Scott is officially back 'on the road' again. Its been a long absence, of over 13 months, but I finally have a backpack full of dirty clothes and useless items which I'm hauling around the idyllic beaches and temples of south east Asia.... only this time I have company. My lovely lady has decided to forgo her usual high accommodation and food standards to rough it with me for 5 weeks.
Of course, some people might say I've never really been 'off' the road, as in the months since I last contributed to the blogosphere I've been teaching English in Seoul. However, that has become the norm for me now, and hence I feel any writings on the subject would be somewhat dull and strained. I'm pretty sure no one wants to hear whether I had porridge or toast in the morning, leading on to another uneventful day of work, a quick pint and a bit of telly.
Once again, I find myself with some interesting (to me alone probably) subject matter to fill my prose. And unfortunately, I find myself with some dead time with which to fill these pages with my words of wisdom. This is entirely due to an intense tropical storm raging around me, enabling the paradise island in Thailand on which I now sit, to conduct a fair impression of The End of Days.
Fortunately, it hasn't all been like this. The first four days on Langkawi were literally blistering hot. I say 'literally' because of the effect said sun had on my lady's nose! I enjoyed Langkawi thoroughly. It's location just on the Malaysian side of the Thai border affords it the status of a duty free island. This means it is a little more liberal than the rest of Malaysia, which is already pretty liberal for a Muslim country. It is also blessed with the aforementioned weather, and some stunning beaches.
We chose to stay on Pantai Cenang, which is the busiest beach on the island, and even that is quite a relaxed affair, although it is equipped with all the amenities you might need, and quite a lot that you don't! Its slightly more expensive than the rest of South East Asia here, but still very reasonable to a European or North American mindset. We were able to secure a spacious bungalow with aircon, fan, and a clean, hot shower for 80 ringgit ($27) a night between us. It really is much cheaper travelling with a partner, as most prices are per room, not based on occupancy.
The only let down has been that as neither of us were carrying our driving licences, we were unable to rent a scooter. They are very unbendable on this, there are no exceptions and police checks are common. As one local waiter informed us "it is strict, this is not Thailand!". Every cloud has its silver lining though, and this particular one enabled us to spend more time hanging out at the beach, sunbathing, relaxing and letting the grime and echo of screaming Korean schoolchildren wash away further with every tiny wave hitting the glistening white sand. After a few days somehow managed to race by and feel like a lifetime simultaneously, we were almost ready to move on. However, one last challenge remained.
Pantai Cenang has more parasailing activity than I've seen anywhere else in the World. The people taking part ranged from athletic young Scandanavians, to middle-aged Indian women in full traditional garb! In fact, seeing the latter do it is what really pushed us on to have a go ourselves. If she can do it....
We got a good deal from one of the guys for a tandem ride, and before we knew it we were strapped to a parachute and a motorboat. At this point all that was left was to pray we wouldn't fall flat on our faces. The motorboat engine roared, the parachute billowed, and after a few quick steps we were gracefully ascending above the Andaman Sea. CA (my aforementioned 'lovely lady') chose this point to try and wiggle her arse into the seat harness, which made us rock all over the place. A few high-pitched screams from yours truly both made her stop, and shattered all illusions of me being calm and collected in the face of danger!
Actually, I exaggerate somewhat. The ride was surprisingly calm considering we were about 100 feet in the air, hovering over the beach or only 5 feet of water most of the time. The only slightly hairy part was the landing. We had seen very different standards from the various punters. Think a humming bird to a baby hippo with no legs and you get the idea. After the first bout of screams and whistles from below, it was my job to pull as hard as I could on the rope. After narrowly avoiding umbrella tops and sunbathers we let go and prepared for the moment of truth. And it I don't think I'd seen a better landing all week! A 5.0 - 5.0 - 5.0 surely! Unfortunately, you'll never know just how excellent it was, because our camera chose to run out of battery while we were in the air!
Unable to top our little display of our aeronautics, there was nothing much to do other than pack up our belongings and move on. Thailand next.
Monday, 7 March 2011
Monday, 14 December 2009
Arachnaphobia
Its 7pm on my second to last night in Boracay... and I'm nearly ready for bed! Why? Well its mostly because of a terrifying incident last night. It was 2am and I'd just finished watching Arsenal battle to victory over the unfortunate yet uninspired Liverpool, and just popped into my bathroom before my eyes closed completely. Now, I should point out, I moved into a room made mostly out of bamboo two days ago and, although spacious, its a little too close to nature for my liking, largely thanks to the big gaps in the floor opening onto the bare ground 4 feet below. I'd already discovered a rather large cockroach and been plagued by an increase in mosquito bites, which unfortunately turned out to be just a practice run.
So, this night, I shuffled bleary eyed into the bathroom and switched on the light, which immediately revealed the largest, fattest hairiest spider I've ever seen, hanging about 10 inches from my face in the middle of the room. Now, everyone knows I hate spiders, so might be prone to exaggeration about their size and hostility to justify my own fear. However, not this time, this one really was of tarantula proportions. It's body was easily over 3 inches long and more than an inch wide, while its legs were each as long as the distance from my wrist to the tip of my forefinger. I didn't know what type it was at the time, but I've since found a picture to match it, and apparently its a Huntsman (this is not the actual one, bit was just the same as this).
Now there was no way I could sleep with this monster in the next room! I shut the door in a panic, not wanting it to escape into my sleeping quarters. I needed a plan. No, actually, I needed a stick! The only thing available was the curtain rail, so I carefully removed the curtains, put on my shoes, and started to enter the bathroom. Then I saw my towel hanging up, so i added it to my armoury. I swung open the door and knocked the spider to the floor, next I threw the towel on top of it, then proceeded to jump up and down on the towel like a mental case. After about the 100th jump I deemed it enough to have made a spider pancake. I lifted the towel up, only for the spider to calmly meander out and across the room. Aaarrgh! I jumped out of the room and continued to poke at the spider with my 7 foot long curtain rail, until eventually it crawled out of the window. Relief. Or actually, I thought, as its not dead, what if it comes back in through the gap in the floor when I'm asleep?! With this in mind, I laid in the middle of my bed with the light on for the next 3 hours, until eventually my heavy eyes won over my irrational fear and I entered into a fitful sleep.
Insane isn't it? How I'm happy to let a lizard wander about my room wherever it wants, but as soon as a cockroach, or especially a spider, comes along, I turn into the old woman from the Tom and Jerry cartoons who leaps onto a chair and hollers whenever the mouse comes near!
Apart from my Steve Irwin-esque adventures, everything is going pretty well here in paradise. The only downside is that the weather has been pretty cloudy the last 4 days so my tan is not quite what I'd expect, but I'm sure its better than most of the people who have spent November and December in England or Korea! I have a friend arriving here tomorrow, which typically coincides with my last night! Then its on to Hong Kong to meet up with Martin and Pete.
More adventures to follow. And, hopefully, the only things to go bump in the night will be of the two-legged variety!
So, this night, I shuffled bleary eyed into the bathroom and switched on the light, which immediately revealed the largest, fattest hairiest spider I've ever seen, hanging about 10 inches from my face in the middle of the room. Now, everyone knows I hate spiders, so might be prone to exaggeration about their size and hostility to justify my own fear. However, not this time, this one really was of tarantula proportions. It's body was easily over 3 inches long and more than an inch wide, while its legs were each as long as the distance from my wrist to the tip of my forefinger. I didn't know what type it was at the time, but I've since found a picture to match it, and apparently its a Huntsman (this is not the actual one, bit was just the same as this).
Now there was no way I could sleep with this monster in the next room! I shut the door in a panic, not wanting it to escape into my sleeping quarters. I needed a plan. No, actually, I needed a stick! The only thing available was the curtain rail, so I carefully removed the curtains, put on my shoes, and started to enter the bathroom. Then I saw my towel hanging up, so i added it to my armoury. I swung open the door and knocked the spider to the floor, next I threw the towel on top of it, then proceeded to jump up and down on the towel like a mental case. After about the 100th jump I deemed it enough to have made a spider pancake. I lifted the towel up, only for the spider to calmly meander out and across the room. Aaarrgh! I jumped out of the room and continued to poke at the spider with my 7 foot long curtain rail, until eventually it crawled out of the window. Relief. Or actually, I thought, as its not dead, what if it comes back in through the gap in the floor when I'm asleep?! With this in mind, I laid in the middle of my bed with the light on for the next 3 hours, until eventually my heavy eyes won over my irrational fear and I entered into a fitful sleep.
Insane isn't it? How I'm happy to let a lizard wander about my room wherever it wants, but as soon as a cockroach, or especially a spider, comes along, I turn into the old woman from the Tom and Jerry cartoons who leaps onto a chair and hollers whenever the mouse comes near!
Apart from my Steve Irwin-esque adventures, everything is going pretty well here in paradise. The only downside is that the weather has been pretty cloudy the last 4 days so my tan is not quite what I'd expect, but I'm sure its better than most of the people who have spent November and December in England or Korea! I have a friend arriving here tomorrow, which typically coincides with my last night! Then its on to Hong Kong to meet up with Martin and Pete.
