Hope all of you have a great Christmas and very happy new year!!!
And here is my Vietnamese phone nr +84-1212744968
Wednesday, 24 December 2008
Tuesday, 23 December 2008
Through Vietnam by bus
After a couple of fantastic and lazy days on Phu Quoc it was time to move on. I had originally thought that I would go to Dalat, but it was SO nice being on the beach that I decided to go to Nha trang, a beach town on the southcentral coast. After all, it might be my last chance to go to the beach for more than a month....
So I took the ferry from Phu Quoc to Rach gia, and then jumped on the express bus to Saigon. The roads in Vietnam are not very good, and from travelling down through the Mekong delta a week earlier I knew that I was in for quite a bumpy ride. I was also the only Westerner on the bus, but luckily a sweet Vietnamese girl took pity on me making sure that I got off and on for ferry rides across the river and stops for food. After 6 h, when I started to think that my butt would need to be amputated after the quite uncomfortable journey, I finally arrived in Saigon.
After half an hour taxi ride through Saigon, I walked into one of the travel agencies in the backpacker area and got a ticket for the sleeper bus to Nha trang due to leave two hours later. It was with a sense of dread that I got on the bus, could I really handle ten more hours on a bus? I was very pleased to find out that the sleeper bus actually got fairly nice seats, almost like bunker beds. I was also a bit scared to take the night bus, as the traffic here is insane, and road conditions are not very good. However, the trip to Nha trang was reasonably smooth and I actually got some sleep.
Once off the bus I met a Canadian girl, Steph, who also is traveling alone. We decided to try to find accomodation together. Everywhere you go in Vietnam, and to some extent in Thailand, you're always met by loads of hotel toats and motorcycle taxis. It can be quite tricky, and sometimes exhausting, trying to navigate away from all of the touts. That said, many times you can find good and cheap accomodation following one of the touts, but there are times you really just want to be left alone. Anyhow, we found a really nice hotel 5 min from the beutiful beach for only 8 USD/night, nice!
We spent the first day relaxing on the beach and the next day we went out on a boat trip to some of the islands around Nha trang. It was a very interesting experience, with, among many things karaoke and a floating bar... Not really what we expected, but good fun. After just relaxing for a couple of days we decided to explore Nha trang by bike. Even though Nha trang is a fairly small city for Vietnam (around 300 000), and the traffic is very light compared to Saigon, it was still a quite adrenaline filled and nerve wrecking experience. There were a number of times I was sure that I would probably be hit by a vehicle and killed. I think I might wait to cycle again until I'm somewhere with a bit less hectic traffic...
Later that night we went on the sleeper bus again for a 12 h trip to Hoi An, a small city further north along the coast. This time the ride was quite rough and I didn't get much sleep. When we finally arrived to Hoi An early this morning we was welcomed by grey skies and drizzle. Great.
Anyhow, once we found somewhere to stay, had breakfast (I'm getting addicted to pancakes, weird as I'm never really been a pancake person, today I had a lovely apple pancake together with nice strong Vietnamese coffee), a shower and a nap, we felt restored and ready to explore Hoi An. Hoi An is a beutiful city with lots of old houses and temples, and the city is surrounded by rice paddies. There are also lots and lots of shops selling chinese lanterns, bags, shoes, and clothes, clothes, clothes.
There are also lots of tailor shops where you can get clothes custom made. I decided to try to get a suit. I hate to think about it, but I'm really going to need a nice suit when I get back to London for job interviews. It's so hard to find a suit that really fits me, so hopefully the tailor shop we choose is going to do a nice job. I'm going for my first fitting tomorrow.
The rain is pouring down again outside, I think I need to buy an umbrella or rain poncho somewhere soon...
My plan is to stay here in Hoi An for the next 3-4 days, and hope to do a Vietnamese cooking course one of the days. And if the weather improves, to go to the beach here. It would be nice to celebrate one Christmas on the beach, something until global warming really picks up, is unlikely to happen in Sweden. At least if you want to wear only a swim suit and not freeze to death....
I was going to post my Vietnamese mobile phone number, because it would be lovely to maybe get a couple of Christmas texts (hint hint hint) from you all, but I keep forgetting to bring my number with me everytime I'm close to a computer.... Will try to add the number later today.
Time to start thinking of where to go for dinner. All these descisions that needs to be made all the time, it's hard to be on vacation...
So I took the ferry from Phu Quoc to Rach gia, and then jumped on the express bus to Saigon. The roads in Vietnam are not very good, and from travelling down through the Mekong delta a week earlier I knew that I was in for quite a bumpy ride. I was also the only Westerner on the bus, but luckily a sweet Vietnamese girl took pity on me making sure that I got off and on for ferry rides across the river and stops for food. After 6 h, when I started to think that my butt would need to be amputated after the quite uncomfortable journey, I finally arrived in Saigon.
After half an hour taxi ride through Saigon, I walked into one of the travel agencies in the backpacker area and got a ticket for the sleeper bus to Nha trang due to leave two hours later. It was with a sense of dread that I got on the bus, could I really handle ten more hours on a bus? I was very pleased to find out that the sleeper bus actually got fairly nice seats, almost like bunker beds. I was also a bit scared to take the night bus, as the traffic here is insane, and road conditions are not very good. However, the trip to Nha trang was reasonably smooth and I actually got some sleep.
Once off the bus I met a Canadian girl, Steph, who also is traveling alone. We decided to try to find accomodation together. Everywhere you go in Vietnam, and to some extent in Thailand, you're always met by loads of hotel toats and motorcycle taxis. It can be quite tricky, and sometimes exhausting, trying to navigate away from all of the touts. That said, many times you can find good and cheap accomodation following one of the touts, but there are times you really just want to be left alone. Anyhow, we found a really nice hotel 5 min from the beutiful beach for only 8 USD/night, nice!
We spent the first day relaxing on the beach and the next day we went out on a boat trip to some of the islands around Nha trang. It was a very interesting experience, with, among many things karaoke and a floating bar... Not really what we expected, but good fun. After just relaxing for a couple of days we decided to explore Nha trang by bike. Even though Nha trang is a fairly small city for Vietnam (around 300 000), and the traffic is very light compared to Saigon, it was still a quite adrenaline filled and nerve wrecking experience. There were a number of times I was sure that I would probably be hit by a vehicle and killed. I think I might wait to cycle again until I'm somewhere with a bit less hectic traffic...
