Bangkok

We were supposed to arrive in Bangkok a week earlier but due to the anti government protests causing disruption in the city we decided to wait until it had chilled out a bit. I booked tickets on the coach from Koh Chang and by the time Thursday came around we were well ready to leave after spending 3 weeks on the island.
On one of the nights out we had on Lonely Beach we had met Holly and Alan and drank with them most nights after that. They were travelling to Laos via Bangkok so we decided to travel together for the next leg of the trip. We booked a nice double bedroom suite in the Prince Palace hotel after deciding to live it up a little bit but we still got it for the price of a travel lodge back home. On arrival we were blown away by the place which boasted numerous top drawer restaurants, 3 rooftop pools and all the other trimmings of a high end hotel.

The first couple of days were spent shopping at MBK and Siam Square, T shirts in particular were super cheap as was most of the food vendors there. On the night time we went down the Khao San Road which was pretty manic but good fun, a lot of characters kicking about made for good people watching from the Khao San Pub.

On the third day we walked through the thick of the protests taking place around the democracy monument downtown. The demonstrations and protests are taking place against the current prime minister and government and have been going on for over a week. The red shirts are supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted in a military coup that took place in 2006 while he was out of the country. They want the current parliament to be dissolved and new democratic elections to be held, a demand that has been dismissed by the PM. The atmosphere was buzzing and had an almost carnival feel to it and so far it has remained peaceful.

Later on that day we were duped into getting into a tuk tuk to go on a whistle stop tour of some of the sights for a cheap price with the catch being we had to visit a Tailors to be fitted for a suit. We visited the Tailors but none of us were in the market for a suit and got back in the tuk tuk, the drivers became arsey when we refused to visit another. Still, it turned out to be cheaper than taking multiple tuks or taxis.

On our last night we went to  Moon Bar which is at the top of a 63 floor 5 star hotel- the views were incredible. To top it off we went to Bed Supperclub (yes supperclub, as you can be served dinner in bed there) which has an all white interior and decent music- the first I'd heard in 5 weeks!
We had a brilliant 5 nights in the bustling capital but anymore would have been too much. Next stop is the second city, Chiang Mai in the North.

Lonely Beach, Koh Chang

After a week at Long Beach doing next to nothing we both got a bit bored so we decided to move to Lonely Beach where we were told there was a lot more going on. We took a room at the Ploy Inn on the main road and had a nice day relaxing and utilising the air con and hot water which we sorely missed while dwelling in the straw hut last week. The first couple of nights we went out on the drink looking to party but we were suprised to find the resort relatively quiet. On the second night we got on the buckets of Sam Song and Red Bull as well as shots of tequilla and snake carcass infused vodka or some shit. Needless to say i was arseholed and had to be carried home by Alba- not a good look! I spent the following hour hoying up- no more Sam Song for me. Alba was throwing up the next day and it was one stinker of a hang over.
One afternoon Alba suggested we get a Thai massage after she had one a couple of weeks earlier and said it was really good. I agreed and as soon as it began I instantly regretted it!My back, neck and shoulders were put through painful twists (often with the masseurs knees in my spine I might add) for over an hour. I was covered in bruises and Alba is still in shock!
On Wednesday we took a boat trip with the people from one of the bars we have been drinking in, it promised snorkeling and a few beaches on the flyer but it was basically a booze cruise. I bought a crate on the way to the boat and had sunk about 4 cans before we even got in the water- I knew it was going to be a good day. We met some decent people and got smashed on a deserted beach- not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

The past few days we have hired a scooter and it has been a lot of fun, exploring every corner of the island. It gives us more choice of what we can do day to day as well instead of being stuck in one place or paying loads for taxis (its only 4 quid a day for the scooter). We had booked tickets to go to Bangkok tomorrow but that has been postponed until Thursday as there are hundreds of thousands of anti government protesters heading there to mash up the place. There has also been bomb threats so think its best to stay clear for a little while longer!

Long Beach, Ko Chang

We waited at the 7/11 for our pick up to take us to Long Beach on the other side of the island. The road there is very rough and further on is off road for some of the way. I was sure that our bags would be thrown from the top of the car with some of the bumps and twists in the road but somehow they stayed put.
We stayed at the Tree house beach bungalows for the first couple of nights. It was a very hippyish place with all the  materials being from natural sources, namely bamboo and palm trees. The basic wooden huts and bar/restaurant are perched on the north end of Long Beach on the hill (the beach actually should be named Short Beach, not long at all!). Our accommodation was very basic, just a shite mattress and little else but a mosquito net. The toilets and bucket shower were separate and shared.

