Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls.

A couple of days ago, I successfully arrived in Kanchanaburi and it's beautiful!

A four hour bus journey from Hua Hin (and a 5km walk....i'm not sure why I've stopped getting taxis!) I found myself a little bungalow at Blue Star Guesthouse, a 'Lonely Planet' recommended accommodation! My room is on stilts, perched on the edge of the River Kwai. With HUGE water monitors (they look like dragons!) resting below me, and exotic birds nesting in the roof, I fell in love with the place very quickly. At 200 baht a night, my room was very basic (no sheets on the bed aside from the basic under-layer and no flushing toilet) but I'm not complaining because the location is perfect.

My first day in Kanchanaburi was spent exploring the sights, and I did this by renting a bike for 50 baht! Everything is quite spread out (as I learnt from my walk from the bus stop) and I didn't fancy trekking around in the unbearable heat. I cycled to the bridge over the River Kwai and went to the WW2 museum. As soon as I arrived, about 30 Thai people rushed over to me demanding I have my photo taken with them. I'm not sure if they thought I was Britney Spears or if they were taking part in some form of competition, but I enjoyed my 15 minutes of fame!

After this, I decided to go on  a bike ride over to the other side of the bridge. I cycled for miles and miles through gorgeous Thai countryside, down dirt lanes and through fields of goodness-knows-what before eventually I realised I was lost. I managed to ask a friendly Thai lady how to get back to the other side of the bridge and she pointed me in the right direction. I wound up at the WW2 memorial in the centre of the town and decided to hop off and explore. My Dad had been telling me to look out for my great-relative E. Dack at the memorial, but amongst thousands of gravestones, I unfortunately failed to find his spot. Maybe I'll go back and look tomorrow.

In the evening, I went for a few beers with some others from the guesthouse and we were treated to a feast, cooked by a Thai landlady. One dish, which she appropriately named 'monster' was quite possibly the hottest food I had ever tasted, setting my mouth on fire! It was delicious all the same though.

Today has been slightly more adventurous as I made my way to Ewran National Park to climb the 7 tiered waterfall. It has been a slightly cooler day, so I felt up to the challenge. The first few tiers were relatively easy, with steps mainly guiding the way. The waterfalls at this level were also spectacular to look at. The water is a crystal blue and is extremely clear. The only problem, was the HUGE fish lurking at the entrance. As much as I wanted to take a dip, these fish looked particularly scary.

By the time I reached the 4th tier, I was extremely hot and bothered. The path had now turned into a rocky trail and I was dying for a swim. Before doing so, I decided to take a few photos of myself paddling around in the shallow water. I took my small Nikon into the water (baring in mind I'd taken this camera through the cave at Maya Bay, I was feeling slightly confident) and rested it on a rock above a small waterfall, setting in to self-timer mode. I clicked 'go' and had 10 seconds to get into the cameras view to pose for my shot. I turned around to give the camera my biggest grin and........it was gone!

If Marcus and Gordon were still here they would probably have called this moment Karma....a punishment for being so vain and taking too many pictures. I was panic-stricken at the thought of losing all my photos and ignoring the fish, I dove down the waterfall in an attempt to save my 'memories'.....and my vanity.
As soon as I entered the deep water I could feel the huge fish sucking on my ankles and legs. I hated it! I swam rapidly around the water searching for my precious (non-water-proof) camera. After about 10 minutes of looking I began to give up and feared the waterfall had flushed it into one of the caves underneath. As I swam back to the waterfall, a glimmer of pink caught my eye beneath the surface and I saw it! Deceivingly deep, I dove under the water, opening my eyes and retrieved it from the bottom. Praying and praying the memory card still worked, I transferred it over to my SLR.....and there they were, all my photos right where I had left them. The camera, of course, is broken. But after 7 long years of documenting my youth, it was probably time to say goodbye.

After this, I decided not to risk anymore photos and instead climbed up to the 7th tier, enjoying several (yet very brief, I cannot emphasise how annoying these fish were!) swims. Once I reached the top, which was a huge climb - more like rock climbing than walking up a steep hill - the view was incredible. I took a swim under the towering waterfall and then made my way slowly back down. I was accompanied by a Thai boy, of about my age who hurried down the steep slopes in front of me, before turning around and offering his hand so I could balance on my way down! Charming!

It's been an incredible day! I'm slightly disappointed about my camera, but as Helen from the guesthouse would say.....'at least it's a story!'

You Want Massage!?

After the lazy pace of island life, Hua Hin has certainly been a shock to the system.