Later that night we went on the sleeper bus again for a 12 h trip to Hoi An, a small city further north along the coast. This time the ride was quite rough and I didn't get much sleep. When we finally arrived to Hoi An early this morning we was welcomed by grey skies and drizzle. Great.
Anyhow, once we found somewhere to stay, had breakfast (I'm getting addicted to pancakes, weird as I'm never really been a pancake person, today I had a lovely apple pancake together with nice strong Vietnamese coffee), a shower and a nap, we felt restored and ready to explore Hoi An. Hoi An is a beutiful city with lots of old houses and temples, and the city is surrounded by rice paddies. There are also lots and lots of shops selling chinese lanterns, bags, shoes, and clothes, clothes, clothes.
There are also lots of tailor shops where you can get clothes custom made. I decided to try to get a suit. I hate to think about it, but I'm really going to need a nice suit when I get back to London for job interviews. It's so hard to find a suit that really fits me, so hopefully the tailor shop we choose is going to do a nice job. I'm going for my first fitting tomorrow.
The rain is pouring down again outside, I think I need to buy an umbrella or rain poncho somewhere soon...
My plan is to stay here in Hoi An for the next 3-4 days, and hope to do a Vietnamese cooking course one of the days. And if the weather improves, to go to the beach here. It would be nice to celebrate one Christmas on the beach, something until global warming really picks up, is unlikely to happen in Sweden. At least if you want to wear only a swim suit and not freeze to death....
I was going to post my Vietnamese mobile phone number, because it would be lovely to maybe get a couple of Christmas texts (hint hint hint) from you all, but I keep forgetting to bring my number with me everytime I'm close to a computer.... Will try to add the number later today.
Time to start thinking of where to go for dinner. All these descisions that needs to be made all the time, it's hard to be on vacation...
Tuesday, 16 December 2008
Small world
I'm now on Phu Quoc, an amazing island south of Vietnam/Cambodia. Lovely long white beaches, turqoise sea, palm trees, sunshine... I'm sure all of you in the UK and Scandinavia really want to hear about how it is in this lovely tropical paradise :p
There are some resorts and guesthouses along the beach, but not that many. If you walk further along the beach you're completely alone for km after km of white sand. Fantastic! But it looks like they're building quite a lot so I'm sure that a few years from now most of the beach will be developed and resemble Ko Lanta and other islands in Thailand.
I'm staying in a bungalow that's the best accomodation I had during this trip (my parents house excluded); I've got a superclean big room and bathroom and even a kitchen! No AC or hot water, but I don't really need that, and for 8 dollars a night, this is a true bargain.
The first day here when I was walking along the beach I met one of the girls from my diving trip, Karen. I knew she was trying to get to Vietnam after the course, but her flight was cancelled due to the occupation of the airport in Bangkok, and she was travelling through Cambodia instead. Quite lucky I met her on the beach! It's a small world. Very small actually, because today when I went out on a snorkelling trip I met a couple from my home town in Sweden, Uppsala. I thought I recognized the guy, and it turned out that he used to belong to the same student nation as I did, that's why he looked familiar. Oh, and I met Jocke, a Swedish guy I know from London but who now is back in Sweden, when I was waiting for the bus in Khao Lak. Small world indeed.
I'm writing this from a beach bar with lots of Christmas decoration, and also a huge inflated snow man out on the beach. Weird but funny. The other night it looked like the snow man was melting as it started to deflate after the island lost electricity... The electricity comes and goes several times a day, my flash light is one of my favourite possesions at the moment.
It's going to be strange celebrating Christmas here in Vietnam. Reading everyones updates on facebook about christmas parties, glogg and lussebullar (actually got one lussbulle when I was in Huay Yang, one of my parent's neighbours had baked lussebullar) I realize that Christmas actually is only a week away, but it feels very far away here despite all the Christmas decorations.
Time to go, the IT connection here is quite expensive, 30 000 dong/hour. Luckily 30 000 dong is around 1 GBP, so not to bad
There are some resorts and guesthouses along the beach, but not that many. If you walk further along the beach you're completely alone for km after km of white sand. Fantastic! But it looks like they're building quite a lot so I'm sure that a few years from now most of the beach will be developed and resemble Ko Lanta and other islands in Thailand.
I'm staying in a bungalow that's the best accomodation I had during this trip (my parents house excluded); I've got a superclean big room and bathroom and even a kitchen! No AC or hot water, but I don't really need that, and for 8 dollars a night, this is a true bargain.
The first day here when I was walking along the beach I met one of the girls from my diving trip, Karen. I knew she was trying to get to Vietnam after the course, but her flight was cancelled due to the occupation of the airport in Bangkok, and she was travelling through Cambodia instead. Quite lucky I met her on the beach! It's a small world. Very small actually, because today when I went out on a snorkelling trip I met a couple from my home town in Sweden, Uppsala. I thought I recognized the guy, and it turned out that he used to belong to the same student nation as I did, that's why he looked familiar. Oh, and I met Jocke, a Swedish guy I know from London but who now is back in Sweden, when I was waiting for the bus in Khao Lak. Small world indeed.
I'm writing this from a beach bar with lots of Christmas decoration, and also a huge inflated snow man out on the beach. Weird but funny. The other night it looked like the snow man was melting as it started to deflate after the island lost electricity... The electricity comes and goes several times a day, my flash light is one of my favourite possesions at the moment.
It's going to be strange celebrating Christmas here in Vietnam. Reading everyones updates on facebook about christmas parties, glogg and lussebullar (actually got one lussbulle when I was in Huay Yang, one of my parent's neighbours had baked lussebullar) I realize that Christmas actually is only a week away, but it feels very far away here despite all the Christmas decorations.
Time to go, the IT connection here is quite expensive, 30 000 dong/hour. Luckily 30 000 dong is around 1 GBP, so not to bad
Wednesday, 10 December 2008
Hej mormor! Del 2 - Saigon
Sen ett par dagar ar jag i Saigon i Vietnam. Det ar en fascinerande stad, men med helt galen trafik. 8 miljoner invanare, och det verkar som alla har en motorcykel. Det ar motocyklar och bilar och bussar overallt, och trafik i alla riktningar. Forst trodde jag att det skulle bli omojligt att ta sig over vagen, men det gar faktiskt om man gar ratt lugnt.