More adventures to follow. And, hopefully, the only things to go bump in the night will be of the two-legged variety!
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Boracay
Greetings one and all. After a long, hard slog of a year (13.5 months actually) in Korea, I'm back 'on the road' and so, as you can see, I'm also back in the blogosphere.
This past year, I've only ventured out of Seoul for a 3 days, and that was way back in February when I hopped over to Shanghai for lunar new year. In short: I had a good craic, it was very cold, the city is a nightmare to find your way around, I went up one of the tallest buildings in the world. There you go, blog done.
But back to the present, as things on the travelling front have taken a sharp upturn and now I find myself on the paradise island of Boracay in the Philippines. As you can see from my last post, I've been planning to do this little trip since December last year, so I'm mighty happy to be here.
I arrived here last Sunday 22nd November, after a brief one-night stopover in Manila. I wasn't sure what to expect, as I've heard and read the opinions of many people who think this place is too touristy and overdeveloped. Well, all I can say is, those people must usually take their holidays with Robinson Crusoe if they think this place is too much. The beach is white and beautiful, and almost empty towards either end of it. Admittedly, it gets a little busier in the mid-section, but even there, its nowhere near as crowded as its Thai or even Vietnamese counterparts. The people too, can be compared favourably to their Thai or Vietnamese cousins. They are incredibly laid back and friendly, and always seem happy, even though they are poor as church mice.
Behind the beach runs a strip of restaurants, bars, hotels, dive shops and other services for tourists. Lots of these places are constructed from bamboo, or driftwood perhaps, enabling them to blend effortlessly in with the line of palm trees in front of them. Some hotels and bars, such as the popular Hey Jude, are a little flashier, but there's nothing too garish (yet!). By the way, if you think that a place called Hey Jude would be a great place to unwind with a beer to you favourite Beatles classics... you'd be wrong. House music pumps out all night long.
One very unique thing about the Philippines is the transport. In Manila the streets are thronging with brightly painted Jeepneys, a vehicle that was first built out of the old Jeeps that the Americans left behind when they left. But in Boracay, no cars are allowed so the primary mode of transport is the 'trike'. Trikes are basically motorbikes with a shell built around them to provide seating beside and behind the driver, a bit like tuk tuks but a slightly different shape. Same same but different!
So far I haven't done much, and to be honest I don't really plan to do much either! Thus far, the main part of my day has been taken up with laying on a sun lounger in the 30 degree heat. This is sometimes combined with some light reading, and often interspersed with a bit of swimming in the warm, clear blue sea. After this, it soon gets round to dinner time when I have the difficult task of choosing between freshly caught seafood, or an array of international cuisine. Then of course, its time to hit a bar or five to drink the tasty local fifty pence beers and look at the tasty local birds! How will I cope with two more weeks of this?
This past year, I've only ventured out of Seoul for a 3 days, and that was way back in February when I hopped over to Shanghai for lunar new year. In short: I had a good craic, it was very cold, the city is a nightmare to find your way around, I went up one of the tallest buildings in the world. There you go, blog done.
But back to the present, as things on the travelling front have taken a sharp upturn and now I find myself on the paradise island of Boracay in the Philippines. As you can see from my last post, I've been planning to do this little trip since December last year, so I'm mighty happy to be here.
I arrived here last Sunday 22nd November, after a brief one-night stopover in Manila. I wasn't sure what to expect, as I've heard and read the opinions of many people who think this place is too touristy and overdeveloped. Well, all I can say is, those people must usually take their holidays with Robinson Crusoe if they think this place is too much. The beach is white and beautiful, and almost empty towards either end of it. Admittedly, it gets a little busier in the mid-section, but even there, its nowhere near as crowded as its Thai or even Vietnamese counterparts. The people too, can be compared favourably to their Thai or Vietnamese cousins. They are incredibly laid back and friendly, and always seem happy, even though they are poor as church mice.
Behind the beach runs a strip of restaurants, bars, hotels, dive shops and other services for tourists. Lots of these places are constructed from bamboo, or driftwood perhaps, enabling them to blend effortlessly in with the line of palm trees in front of them. Some hotels and bars, such as the popular Hey Jude, are a little flashier, but there's nothing too garish (yet!). By the way, if you think that a place called Hey Jude would be a great place to unwind with a beer to you favourite Beatles classics... you'd be wrong. House music pumps out all night long.
One very unique thing about the Philippines is the transport. In Manila the streets are thronging with brightly painted Jeepneys, a vehicle that was first built out of the old Jeeps that the Americans left behind when they left. But in Boracay, no cars are allowed so the primary mode of transport is the 'trike'. Trikes are basically motorbikes with a shell built around them to provide seating beside and behind the driver, a bit like tuk tuks but a slightly different shape. Same same but different!
So far I haven't done much, and to be honest I don't really plan to do much either! Thus far, the main part of my day has been taken up with laying on a sun lounger in the 30 degree heat. This is sometimes combined with some light reading, and often interspersed with a bit of swimming in the warm, clear blue sea. After this, it soon gets round to dinner time when I have the difficult task of choosing between freshly caught seafood, or an array of international cuisine. Then of course, its time to hit a bar or five to drink the tasty local fifty pence beers and look at the tasty local birds! How will I cope with two more weeks of this?
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
Let's Party Like Its 2009!
A predictable title for what is now becoming my bi-annual blog post, I know. But predictability seems somewhat appropriate for what has been a fairly unsurprising, uninspiring festive season.
I find myself in Korea, which at this time of year is ironically soulless. Don't get my wrong, I join in with everyone else back in the UK in having a whinge about the Xmas lights going up the day after Halloween and women buying turkey's and family size Twiglet tubs in June. But when its not there I miss it.
This year I went with my friends to the Seoul Millennium Hilton hotel for the lunch buffet on Xmas day. The food was tasty and plentiful but, like many Korean attempts at interpreting western culture, it just wasn't quite right. Their cardinal sin was providing no roast potatoes whatsoever (which almost forced me to make a sharp exit). They did however have an array of seafood, salads and cheeses for starters, and more desert options than even my mum provides. And yes, I did try most of them.
New Year's eve was good fun. A fair few of us met in Itaewon, in a fairly trendy little establishment called Bricx. Beers were drank, conversation and merriment were had, Auld Lang Syne was sung, and taxis were got home. A pleasant, but uneventful night.
Ah well. The holiday season in Korea isn't all that bad. I could be in far worse places. Basra, Helmsland Province, and Mogadishu spring to mind. And at least I don't have to deal with credit crunches, or the something like 1 in 3 chance I'll be stabbed on the way home from my Xmas party by a knife wielding teenager who already has 2 asbo's and 3 demonic offspring to take his place when he finally hangs up his hoodie for the last time.
Please excuse me. I just came over a bit Daily Mail for a second there. Let's resume normal service shall we?
So, now we're in to 2009 and its time for those inevitable thoughts about plans, hopes and aspirations for the coming year. I didn't make any new year's resolutions as such, but there are a few things I'd like to do at some point this year. Number one on the list is give up smoking. And I'd like to do that sooner rather than later. I just need to set a date and get myself mentally prepared for a couple of weeks, like I did last time.
The second thing on the list is to travel some more. Now I'm in Korea until October so that one might stretch into 2010. But some of it could happen this year as I may well go somewhere like Thailand or the Philippines for a month or so before heading home to Blighty. That way I'd get home around the right time for Xmas. Anyway, that's a long way away yet.
Of course I have some more general aspirations that I assume are shared with almost everyone else in the western world. I want to make a bit of cash, get a bit healthier, and meet a significant other (preferably a gorgeous, smart, millionairess, michelin star chef... hold on, shit... I'm describing Nigella Lawson!).
And perhaps, dear readers, I shall even update this blog a bit more frequently... but I wouldn't bet even your now worthless negative equity mortgages on it.
I find myself in Korea, which at this time of year is ironically soulless. Don't get my wrong, I join in with everyone else back in the UK in having a whinge about the Xmas lights going up the day after Halloween and women buying turkey's and family size Twiglet tubs in June. But when its not there I miss it.
This year I went with my friends to the Seoul Millennium Hilton hotel for the lunch buffet on Xmas day. The food was tasty and plentiful but, like many Korean attempts at interpreting western culture, it just wasn't quite right. Their cardinal sin was providing no roast potatoes whatsoever (which almost forced me to make a sharp exit). They did however have an array of seafood, salads and cheeses for starters, and more desert options than even my mum provides. And yes, I did try most of them.
New Year's eve was good fun. A fair few of us met in Itaewon, in a fairly trendy little establishment called Bricx. Beers were drank, conversation and merriment were had, Auld Lang Syne was sung, and taxis were got home. A pleasant, but uneventful night.
Ah well. The holiday season in Korea isn't all that bad. I could be in far worse places. Basra, Helmsland Province, and Mogadishu spring to mind. And at least I don't have to deal with credit crunches, or the something like 1 in 3 chance I'll be stabbed on the way home from my Xmas party by a knife wielding teenager who already has 2 asbo's and 3 demonic offspring to take his place when he finally hangs up his hoodie for the last time.
