Beach, Rainlay and Animals

Just as an update we are currently in Ao Nang in the south getting ready for the so called "Travelling" part of the trip. Up to now we have spent out time going from island to island, beach to beach. Ko Phi phi, Ko Lanta, Railay bay and now Ao Nang. In every place we have spent more time than was planned (except Railay where the great scenery was soiled a little by the constant rain, hippies, package tourists and extreme prices). Loved it all.

In the last post I mentioned the some of the human species that we have come across, this time its the animals. I think every day we stumble upon some different random animal. Better than my trip to Berlin Zoo last month:

Bangkok: Turtles and Iguanas in the park, Geckos in the Room (and in every room since)
Ko Phi Phi: Monkeys, Healthy cats,Sharks,Tropical fish, Dolphins, biting ants (and a hell of a lotta fish and prawns on my plate)
Ko Lanta: A tree snake in the restaurant, an elephant on the road, industrious ants and some lizards. And of course all sorts of animals on my plate.
Railay: stinky diseased cats in the restaurant (not a good way to get more customers), hippys, a rabbit next to the toilet and some very happy mosquitos.
Ao Nang: Squirrels, lizards and OYSTERS the size of a fist on my plate (the oysters, not the lizards).

So maybe Zoo time is over. Tomorrow we are leaving for Ayuthaya on a nice long 15 plus hour bus trip. The goal will be to get to Chiang Mai in the next week, become extremely cultural in temples and most probably add to the list above.As long as they have green curry and pad thai I think i`m gonna be fine.

oh Ko Lanta

So 3 days ago we made it all the way across the Andaman Sea (20km) to Ko Lanta. Ko phi phi was great but after 7 days we thought it was time to move out of our bungalow and enjoy another island. It was so great to meet up with some old dutch friends of ours, Lennart and Marijlene, who just happened to be in the same part of the planet as us at the same time. Fantastic to meet up with familiar faces so far away from it all. I'll always remember all four of us being contorted like dough by 4 thai massage experts, all of us being stretched and wretched in ways I never knew possible.

So Ko Lanta. It's definitely not difficult to find a place to stay here. The only difficult part is sorting through the 203940 alluring offers of "cheap cheap, on beach, with pool, with elephant, with fire dancing elephant, with fire dancing elephant with snake on head and free beer" (well the free beer thing is pushing that a bit too far) but you get the picture. We decided on a place for 300 baht a night, with a pool, right on the beach, which doesn't require a mosquito net. 300 baht is about 6 Euros so a bargain. To add to this we found a place offering a 3 course meal with a whole fresh tuna as main for 150 baht,,,

We've met some more fantastic people and observed many more. Just a few:
We have the "I don't talk swiss couple"
- the "we want to get into porn positions in the pool in front of everyone" German couple
- the "let's take all 20 of us to thailand cause it's so cheap" swedish family
- not to forget the "yes we know that we look like absolute super human good looking and your jealous that we are so damn perfect" swedish couple
-the "I don't want to admit we are German" German people
- and of course Lindsay and Lincoln the down to earth good americans (people like them should be sent overseas more often to remind us that the bad Americans are the exception)
- the English guys here in groups of 5 who can always be found in the bar, any bar
- the English girls who we just keep running into wherever we go
- the French who just refuse to speak to anyone who is not French
- the Thai people everywhere who have to be some of the warmest amazing people on the planet.

The sunsets, food, people and the beaches are incredible here but the show must go on. Today was motorbike day around the island. Tomorrow we are off to Railay-Ton Sai Beach for some more of the same.

If you want to see some photos just go to the link to Anne's blog on the right.

Boat boat?

Now,I could go on forever about the thai massages, the food, the beaches, the people, the shopping, the snorkelling, the fruits,the cocktails by the pool, the afternoon beer and nap, the full moon party of fireworks and lanterns,the thai buckets, the fruit shakes, the long tail boat trips, the (sometimes) unbelievable prices, the thai hospitality, the happy travellers, and and and...

However, After 8 nights on Ko Phi Phi (or Pi Pi, or Pee Pee however you choose to spell it) I am still absolutely amazed by the way time stands still here. I was surpised today (after snorkelling all morning, pad thai, lazing on the beach, fresh mangoes followed by a thai massage and a panang curry) that it is actually a Saturday. Amazed as it seems that it makes absolutely no difference at all, the little long boat drivers will be out there every day screaming out the highly addictive (and effetive) selling line "boat boat".

For those of you who want to know if the Tsunami has had an effect, undoutedly, but that seems to have only been on the coral and the buildings,,,the people themselves do not appear to be carrying any baggage.