Jag har gjort gjort ratt mycket sight-seeing, det finns massor av museer och tempel att titta pa, det basta och samtidigt otackast var War remnants museum med utstallningar och bilder fran Vietnam-kriget (Amerikanska kriget som det kallas har). Forfarande sa ar det omraden som har 1000 ggr hogre halt av bl.a dioxin efter Agent Orange och det ar manga som fortfarande fods med defekter pga den hoga gifthalten.
Imorgon sa aker jag pa en 3-dgr resa genom Mekong-deltat, och sen ska jag till en o, Phu Quoc, som ligger langst soderut mot gransen till Kambodja. Dar ska jag slappa ett par dagar pa stranden innan jag beger mig norrut mot bergsstaden Dalat, och sen vidare langs kusten till Hoi An, dar jag formodlingen kommer fira jul (vilket kommer bli lite konstigt utan min familj. Det kanns ratt markligt med massor av julprydnader har medans det ar palmtraden langs gatorna och 27-28C varmt). Fran Hoi An tror jag det blir Hue ett par dagar och sen till Hanoi, dar jag kommer fira nyar, innan jag aker upp till Sapa i norr. Fran Sapa kommer jag sen aka over till Kina.
Jag har gjort gjort ratt mycket sight-seeing, det finns massor av museer och tempel att titta pa, det basta och samtidigt otackast var War remnants museum med utstallningar och bilder fran Vietnam-kriget (Amerikanska kriget som det kallas har). Forfarande sa ar det omraden som har 1000 ggr hogre halt av bl.a dioxin efter Agent Orange och det ar manga som fortfarande fods med defekter pga den hoga gifthalten.
Imorgon sa aker jag pa en 3-dgr resa genom Mekong-deltat, och sen ska jag till en o, Phu Quoc, som ligger langst soderut mot gransen till Kambodja. Dar ska jag slappa ett par dagar pa stranden innan jag beger mig norrut mot bergsstaden Dalat, och sen vidare langs kusten till Hoi An, dar jag formodlingen kommer fira jul (vilket kommer bli lite konstigt utan min familj. Det kanns ratt markligt med massor av julprydnader har medans det ar palmtraden langs gatorna och 27-28C varmt). Fran Hoi An tror jag det blir Hue ett par dagar och sen till Hanoi, dar jag kommer fira nyar, innan jag aker upp till Sapa i norr. Fran Sapa kommer jag sen aka over till Kina.
Good morning Vietnam
I've now been in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC)/Saigon for a couple of days. It's an amazing city, but with crazy traffic! 8 million people, and what feels like the same number of motorbikes. Lots of broad boulevards (guess the French is to blame for that...) filled with zig-zaging motorbikes, cars and buses, all making maximum use of their horns. The noise level is quite high.... First I thought that I would NEVER be able to get across a street, but it's actually not to bad. You just have to cross quite slowly so everyone has the time to swerve around you. Still, pretty scary at times. Especially when also trying to avoid all the hawkers, cyclo and motorcycle taxi guys (no, no, no, no, no, I actually DO want to walk), and other perplexed tourists. Like in Thailand, there appears to be no limit to how many people you can fit onto one motorbike, but here at least everyone is wearing a helmet...
One very nice suprise, that also shows my lack of knowledge about Vietnam, is that everything is written with our normal alphabeth! That, together with those straight boulevards, makes it a lot easier to not be constantly lost. Aside from the traffic, Saigon is actually quite pretty with lots of colourful houses, street vendors, markets, pagodas and food stall. Mmmm, Vietnamese food is very nice! So far pho bo (noodle soup), bun cha (bbq pork with cold noodles, herbs and dipping sauce), and bach xeo (pork and shrimp-filled pancake) are my favourites.
I've been doing quite a lot of sight-seeing, most memorable is the War remnants museum showing the horrors of the Vietnam war (or American war as it's known here). I've also done a little bit of shopping, mostly to replenish boring stuff like schampoo. Certain things like body lotion is not that easy though if you go to a Vietnamese store, as all of them are "whitening". As I just started to get a nice tan I'm not to keen to loose it...
Tomorrow I'm going to go on a 3-day tour through the Mekong-delta, and then I fly to the island Ph Quoc close to the Cambodian border for a couple of days on the beach. The plan is to go back to Saigon by bus from Rach gia, and then to Dalat. From Dalat I think I'll go to Hoi An and spend Christmas there before going to Hue for a few days. From Hue I hope to take the train to Hanoi, celebrate New Year there, and then head up to Sa Pa.
One very nice suprise, that also shows my lack of knowledge about Vietnam, is that everything is written with our normal alphabeth! That, together with those straight boulevards, makes it a lot easier to not be constantly lost. Aside from the traffic, Saigon is actually quite pretty with lots of colourful houses, street vendors, markets, pagodas and food stall. Mmmm, Vietnamese food is very nice! So far pho bo (noodle soup), bun cha (bbq pork with cold noodles, herbs and dipping sauce), and bach xeo (pork and shrimp-filled pancake) are my favourites.
I've been doing quite a lot of sight-seeing, most memorable is the War remnants museum showing the horrors of the Vietnam war (or American war as it's known here). I've also done a little bit of shopping, mostly to replenish boring stuff like schampoo. Certain things like body lotion is not that easy though if you go to a Vietnamese store, as all of them are "whitening". As I just started to get a nice tan I'm not to keen to loose it...
Tomorrow I'm going to go on a 3-day tour through the Mekong-delta, and then I fly to the island Ph Quoc close to the Cambodian border for a couple of days on the beach. The plan is to go back to Saigon by bus from Rach gia, and then to Dalat. From Dalat I think I'll go to Hoi An and spend Christmas there before going to Hue for a few days. From Hue I hope to take the train to Hanoi, celebrate New Year there, and then head up to Sa Pa.
Saturday, 6 December 2008
Hej mormor! Del 1
I'm going to write part of the blog also in Swedish, for my grandparents.