Please excuse me. I just came over a bit Daily Mail for a second there. Let's resume normal service shall we?
So, now we're in to 2009 and its time for those inevitable thoughts about plans, hopes and aspirations for the coming year. I didn't make any new year's resolutions as such, but there are a few things I'd like to do at some point this year. Number one on the list is give up smoking. And I'd like to do that sooner rather than later. I just need to set a date and get myself mentally prepared for a couple of weeks, like I did last time.
The second thing on the list is to travel some more. Now I'm in Korea until October so that one might stretch into 2010. But some of it could happen this year as I may well go somewhere like Thailand or the Philippines for a month or so before heading home to Blighty. That way I'd get home around the right time for Xmas. Anyway, that's a long way away yet.
Of course I have some more general aspirations that I assume are shared with almost everyone else in the western world. I want to make a bit of cash, get a bit healthier, and meet a significant other (preferably a gorgeous, smart, millionairess, michelin star chef... hold on, shit... I'm describing Nigella Lawson!).
And perhaps, dear readers, I shall even update this blog a bit more frequently... but I wouldn't bet even your now worthless negative equity mortgages on it.
Thursday, 19 June 2008
TaeAn
Last weekend, I finally got out from the belly of the smog choked beast that is Seoul. My hagwon (school) has an annual tradition of heading out to a beach or moutain for a workshop, team-bonding exercise. I must admit to being a little apprehensive, with 'team-bonding' conjuring up visions of David Brent going home to get his guitar before launching into Free Love on Free Love Free Freeway. Another thing putting a slight damper on my enthusiasm was the fact that our west coast destination was the sight of one of Korea's worst oil slicks only a few months ago.
I needn't have worried. Our pension was a lovely wooden building, looking across the expansive mudflats, over the handful of islets, and out to the Yellow Sea beyond. We had one pension for the boys and one for the girls; each containing one bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchenette/living area, and a balcony.
In the afternoon we took a stroll down to the beach on the other side of the peninsula. My visions of an ecological hell were thankfully unfounded, with no sign of any oil anywhere. Instead, I found a picturesque little beach backed by pine trees. Also behind the beach, was a small farm settlement whose name translated as 'No Crime Village'!
In the evening, we had a barbecue and some drinks outside our pension. Unfortunately there were no burgers or chicken so we had to make do with Sang Yap Sal, the fatty bacon type thing that Koreans love. We chatted, played a few drinking games, and had a very good evening in the fresh air. I even managed to catch the second half of Spain v Sweden to round off a nice night. Next morning it was time to trudge back to Seoul and rejoin the 20 million strong collective. I'll have to get to the coast more often.
This weekend I'm going to see the South Korea v North Korea World Cup qualifier, so I'll try and get some pics and a match report up if I can find my missing camera charger.
I needn't have worried. Our pension was a lovely wooden building, looking across the expansive mudflats, over the handful of islets, and out to the Yellow Sea beyond. We had one pension for the boys and one for the girls; each containing one bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchenette/living area, and a balcony.
In the afternoon we took a stroll down to the beach on the other side of the peninsula. My visions of an ecological hell were thankfully unfounded, with no sign of any oil anywhere. Instead, I found a picturesque little beach backed by pine trees. Also behind the beach, was a small farm settlement whose name translated as 'No Crime Village'!
In the evening, we had a barbecue and some drinks outside our pension. Unfortunately there were no burgers or chicken so we had to make do with Sang Yap Sal, the fatty bacon type thing that Koreans love. We chatted, played a few drinking games, and had a very good evening in the fresh air. I even managed to catch the second half of Spain v Sweden to round off a nice night. Next morning it was time to trudge back to Seoul and rejoin the 20 million strong collective. I'll have to get to the coast more often.
This weekend I'm going to see the South Korea v North Korea World Cup qualifier, so I'll try and get some pics and a match report up if I can find my missing camera charger.
Thursday, 20 March 2008
One year...
Oops, it's been nearly three months since my last post. How did that happen. Well to be honest I haven't got much to say at the moment. The long, cold Korean winter means everybody pretty much hibernates for a couple of months. I've been working, then hitting the town at the weekends, but that's about it.
I did manage to get out of Seoul and do some paintball a month or so ago which was good fun. It was interesting to see how Korea is outside of the big city and seeing the Han River completely frozen over was very impressive. I'll get some photos up of the day if I can get hold of any as we did look pretty funny in our Rambo gear.
One important milestone has passed recently. On the 13th March I had been away for one whole year. One complete calenday year without setting foot on British soil. I wonder if that makes me a real ex-pat?! Speaking of time, I've now got only 4 1/2 months before I do walk on that green, green grass of home again. I'm looking forward to a little UK holiday!
Now spring is here I'll be looking to get out of Seoul a bit more, and perhaps see all those sights around the city that I haven't yet visited.
I did manage to get out of Seoul and do some paintball a month or so ago which was good fun. It was interesting to see how Korea is outside of the big city and seeing the Han River completely frozen over was very impressive. I'll get some photos up of the day if I can get hold of any as we did look pretty funny in our Rambo gear.
One important milestone has passed recently. On the 13th March I had been away for one whole year. One complete calenday year without setting foot on British soil. I wonder if that makes me a real ex-pat?! Speaking of time, I've now got only 4 1/2 months before I do walk on that green, green grass of home again. I'm looking forward to a little UK holiday!
Now spring is here I'll be looking to get out of Seoul a bit more, and perhaps see all those sights around the city that I haven't yet visited.
Sunday, 30 December 2007
2007
Well, here we are on the last day of 2007. It's been a pretty eventful year for me to say the least. I've been out of the UK for over three quarters of it for a start, visiting 7 different countries along the way. My occupation has changed from something mundane to something relatively unusual and I now live 8000 miles from home. Such a lot has been going on that I should take time to review it, so I thought I'd do a few of those silly best/worst lists that you always get in the papers at this time of year.
Let's start with obvious - BEST COUNTRIES VISITED (in reverse order):
5. Thailand
4. Vietnam
3. Cambodia
2. Japan
1. India
BEST FOOD:
3. Noodle soup and baguettes (Vietnam)
2. Big fat prawns (Goa, India)
1. Green curry (Thailand)
WORST FOOD
5. Kimchi (Korea)
4. Grasshopper (Cambodia)
3. Dweji Galbi (Korea)
2. Bebimbap (Korea)
1. Kimbap (Korea)
BEST JOURNEYS
3. Train ride from Hampi to Goa
2. Allepey to Kochi by boat through the backwaters
1. Boat down the Mekong from Chiang Kong to Luang Prabang
WORST JOURNEYS
3. Saigon to Phnom Penh (purely for hangover level!)
2. Bangalore to Hampi (1st attempt!)
1. Siem Riep to Bangkok
BEST SCENERY
3. Ko Phi Phi (Thailand)
2. Hampi (India)
1. Luang Prabang (Laos)
WEIRDEST INHABITANTS
3. Japan
2. India
1. Korea
FITTEST BIRDS
3. Thailand
2. Korea
1. Japan
GRIMMEST TOILETS
3. Thailand
2. Laos
1. India
WORST POP MUSIC
3. Korea
2. India
1. Thailand
Anway, that my review of the year for now! I'm off for a rest before the big party tonight.
Let's start with obvious - BEST COUNTRIES VISITED (in reverse order):
5. Thailand
4. Vietnam
3. Cambodia
2. Japan
1. India
BEST FOOD:
3. Noodle soup and baguettes (Vietnam)
2. Big fat prawns (Goa, India)
1. Green curry (Thailand)
WORST FOOD
5. Kimchi (Korea)
4. Grasshopper (Cambodia)
3. Dweji Galbi (Korea)
2. Bebimbap (Korea)
1. Kimbap (Korea)
BEST JOURNEYS
3. Train ride from Hampi to Goa
2. Allepey to Kochi by boat through the backwaters
1. Boat down the Mekong from Chiang Kong to Luang Prabang
WORST JOURNEYS
3. Saigon to Phnom Penh (purely for hangover level!)
2. Bangalore to Hampi (1st attempt!)
1. Siem Riep to Bangkok
BEST SCENERY
3. Ko Phi Phi (Thailand)
2. Hampi (India)
1. Luang Prabang (Laos)
WEIRDEST INHABITANTS
3. Japan
2. India
1. Korea
FITTEST BIRDS
3. Thailand
2. Korea
1. Japan
GRIMMEST TOILETS
3. Thailand
2. Laos
1. India
WORST POP MUSIC
3. Korea
2. India
1. Thailand
Anway, that my review of the year for now! I'm off for a rest before the big party tonight.
Tuesday, 18 December 2007
Merry Xmas!
Hi everyone, I thought I'd better update this blog as I haven't done anything except add some pictures in the last couple of months. This is mainly due to the fact I haven't really done anything all that exciting. Except for the general continued novelty of being in a foreign country I haven't got all that much to write about.
I'm looking forward to a couple of days off over Xmas, but that's literally it, a couple of days! Boohoo, poor me whose had a 4 month holiday this year, I hear you all cry! Well I'm about to make up for it by doing 12 hour days for the next month. It shouldn't be too bad though as its going to be too cold to do much anyway, plus I will get paid well for it.