Surely everyone should experience this place once in their lifetime. Then again, maybe it is better if more people stay away,,,all the more pad thai for me.

So next stop will be Ko Lanta either tomorrow or the next day.

Obama and some Bangkok with the lot please

Well we got here. After being seen off by the wonderful sofia we made it across with a few little bumpy extras:

Firstly: turbulence sucks. Its the only thing whereby I think "we really dont belong up here". Expecially over the English channel.

Next: Qantas are really polite, but Im sorry. Telling us that they apologise for not being able to offer any entertainment package thanks to some "small technical issues" on an 11 hour flight is not my cup of tea. Anne also forgot to tell them shes vegetarian which meant all the more food for me,,,yeh.

Next: Obama. How great was that!!! The captain announced the election result mid flight which resulted in screams of joy and clapping. Awesome.

So in Bangkok we've been coming to terms with the heat but all round smiles here.

- Soooo much great food. Pad thai, green curry, street food. I want it all.
- Tuk Tuk, gotta love it. Sky diving is nothing as an extreme sport compared to these guys.
- Jim Thompson house,,that guy had things very nice here (until going missing...whoops)
- Khao San Road. You could seriously make a really entertaining film by just taking a camera around here for 24 hours. So many images. Sensory overload.
- Boat. Would never swim in that water but its still nice from a boat.
- Lumphini Park. Big, Green, No traffic with resident turtles and iguanas. You seriously don't see that everyday.
- Markets. I really should have brought just an empty bag with me.

and and and...

Blind Hotel Booking

Damn. Anne already talked about this subject, but in German so I'll try not to copy.

So, why is it that things that were invented as miraculous "time savers" end up taking more time/energy than beforehand.
Cars need to be maintained. "Hunting" is now spread over 8 hours and in offices and the mother of all: Internet. Really, for something that gives you instant access to a resource or knowledge unheard of in the history of humans, you need a lot of time to wade through a lot of rubbish.

We decided to book a hotel for the first two nights in Bangkok. It's a long flight. Try googling "hotel, Bangkok". Holy crap. Not just the amount of web pages, but every page has different prices, different ratings, different reviews apart from the fact that what you see is not always what you get. Like online dating pages, nearly every hotel is made to look like a palace, all of them in "central/convenient location" which on closer investigation can mean: convenient for the proprietors but in the middle of nowhere for the poor souls who booked online.

And just as with online dating you have to understand the lingo: It's always "short distance to transport"(non stop traffic or under flight path), "Thai charm" (that could be anything),"with wellness area" (old fat Euro clients),"with western breakfast" (toast with coffee) "Close to night life (lots of sex tourism/drunk English backpackers),"near sky train" (in boring area) etc.

Also, there is a road/area in new Bangkok called Sukhumvit road where a lot of the expedia hotels reside. Now, this road actually leads from the middle of Bangkok all the way to the Cambodian border. Definitely recommended to check the street number before booking.

We settled on a little place in Old Bangkok near Khao San Road that has a pool and a roof and walls(I hope)but no bells and whistles. Getting exciting now.

Flying south for winter and Noah packing

Yesterday as I was trudging through the streets of Friedrichshain the people in front of me stopped, in that sudden "oblivious to the rest of the people around me"way. They weren't the only ones. Looking up to the sky they were watching a flock of birds, in formation on their way south for winter, and you could see the envy on their faces. Yep very clever.

So coming down to the last days before any trip, no matter how long, it always comes down to the question of what to pack. I can just imagine Noah talking to Mrs Noah, let's call her Doris, as they had finished the ark, all the animals on board and the first few drops of rain:

Doris de Ark: so Noah, what about if it's sunny,you'll need some swimmers.
Noah: yeh, but I think I might just stick to the white sheet and beard look.
Doris: then you'll need some changes and jeans, what about if we're invited to a formal thing?
Noah: white sheet should be fine.
Doris: what about a jacket,,,do you think I'll need a jacket?
Noah: geez woman, I told you the white sheet is just fine. Just one. No change. No socks,,,just the white sheet.
Doris: but what if it rains?
Noah: I've got some pretty trustworthy insider information that It'd be a good idea to bring an umbrella. But come on, the white sheet is enough isnt it?
Doris: but what if it get's dirty?
Noah: What do you think the soaps for?
Doris: what about...
Noah: look. I think you know the answer. I'm taking one white sheet and that's it. If it's cold: white sheet, Hot?:white sheet, snowing?:white sheet. Let's just drop it.

Now, i think he's onto something, but still, when you have an apartment full of stuff,tucking one little backpack full of things for 3 months seems a little insufficient.