Museums, moving on and miserable

Monday 27^th December 2010

MP3 track of the day: Lose yourself -Eminem

Weather: Yet again blue skies, fluffy white clouds and its really quite hot.

I had a terrible nights sleep last night; I was tossing and turning … and then turning and tossing. I was on top of the covers, underneath them, air-con off, air-con on nothing seemed to help. The reason was because I had a familiar question racking my brain and it wouldn't stop. “... What should I do now?...”

If I'm honest I've had a good time here in Khao Lak however five nights on my own is probably hitting the limit. I feel as though I'll start to go mad if I don't talk to someone soon and I swear my rooms walls are closing in on me. The problem is where do I go; also if I do go I may not get my Christmas present from home. My mum, dad and sister sent me a Christmas present to this guesthouse and it still hasn't arrived. I have pestered the ladies here, and at the local post office (twice), to see if they have seen a parcel addressed to me … they haven't. I have to move on but I am really gutted that I might not get my gift.

Should I go to Ko Phan Ngan just encase the others are there? It's quite out of my way and I would be stuck in a place similar to here, without knowing where I will stay and with a load of drunk tourists … no fun at all. The only sensible option is to head to Bangkok; tomorrow I will look into purchasing a bus ticket (however I will give my friends on Ko Phan Ngan a little time to reply first). Even though I now had a plan I still couldn't get to sleep as, deep down, I wasn't sure if it was a good plan. Eventually the need for sleep switched off my brain, which I was very thank you for, and off I went to the land of nod.

...

Unsurprisingly I was up early again today; almost immediately the question from last night came rushing to my head. I switched on my PC and, as that was booting up, I went for a shower. I emailed Stef (the German girl) to tell her my plans and request a reply by 4pm today if she is, or isn't, off to Ko Phan Ngan tomorrow. I then headed out into town to ask for the times and prices for buses to Bangkok.

After thirty minutes of getting quotes I went to the local supermarket, bought a coke and a big packet of crisps, I sat down to ponder my thoughts. The ticket price to Bangkok wasn't bad (cheaper than Ko Phan Ngan); it was a big V.I.P. Bus with lovely big seats (and not a cramped old mini-van) so I could relax. The downside was that it looked like I would have to travel at night meaning I would have another whole day here, not be able to see any of the country as we traveled north and I would have to be careful of people trying to steal my things (apparently a problem on night buses; pack-safe will come in handy). However the worst prospect was that it sounds like I will be arriving in Bangkok between two and four in the morning … I didn't quite like that and a taxi to my hostel sounded like a good idea, even if it did cost the earth. Oh the plus side the bus ride includes one nights accommodation and that makes the ticket price even more of a bargain.

I slurped up the rest of my coke and headed on a long walk to another part of town. As I walked the day – for me anyway – became brighter and things didn't seem so bad, I still wanted to move on however I was getting closer to sorting it out. It took thirty minutes of walking to reach the attraction of the day, the Tsunami Memorial Museum. Due to it being still early in the day the sun wasn't at it's peak and there was a lot of shade around, this resulted in me arriving reasonably fresh … which is a first here.

It cost 100 baht to have a look around the small museum. I had walked for half an hour so I paid the amount and went in. On the 26^th December 2004 the worlds biggest tsunami epicenter hit near Indonesia, in the Indian Ocean, and spread to affect thirteen countries and to kill over 350,000 people. It is one of the biggest natural disasters to date.

The ground floor, of the museum, had a lot of written information that had been translated into English perfectly; it was very sad but also interesting to find out what happened, how tsunami's are created and that the waves of a tsunami can travel 550 miles an hour (the tsunami, being close to Indonesia, only took ten hours to affect the east coast of Africa). On top of all that there was an information board devoted to the countries that helped Thailand recover. I was proud to see my nations flag on that board … and a little surprised to see North Korea's (Kim Jong-il is a big softy really). On the top floor there where three videos which, I must admit, where a tad long but they did give me further insight into what happened that terrible day.

It took me two hours to read and view everything within the museum … a perfect amount of time I thought. It was midday, and getting close to lunch, when I ventured out of the museum. I walked back into town, stopping for a drink and an ice cream as it was so hot. I had lunch at my usual restaurant before returning to the guesthouse to see if Stef had sent me any messages … none. Mike, who is in Bangkok, had done so. Going to Bangkok is starting to sound more and more appealing.