Xmas day itself should be fun too... unless it goes wrong in which case it'll be a disaster! We've got 10 people coming over to our apartment for Xmas dinner. A couple of the girls are going to cook up a turkey and the works in a little table top oven we've bought - should be interesting! We could end up eating pot noodles and just drinking! Hopefully not, I have every faith in them!
Anyway, merry xmas and happy new year to everyone and hopefully I'll talk to everyone over the holiday period. If not then, I should have more to write about when its over so staaay toooooned!
I'm looking forward to a couple of days off over Xmas, but that's literally it, a couple of days! Boohoo, poor me whose had a 4 month holiday this year, I hear you all cry! Well I'm about to make up for it by doing 12 hour days for the next month. It shouldn't be too bad though as its going to be too cold to do much anyway, plus I will get paid well for it.
Xmas day itself should be fun too... unless it goes wrong in which case it'll be a disaster! We've got 10 people coming over to our apartment for Xmas dinner. A couple of the girls are going to cook up a turkey and the works in a little table top oven we've bought - should be interesting! We could end up eating pot noodles and just drinking! Hopefully not, I have every faith in them!
Anyway, merry xmas and happy new year to everyone and hopefully I'll talk to everyone over the holiday period. If not then, I should have more to write about when its over so staaay toooooned!
Sunday, 7 October 2007
Chusok and beyond
Well, that's it now. No more holidays until Christmas, ouch! Chusok was a fun three days off. There was a lot of partying and even a bit of sightseeing thrown in. I managed to get over to a different area of Seoul called Insadong where there are some quaint little tea shops. Tea shops are a traditional Korean place which sell tea of all different flavours. I had some lemon flavour and it was pretty nice, although it did taste a bit like lemsip! Insadong also has a nice little park containing a war memorial and an 600 year old pagoda.
This week we had another public holiday on Wednesday which was a nice suprise. I don't really tend to know about the holidays until a day or two before so its always nice to have the good news that I don't have to work the next day! The Tuesday night was someones birthday so I ended up going out to Hongdae and Sinchon. Sinchon was another new place for me and it seemed like a lot of fun. There were lots of mad little bars and the streets were lined with high buildings and neon signs.
Wednesday was another fun day as it was the birthday of the owner of my local bar. There was a private party for him from 5pm with free food and booze. Wahey. Unfortunately, after the previous nights activities I didn't manage to drag myself down there until 10pm!
On Thursday it was quite depressing to realise I'd had my last day off until 25th December, but on the brightside, hey, it was only 2 days until the weekend! Saturday was a good day, I met up with a girl I used to work with back in London who is also out here. It was great to see a familiar face again, even though we didn't know each other all that well back at work. We went over to Sinchon again at night and it was even madder than before. The top 2 univerities in Korea were having their equivalent of the Oxford v Cambridge boat race day, but here they play each other at football, rugby, ice hockey and basketball instead. There were thousands of students out on the streets, one lot dressed in red and one lot in blue. Songs were being sung and conga lines snaked down the streets but nothing was too rowdy and there was absolutely no trouble, as there almost certainly would've been in England!
As for my Korean, its picking up ever so slightly. This month I've learned:
Win chuk = left
Orun chuk = right
Chingu = friend (I think!)
Mek ju = beer
Dak = chicken
Dok = rice cake
Chi geh = soup
Dweji = pork
Yok = subway station
Hmm, writing it down has made me realise that at least half of my Korean skills are food and drink related! I'm really going to have to diversify. I also need to learn to read a bit I think. Wish me luck with that!
This week we had another public holiday on Wednesday which was a nice suprise. I don't really tend to know about the holidays until a day or two before so its always nice to have the good news that I don't have to work the next day! The Tuesday night was someones birthday so I ended up going out to Hongdae and Sinchon. Sinchon was another new place for me and it seemed like a lot of fun. There were lots of mad little bars and the streets were lined with high buildings and neon signs.
Wednesday was another fun day as it was the birthday of the owner of my local bar. There was a private party for him from 5pm with free food and booze. Wahey. Unfortunately, after the previous nights activities I didn't manage to drag myself down there until 10pm!
On Thursday it was quite depressing to realise I'd had my last day off until 25th December, but on the brightside, hey, it was only 2 days until the weekend! Saturday was a good day, I met up with a girl I used to work with back in London who is also out here. It was great to see a familiar face again, even though we didn't know each other all that well back at work. We went over to Sinchon again at night and it was even madder than before. The top 2 univerities in Korea were having their equivalent of the Oxford v Cambridge boat race day, but here they play each other at football, rugby, ice hockey and basketball instead. There were thousands of students out on the streets, one lot dressed in red and one lot in blue. Songs were being sung and conga lines snaked down the streets but nothing was too rowdy and there was absolutely no trouble, as there almost certainly would've been in England!
As for my Korean, its picking up ever so slightly. This month I've learned:
Win chuk = left
Orun chuk = right
Chingu = friend (I think!)
Mek ju = beer
Dak = chicken
Dok = rice cake
Chi geh = soup
Dweji = pork
Yok = subway station
Hmm, writing it down has made me realise that at least half of my Korean skills are food and drink related! I'm really going to have to diversify. I also need to learn to read a bit I think. Wish me luck with that!
Tuesday, 11 September 2007
Seoul, Smog and Soju
The time in Korea is really flying now. I've been here over 2 months already. It almost feels like home now, but with a slight twist - a bit like looking through the looking glass at a world you know to see a slightly skewed version looking back. Sometimes I can forget where I am as most of my friends are westerners over here for the same reason I am, but other times it can seem very alien.
I've been having a lot of fun since I came back from Japan. My school threw a welcome dinner for me and a new American teacher. It was good to get to know some of the Korean teachers better and to see how they enjoy a night out. We had some nice food and then proceeded to get stuck into the soju. It ended up with the woman boss proclaiming the benefits of the female orgasm and the American teacher vomiting in the gutter. Thankfully (as everyone who reads this know well knows) I can hold my drink and was heralded as an 'English Gentleman' by all my workmates... hmm, they'll soon learn!
I've seen a few new areas of Seoul, but not enough really. I'm planning to get out and about alot more in the next couple of months as the weather has lost some of the relentless 100% humidity of the late summer. Apparently it should be nice now until possible December and then it will turn icily cold. I'm also aiming to learn a lot more Korean as up to know I only have the following:
An yan eh seh oo = hello / goodbye
Gam sa han mida = thank you
Hanido Juseoo = one more please
Yogio = here (politely)
Agymar = old lady
Agyshe = old man
The last two might seem weird terms to learn but they are used quite a lot here. Because Korea is a confucionist society there is a lot of respect for the old and they are kind of used to describe someone whose the head of the household. So our landlady is the house agymar, and the shop round the corner is referred to as the agymar shop because its an old lady. Anyway, I'll put some more terms up once I know them!
Last week I had a fun day out. It was a stag do for an aussie bloke I know out here (also called bachelor party or bucks night depending which country you're from). We went to the horse racing track and then out in Anyang where we gave him a few suprises. I can't really mention them here, law of the stag and all that! No stripper though, not really the done thing in Korea.
The job is going pretty well, and I seem to be quite good at it as it unexpectedly turns out! Some of the kids are really cute, but of course on the flip side some are little gits. I'm getting better at being able to control and discipline the kids too which makes the lessons run smoother, and I'm also learning some fun games which helps them to enjoy the lessons, which again, makes it all run smoother.
The week after next its Chusok here, which is the major public holiday in the year and means I get 3 days off, woohoo! I think I'm going to use it to see a bit more of Seoul and do some of the touristy stuff that I haven't really bothered with up until now. I'll report back then with some hopefully interesting info.
I've been having a lot of fun since I came back from Japan. My school threw a welcome dinner for me and a new American teacher. It was good to get to know some of the Korean teachers better and to see how they enjoy a night out. We had some nice food and then proceeded to get stuck into the soju. It ended up with the woman boss proclaiming the benefits of the female orgasm and the American teacher vomiting in the gutter. Thankfully (as everyone who reads this know well knows) I can hold my drink and was heralded as an 'English Gentleman' by all my workmates... hmm, they'll soon learn!
I've seen a few new areas of Seoul, but not enough really. I'm planning to get out and about alot more in the next couple of months as the weather has lost some of the relentless 100% humidity of the late summer. Apparently it should be nice now until possible December and then it will turn icily cold. I'm also aiming to learn a lot more Korean as up to know I only have the following:
An yan eh seh oo = hello / goodbye
Gam sa han mida = thank you
Hanido Juseoo = one more please
Yogio = here (politely)
Agymar = old lady
Agyshe = old man
The last two might seem weird terms to learn but they are used quite a lot here. Because Korea is a confucionist society there is a lot of respect for the old and they are kind of used to describe someone whose the head of the household. So our landlady is the house agymar, and the shop round the corner is referred to as the agymar shop because its an old lady. Anyway, I'll put some more terms up once I know them!