If you're looking for the backpacker lifestyle, you certainly won't find it here! Instead, what you will find is lively, overpriced bars that stay open until the early hours, extravagant hotels, massage parlours on every corner, unbelievable seafood, a charming night market and an old white man attached to a pretty young thai everywhere you look.

It really is quite a funny place and somewhere I have enjoyed exploring, despite the fact its slightly off the tourist route! The great thing about travelling alone is that there are no restrictions. I've found myself walking aimlessly around the town most days, with no real purpose. Yesterday for example, I sat on the pier and watched the fishing boats come in. I watched the men unload the fish, wash them, sort them into crates and distribute them to various restaurants. I found I had been sat watching this process for almost 3 hours and wasn't entirely sure why.

The town is charming and a particular highlight has been the night market which goes on late into the evening. There's a cute little band right at the entrance with a Thai woman singing covers such as Jessie J's 'Price Tag' which is particularly entertaining, and once you step into the bustling atmosphere of the market itself your immediately taken in by the various smells and sights. The food vendors are so cheap compared to the pricey beach-front restaurants and the seafood is incredible with a great choice of lobster, crab, shrimp, prawns, squid, barracuda, red snapper.... The list goes on!
The stalls are also cheaper than on the islands (I hear the further north you go the cheaper it gets) and there is much more variety. Whereas on the islands they seem to only have one supplier with the same products on every stall, here in Hua Hin everything is different and very often hand-made or personalised.

There aren't many people of my age in Hua Hin, but I've found this quite refreshing. As mentioned previously, it seems to have a bit of a reputation for old white men finding young thai wives.
One massage place next to my guesthouse seems to have the same daily routine. In the mornings as I walk to the beach, the group of women in the shop are putting on their make up and positioning themselves on the steps outside. As I walk back later in the day, they're still there. They ignore me, but cue the 40+ white man and their faces light up as they yell 'you want massageeee??'
I'm not sure what I think of it really!

Tomorrow I leave Hua Hin and head up to Kanchanaburi - my final destination. I've booked into a small bungalow on the River Kwai so I'm waving goodbye to my little bit of luxury here and look forward to being back on the backpacker trail!
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The Bus Stop

My Dad says there are 2 kinds of people: those that know where they are going when they get to the bus stop (the well thought-out and perhaps less adventurous amongst us) and those that have no idea (perhaps the more spontaneous, like my mother, so he says).

While I'd usually always associate myself with the former, today I realised that FINDING the bus stop is the hardest part...

My first few days travelling alone have been unusual to say the least. I brought a standard boat-bus transfer ticket from Koh Phi Phi and headed north to Khao Sok National Park. I was the only one travelling there and perhaps I should have taken this as a sign.
The rather unhelpful driver dropped me off at the entrance to the national park, so I walked in the pouring rain in search of accommodation.
I was well and truly in the thick of it! The jungle noises were almost deafening and there was no one in sight. It was extremely dark and fireflies were the only thing lighting my path. I found a small inn called 'Bamboo Village' a quiet collection of huts for tourists.... Except I was the only tourist there. Knowing I was only going to be in Khao Sok for one night, I opted for the cheapest 'room' for 200 baht.... A small, rickety hut with holes in the walls and a poor excuse of a mosquito net. Oh, and no toilet!
The next morning I got up early (covered in bites!) to walk around the park. I was quite restricted as it had rained a lot and some of the trails were waterlogged. It was still a beautiful area to view though, with the most exotic birds I have ever seen nesting in the vine-ridden trees. The entrance to the park might as well of read 'Welcome to Jurassic Park....' There were gorgeous streams, huge flowers, dangerous looking plants, towering cliffs, but lacking the t-rex. Apparently in high season, tourists can see bears and wild tigers in the park...but I had no such luck! Although I did see a HUGE toad.
After a busy morning, my next stop was Hua Hin. A tricky place to get to from Khao Sok it would seem. The small tourist hut in the national park told me it would be 900 baht to reach Hua Hin using their tourist transfer methods, unless I opt for the local bus service, swapping buses in Surat Thani. At 500 baht cheaper, I opted for this choice.
Strapping my back pack on my back I headed to the bus stop! I walked miles and miles down the (only) road leading out of the national park and realised slowly I had no idea where on earth the bus stop was. A friendly van driver passing laughed and said '3 more kilometres!!' as he waved me on in the right direction. Brilliant.

The local bus service is NOTHING like the quiet air-conditioned buses I've become used to. They are noisy and packed full of Thais headed in all sorts of directions and the bus driver insists on playing his own collection of cheesy thai music at full blast so not even my ipod can cover the sound! They are very friendly places though, with almost every Thai getting on the bus paying an interest in my trip to their country.