4pm came and went, still no word from Stef. I therefore went downstairs and booked my bus ticket, for tomorrow, to Bangkok. I was happy to see that they did have day journeys and I opted for the 10:30am (I would have gone for the 7:30am one so that I arrived in Bangkok at around 5:30pm, however that bus was fully booked) arriving at 8:30pm, which is far better than 2am. With that sorted I booked my accommodation, which seems nice as it has lots of positive ratings and it's in the quieter part of the city. Normally, once sorting out travel and accommodation, I feel at ease and less stressed, unfortunately I did not this time as I was still questioning the path I had decided to take. Yes I was a bit gutted that I wouldn't be meeting up with Stef on a beach (in her bikini … yep maybe wrong decision) however that was her fault. Mainly I was gutted about missing my Christmas present though I have written a note, to pass onto the owner of this guesthouse, for her to contact me, if it arrives, and I can let her know a forwarding address. My brain says the chance of getting this parcel is slim, however hope remains.

Before heading out for tea I looked around my room and packed the last of my things; as Christmas is over I was going to leave my Santa hat behind, however I couldn't part with it and next time I have to post something home in it will go. As I went out the door for my final meal in Khao Lak I looked at the room and felt no regret for moving on, I only felt regret for what the room has given me … my own space … the ability to leave things out … a nice comfortable double bed. Soon I will have to get used to dorms again.

I went to my favorite restaurant for the last time and had an okay meal; looking around the whole place was stuffed with Germans. This has become no surprise to me as it seems all of Berlin holiday here. I ate up, paid up and went to the shop to get some supplies for my ten hour bus journey tomorrow.

So this time tomorrow I'll be in Bangkok … hope I can find my accommodation. Depending on how I get on the blog tomorrow might be delayed a day.

Have I done the right thing?

Toodle Pip!

Elephant Trekking

Sunday 26^th December 2010

MP3 track of the day: Nelly the Elephant -

Weather: Again blue skies, fluffy white clouds and its really quite hot.

7:15am is the earliest that I've rolled out of bed in a week however, as I was getting picked up at 8:20am, it had to be. I got ready with my usual care of making sure that I had exactly ten minutes spare to wait for my pick up. However my driver also seemed to have the same 'being early' gene and he too was ten minutes early. As I was walking down the stairs to the front of the building my driver was walking up the driveway.

He seemed like a nice chap and I got onto his 'converted pick-up truck thing' and off we went with me riding army style. It didn't take long to get to the Elephant Nature Reserve, which looked like it was still in the process of being built. As I walked in I saw a noticed stating 'Elephant trekking 1,000 baht' which made me smile. I thought I might have ten minutes to look at the elephants – which were held in a large barn with no walls and a concrete floor -, apply suncream / bug spray and generally take a few photos … no. My elephant and elephant rider were waiting for me and so off I went.

I was worried about actually getting on the elephant … would it sit down or would I have to climb aboard? The answer was a lot easier than both of those options; in front of me was a staircase to a small roofed platform where the elephant stands inline so I can just walk on. I was the only one going on this elephant and so I had the seat to myself. The elephant driver got off for a moment to tie a rope around my waist. I wasn't sure what good it would do however I suppose Thailand's health and safety requirements were well and truly ticked. The driver hopped back on and within ten minutes of arriving at the elephant reserve we were off into the jungle.

Now when you see elephants on nature programmes like Planet Earth the elephant seems quite steady and almost smooth as he puts one foot carefully in front of the other … this however did not feel like that. Once on board I felt as if I had purchase a ticket to ride the 'oblivion' at Alton Towers, I gripped for all my might on the hand rails to either side of me as the elephant was directed up a steep, muddy, uneven track. The driver sat just behind the elephants head, looking so comfortable that he could have been mistaken for watching the football whilst lying on a sofa. He looking like a professional where as I looked like I was riding a 'bucking bronco'.

The driver occasionally chatted to me about the jungle that we passed through, wildlife and this and that. I however wasn't in much of a talkative mood, my tongue was out and I was concentrating on gripping onto the rails and not falling to my death. Very quickly applying suncream, bug spray or even taking photos whilst enjoying a relaxing trek into the jungle went right out of the window. I did manage to ask the name of the elephant and whether it was a boy or a girl; 'Dobby' was the answer to the name and it was a girl … maybe if I gave it a sock it might become free.