Last week I had a fun day out. It was a stag do for an aussie bloke I know out here (also called bachelor party or bucks night depending which country you're from). We went to the horse racing track and then out in Anyang where we gave him a few suprises. I can't really mention them here, law of the stag and all that! No stripper though, not really the done thing in Korea.
The job is going pretty well, and I seem to be quite good at it as it unexpectedly turns out! Some of the kids are really cute, but of course on the flip side some are little gits. I'm getting better at being able to control and discipline the kids too which makes the lessons run smoother, and I'm also learning some fun games which helps them to enjoy the lessons, which again, makes it all run smoother.
The week after next its Chusok here, which is the major public holiday in the year and means I get 3 days off, woohoo! I think I'm going to use it to see a bit more of Seoul and do some of the touristy stuff that I haven't really bothered with up until now. I'll report back then with some hopefully interesting info.
Sunday, 12 August 2007
Going Japanesy
I`ve had a weekend of fun in Osaka, Japan. I had to go over to get my work visa for Korea as you cannot get it inside the country. It`s all the better because my school paid for the flights and also gave also me $300 spending money. Furthermore, they arranged it so I could stay over the weekend to get more time here. Shame eh?!
I arrived on Friday morning after a disgustingly early start and went straight to the consulate. It took literally 5 minutes to hand in my application and then I was free for a whole weekend in Osaka! Next step was to find a hotel. Easier said then done. Three and a half hours later I was finally checked in to a place a little more expensive than I had been planning to pay, but at that point I just wanted a shower and a bed and I would`ve probably sold my soul to the devil to get them.
After a bit of a sleep I went out to explore some more. Its quite overwhelming walking around Japanese streets on your own. Its hard to tell what all the buildings are as obviously the writing is in Japanese, but also there are many different establishments in one building. After a bit of a walk I stopped for some Japanese food, something quite similar to the Galbi restaurants we have in korea where you barbecue it yourself at the table. Delicous! After a little stroll I came across the first pub-like buildings I`d seen. Joy of joys it was indeed a pub! I popped in for a drink and got talking to a Spanish guy who said I was the first westerner he`d spoken to in 10 days in Japan. I can understand how it would happen as there aren`t many of us about.
Next day I got up for a day of sightseeing. I started off at Osaka Castle which was a once a stronghold for a ruler of Japan (I think). Its a huge place and very beautiful. There are a couple of moats with some sort of red plant floating on the surface, giving it a quite otherworldly appearance. There are also plum and peach groves and a few gardens dotted about. Very serene. Next stop was the Umeda Sky Tower. This is one of the tallest buildings in Osaka and has a viewing platform on the top. I timed my arrival for around sunset so I could get both day and night views. I`m glad I did as the view was awesome. Especially when the sun had just gone below the horizon and the sky was red and pink.
I arrived on Friday morning after a disgustingly early start and went straight to the consulate. It took literally 5 minutes to hand in my application and then I was free for a whole weekend in Osaka! Next step was to find a hotel. Easier said then done. Three and a half hours later I was finally checked in to a place a little more expensive than I had been planning to pay, but at that point I just wanted a shower and a bed and I would`ve probably sold my soul to the devil to get them.
After a bit of a sleep I went out to explore some more. Its quite overwhelming walking around Japanese streets on your own. Its hard to tell what all the buildings are as obviously the writing is in Japanese, but also there are many different establishments in one building. After a bit of a walk I stopped for some Japanese food, something quite similar to the Galbi restaurants we have in korea where you barbecue it yourself at the table. Delicous! After a little stroll I came across the first pub-like buildings I`d seen. Joy of joys it was indeed a pub! I popped in for a drink and got talking to a Spanish guy who said I was the first westerner he`d spoken to in 10 days in Japan. I can understand how it would happen as there aren`t many of us about.
Next day I got up for a day of sightseeing. I started off at Osaka Castle which was a once a stronghold for a ruler of Japan (I think). Its a huge place and very beautiful. There are a couple of moats with some sort of red plant floating on the surface, giving it a quite otherworldly appearance. There are also plum and peach groves and a few gardens dotted about. Very serene. Next stop was the Umeda Sky Tower. This is one of the tallest buildings in Osaka and has a viewing platform on the top. I timed my arrival for around sunset so I could get both day and night views. I`m glad I did as the view was awesome. Especially when the sun had just gone below the horizon and the sky was red and pink.
In the evening I headed out for a big night. I started off at a bar I`d been to the day before. I sat at the bar and met up with an American girl and a couple of Japanese lads. Their group were off to a club nearby and the asked if I wanted to join them. It was a hip-hop club which I don't like usually but it was fun, especially when two Japanese rappers were on stage! I had a good night and didn't get home til the wee hours.
The next day I didn't do much at all and all too soon Monday came around and, after picking up my visa it was time to go 'home'. Japan is an amazing county, it shocks all the senses at once. I think I'll be back.
Thursday, 26 July 2007
A bonafide Engish teacher
The last week has seen me really settle into life in Seoul. I'm finally off the couch and into my own bedroom. It's the biggest and best room in the apartment and even has an ensuite bathroom.
More importantly I've got a job! I now work at Jumi's Natural English (JNE) School, teaching kids aged 7 to 15. I went in for my first day yesterday to observe some of the classes taken by the Korean teachers. Teaching the young ones seems to be a lot of fun as it is just a lot of games and roleplays, but teaching the older ones is OK too as they can have real conversations with me. Although, being teenagers, they generally stay quiet and sullen!
The bosses seem pretty nice. One of the directors bought me lunch after I'd signed my contract, and I think they were quite impressed by how much I like their Korean food, even the holy Kimchi that I mentioned in my last post!
Overall it seems that life is going to be pretty sweet over here. I should be pretty well off as Korean private schools pay their foreign teachers well, and the cost of living is relatively low. For example, the rent on my apartment is less than 400 quid a month - and that's shared between 3 people!
The next step is going to be to start learning a bit of Korean I think. Its essential to do so as simple things become hard to do if you can't read signs or ask directions etc.
More importantly I've got a job! I now work at Jumi's Natural English (JNE) School, teaching kids aged 7 to 15. I went in for my first day yesterday to observe some of the classes taken by the Korean teachers. Teaching the young ones seems to be a lot of fun as it is just a lot of games and roleplays, but teaching the older ones is OK too as they can have real conversations with me. Although, being teenagers, they generally stay quiet and sullen!
The bosses seem pretty nice. One of the directors bought me lunch after I'd signed my contract, and I think they were quite impressed by how much I like their Korean food, even the holy Kimchi that I mentioned in my last post!
Overall it seems that life is going to be pretty sweet over here. I should be pretty well off as Korean private schools pay their foreign teachers well, and the cost of living is relatively low. For example, the rent on my apartment is less than 400 quid a month - and that's shared between 3 people!
The next step is going to be to start learning a bit of Korean I think. Its essential to do so as simple things become hard to do if you can't read signs or ask directions etc.
Friday, 20 July 2007
Seoul
Well I've finally arrived at my ultimate destination and have been here for nearly 2 weeks now. The job hunt is going OK and I have two possibilities in the pipeline. One is at a very good school where I can make plenty of money, the other is at slightly less money but less hours and much less formal. I'm going to try and go for the latter.
Seoul itself seems like a good place to live for the next year. There are loads of young ex-pats living out here which makes for a thriving social scene. I think it helps me a lot having Martin and Baldy out here as I've kinda slotted straight into their group of mates. They can also tell me where everything is and give me tips on what to look for in a job etc. I'd imagine it'd be pretty hard to come over here on your own not knowing anyone.
I have got a pretty cool apartment sorted out with Baldy, although I'm still sleeping on the sofa at the moment! One of the housemates moves out next week so I'll have my own room at last. Most people who come over are provided with housing by the schools where they teach, which amounts to little more than one room incorporating bedroom, living room and kitchen in one. My apartment is much better than that, with a big lounge and kitchen area, 3 good size bedrooms, a laundry room and a bit of outside space ideal for BBQs.
In the 2 weeks I've been here I've been out on the town a few times. There seems to be 2 main areas, though I'm sure theres more places I haven't been to yet. the first is Itaewon which is near to where I'm staying. It was originally set up for the GI's from the American army base just round the corner, however they're not allowed out after 11pm now after a bit of trouble in the area so now its the ex-pats playground. Its a bit cheesy really, because of all the western amenities and food places you can't always tell you're in Korea. It also has a slightly sleazy side in some parts. The other place to go out is Hongdae which is definitley my favourite by far. Its a lot more upmarket and cutting edge than Itaewon thanks in part to being located near a big university. There are live bands and other cool music in trendy bars that aren't very expensive. Ideal! We had a great night out there last week and another one is planned tonight.
One thing that's definitely unique about Korea is its cuisine. I absolutely love the traditional Galbi restaurants. The meat is brought out to your table raw and cooked on a barbeque set in the middle of the table. You then take pieces off and place them in a lettuce-like leaf, add some of the side dishes, then wrap it all in the leaf and shove it all in your gob in one go. It's really tasty and sociable too. While I'm on the subject of food I can't not mention Kimchi. All Korean food comes with side dishes, even if you order a soup you'll get lots of little plates of veggies and dips. These vary but the one thing you're guaranteed to get it is Kimchi. Its a type of cabbage and is usually slightly pickled. Its not bad actually but the Koreans go mad for it. They say it can prevent or cure all kinds of illnesses and health problems from heart disease to cancer to bird flu! Its almost like a sacred food.