After a 3 hour wait at Surat Thani bus stop to change buses I was finally en route to Hua Hin, an overnight journey north, where luckily I'd booked ahead into a small and friendly guesthouse with hot showers and air-conditioned rooms in the heart of town (overshadowed by the huge Hilton opposite...sob!). I'm looking forward to some hustle and bustle, some more beach time and maybe a spot of shopping!

Moral of this story: get a taxi to the bus stop! The rest is easy....


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Paradise Lost

(Delayed post. Date of writing: Monday 19th September)
Ever since Leonardo Dicaprio lit his first cigarette as he collapsed onto pure white sand in the movie 'The Beach' back in 1999, Phi Phi Leh has become a pilgrimage site for backpackers all over the world.
Yesterday, we set out to explore this island for ourselves, something I have been looking forward to for a long time. However, we learnt pretty quickly that paradise isn't just handed to you on a plate and a trip to Maya Bay is not for the faint hearted, leaving the young out of their wits and the old clinging to the longboat for dear life.
We brought our ticket for Phi Phi Leh for 350 baht each - not more than 7 pounds and it included a longtail boat trip around the island, stopping off at numerous beaches and snorkel hotspots before finally reaching Maya Bay for sunset. We boarded the boat in glorious sunshine along with 5 other passengers and set off, stopping first at a rocky pinnacle for some snorkelling. Our friendly Thai driver thrust us our masks and ushered us into the water. As we all jumped in and put our heads below the surface he yelled 'Shark Point! This is shark point!'

I nearly had a heart attack. While some people jumped back onto the boat immediately, I told myself not to get out until I'd at least seen one. Our Thai guide jumped into the water himself and I decided to stay pretty close, following him around the pinnacle. He dove down to the bottom and steadied himself by holding onto rocks beneath him. As he scanned the waters he turned to look at me and slowly placed his index finger to his lips before moving it in the direction of 3 black tip reef sharks. I froze, and watched the sharks at a safe distance before my nerve finally ran out and I decided to head back to the boat.

It was like something from a 'Jaws' movie. I had been so preoccupied with the sharks that I hadn't noticed it had begun to pour with rain. I put my head above the surface and the noise was unbearable. Cue the numerous shark fins bobbing in the distance and I practically sprinted back into the boat. Once we'd all calmed down, it was time for our first beach - 'Bamboo Island'.

Again, this was no easy ride, as getting there involved braving 2 metre waves in our unstable longboat! The rapids were enough to make you feel sick. A fellow passenger from essex pitifully strapped herself into a life jacket while huddling on the floor, all while our friendly Thai grinned to himself while steering the boat with his foot.

The beaches on this trip were sensational as expected, and once the sun was back out we could all enjoy ourselves. The snorkelling spots were also far better than expected, with hundreds of fish everywhere! My pink bikini happened to attract shoals of black and yellow fish that swarmed me until I swam away, and the parrot fish were huge, feeding on coral and tiny plankton in front of us. But we were all holding out for Maya Bay...

On the way there, we stopped at one last place.... Monkey Island, a small bay home to dozens of scary looking monkeys! Obviously associating the longtail boats with food, they flooded the sand and playfully begged, before turning vicious, howling and grabbing at us until we retreated back onto our boat!
The ride approaching Phi Phi Leh was spectacular, as we were able to admire the towering cliffs and caves that covered the island. It really was no wonder that Alex Garland chose to set his movie here, as the scenery was idyllic.

The boat stopped in a small bay of turquoise water and our Thai pointed in the direction of a dark cave covered in ropes. He yelled 'Maya Bay..... You walk!!' Great.
Of course this meant all expensive cameras had to be left on the boat as first we had to swim for it. So I left my SLR in my bag, but gripped my small nikon digital between my teeth and braved the water. (There was no way I was going to miss a photo opportunity!)

After climbing through the extremely rocky cave (the ropes had been put there to stabilise yourself as it was extremely slippy) we ran through the jungle at the other side and finally, witnessed paradise.... I won't use the regular clichés to describe what I saw, but what I will say, is that it was perfect. If you don't believe me, watch 'the beach' and see for yourself!
After an hour of fun on the beach and posing for a few cringey photos, our Thai guide came rushing onto the sand pointing at the horizon. 'STORM! The storm is coming'. Dark clouds were beginning to descend on the island and our friend from essex let out a pitiful squeal.... We all knew it would be a rough ride back....
Today I head to Khao Sok National Park, a jungle on the mainland great for hiking and getting up close to nature! Sadly, the boys also leave for Singapore. Its been great having them around for the past 2 weeks to enjoy Thailand with me, but now begins the most exciting adventure of all.... Going it alone!!
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Same Same But Different

The thing I've discovered about Thailand's islands is that although they resemble each other in many ways, each one has it's own unique character.