I watched the driver as we went left and right up the hill; it appears that to steer an elephant you have to gently kick the ear for the direction you want it to go … all seemed simple. The path eventually leveled out and Dobby was a little hungry … so we stopped. The driver tried to call the elephant to move on but she was having none of it. After eating Dobby's backside was itching and so she reversed into a tree and started to have a good old scratch by moving her bottom from left to right … lovely. The driver eventually had enough and hit Dobby on the head with a stick … I didn't like that.

We were off again and I was gripping on for dear life once more. The scenery was beautiful and, due to the time of day, it was cool and shadowy … no need for sun cream. We made it to this clearing where the driver stopped, got off the elephant and asked if I wanted my photo taken … sure, I said as I passed him my camera. A regular photographer, the guy took about fifteen shots and on some of them I don't look terrified (though my white legs really show). He got back on and we went to complete the circle, but not before Dobby had a massive call of nature.

As we traveled on a huge swarm of flies were now buzzing around Dobby, the driver and I. I couldn't apply bug spray, I couldn't even waft the flies away due to my brain coming to the conclusion that falling of Dobby would hurt a lot more that a few bites … I gripped onto the rails harder and puffed at the flies whilst moving my legs sideways. Now having started with a huge climb up a hill I knew that we had to go back down it, the thought hadn't really crossed my mind previously as my brain was too occupied with the present dangers. As we started to decent I soon found out that going down is much worse than going up … I gripped on tighter.

One hour later we were back at the landing platform where I removed my fingers from the imprints that I had left on the metal bars and jumped off, a little 'light legged', and proceeded down the stairs to take some photos of Dobby and her driver. The experience had been nerve racking, I wouldn't recommend elephant commuting for work purposes, however it had been an experience. After a few photos I was then shown to a counter with bananas in boxes. I was told that I could have one of these boxes and feed Dobby … and so I did, which was pretty cool. Dobby raised her trunk and I put the banana in there before Dobby but her trunk into her mouth.

“... 20 baht!...” I herd the lady cry when I returned the empty tray to the counter. She was pointing at a sign that read “twenty baht to feed elephant banana” … I'm sure the sign wasn't there previously, I was a little annoyed with the extra payment however Dobby deserved the banana's for her hard work and she sure liked them.

I was then shown to a table where a carton of water and a big slice of pineapple was waiting for me. Whilst eating this guy brought over a python and asked if I wanted to hold it. No Thai translation was needed for the look of horror on my face and so he just put the snake on the table so I could photograph it. Once I'd finished my fruit I gave the pineapple skin to Dobby, which she also liked, and then I was given a bit of space to view some monkeys in cages; the monkeys in cages I didn't like however the space I did. I could finally get some bug spray onto my white, and all ready bittern, legs.

I didn't stay much longer at the elephant reserve and soon I was back in the van with my driver. Next up was a waterfall with a bridge; the driver directed me to the waterfall but said don't use the bridge as it was unsafe (and a good job he said that as, even though there were a few holes in the wooden planked floor, I've crossed worse). I walked down some stone steps to take a few photos of the waterfall, which wasn't that impressive as it was only four foot high. Then a Thai guy came with a razor, shaving foam and some other bits and bobs; it was funny to see a guy dive into a river with a waterfall and wash naturally … before applying 'Pantene Pro-V all in one shampoo and conditioner'. I left him to his morning wash.

The driver, speaking very little English, then made an action like we were next going to see some birds. I hopped back in the van and we drove off for quite a while. I wasn't quite expecting that our next stop would start with an armed blockade where the driver had to show some papers. It turns out that we had entered a navy military base and on this base was a turtle conservation project. Turtles, and not birds, was my next attraction with lots of tanks of water with turtles in. As the turtles got bigger the tanks enlarged until I saw these huge turtles in this massive tank. I wasn't massively impressed as I don't like caged animals; I was even less impressed when I saw, on a desk, a small 'prism-shaped' glass specimen container containing a 2-headed turtle that, due to the lack of room, wasn't able to move … I didn't even know if it was alive or not … I left shortly after this and that was the end of my trip.

It had only been gone two hours; I had enjoyed my morning of activities however at the beginning of the day it did feel a little rushed and why for the early morning start … why couldn't we start at say 10am. Then again it was quite nice and cool at 9am when I went elephant trekking.