As I said, I'm off to Hongdae tonight so I'm sure there will be more fun and frolics to report on shortly!
Seoul itself seems like a good place to live for the next year. There are loads of young ex-pats living out here which makes for a thriving social scene. I think it helps me a lot having Martin and Baldy out here as I've kinda slotted straight into their group of mates. They can also tell me where everything is and give me tips on what to look for in a job etc. I'd imagine it'd be pretty hard to come over here on your own not knowing anyone.
I have got a pretty cool apartment sorted out with Baldy, although I'm still sleeping on the sofa at the moment! One of the housemates moves out next week so I'll have my own room at last. Most people who come over are provided with housing by the schools where they teach, which amounts to little more than one room incorporating bedroom, living room and kitchen in one. My apartment is much better than that, with a big lounge and kitchen area, 3 good size bedrooms, a laundry room and a bit of outside space ideal for BBQs.
In the 2 weeks I've been here I've been out on the town a few times. There seems to be 2 main areas, though I'm sure theres more places I haven't been to yet. the first is Itaewon which is near to where I'm staying. It was originally set up for the GI's from the American army base just round the corner, however they're not allowed out after 11pm now after a bit of trouble in the area so now its the ex-pats playground. Its a bit cheesy really, because of all the western amenities and food places you can't always tell you're in Korea. It also has a slightly sleazy side in some parts. The other place to go out is Hongdae which is definitley my favourite by far. Its a lot more upmarket and cutting edge than Itaewon thanks in part to being located near a big university. There are live bands and other cool music in trendy bars that aren't very expensive. Ideal! We had a great night out there last week and another one is planned tonight.
One thing that's definitely unique about Korea is its cuisine. I absolutely love the traditional Galbi restaurants. The meat is brought out to your table raw and cooked on a barbeque set in the middle of the table. You then take pieces off and place them in a lettuce-like leaf, add some of the side dishes, then wrap it all in the leaf and shove it all in your gob in one go. It's really tasty and sociable too. While I'm on the subject of food I can't not mention Kimchi. All Korean food comes with side dishes, even if you order a soup you'll get lots of little plates of veggies and dips. These vary but the one thing you're guaranteed to get it is Kimchi. Its a type of cabbage and is usually slightly pickled. Its not bad actually but the Koreans go mad for it. They say it can prevent or cure all kinds of illnesses and health problems from heart disease to cancer to bird flu! Its almost like a sacred food.
As I said, I'm off to Hongdae tonight so I'm sure there will be more fun and frolics to report on shortly!
Thursday, 5 July 2007
Koh Samui
I've been on Koh Samui for 5 days now. It's a nice island but the weather is overcast so I haven't been able to go to the beach at all which slightly defeats the object of being here! Oh well, of course I've been continuing the party where I left off on Koh Phangan instead. The Thai islands really are a hedonists playground, I've started calling it the Costa Del Asia! It's so unlike the rest of the region, it's almost like being at home with all the fast food outlets and shopping precincts.
Today is the last full day of my travelling circuit. I can't believe its gone so fast. I fly off to Bangkok tomorrow night, and straight on to Seoul from there. It'll be good to see my friends again, although the prospect of actually working for a living again is slightly daunting! Although, if I'm lucky it won't seem too much like work and might only take up 4 or 5 hours of my day.
Today is the last full day of my travelling circuit. I can't believe its gone so fast. I fly off to Bangkok tomorrow night, and straight on to Seoul from there. It'll be good to see my friends again, although the prospect of actually working for a living again is slightly daunting! Although, if I'm lucky it won't seem too much like work and might only take up 4 or 5 hours of my day.
Sunday, 1 July 2007
Ko Phangan
Ko Phangan is the maddest party island on Earth. It's official. Nothing can touch it when the full moon party is in full swing. It makes Ibiza look like a February afternoon in Margate.
I arrived on Tuesday evening and got myself a bungalow on a beach called Ban Tai, 4km out of Hat Rin where the full moon party is held. The next morning that decision seemed slightly pointless as it p*ssed it down with the hardest rain I've ever seen for hours. I didn't mind too much really though as I slept til lunchtime anyway.
Around 3pm the rain subsided a bit and I headed into Hat Rin to meet Adrian. Since there was nothing else to do we thought we may as well go for a beer! All the bars in Hat Rin play movies and sitcoms all day so we ended up swigging a few Beer Chang's watching Family Guy and playing some pool. Later on we met a few more Irish lads and headed down to the beach where the real action goes on!
There are bars all along the beach front, blaring out house and hip-hop all night long. We wandered among them drinking our buckets. There were 5 of us originally, but each one of us ended up wandering around alone talking to random people, which is what I think every other person on the beach was doing too. I also managed to lose my flip-flops somehow!
Next day I managed to scrape myself out onto the beach in mid afternoon for a bit before heading back into Hat Rin. I didn't bother buying anymore flip flops as I'd probably just lose them again anyway. I won't bother to describe the night as it was pretty much a carbon-copy of the previous one (except without the distraction of shoes!).
The next day was Friday and the night of the big full moon party. Woohoo! I got into town about 5pm and met with Adrian for a few warm up beers. It was a real struggle after the previous 2 nights but we forced ourselves. We decided a bit of sea air might help so got down to the beach early, bumping into the other Irish lads on the way. It was only about 8'0'clock so we chilled out with a couple of beers, all swearing not to buy a bucket before 11pm. We lasted until around 10.30 which I think was a good effort!
By that time the beach was absolutely heaving. There were estimated to be around 10,000 people there, but there may have been more as this month was the full moon party's 20th anniversary celebration. The bars seemed to be playing their music louder than ever and it was deafening. Everybody was covered in flourescent bodypaint and jumping around like mad people - it was fantastic. The party went on and on and on. Everybody seemed to be wearing a lot less clothing and crashed out bodies were starting to appear on the beach! The sun came up and still everyone was going. Of course we'd all lost each other but we bumped into each other intermittently before staggering off again.
I finally went home exhausted about 7 or 8am. Adrian was out until 12 but he'd passed out sleeping for a few hours on the beach (losing his wallet in the process). I took a disposable camera out so I'm looking forward to seeing what I've managed to take on that! The next day was obviously a train wreck so I'm not even going to go into how bad I felt...
Off to Samui tomorrow to meet the other lads. I've also started applying for jobs in Korea. Scary stuff that... I could potentially be working in a couple of weeks time!
I arrived on Tuesday evening and got myself a bungalow on a beach called Ban Tai, 4km out of Hat Rin where the full moon party is held. The next morning that decision seemed slightly pointless as it p*ssed it down with the hardest rain I've ever seen for hours. I didn't mind too much really though as I slept til lunchtime anyway.
Around 3pm the rain subsided a bit and I headed into Hat Rin to meet Adrian. Since there was nothing else to do we thought we may as well go for a beer! All the bars in Hat Rin play movies and sitcoms all day so we ended up swigging a few Beer Chang's watching Family Guy and playing some pool. Later on we met a few more Irish lads and headed down to the beach where the real action goes on!
There are bars all along the beach front, blaring out house and hip-hop all night long. We wandered among them drinking our buckets. There were 5 of us originally, but each one of us ended up wandering around alone talking to random people, which is what I think every other person on the beach was doing too. I also managed to lose my flip-flops somehow!
Next day I managed to scrape myself out onto the beach in mid afternoon for a bit before heading back into Hat Rin. I didn't bother buying anymore flip flops as I'd probably just lose them again anyway. I won't bother to describe the night as it was pretty much a carbon-copy of the previous one (except without the distraction of shoes!).
The next day was Friday and the night of the big full moon party. Woohoo! I got into town about 5pm and met with Adrian for a few warm up beers. It was a real struggle after the previous 2 nights but we forced ourselves. We decided a bit of sea air might help so got down to the beach early, bumping into the other Irish lads on the way. It was only about 8'0'clock so we chilled out with a couple of beers, all swearing not to buy a bucket before 11pm. We lasted until around 10.30 which I think was a good effort!
By that time the beach was absolutely heaving. There were estimated to be around 10,000 people there, but there may have been more as this month was the full moon party's 20th anniversary celebration. The bars seemed to be playing their music louder than ever and it was deafening. Everybody was covered in flourescent bodypaint and jumping around like mad people - it was fantastic. The party went on and on and on. Everybody seemed to be wearing a lot less clothing and crashed out bodies were starting to appear on the beach! The sun came up and still everyone was going. Of course we'd all lost each other but we bumped into each other intermittently before staggering off again.
I finally went home exhausted about 7 or 8am. Adrian was out until 12 but he'd passed out sleeping for a few hours on the beach (losing his wallet in the process). I took a disposable camera out so I'm looking forward to seeing what I've managed to take on that! The next day was obviously a train wreck so I'm not even going to go into how bad I felt...
