bay View Resort, Phi Phi (Don)

Dan and Deb at Maya Bay - Phi Phi Ley

Maya Bay - Phi Phi Ley

Deb on longboat

Dan aboard our longboat

One of the many secluded bays on Phi Phi Ley

Viking Cave - Phi Phi Ley

En route to Phi Phi Ley

Deb boarding longboat for trip to Phi Phi Ley

Disaster strikes - fire on Koh Phi Phi

Arriving at Koh Phi Phi

How to board a ferry, Thai style

How many bags? Ferry from Krabi to Koh Phi Phi

Scenery en route to Koh Phi Phi

Dan on ferry from Krabi to Koh Phi Phi (pronounced pee pee)

After Samui, we made our way over sea and land to Krabi. The journey was somewhat chaotic but we got there in one piece after having taken a minibus, coach, another coach, ferry, coach and one more coach. All in all, the journey took about nine hours but we were fortunate enough to have booked accommodation ahead so when we eventually arrived somewhere on the outskirts of Krabi, staff from our hotel were waiting to collect us.

Our hotel in Krabi was very chic. There were only about twelve rooms so there was a lot of attention to detail. The hotel was on Ao Namao beach which is about six kilometers from Ao Nang, the main tourist resort in Krabi. Each night we would catch a bus (Song Thaew) into town to eat or shop or simply catch the sunset. The view from Ao Nang beach was stunning, the horizon was dotted with limestone cliffs jutting out of the land and the shore was lined with beautifully crafted Thai longboats.

We ventured to Krabi town one day but as it's not particularly geared towards tourists, there isn’t much to see but it was nice to watch the local people get on with their working day.

Returning from Ao Nang to the hotel was always fun. We would catch a Tuk Tuk. There are lots of different types of Tuk Tuks in Thailand as it turned out. The ones we caught in Krabi were motorbikes with carriages attached to the side with a bench across the back and one along the side, parallel to the bike, for the passengers to sit on, oh and a canopy. All good fun but if you ever take one, wear your shades – it gets windy!

Deb with a rather tasteful Pina Colada!

Old Speckled Hen, nice!

Sunset at the Beach House

View from the Beach House restaurant - Krabi

Our pool at Krabi Tropical Bay Hotel - Ao Namao, Krabi

Dan on Tuk Tuk - Krabi

Thai Longboat off Ao Nang beach - Krabi

Ao Nang beach - Krabi

Deb at bus stop in Surat Thani en route to Krabi

Following the flight from Kuala Lumpur, we arrived in Koh Samui and were transported from the airport to our hotel, Samui First House Hotel. Our original plan was to stay for ten nights and then to have a stint on Koh Pha Ngan in time for the Full Moon Party but with a thunderstorm looming and slightly dickey tummies, we ended up spending fifteen nights on Koh Samui at our bargain hotel.

Samui is one of the larger Thai islands and offers backpacker accommodation right through to high end resort type locations. We stayed at Chaweng Beach, one of the more popular tourist spots and quickly saw the Western influence with Seven Elevens, McDonalds and Starbucks rearing their ugly heads.

Nevertheless, we enjoyed our time in Chaweng as it was so cheap! We shopped for bargains most days and did pretty well on DVD, t-shirt and jewellery purchases. Other than that our time was spent either on the beach, at the pool or wandering along Chaweng Beach Road to see what other bargains we could acquire.

Whilst on Samui, we ventured to Bo Phut and the Fisherman’s Village which is gorgeous. Hugging the shore, the one main street has loads of lovely restaurants all backing onto the beach so a sea view is readily available. Bo Phut is calm and sedate and was a welcome change to the hustle and bustle of Chaweng.