I went up into my room and started to look at a few things on the internet; firstly my Laos and Cambodia visas. The Laos visa is simple as I can get that at the boarder, the Cambodia one is a little more difficult. Cambodia's land boarders are notorious for officials scamming tourist out of their money for charges that don't exist; now the amount usually charged isn't that much however I don't like getting scammed no matter the cost therefore I'm thinking of flying from Laos into Cambodia, probably to Siem Reap where Angkor Wat is. I can apply for a Cambodia tourist visa online which costs $5.00 more ($25.00 in total) than at the boarder, or at an embassy, however it removes a lot of hassle and means I don't have to be in Bangkok for long if I don't want to. However I need to make sure that me entering Cambodia on a tourist visa is okay for my project work; what's more I can only get a one month visa and as I'm planning on spending a week at Siem Reap, plus a week at Phnom Penh, before my three week project then I will need to apply for a visa extension some time in the middle of my project work.

I needed to email 'i-to-i' (who my project is with) just to confirm the above is okay, which I did so. Whilst searching through my emails I found that a group of English people, who will be doing their projects at the same time as I in Phnom Penh, have been trying to contact me. I replied to their emails and it seems like there should be a good group of us, which will make a nice change from here. Speaking of which I still haven't decided what my next move will be; I haven't herd back from my friends (surprise, surprise) about meeting up on Ko Phan Ngan in two days time. I am a little bored here but I keep looking at a map of Thailand and it doesn't help. My next stop is Bangkok but do I really want to be there for the new year? Do I have a choice? I'm out of here on the 28^th Dec so I may just move to a dorm five buildings down for a night or two and then … I dunno, hopefully I'll hear from my friends in the nick of time.

After being on the internet for an age I went out for a late lunch before, once again, heading to the beach to read more of my book. The sun was beating down and yet again I couldn't get comfortable on the hot sand. Added to this was the fact that I was starting to nod off and so I decided that the only place I would feel really comfortable reading my book would be my back in my guesthouse room. Once back I sat down to read my book and it didn't take long until I actually nodded off.

How long I was asleep for, I did not know. The clock said it was 6:30pm when I eventually got up; I decided to head out for an early tea. As I walked to my favorite restaurant in town I went through my 'next move predicament' once more. I still hadn't herd from the others and tomorrow is my last day at this lovely guesthouse; I could stay in Khao Lak another night or two – waiting for a message - but I'm loosing the will to live (though it would mean that I should finish my book); I could head back to Krabi but what would be the point in going south when I need to head north? I could head to Ko Pha Ngan in the vain hope of finding someone that I knew or, more than likely I could just head up to Bangkok. As I don't need to do a visa run in Thailand's capital I could limit my time there to the minimum and head north to Chang Mai asap. That's settled then, tomorrow I shall inquire about a bus (hopefully not a mini-van as they are pretty crowded and expensive, whereas the buses have massive chairs and are really nice) to Bangkok and if I don't hear anything about Ko Pha Ngan by the afternoon I'll head north to the capital … sorted.

After a good meal, which again came with free fruit, I headed back to my guesthouse for a bit of TV and to look at hostels in Bangkok. Sure enough the prices were quite high - as it's the new year holidays - but at least there was accommodation. I scoured for a few places that looked okay and made a mental note for tomorrow. I hate waiting for people to get back to me, it's never as quick as I think it should be, or I want it to be, and this is why I travel alone … so much less stress.

Toodle Pip!

Christmas Day

Saturday 25^th December 2010

MP3 track of the day: We wish you a merry Christmas -

Weather: Beautiful, if a little hot. The sun was shinning until 5pm when light showers started to fall.

As I woke up I didn't feel very festive; there are no decorations in my room and, with no windows, the outside world was still a mystery for me today. I decided to have a lazy start and do things that I would have done at home on this festive of festive days … I decided to watch TV.

The whole collection of 'Men Behaving Badly' is on 'you tube' and so I watched a couple of episodes before I noticed that the time was around 12:30. I got ready and headed into town for some lunch. Again bright blue skies with white fluffy clouds were present in the sky and it was hot. For my first Christmas meal of the day I had noodles with chicken and a coconut milk (it's an actual coconut with the top prized off and a straw in it's place) which I bet not many people in the UK will be having. The coconut milk was okay but the noodles weren't that great; I ate as much as I could and then left for the beach.