Jag tänkte att jag ska försöka skriva lite på svenska också, framför allt till min mormor och morfar.
Nu har jag varit i Thailand i nästan en månad, det har varit jätteskönt att vara ledig men också lite konstigt att vara ledig så här länge. Jag har rest runt en del, bl.a varit uppe i norra Thailand i Chiang Mai och nere på ön Ko Lanta. Efter Ko Lanta så åkte jag till Khao Lak på västkusten, där jag åkte ut med en båt under 4 dagar och tog dykcertifikat. Jättekul att kunna dyka, men jag var rätt nervös i början och svalde rätt mycket vatten... Sen så gick det mycket bättre, och vi såg massor av vackra fiskar och korallrev, och leopardhaj! Det var dock rätt skönt att komma på fast land igen, vi hade tidvis rätt ostadigt väder och mycket vågor.
För snart en vecka sen så har jag varit hos mamma och pappa i Huay Yang, och äntlingen lite solsken! Det regnade rätt mycket när jag var på Ko Lanta och i Khao Lak. Imorgon så flyger mamma och pappa hem till Sverige, och jag flyger till Saigon i Vietnam. I alla fall så tror vi att vi har flyg som går imorrn... Planen är att jag ska vara i Vietnam i en månad, sen i Kina i 3 veckor, därefter 1 månad på Filippinerna, ett par dagar i Hong Kong, och till slut, de 26e februari, så flyger jag hem till London.
Apropå London så fick jag dåliga nyheter därifrån för ett par dagar sen, vi har haft inbrott i vår lägenhet! Tjuvarna stal alla våra datorer, min nya TV, och pengar som Lina hade i sin byrålåda. Tur nog så skadades inte tjejjerna, läskigt att tänka sig hur lätt det hade varit att någon av dem hade kommit hem medans tjuvarna där och vad som kunde ha hänt då. Även om det känns trist att behöva köpa en ny dator, så är det ju iaf bara saker.
Nu ska jag gå ut på verandan och umgås en sista kväll med mina föräldrar.
Jag tänkte att jag ska försöka skriva lite på svenska också, framför allt till min mormor och morfar.
Nu har jag varit i Thailand i nästan en månad, det har varit jätteskönt att vara ledig men också lite konstigt att vara ledig så här länge. Jag har rest runt en del, bl.a varit uppe i norra Thailand i Chiang Mai och nere på ön Ko Lanta. Efter Ko Lanta så åkte jag till Khao Lak på västkusten, där jag åkte ut med en båt under 4 dagar och tog dykcertifikat. Jättekul att kunna dyka, men jag var rätt nervös i början och svalde rätt mycket vatten... Sen så gick det mycket bättre, och vi såg massor av vackra fiskar och korallrev, och leopardhaj! Det var dock rätt skönt att komma på fast land igen, vi hade tidvis rätt ostadigt väder och mycket vågor.
För snart en vecka sen så har jag varit hos mamma och pappa i Huay Yang, och äntlingen lite solsken! Det regnade rätt mycket när jag var på Ko Lanta och i Khao Lak. Imorgon så flyger mamma och pappa hem till Sverige, och jag flyger till Saigon i Vietnam. I alla fall så tror vi att vi har flyg som går imorrn... Planen är att jag ska vara i Vietnam i en månad, sen i Kina i 3 veckor, därefter 1 månad på Filippinerna, ett par dagar i Hong Kong, och till slut, de 26e februari, så flyger jag hem till London.
Apropå London så fick jag dåliga nyheter därifrån för ett par dagar sen, vi har haft inbrott i vår lägenhet! Tjuvarna stal alla våra datorer, min nya TV, och pengar som Lina hade i sin byrålåda. Tur nog så skadades inte tjejjerna, läskigt att tänka sig hur lätt det hade varit att någon av dem hade kommit hem medans tjuvarna där och vad som kunde ha hänt då. Även om det känns trist att behöva köpa en ny dator, så är det ju iaf bara saker.
Nu ska jag gå ut på verandan och umgås en sista kväll med mina föräldrar.
Johansson's all inc resort
After some trouble initially, I managed to get of the bus in Huay Yang, a small village on the southeast Gulf coast where my parents have a house. It was lovely to see my parents again :) For the last couple of days I've been spoiled rotten and had a proper beach holiday, and even sunshine! I'm no longer a ghostly white colour but starting to get a quite nice tan. Without burning to a crisp in the process as when I and Kathleen were here during the spring, there was a time then that I looked quite like the Danish flag, bright red and white...
The only problem over the last few days has been if we have a flight to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh city (me) or to Sweden (my parents) tomorrow. I should have had a flight with Air France, but it was cancelled and they couldn't find any booking in my name at all... After a couple of phone calls I found out that at some time point my booking was changed to Thai airways, but somehow I wasn't informed at the time. Anyhow, the good thing is that know I actually have a flight tomorrow evening. At least I think I do...
I got some bad news from London a few days ago; our flat was robbed!!! The thieves stole all our laptops, my new TV, and Lina's money. I'm just happy that none of the girls was harmed or injured by the bastards. Although it's not fun having to buy a new computer, it is really just material stuff. Just too bad we never got around to getting that home insurance....
The only problem over the last few days has been if we have a flight to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh city (me) or to Sweden (my parents) tomorrow. I should have had a flight with Air France, but it was cancelled and they couldn't find any booking in my name at all... After a couple of phone calls I found out that at some time point my booking was changed to Thai airways, but somehow I wasn't informed at the time. Anyhow, the good thing is that know I actually have a flight tomorrow evening. At least I think I do...
I got some bad news from London a few days ago; our flat was robbed!!! The thieves stole all our laptops, my new TV, and Lina's money. I'm just happy that none of the girls was harmed or injured by the bastards. Although it's not fun having to buy a new computer, it is really just material stuff. Just too bad we never got around to getting that home insurance....
Monday, 1 December 2008
Dive, eat, sleep
To learn how to dive have been a life-long dream of mine, and as I've always been very comfortable in the the water (sometimes more than on land), I thought that it would come easy to me. That was not really the case, as I found out when I started my PADI Open Water course at Similian Diving Safari in Khao Lak... After theory day 1, it was time for pool practice on day 2. I thought diving in a pool only a few meters deep would be easy, but I completely freaked out and probably swallowed half of the water in the pool. In the end I started to be OK with the concept of breathing under water, but I was a bit scared at the thought of doing it in the ocean the next day.