Yesterday we arrived in PhiPhi - arguably the most idyllic of all the islands we've visited but also very spoilt by tourism. We hadn't been here 24 hours before Marcus and Gordon were already saying they wanted to cut their time in Phi Phi short because of the touristy atmosphere an head to Phuket early....I'm not sure I understand this logic.... But more on that later as I set out to change their minds!

Being the most expensive islands we're visiting, we knew we'd be slumming it a bit (I use this term in it's lightest sense... We are still in paradise!) we're staying in 'UpHill Cottages' which really is a climb up the mountain as it overlooks the town of Tonsai below us.

While I enjoy the slow and relaxed pace of island life, Marcus and Gordon have started to et itchy feet, trying to cram as much into a day as possible, almost as if to check it all off on a 'been there done that' basis before moving on to a new destination. Today I was determined to slow us down and limited our activity to simply visiting the islands 'viewpoint' to take in the scenery. This involved a huge climb to the top of one of the towering cliffs overlooking the islands strip below. There are 3 viewpoints, each one with a more challenging incline than the last - an extremely gruelling challenge in mid-day heat! Of course the boys left me trailing as I'm not too fit so I dropped back and took in the scenery as I rested on numerous rocks! The view was sensational. You could make out the gorgeous change in sea colour as the turquoise blue enclosed by the alcoves merges into a dark green followed by deep blue. In the distance Phi Phi Lay lurks mysteriously, inviting us to visit. Below us the town looked peaceful and in the gift shop, along with ice cream and water, you can purchase DVD's of the tsunami that hit the exact spot just years ago, playing on the consciousness of Phi Phi locals to this day.

When we all finally reached the top we realised just how far up we were - we could see all sides of the island and the views were breathtaking. Signs at the top pointed to 'Phi Phi Relax Beach' and not really knowing what this was, we decided the name was inviting enough and decided to set out in pursuit of it.

I'm not sure if we got lost or fell into a tourist trap intended to put the average back packer through their paces, but either way, what followed was the adventure of a lifetime. We found a small path in the jungle, so steep we needed o go down on our bottoms. There was barely a path but a price of rope guided the way down the vertical drop. In turn we steadily made our way through the trees (it was too late to turn back now) and reached a stream of fresh water hidden amongst the bushes. Red ants scoured our ankles and we all jumped into the water to rid ourselves of the painful bites. Wounding if the track to the bottom would ever end and feeling slightly scared we could see no one in sight or let alone a beach, I felt a lot like Richard in alex garlands 'The Beach' in pursuit of a private paradise.

Several mosquito bites, a bleeding toe and some broken flip flops later, we were rewarded. Glistening through the trees we saw turquoise water, White sands and an empty beach. we all collapsed onto the sand, we'd made it!

The boys, in awe of their day exploring, may just be beginning to realise that there is more to see and do on these islands than they think! As we sat in our idleness on the beach we ate together and swam until the sun wet down....... (if you haven't yet noticed the problem with this sentence then here is comes....)

It was pitch black. We had to get home. To save myself a telling off from my mother I think I'll save the details of the return leg. Instead I'll give you a few details:

We had a torch. When this was off we couldn't even see eachother.

The noises in the jungle were deafening... Hissing, crickets rubbing their legs, monkeys howling.

We saw a monkey, a glow worm, a toad and several crickets.

We all made it back in one piece.
Sorry mum. Xxx

Me And The Moon.

On Monday I turned 22. The past 24 hours have been a whirlwind of excitement and I'm absolutely exhausted. It was all a bit of a blur... so instead of write a long blog, I thought it would be best to upload some photos of exactly what I got up to.....

1) Morning in Koh Tao.

I woke up early in Koh Tao as the boys went for a final dive. I decided I wanted to explore the beach and get some sun so I did just that. It was so early that all the dogs were out playing, and one in particular took a liking to me! I spent the morning swimming with it, playing 'fetch' with it and running with it down the beach.

A birthday morning with a friendly dog! Lovely!

2) Koh Phangan!