On the way to the beach I stopped to book a half day elephant trekking session for Boxing Day starting at 8:20am. I then walked leisurely to the beach and found the spot that I was sat in yesterday; I sat down and started to read my book I didn't feel very comfortable and so after two hours I decided to return to my guesthouse for some more TV viewing and – as I'm sure I would be doing a lot of this if I was back at home today – to eat some chocolate. I got up, dusted most of the sand off my body and started to walk back. As I walked I found even more sand … sand really goes get everywhere and it has a mind of its own.

It was a good thing that I left the beach when I did; as I approached my guesthouse a light rain shower began to erupt. Whether it would get any worse I did not know, I was in my room for a few hours before going out for some tea when it was dry.

I found this great little restaurant that was really cheap (even cheaper than the restaurant I went to in Krabi but the food wasn't as nice). What's more I got a plate of pineapple and watermelon for free, and two sweets … bonus. As I looked around the open-fronted restaurant, in a clockwise direction, I realized why my opinion of Khoa Lak had dropped; all around me where white 'resort people' ordering chips and burgers and pasta. Okay I have to admit that I had a McDonald's yesterday however this was for lunch and if I'm in a Thai restaurant, in Thailand, I shall eat Thai food. The sad reality is that as I looked up and down the main high street it become obvious to me that I can order a margarita pizza easier than I can get a Thai green curry. I suppose it's the same in our country with the Chinese and Indian restaurants … that's globalization for you! I suppose the best way I can describe Khao Lak is within two words 'soulless' and 'characterless'. As James May put's it, it's rather like Munich.

As I have to get up early tomorrow I decided to pack my bag for elephant trekking and get an early night. Now, being pro-animal protection, I am a little concerned about the state in which I will find the elephants. However my gut feeling is that the elephants will be treated well, mainly due to the fact that they are someones livelihood and that a badly treated elephant will cost money. WWF (World Wild Life Fund) has been doing animal protection campaigns for a while now. In the Congo, Africa, elephants were being hunted illegally for their ivory. The WWF pays local people to protect these animals and so, financially it's now in their interest to do so … I hope the same logic applies here in Thailand.

Well Christmas Day has been okay; sure I would have preferred to be at home … or actually Franz Joseph Glacier in New Zealand or Kyoto in Japan would have been pretty cool. It hasn't really felt like Christmas and I think the main reason is down to the weather; it's not natural to have temperatures in the low thirties, and humidity as high as a kite, on Christmas Day ... not natural at all.

Toodle Pip!

'Been done like a kipper' day

Friday 24^th December 2010

MP3 track of the day: One more sleep til' Christmas - muppets

Weather: Beautiful, if a little hot. The sun has been shinning all day and the sky has been a lovely light blue colour.

Waking up at 10:00am had meant that I had slept solidly for thirteen hours, well apart from having to get up at midnight to find some paracetamol tablets (as my headache was keeping me up). Apart from feeling very light headed all way okay, my stomach felt normal, I didn't have a temperature and due to the extremely comfortable bed I've got (In my top three of comfortable beds along with my own and the hotel in Brussels where I stayed for the Spa GP) my back felt fine … all was looking rosy.

It was 11pm when I finally emerged from my guesthouse; yet again I was greeted by the lovely smile of the receptionist and yet again she was trying to get me out of here before my nine nights were up. Being 11am it's another annoying time where it's too late for breakfast and too early for lunch; I therefore decided to have a look around town.

Town consists of one very long road, hugging the coast, with resorts on the beach-side of the road and shops on the other. As I walked leisurely through town I stopped off to get quotes for a bus to Ko Phan Ngan, for half day elephant trekking and to see how much souvenirs cost … oh and if there is a post office. I won't bore you with the details just yet, I'll just say that as you read through this post keep in mind that every time I moved from one area to another I would probably have stopped in two or three outlets.

By now it was around 12:30pm and so I headed for lunch. Throughout the morning I had been trying to answer the question 'why did I feel so ill yesterday and why did I still feel light headed?'. Ultimately this lead to another question: 'what was I missing from my diet?'. Racking my brain for a while the only thing I could think of was salt; Thai food has plenty of vegetables in it but no salt. Going back through what I had been doing over the past few days (climbing a mountain, hiking etc) I had sweat a lot (nice) meaning that I have probably lost quite a few important minerals, including salt. I therefore decided to go to McDonalds and have a large meal for almost 200 baht. It wasn't until I had sat down that I realized just how much 200 baht is (£4) … normally a meal would only cost me 100 baht maximum. From the time I walked into said McDonald's, placed my order, paid for it and sat down I must have taken my brain out of my head and only put it back in at the table … I had been done like a kipper.