The PADI course I took was a live-aboard, so after the pool practice we got on the boat, M/S Dolphin Queen and headed towards the Similian islands. We were around 20 people + diving and boat staff on the boat. Only four of us were doing the open water, my diving buddy Danish Sofie, and Thai/Aussie Ploy and Saree (they were the sweetest couple, celebrating their 2 yr anniversary with taking their diving certificates). I shared a small room with bunk beds with Danish Charlotte and German Bridget and Tine on the floor with the dive platform, most of the cabins, the tiny tiny kitchen, and the 3 toilet/showers. On the next upper level was the dining space, and above that the sun deck.
The next day we got up around 6.30 am to do the first dive. And after some problems initially, I managed to go down and it was fantastic! Around noon it was time for our second dive, but this time the sea was quite rough, and I got quite scared in the water and decided to not go through with the dive but get back to the boat. Due to the waves I could hardly get on the boat again. After relaxing and lots of pep talks from basically everyone (especially our fantastic instructors Samia and Anthony), I managed to dive at the next much calmer dive site. It was such a relief to manage the dive because I really thought for a while that maybe I wouldn't be able to do it. The day after we did our last qualifying dives and our exam, and then we were certified divers!!!
Because most of the dive sites around Similan islands are deeper than the 18 m you're allowed to dive to with the open water certification, we then did deeper dives to be qualified down to 30 m. I'm still quite a nervous diver, but as soon as I get down in the water it's such an amazing experience. We saw lots of beautiful coral reefs and fishes, and also leopard sharks!
The days on the boat all followed the same schedule of dive, eat and sleep.
6.30 Dive briefing and first dive
Breakfast
Sleep/read
11.00 Dive number 2
Lunch
Sleep/read
15.00 Dive number 3
Snacks
Sleep/read
19.00 Night dive (I didn't do any night dive, way to scary for me)
Dinner
Sleep
Diving is quite exhaustive, don't think I was up later than 22 any night.... As you can see, we got quite a lot of food, all very nice tasting thai food, amazing considering that the two cooks had a kitchen the size of a large wardrobe...
The sea was at times quite rough, especially when we went up to Richeliue rock.I think I was lifted in the air about a third of the time that night. I was quite happy that I had the lower bunk bed! That night and the one before we had 6-8 m waves... Some of the dive sites had a lot of swell and strong currents. Not the easiest diving conditions, but in a way good because we got lots of experience very quickly. However, think my first next dive (probably when I'm in the Philippines) will have to be in calmer not to deep waters.
We got back to Khao Lak 2 days ago, and went out for bbq and drinks. First beers I had since I left London... That first night back on land, it felt like the ground was moving and we were still on the the boat. I still have some kind of air lock, or waters locked in my ears, so my hearing is a bit funny. It's like I hear everything at a distance. Hopefully my ears will clear up soon.
I spent most of yesterday sleeping. Today I've started to read my Vietnam guide book and done some planning, I fly out from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon on the 7th December. Hopefully the airports in Bangkok won't be occupied then... Otherwise I might have to go by land across Cambodia.
3 h left before I take the bus to Huay Yang to see my parents. Keep your fingers crossed that I'll get off at the right bus stop!
The PADI course I took was a live-aboard, so after the pool practice we got on the boat, M/S Dolphin Queen and headed towards the Similian islands. We were around 20 people + diving and boat staff on the boat. Only four of us were doing the open water, my diving buddy Danish Sofie, and Thai/Aussie Ploy and Saree (they were the sweetest couple, celebrating their 2 yr anniversary with taking their diving certificates). I shared a small room with bunk beds with Danish Charlotte and German Bridget and Tine on the floor with the dive platform, most of the cabins, the tiny tiny kitchen, and the 3 toilet/showers. On the next upper level was the dining space, and above that the sun deck.
The next day we got up around 6.30 am to do the first dive. And after some problems initially, I managed to go down and it was fantastic! Around noon it was time for our second dive, but this time the sea was quite rough, and I got quite scared in the water and decided to not go through with the dive but get back to the boat. Due to the waves I could hardly get on the boat again. After relaxing and lots of pep talks from basically everyone (especially our fantastic instructors Samia and Anthony), I managed to dive at the next much calmer dive site. It was such a relief to manage the dive because I really thought for a while that maybe I wouldn't be able to do it. The day after we did our last qualifying dives and our exam, and then we were certified divers!!!
Because most of the dive sites around Similan islands are deeper than the 18 m you're allowed to dive to with the open water certification, we then did deeper dives to be qualified down to 30 m. I'm still quite a nervous diver, but as soon as I get down in the water it's such an amazing experience. We saw lots of beautiful coral reefs and fishes, and also leopard sharks!
The days on the boat all followed the same schedule of dive, eat and sleep.
6.30 Dive briefing and first dive
Breakfast
Sleep/read
11.00 Dive number 2
Lunch
Sleep/read
15.00 Dive number 3
Snacks
Sleep/read
19.00 Night dive (I didn't do any night dive, way to scary for me)
Dinner
Sleep
Diving is quite exhaustive, don't think I was up later than 22 any night.... As you can see, we got quite a lot of food, all very nice tasting thai food, amazing considering that the two cooks had a kitchen the size of a large wardrobe...
The sea was at times quite rough, especially when we went up to Richeliue rock.I think I was lifted in the air about a third of the time that night. I was quite happy that I had the lower bunk bed! That night and the one before we had 6-8 m waves... Some of the dive sites had a lot of swell and strong currents. Not the easiest diving conditions, but in a way good because we got lots of experience very quickly. However, think my first next dive (probably when I'm in the Philippines) will have to be in calmer not to deep waters.
We got back to Khao Lak 2 days ago, and went out for bbq and drinks. First beers I had since I left London... That first night back on land, it felt like the ground was moving and we were still on the the boat. I still have some kind of air lock, or waters locked in my ears, so my hearing is a bit funny. It's like I hear everything at a distance. Hopefully my ears will clear up soon.