We boarded a cataqmaran to take us to Koh Phangan at 3pm that afternoon. We were going for one reason, and one reason only.....my birthday fell on the islands infamous 'Full Moon Party'. We hadn't booked accommodation, so went with the first woman that offered us something at the pier, a stay at 'Happy Beach Bungalows'. We were offered a cheap price and the bungalows were by the beach on the west side of the island, away from the busy full moon strip. When we arrived we were slightly concerned. We were away from most civilisation and had to cross an extremely rickety bridge to reach our destination. The bungalow was basic and the toilet had no flush (meaning we had to use an old fashioned method of filling up buckets of water and throwing them down the toilet!).

But when exploring the beach....we found paradise. The strip of beach was clear and secluded. To use the old cliche of pure white shores, lapping turquoise waves and pure blue skys would be absolutely accurate. The pictures below show exactly this!

We headed out to the Full Moon Party at 11pm with some others from the hotel - a group of older Germans and a boy called Tom on his gap year from Sheffield. With 30,000 people attending the party, we were overwhelmed by the sheer scale of it. We grabbed a bucket each (Sangsom Rum with Coke and Red Bull...a Thai speciality) and partied the night away in style, covered in neon paint, dancing amongst others.

We honoured the Full Moon tradition and partied until the sun came up at 6am before heading back to our bungalow. A birthday never to be forgotten.

3) The Morning After:

When arriving back at our bungalow at 7am after the Full Moon we were all shattered and collapsed onto the beds, desperate for sleep. I managed to get a couple of hours rest but woke up to the sun blinding through our window. The beach was calling. I woke up Gordon and pursuaded him to come for a swim. The beach looked sensational. We spent the whole day swimming, sunbathing, playing vollyball in the sea, chasing crabs and attempting to walk as far out to sea as possible. Marcus wasn't in the mood and slept until 4pm!!
It was an incredible 24 hours I will never forget.

Tomorrow we head to the island of Koh Phi Phi where they set 'The Beach', I'm not sure how it can get much better than this but i'm looking forward to finding out!

Under The Sea

 The problem with travelling with two boys is their insane obsession with sports. This of course started with the diving. Yesterday, we all set out to sea with the two Catherines, and while we girls enjoyed the sunshine on the boat and took photos of eachother posing in front of the gorgeous landscape - the boys were on hand to snap us back to reality and remind us that our BCD's weren't fitted in the correct way.

I was very nervous about the first dive at a site called 'Japanease Gardens'. Having previously been diving in the Red Sea in Egypt, I found I had problems with the pressure in my left ear. However, I was first to take the plunge into the sea and was keen to get started. The sea was an exotic 30 degrees and felt like a bath. As I paddled around (trying not to think about what might be lurking beneath me) the others fell into the water beside me. When we were all ready, we swam to the front of the boat and decended into the water following the mooring line, guiding us to the bottom of the seabed. From the moment my head went underwater, it was breathtaking. Angel fish watched us at a distance, while electric blue fish nibbled at my ankles. Just as I began to enjoy myself, my ears popped and I was in pain. Desperately trying to equalise, I ascended a few metres and tried again. When it was just about bearable, I rejoined the group and swam ariund the coral surrounding us.

After the first dive, I was worried that my ears were going to cause a problem throughout the dives. While Marcus and Gordon bickered about who saw the most impressive fish, I felt slightly sad that I had been too preoccupied to enjoy it. However, luckily, on the second dive my ears were fine. I managed to equalise successfully and was able to enjoy this new world. A particular highlight was seeing a shoal of baraccuda surround us, each beady eye looking at us from the side!

The next morning, we set off for two more dives to 'Black Pinacle' and 'Green Rock' - two incredible dive sights. We reached depths of 20 metres and saw eels, trigger fish, angel fish, parrot fish and many more incredible creatures....but unfortunately no whale shark! (although we did come close to seeing one!) After all of these dives, I feel exhausted. The waves today were choppy and it was a struggle to stay afloat on top of the sea. I had an incredible time and am so pleased to be a qualified Open Water Diver!!

My evenings have been extremely peaceful. While Gordon and Marcus haeve insisted on heading to a bar inland to watch the Grand Prix (something I don't understand when on such a beautiful island) I have been relaxing by the beach and exloring the sights with the two Catherine's. We found the best pancake man on the island and sipped cocktails on the sand... Bliss!! We later found Marcus and Gordon further down the beach, one clutching his iphone and the other clutching the latest copyof the Economist. With the backdrop of rolling hills, windy shores and exotic trees, this image just doesn't quite fit with me! I urge them to 'disconnect' while they tell us girls to stop taking photos of eachother and enjoy the scenery..... It's each to their own I suppose!! Although, with the rugby world cup having just started, I dred to think how much time they'll be spending in front of a TV.

It is what we make it. xxx