I was quite suprised to find such a broad range of guests here as opposed to the hippie stereotypes I had in my mind on the way here. Of course they were here in droves as well but there was also families, groups of senior citazens and proper people like us mingling among the great unwashed. Bongo playing, tye dye and those vile baggie hippie pants with the giant crotch down to the floor were all in abundance here on Long Beach.

 

 

Despite its laid back charm the Tree House had its problems. The electricity only ran from 6pm till 1am and the first night there was a couple of power cuts, the first of which nearly had me falling down a set of stairs on the way to the toilet- not impressed! The second day the water ran out so the toilets couldn't be flushed and no one could get showered- that makes for a lot of smelly hippies. The over laxed staff didn't sort it or even offer up any sort of apology so we upped sticks and moved down the beach to the Zion beach bungalows. They were right on the beach and were a lot cleaner and also had a shower all for 500 Baht per night (10 quid). We were much happier here and settled in straight away.

 

  

  

  This view takes some beating! It was easy getting out of bed in the morning with that on your door step

 

The owner of Zion was a 30 something Frenchman named Yan who listened to reggae and hip hop and smoked weed all day. There were about 7 resident dogs that didnt really do much apart from squabble for shade in the midday sun.
On Thursday we hired a kayak and took it out on the open waters. It was much harder that I thought it would be but something tells me my paddling partner was not giving it her all! Still we made it to the nearest island in under an hour. The island was beautiful with only one hotel on it. I was bursting for a shit when I got there but the bastards wouldn't let me use the toilet despite buying 2 cans of Fanta from them, whats the world coming to!? I thought about tarnishing their brilliant white sands but the thought of being arrested for such an act and thrown in jail put me off. Instead we got back in the kayak and once out of the bay I jumped in the water once I heard natures call and let rip- I was not proud of it but the tight bastards left me with no choice!

 

  

  

 

Ko Chang

We woke up early to pack then went for a hearty breakfast to set us up for the trip to Ko Chang from Pattaya. Mark had managed to hire a large 3 litre 4 x 4 pickup for the journey which saved us from a long and uncomfortable bus ride. Ko Chang is Thailand's 2nd biggest island and is one of the main places i wanted to visit on this trip. It is a very mountainous island covered with a blanket of thick jungle teaming with wild life. It is fringed with miles of white sandy beaches and crystal clear sea- perfect. The drive there was a good laugh and Mark's expert driving skills kept us on time to make the 12.30pm ferry even after a slight detour through some country roads!
By the time we arrived on the island I started to feel a bit sick and had lost my appetite but i put it down to the long long journey and being thrown around on some of Thailand's steepest and bumpiest roads. After about spending 15 minutes on the beautiful White Sands beach I felt terrible to went back to the digs. I spent the next 8 hours either on the toilet or being sick- nightmare. Alba went to the pharmacy for me and they gave me some electrolytes and anti-biotics to deal with what looked like food poisoning. After taking those for a few hours I felt much better! Looking back i think it must have been the prawn curry I had at the shady looking Neeroys on my last night in Pattaya- avoid!
The next 2 days were spent exploring the island. We visited a waterfall with a really good pool for swimming in which would have been better if it wasn't full of hairy Russians. We drove around the east and west coasts, stopping at sleepy fishing villages and beaches. Alba started to feel ill on Wednesday and it looked like food posioning again so she was confined to the toilet for 12 hours but was much better the next morning.

We said our goodbyes to Mark, Alan and Ay on Thursday morning. Staying with them for the last week and a half has been great. All of their help, Marks driving and of course excellent company has given us a good start to our trip. Today is out last day on White Sands before moving to Long Beach on the South East end of the island. It is a lot quieter there and we plan on chilling out there for at least a few days before heading back to the west coast. We like Ko Chang so much that we have decided to stay here for a good while- probably for another month after this week. Less traveling about will give is more money to do more activities here as well as more time to really get to know the place.

I was uploading some photos yesterday when the computer I was using went tits up and deleted my entire memory card, I was completely gutted and almost in tears as I had about 100 good ones to put up. Damn those shitty external card readers!