I spent most of yesterday sleeping. Today I've started to read my Vietnam guide book and done some planning, I fly out from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon on the 7th December. Hopefully the airports in Bangkok won't be occupied then... Otherwise I might have to go by land across Cambodia.
3 h left before I take the bus to Huay Yang to see my parents. Keep your fingers crossed that I'll get off at the right bus stop!
Saturday, 29 November 2008
I'm a certifed diver!!!!
Very short post, exhausted after lots of fantastic diving around Similan islands!!!!
I'll try to write a longer report tomorrow after I tried to sort out a bus ticket from Khao Lak to Huay Yang on the east coast of Thailand. Because of the occupied airports in Bangkok, it might be problematic to find a bus going north that's not already fully booked, as everyone who can't get on a domestic flight have to take the bus instead.
Quite looking forward to a bed that's (hopefully) not moving tonight..., last night the sea was a bit rough, felt like trying to sleep on a rollercoster...
I'll try to write a longer report tomorrow after I tried to sort out a bus ticket from Khao Lak to Huay Yang on the east coast of Thailand. Because of the occupied airports in Bangkok, it might be problematic to find a bus going north that's not already fully booked, as everyone who can't get on a domestic flight have to take the bus instead.
Quite looking forward to a bed that's (hopefully) not moving tonight..., last night the sea was a bit rough, felt like trying to sleep on a rollercoster...
Monday, 24 November 2008
Am I a rain goddess?
Since my last entry I've been at Ko Lanta, an island close to Phuket and Krabi on the Andaman (west) coast of Thailand. I had visualized how I would relax on a golden beach, now and again going for a dip into a turquoise ocean. Preferably with a nice drink close to hand. And if I got bored I might go for a day of snorkeling at any of the nearby islands (Phi Phi for example). Well...., that didn't really happen, because it rained most of the time I was at Ko Lanta.... Maybe not all day, but at times very heavy showers. I got completely soaked the first afternoon when I went for a stroll along the very aptly named Long beach. Unfortunately my dark blue bag turned out to not be colour stable, and for a few days my hands had a weird bluish colour... In a strange way it really felt like November, grey and rainy albeit 30C instead of 10C as in London.
I spent my days going for walks along the beaches in between showers and playing card games with the other guests at the resort (I had a very nice and cheap bungalow with a hammock on a small veranda, hammocks is DA shit). Not unlike many summer holidays in Sweden really :) My low point during my stay at Ko Lanta was probably being shat on by a bird when taking cover from the rain... Despite that I had a very nice and relaxing time, but I was little bit bored by the time I left yesterday. Ko Lanta has great beaches, but not so much else to keep you occupied. There are quite a lot of tourists there, mainly Scandinavians. Apparently there is actually two (!) Swedish schools there. I love my fellow Swedes, but it feel slightly surreal to hear Swedish everywhere and with bars named after Swedish football teams (Hammarby).
Anyhow, I left Ko Lanta to go to Khao Lak yesterday. I took the bus from Phuket, and this time I managed to get off at the right bus stop! When I first came here it was some sunshine, lovely! But today it rains so I'm starting to think that it's my fault, everywhere I go it rains (not completely true, it was sunny in Chiang Mai).... I'm staying in small bungalow again, with nice soft pillows this time, which is a real treat compared to the usual pillows here that feels like a bag of concrete.
Khao Lak has also lovely beaches, and I hope the weather will get better so I can actually relax in the sand. Where I am it's difficult to see any signs of the tsunami a few years ago. There is quite a lot of hotels, restaurants and shops here, and still more are being built. In a way it feels a little bit strange to sunbath where so many died. But I guess life must move on everywhere.
Today I started my PADI open water diving certificate course. Today was only theory, tomorrow is pool exercises, and later that night we leave on a boat to cruise around the Similian islands for 4 days. Lots of diving!!! I am SO excited about learning how to scuba dive!!! And a little bit nervous of the chance to see sharks...
It's soon time for me to go get some dinner. Yesterday I "cheated" and had a pizza, first meal that wasn't Thai food since I got here. And it was a lovely pizza, like the ones you get in Sweden (I think only other Swedish ex-pats will understand the greatness of the Swedish pizza...), so there are some advantages to be where there are lots of other Scandinavians :)
I will write again when I'm back from the Similans (if not eaten by shark...)
I spent my days going for walks along the beaches in between showers and playing card games with the other guests at the resort (I had a very nice and cheap bungalow with a hammock on a small veranda, hammocks is DA shit). Not unlike many summer holidays in Sweden really :) My low point during my stay at Ko Lanta was probably being shat on by a bird when taking cover from the rain... Despite that I had a very nice and relaxing time, but I was little bit bored by the time I left yesterday. Ko Lanta has great beaches, but not so much else to keep you occupied. There are quite a lot of tourists there, mainly Scandinavians. Apparently there is actually two (!) Swedish schools there. I love my fellow Swedes, but it feel slightly surreal to hear Swedish everywhere and with bars named after Swedish football teams (Hammarby).
Anyhow, I left Ko Lanta to go to Khao Lak yesterday. I took the bus from Phuket, and this time I managed to get off at the right bus stop! When I first came here it was some sunshine, lovely! But today it rains so I'm starting to think that it's my fault, everywhere I go it rains (not completely true, it was sunny in Chiang Mai).... I'm staying in small bungalow again, with nice soft pillows this time, which is a real treat compared to the usual pillows here that feels like a bag of concrete.
Khao Lak has also lovely beaches, and I hope the weather will get better so I can actually relax in the sand. Where I am it's difficult to see any signs of the tsunami a few years ago. There is quite a lot of hotels, restaurants and shops here, and still more are being built. In a way it feels a little bit strange to sunbath where so many died. But I guess life must move on everywhere.
Today I started my PADI open water diving certificate course. Today was only theory, tomorrow is pool exercises, and later that night we leave on a boat to cruise around the Similian islands for 4 days. Lots of diving!!! I am SO excited about learning how to scuba dive!!! And a little bit nervous of the chance to see sharks...
It's soon time for me to go get some dinner. Yesterday I "cheated" and had a pizza, first meal that wasn't Thai food since I got here. And it was a lovely pizza, like the ones you get in Sweden (I think only other Swedish ex-pats will understand the greatness of the Swedish pizza...), so there are some advantages to be where there are lots of other Scandinavians :)
I will write again when I'm back from the Similans (if not eaten by shark...)