Off to Samui tomorrow to meet the other lads. I've also started applying for jobs in Korea. Scary stuff that... I could potentially be working in a couple of weeks time!
Ko Phi Phi
Phi Phi was a nice little island. It was good to just chill on the beach for a couple of days and swim in the clear blue sea. The island is quite idyllic, with big cliffs bursting out of the sea, topped with jungle. The sand is white and the people are so laid back I thought I'd just landed in Jamaica.
Unfortunately I could only stay for 2 days as I had to get to Ko Phangnan for the full moon party. On my last night I did manage to have an entertaining evening with a bunch of Aussies though, in a bar where the entertainment was a ladyboy cabaret! But I can guarantee the only thing that was sore in the morning was my head!
Unfortunately I could only stay for 2 days as I had to get to Ko Phangnan for the full moon party. On my last night I did manage to have an entertaining evening with a bunch of Aussies though, in a bar where the entertainment was a ladyboy cabaret! But I can guarantee the only thing that was sore in the morning was my head!
Saturday, 23 June 2007
Siam Reap to Bangkok to Krabi
Oh my god! Worst. Journey. Ever!
The Cambodian side of the border was like a lunar landscape - craters everwhere. The bus was discovered to have a flat tyre after only about 10 minutes too, so every rest stop meant the bus staff disappearing for 45 minutes to pump it up for the next leg.
Eventually we bounced our way to the border town where we were inexplicably transferred to another bus to travel the last 5 minutes of the journey to the border point?!?!? After we'd crossed the border we were then kept waiting for around 2 hours for our coach. We were told we were waiting for some people to cross the border but since there are buses scheduled to leave every half hour this doesn't really make sense either! At least everyone was consoled with the fact that the next bus would be a luxury coach.
The luxury coach was a god send... For approximately 30 seconds until a strong smell of piss started to waft up from the toilet. There was a fault with it which meant we had to stop every 30-40 mins for a guy to pour water down it or something, followed by a spray of his aftershave to try and sort out the smell!
The final straw came when the bus ground to a halt only 20km from Bangkok with a broken clutch! We were stranded for at least 2 hours with no clue as to what exactly the bus staff were doing about it. Eventually a mutiny was staged and everyone was off at the side of the road hailing mini-buses or taxis for the last little bit.
We finally arrived at the Kao Sahn Road around 11pm, 15 hours after we'd begun our supposed 10 hour journey. After a brief argument about the price with the taxi driver (just to top it off!). We got to our rooms and went for a much needed beverage.
I wasn't going to suffer another bus journey today so I treated myself to a flight to Krabi. It was only 20 quid so I thought it was worth it to save my sanity! I was aiming for Ko Phi Phi but unfortunately the last boat has gone and I'm here for the night and leaving in the morning. Also the cloudy weather isn't looking like it's best suited to a few days on a tropical island. Oh well it can change at any time, and hey at least I'm not sitting in an office in London!
The Cambodian side of the border was like a lunar landscape - craters everwhere. The bus was discovered to have a flat tyre after only about 10 minutes too, so every rest stop meant the bus staff disappearing for 45 minutes to pump it up for the next leg.
Eventually we bounced our way to the border town where we were inexplicably transferred to another bus to travel the last 5 minutes of the journey to the border point?!?!? After we'd crossed the border we were then kept waiting for around 2 hours for our coach. We were told we were waiting for some people to cross the border but since there are buses scheduled to leave every half hour this doesn't really make sense either! At least everyone was consoled with the fact that the next bus would be a luxury coach.
The luxury coach was a god send... For approximately 30 seconds until a strong smell of piss started to waft up from the toilet. There was a fault with it which meant we had to stop every 30-40 mins for a guy to pour water down it or something, followed by a spray of his aftershave to try and sort out the smell!
The final straw came when the bus ground to a halt only 20km from Bangkok with a broken clutch! We were stranded for at least 2 hours with no clue as to what exactly the bus staff were doing about it. Eventually a mutiny was staged and everyone was off at the side of the road hailing mini-buses or taxis for the last little bit.
We finally arrived at the Kao Sahn Road around 11pm, 15 hours after we'd begun our supposed 10 hour journey. After a brief argument about the price with the taxi driver (just to top it off!). We got to our rooms and went for a much needed beverage.
I wasn't going to suffer another bus journey today so I treated myself to a flight to Krabi. It was only 20 quid so I thought it was worth it to save my sanity! I was aiming for Ko Phi Phi but unfortunately the last boat has gone and I'm here for the night and leaving in the morning. Also the cloudy weather isn't looking like it's best suited to a few days on a tropical island. Oh well it can change at any time, and hey at least I'm not sitting in an office in London!
Siam Reap (Angkor Wat)
The journey to Siam Reap wasn't too bad. It was a bit hot and the A/C wasn't all that, but I'm well used to it now. There were a few too many stops but we spent those watching the locals tucking into their favourite snack food - fried grasshoppers! Yuk! After much staring we were offered some too. None of dared munch on a whole one but we all had a little leg each. I just couldn't imagine crunching on an insects head, they're huge over here! 
When we arrived in the town the commotion was intense. There were tuk tuk drivers everywhere trying to get us to go with them to guesthouses. There were cops there literally beating them back with sticks! We went for a cold soft drink and chose one recommended by the guide book which turned out to be very nice. We all hit the hay early for a ridiculously early 5am start to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat.
Next morning we clambered into the tuk tuk with bleary eyes and high expectations for the day ahead. The Angkor Wat temple complex is so called after the biggest temple there, however there are loads of smalller and temples for miles around. They were each built by the king at the time trying to outdo the previous king. We started off at Angkor Wat itself, watching the sunrise over the magnificent 800 yr old structure that's taller than Notre Dame cathedral. Once the sun was fully up we started to wander around and climbed up the steepest, slipperiest steps I've ever seen to the summit of the building. It's very impressive, every inch of stone has some sort of elaborate carving on it.
After Angkor we ate breakfast and continued round in our tuk tuk to the next set of ruins. Some of them were interesting but some were little more than a pile of rubble. We carried on round for 7 hours in total and saw all the main sites. All of us were all shattered by the end of it. It was a good day out and I'm glad to have seen what is sometimes called one of the wonders of the world... but I can't really understand those who get 3 day or week long tickets! You'd have to be really into either architeture, history or religion to do that. 
After a good afternoon's sleep it was time to hit the town. What we'd seen of Siam Reap the day before looked good and were eager to try out some of the bars. We weren't disapointed. It was a quality night out. We even bumped into Matt and Katie who I'd met in Hue and and Saigon, which especially good as it was her birthday. A fun night was had by all and it didn't end until the sun came up. Just to illustrate the point, Chris was meant to get his bus to Bangkok at 8am but by 11'o'clock he'd already decided it wasn't happening!
Next day was a write off with none of us waking up until 3pm. But we needed the rest as the day after we were all getting the bus bound for Bangkok together. The journey is notorious with every backpacker as it is rumoured that Bangkok airlines pays the Cambodian government to keep the roads in bad condition so people prefer to fly on a route they have exclusive rights to! Ten hours of fun ahead! 
When we arrived in the town the commotion was intense. There were tuk tuk drivers everywhere trying to get us to go with them to guesthouses. There were cops there literally beating them back with sticks! We went for a cold soft drink and chose one recommended by the guide book which turned out to be very nice. We all hit the hay early for a ridiculously early 5am start to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat.
Next morning we clambered into the tuk tuk with bleary eyes and high expectations for the day ahead. The Angkor Wat temple complex is so called after the biggest temple there, however there are loads of smalller and temples for miles around. They were each built by the king at the time trying to outdo the previous king. We started off at Angkor Wat itself, watching the sunrise over the magnificent 800 yr old structure that's taller than Notre Dame cathedral. Once the sun was fully up we started to wander around and climbed up the steepest, slipperiest steps I've ever seen to the summit of the building. It's very impressive, every inch of stone has some sort of elaborate carving on it.
After Angkor we ate breakfast and continued round in our tuk tuk to the next set of ruins. Some of them were interesting but some were little more than a pile of rubble. We carried on round for 7 hours in total and saw all the main sites. All of us were all shattered by the end of it. It was a good day out and I'm glad to have seen what is sometimes called one of the wonders of the world... but I can't really understand those who get 3 day or week long tickets! You'd have to be really into either architeture, history or religion to do that. After a good afternoon's sleep it was time to hit the town. What we'd seen of Siam Reap the day before looked good and were eager to try out some of the bars. We weren't disapointed. It was a quality night out. We even bumped into Matt and Katie who I'd met in Hue and and Saigon, which especially good as it was her birthday. A fun night was had by all and it didn't end until the sun came up. Just to illustrate the point, Chris was meant to get his bus to Bangkok at 8am but by 11'o'clock he'd already decided it wasn't happening!
Next day was a write off with none of us waking up until 3pm. But we needed the rest as the day after we were all getting the bus bound for Bangkok together. The journey is notorious with every backpacker as it is rumoured that Bangkok airlines pays the Cambodian government to keep the roads in bad condition so people prefer to fly on a route they have exclusive rights to! Ten hours of fun ahead!