Sunday, 16 November 2008
All roads lead to Lampang
So I was going to take the bus to Lampang to see the elephants, a 2 h bus journey from Chiang Mai. I settled into my bus seat, plugged in my iPod and drifted away. Past Lampang.... When I realized that I missed my stop, I had to jump off at the next stop in a small village between Lampang and Sukothai. The ticket collector, and soon everyone at the bus stop, got engaged in trying to organize my journey back. Well 45 min later, after a nice bbq satay, some complimentary bananas, and to laughter and applauds, I was on my way to Lampang, again.
I'm happy to say that I in the end managed to get to to elephant camp, and it was really worth the extra time getting there. Elephants are such fantastic animals! It was heart wrenching visiting the elephant hospital where they take care of sick and mistreated elephants, for example there was one elephant that with was injured by a land mine close to the Myanmar border. Stupidly enough I left my camera in my room, so don't have any pictures.
Finally it was time to head back to Chiang Mai, this time I managed to get off at the right stop...
Next stop Phuket!
I'm happy to say that I in the end managed to get to to elephant camp, and it was really worth the extra time getting there. Elephants are such fantastic animals! It was heart wrenching visiting the elephant hospital where they take care of sick and mistreated elephants, for example there was one elephant that with was injured by a land mine close to the Myanmar border. Stupidly enough I left my camera in my room, so don't have any pictures.
Finally it was time to head back to Chiang Mai, this time I managed to get off at the right stop...
Next stop Phuket!
Saturday, 15 November 2008
Chiang Mai report
I arrived in Chiang Mai a few days ago, but feels like I've been here longer. I've already lost all sense of time, but I'm pretty sure it's Saturday today :)
Chiang Mai is a smaller city, beautifully surrounded by mountains. There's a quite relaxed vibe, very nice after hectic Bangkok. The climate is perfect too, sunny but not to hot and a little colder at night.
The first night here I went down to the river to see the Loy Krathong celebrations here, and it was amazing! Masses of people, big floats decorated with everything from elephants to palaces, lanterns everywhere, and small hot-air balloons with candles being sent up into the sky. Very hard to describe, and unfortunately I don't have the same talent with words as darling Sigrid (hope you have a great time in Tucson with Maja and Benny!) do... Anyhow, it was spectacular, and I will try to post some of my (not very good) pictures later.
Yesterday I first went up see a temple up at the Doi Sethup mountain, it was very pretty and the view was amazing. It's quite interesting to see how religion is so mixed with everyday life here, and how people that come to pray mingle with tourists and vendors. Inside the temple they even had a coffee bar. Imagine Starbuck's opening a stall inside St. Pauls Cathedral eller Domkyrkan... The rest of the day I spent mostly just relaxing, reading, and researching cheap accommodation on Ko Lanta and Phi Phi. Not that easy to find. The big drawback to traveling alone is really not being able to share the price for rooms. Socially I'm amazed how easy it is to meet people, you don't have to spend a minute alone if you don't want to.
Today I've been to a cooking course and made loads of great food. I really need to start to cook more food when I get back to London. And since we live 15 min walk from a Thai supermarket, I can't really say that I can't get hold of the ingredients... Later tonight I'm meeting up with another Swede to go to the night market, but first I need to have nap and coffee. It's hard work to be on holiday ;)
Tomorrow, on my last day here, I plan to take the bus to Lampang to visit the Thai elephant conservation camp, where they take care of sick elephants among other things. The following day I have an early flight (again...) down to Phuket, and from there I'll take the ferry out to Ko Lanta. Looks like I finally found a place to stay :) I guess I could wait and try to find something when I get there, but I kind of like to know where I'm staying beforehand. I'm still a novice traveler... Anyhow, very much looking forward to a week on the beach :)
Take care till my next report,
xoxo Holiday girl
Chiang Mai is a smaller city, beautifully surrounded by mountains. There's a quite relaxed vibe, very nice after hectic Bangkok. The climate is perfect too, sunny but not to hot and a little colder at night.
The first night here I went down to the river to see the Loy Krathong celebrations here, and it was amazing! Masses of people, big floats decorated with everything from elephants to palaces, lanterns everywhere, and small hot-air balloons with candles being sent up into the sky. Very hard to describe, and unfortunately I don't have the same talent with words as darling Sigrid (hope you have a great time in Tucson with Maja and Benny!) do... Anyhow, it was spectacular, and I will try to post some of my (not very good) pictures later.
Yesterday I first went up see a temple up at the Doi Sethup mountain, it was very pretty and the view was amazing. It's quite interesting to see how religion is so mixed with everyday life here, and how people that come to pray mingle with tourists and vendors. Inside the temple they even had a coffee bar. Imagine Starbuck's opening a stall inside St. Pauls Cathedral eller Domkyrkan... The rest of the day I spent mostly just relaxing, reading, and researching cheap accommodation on Ko Lanta and Phi Phi. Not that easy to find. The big drawback to traveling alone is really not being able to share the price for rooms. Socially I'm amazed how easy it is to meet people, you don't have to spend a minute alone if you don't want to.
Today I've been to a cooking course and made loads of great food. I really need to start to cook more food when I get back to London. And since we live 15 min walk from a Thai supermarket, I can't really say that I can't get hold of the ingredients... Later tonight I'm meeting up with another Swede to go to the night market, but first I need to have nap and coffee. It's hard work to be on holiday ;)
Tomorrow, on my last day here, I plan to take the bus to Lampang to visit the Thai elephant conservation camp, where they take care of sick elephants among other things. The following day I have an early flight (again...) down to Phuket, and from there I'll take the ferry out to Ko Lanta. Looks like I finally found a place to stay :) I guess I could wait and try to find something when I get there, but I kind of like to know where I'm staying beforehand. I'm still a novice traveler... Anyhow, very much looking forward to a week on the beach :)
Take care till my next report,
xoxo Holiday girl
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
Lost in Bangkok
I safely arrived in Bangkok on Monday afternoon after 12 h wedged between a tattooed macho man with a weak bladder (honestly, why is it always the ones that need the toilet every hour that get the window seat?) and a twitchy armrest stealing insomniac that watched films during the entire flight. Long-haul flights, you gotta love them :S
Anyhow, yesterday was shopping day so I headed towards MBK, one of Bangkok's largest shopping malls spread out over 6 floors. Stupidly enough I decided to walk. I say stupidly not because of the distance (3 km, actually not too far when it's overcast and breezy) but because I predictably got lost. Asking for directions didn't really help. Fair enough, my Thai knowledge don't really stretch beyond sawadee kah (hello), but then again, as I can't really tell right from left in English or Swedish either, giving me directions in any language is sometimes almost pointless. Finally I caved in and took a taxi to MBK. Turned out when I perused the map a bit more carefully that somehow I managed to walk north when I thought I was going east. I SO need a GPS....
However, didn't get a GPS at MBK, but, among other things, I did get a Thai SIM card. This would be the time to tell you the number, but I left it at the guest house :S Guess I'm still as absentminded as always....
Today I've been to see Wat Pho, which was amazing and I think slightly more relaxed compared to the Grand Palace. Although it was a bit crazy and more people than usually milling around the palace and temple area as people are preparing for the royal cremation ceremony of a princess in a few days. All the temples are being decorated in black and white. It is also Loy Krathong, a Buddhist festival, now. I'm going to try to go down to the river tonight to see some of the fireworks that's on because of the festival. I've already been by the river today, took one of the ferries from the central pier up to where I'm staying.
Time to get some dinner before the fireworks, and then try to get a couple of hours sleep. I'm flying to Chiang Mai tomorrow, and the bus to the airport will pick be up at 4 am...
Anyhow, yesterday was shopping day so I headed towards MBK, one of Bangkok's largest shopping malls spread out over 6 floors. Stupidly enough I decided to walk. I say stupidly not because of the distance (3 km, actually not too far when it's overcast and breezy) but because I predictably got lost. Asking for directions didn't really help. Fair enough, my Thai knowledge don't really stretch beyond sawadee kah (hello), but then again, as I can't really tell right from left in English or Swedish either, giving me directions in any language is sometimes almost pointless. Finally I caved in and took a taxi to MBK. Turned out when I perused the map a bit more carefully that somehow I managed to walk north when I thought I was going east. I SO need a GPS....
However, didn't get a GPS at MBK, but, among other things, I did get a Thai SIM card. This would be the time to tell you the number, but I left it at the guest house :S Guess I'm still as absentminded as always....
Today I've been to see Wat Pho, which was amazing and I think slightly more relaxed compared to the Grand Palace. Although it was a bit crazy and more people than usually milling around the palace and temple area as people are preparing for the royal cremation ceremony of a princess in a few days. All the temples are being decorated in black and white. It is also Loy Krathong, a Buddhist festival, now. I'm going to try to go down to the river tonight to see some of the fireworks that's on because of the festival. I've already been by the river today, took one of the ferries from the central pier up to where I'm staying.
Time to get some dinner before the fireworks, and then try to get a couple of hours sleep. I'm flying to Chiang Mai tomorrow, and the bus to the airport will pick be up at 4 am...
Sunday, 9 November 2008
Only 45 min left before going to Heathrow
I can't believe it, less than an hour left! Just enough time for a cup of tea and some shortbread biscuits :)
I've checked, double checked and triple checked that I have all tickets, passport and money, and I think I got everything. And my backpack is actually not that heavy, I can lift it up quite easily. Although if I run out of money I can start a small pharmacy with all the painkillers etc that I got "just in case" (thanks mum...).
Tomorrow I'm in Bangkok, yay!
The plan is as follows:
Bangkok for 3 days
Chiang Mai for 1 week
Andaman coast (Ko Lanta, Phi Phi, Khao lak) for a couple of weeks
3-4 days with my parents in their house in Huay Yang on the east coast
Vietnam 7 Dec-5 Jan
China 5 Jan-22 Jan
Philippines 22 Jan-22 Feb
Hong Kong 22 Feb-26 Feb
Back in London 26 Feb :)
As you can see the plan is quite open after Thailand, let me know if you have any suggestions on what I should see or do.
OK, time to start say good bye to my flatmates Jenny and Lina: I WILL MISS YOU!!!!!
Take care of the flat and each other and our new flatmate, see you next year!
I've checked, double checked and triple checked that I have all tickets, passport and money, and I think I got everything. And my backpack is actually not that heavy, I can lift it up quite easily. Although if I run out of money I can start a small pharmacy with all the painkillers etc that I got "just in case" (thanks mum...).
Tomorrow I'm in Bangkok, yay!
The plan is as follows:
Bangkok for 3 days
Chiang Mai for 1 week
Andaman coast (Ko Lanta, Phi Phi, Khao lak) for a couple of weeks
3-4 days with my parents in their house in Huay Yang on the east coast
Vietnam 7 Dec-5 Jan
China 5 Jan-22 Jan
Philippines 22 Jan-22 Feb
Hong Kong 22 Feb-26 Feb
Back in London 26 Feb :)
As you can see the plan is quite open after Thailand, let me know if you have any suggestions on what I should see or do.
OK, time to start say good bye to my flatmates Jenny and Lina: I WILL MISS YOU!!!!!
Take care of the flat and each other and our new flatmate, see you next year!
Welcome to my travel blog!
Wohoo, my very first post as a very inexperienced blogger :)
I'm going to try to write here regularly about what I get up to during the next four months traveling around southeast Asia. Follow me on my adventures and find out exactly how long it will take before I loose my passport (hopefully won't happen, but don't think anyone who knows me would be too surprised if it did.....) or if I actually will fulfill my dream and take a diving certificate.
Now I'm going to try to pack a couple of more things, and then sleep in my very comfy bed for the last time this year. Only 17 h left before I need to take the tube to Heathrow...
I'm going to try to write here regularly about what I get up to during the next four months traveling around southeast Asia. Follow me on my adventures and find out exactly how long it will take before I loose my passport (hopefully won't happen, but don't think anyone who knows me would be too surprised if it did.....) or if I actually will fulfill my dream and take a diving certificate.
Now I'm going to try to pack a couple of more things, and then sleep in my very comfy bed for the last time this year. Only 17 h left before I need to take the tube to Heathrow...
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