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
Phnom Penh
My first night in Cambodia was absolutely horrible! It was dark and p*ssing it down when I arrived, the roads were flooded and I didn't know where I was. I wandered around for a bit looking for a hotel but just succeeded in getting wet and having to walk through gutter water in flip flops! I eventually gave in a got a tuk tuk to take me to a guesthouse from Lonely Planet. It was a right dump but at this point I didn't care I just wanted a bed! Sometimes LP is gives some really crap advice. It had told me the neighbourhood where this guesthouse was located was one of two backpacker districts but there was absolutely nothing there but 2 guesthouses.
I ate a pretty disgusting meal and read a bit of Bob Wilson's autobiography that I picked up in Nha Trang and then formulated a plan. I really needed to find Adrian (if he'd made his bus!) as he had given me his scuba-diving licence for safe keeping in my money belt the previous night and he wouldn't be able to dive in Thailand without it. He also owed me 20 bucks! :) I read about the other backpacker area on the waterfront in the guidebook so I planned to move there the next day, so that either I'd see Adrian around or meet some other people.
Next morning I got up early and moved straight away. The other backpacker area was a bit of a slum but it definitely had more of a buzz about it and there were plenty of bars and restaurants too. The first guesthouse I looked at was a hole so I moved swiftly on. Avoiding the hoardes of touts I came across Number 9 Sister Guesthouse and immediately fell in love with its waterfront terrace bar/restaurant/chill-out area. I didn't care what the room looked like but thankfully it was pretty nice too. I got the check-in sheet and my luck was in there too, the name above mine was Adrian's!
I met up with Adrian over breakfast, along with another English guy called Chris. We decided to do the full Phnom Penh experience that day. This includes the famous Killing Fields and S-21 prison where Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge tortured and killed thousands of innocent Cambodians. The other key Phnom Penh activity is the shooting range. We hired our tuk tuk for the day and decided to do the shooting range first as a lot of people had told us you don't really feel like it after seeing some of the horrors at the other 2 places.
We arrived down a dusty track to a little metal roofed building, indistinguishable from most of the little farmhouses... except for the rack of M16's, Ak47's and tommy guns lining the wall!! I only intended to spend $10 or so on ammo but when you get 3 lads together, dress them in combat gear and let them play with guns then we tend to get carried away! We all chose to shoot an AK47 machine gun and a Colt 45 hand gun... at a cost of $45. Oops. Oh well, it was worth it. When in your life do you... Oh. That's what I said when I shot an AK47 only 2 days ago! We were led through a door into the actual firing range which consisted of a dark tunnel with a target and a load of tyres at the end to stop the bullets going through the wall. The Colt 45 was first, it has a hell of a kick and is a lot heavier and more difficult to aim than I imagined (from watching too many American movies!). Next up was the AK again. It was much better this time as it wasn't screwed on to anything and I could also fire it in automatic mode, firing a hail of bullets at once. After that it was time to get some pictures with the guns in our shooting outfits. I'll post them up as soon as I can as they are worth the $45 alone!
I ate a pretty disgusting meal and read a bit of Bob Wilson's autobiography that I picked up in Nha Trang and then formulated a plan. I really needed to find Adrian (if he'd made his bus!) as he had given me his scuba-diving licence for safe keeping in my money belt the previous night and he wouldn't be able to dive in Thailand without it. He also owed me 20 bucks! :) I read about the other backpacker area on the waterfront in the guidebook so I planned to move there the next day, so that either I'd see Adrian around or meet some other people.
Next morning I got up early and moved straight away. The other backpacker area was a bit of a slum but it definitely had more of a buzz about it and there were plenty of bars and restaurants too. The first guesthouse I looked at was a hole so I moved swiftly on. Avoiding the hoardes of touts I came across Number 9 Sister Guesthouse and immediately fell in love with its waterfront terrace bar/restaurant/chill-out area. I didn't care what the room looked like but thankfully it was pretty nice too. I got the check-in sheet and my luck was in there too, the name above mine was Adrian's!
I met up with Adrian over breakfast, along with another English guy called Chris. We decided to do the full Phnom Penh experience that day. This includes the famous Killing Fields and S-21 prison where Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge tortured and killed thousands of innocent Cambodians. The other key Phnom Penh activity is the shooting range. We hired our tuk tuk for the day and decided to do the shooting range first as a lot of people had told us you don't really feel like it after seeing some of the horrors at the other 2 places.
We arrived down a dusty track to a little metal roofed building, indistinguishable from most of the little farmhouses... except for the rack of M16's, Ak47's and tommy guns lining the wall!! I only intended to spend $10 or so on ammo but when you get 3 lads together, dress them in combat gear and let them play with guns then we tend to get carried away! We all chose to shoot an AK47 machine gun and a Colt 45 hand gun... at a cost of $45. Oops. Oh well, it was worth it. When in your life do you... Oh. That's what I said when I shot an AK47 only 2 days ago! We were led through a door into the actual firing range which consisted of a dark tunnel with a target and a load of tyres at the end to stop the bullets going through the wall. The Colt 45 was first, it has a hell of a kick and is a lot heavier and more difficult to aim than I imagined (from watching too many American movies!). Next up was the AK again. It was much better this time as it wasn't screwed on to anything and I could also fire it in automatic mode, firing a hail of bullets at once. After that it was time to get some pictures with the guns in our shooting outfits. I'll post them up as soon as I can as they are worth the $45 alone!
The afternoon was a much more sombre affair. We walked round the Killing Fields which is eerily silent. There is not much there now as most of the mass graves have been dug up to see the extent of what went on. The place must have been literally heaving with bodies though as there are bits of bone and clothing visible in the ground everywhere. The site is dominated by a 70 ft high glass tower that contains all the skulls of the 8000 + victims they've discovered. It is really one of the most shocking things you'll ever see.
The next stop was perhaps more harrowing. S-21 prison is where those suspected of collaborating against the Khmer Rouge regime were taken, interrogated and brutally tortured before being sent to be killed. What's even more shocking is that the building was formerly a school until Pol Pot coverted the classrooms into torture chambers and tiny cells. They even used the climbing frame as a set of gallows. Sick. They have a picture of everyone who died at S-21 and there are hundreds of them. They also have pictures of the 11 or 12 corpses that were found in there torture rooms strapped to iron beds when the regime finally fell. The beds are still in the rooms along with leg clamps and other instruments for inflicting pain. Unsuprisingly the place is ghostly silent.
After the days horrors we spent the evening undertaking some serious R+R on our lovely guesthouse terrace, enjoying some comedy DVDs and a couple of beer Angkors. Next day it's off to Siam Reap and the spectacular Angkor Wat - Cambodia's national symbol and the world's largest religous complex.
Monday, 18 June 2007
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Saigon is a mad city. 9 million people and 5 million motorbikes make for plenty of hustle and bustle.I slept OK on the bus so I headed straight out in the morning with a Swedish guy I met on the bus. We managed to see most of the sites inside the city of Saigon. There isn't anything really spectacular here, but there are one or two buildings of interest.
In the evening we met up with another guy from the bus (yet another Irishman!) to go to see the market and go for a few beers in a bar in the backpacker district. It doesn't seem to ever close so we were up pretty late. The next day was a bit of a lazy day, during which eating breakfast was about the most strenuous activity!
In the evening I met up with Adrian (the Irishman) and we went back to the same bar although had a much earlier night as we were both booked on tours of the Cu Chi tunnels the next day.
The Cu Chi tunnels are an amazing network of tunnels built by the Viet Cong to help them hide from and fight the South Vietnamese and the Americans. After a bit of a history lesson and a look at some of the traps they used we were able to walk through an 80m section of tunnels. Well walk isn't really the right word as the tunnels are only about 3 ft high and less wide. And this is after they've been widened twice for tourists! The Viet Cong used to live in these tunnels for most of the day and only come out at night. They had ingenious systems for letting out smoke from cooking with the early morning mist, as well as spiky traps and little holes where they could jump up and shoot unsuspecting GI's.
The tunnel complex also featured a shooting range so I just had to have a go! It was pretty expensive at $1.30 a bullet but I thought what the hell and got 10 for an AK47 machine gun! Well, I thought, when am I going to get another chance to do this? The noise was deafening and I'm not really sure if I hit the target much but it was fun.
That evening was to be my last in Vietnam so of course it was going to be a bit of a sesh. But Adrian and I had booked on buses for Phnom Penh in Cambodia for 8 am so we had to be a bit careful. Oops, I wasn't careful at all. Three separate groups of people I'd met along the way in Vietnam turned up so we had a big group of 9 or so people at least. This was going to be an epic session after all! It was really good fun and a great way to say goodbye to a country I've enjoyed so much over the last month. We finished up at 6 am and Adrian and I said we may aswell stay up so I went off to pack. However when I got back to my room my bed was just calling at me to lie on it for an hour. I set my alarm but my inebriated state of course meant I did it wrong! Next thing I know and it's 12'o'clock. Doh! I legged it down to the travel agents and managed to blag my way onto the last bus of the day at 1pm for no extra money. Phew! At least I was on my way, even if I was 5 hours late!
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