McDonalds food isn't even that nice, however strangely enough I did feel a little better afterwards (which is the first time I can say that after a McDonalds). I then went in search of a post office. After asking a few locals I found one and so I headed back into town stopping at souvenir stores to get the best price. Bartering is becoming easier, the key is to look at the response of the shop assistant. The first price is always massively inflated and so they ask you what would you like to pay. Once you've responded with an amount comes the interesting part; if they say yes quickly then you are still paying over the amount the goods are worth, however if they look worried or puzzled and quote you a higher price then your bid was to low. This happened to me with a model of a Thai house thing that I wanted, the lady said it cost 450 baht where as I said that I was only willing to pay 200 baht … she said yes quite quickly. With that response I left that souvenir shop and tried to get the same product, three times for 175 baht. None of the others would accept that amount, therefore I was quite sure that the souvenir was worth somewhere in the region of 175 – 200 baht. I decided to go back to the first souvenir shop and purchased said house.

As I looked at said house I was a little worried that it wouldn't survive the trip (due to being made of wood) it was about to take, I therefore decided to purchase a Buddha as a back-up as that was made out of stone … another 150 baht. I made it to the post office where I had to present my gifts for packaging. Once I had shown the Buddha I was immediately told that it could not be sent through the post within Thailand (Thai immigration would confiscate it). What's more the post office didn't sell bubble wrap. As I walked out of the post office I was slightly annoyed that I was stuck with this statue (that I shall call 'Stan') until I left Thailand; I then began the hunt around town for bubble wrap. After thirty minutes I gave up and just bought a Thai newspaper for packaging … that will have to do.

Once back at the post office I purchased a box, wrapped up my souvenir and shook it a lot; whilst doing so I listened to see if I could here things moving inside … I couldn't. The parcel was then weighted and I was told the cheapest amount was 900 Baht ... £18 to send a parcel!!! I couldn't believe it, it's never cost me that much to send stuff home from abroad, and this parcel is as light as a feather. I argued for a while to see if there was a cheaper price (I had been quoted for airmail ... 'seamail' was 50 baht more … how I don't know). Carrying a reasonable size box around with me for a couple of weeks until I made it to Bangkok wasn't an option and so I reluctantly paid the amount asked … I had been done like a kipper twice in one day!

Feeling a little 'light legged' I was desperate to do something for free. I went back to my hostel, picked up my book and headed to the beach. On the way I picked up a liter bottle of water for 15 baht (30p … much better). Yesterday, once I had made it to the beach, I had headed left in the direction of my guesthouse. Today I headed right and after ten minutes of walking I was presented with beautiful white sands. I sat down, opened my book and started to read. As the sun was setting there was little shade, I erected my umbrella to give me a little bit of cover … it may have looked odd but if it stops me from getting sun burnt so be it.

This was certainly the highlight of my day, very few people around, a beautiful sea with the sun setting and only the sounds of the crashing of the waves onto the shore could be herd … bliss. I read for around two hours before the sun had almost set.

It was around 7pm when I returned to my guesthouse. I dropped my stuff off and then went back into town for tea. It was at this point that I met the manager of the guesthouse and we agreed that I would pay up until the night of the 26^th December … if I wanted to stay any longer I could. I have to pay tomorrow as it looks like the reception lady is off to Krabi tomorrow and the manager is off the day after … therefore I'm on my own (even the tambourine and Penguin have checked out).

After having something to eat I came back to my guesthouse for a shower and a reasonably early night. As I walked back fireworks were being shot into the sky and I watched them for a minute or two. Having spend £41 today Christmas day will have to be cheap. I think a combination of having a chilled out morning in my room, watching TV, followed by reading my book on the beach sounds like heaven. Now £41 doesn't sound a lot, however that is three days worth of money. To put it another way, its like spending £180.00 in Canada in one day … not good.

Having said all that I want to do some elephant trekking on Boxing Day and so I will need to book that (900 baht is the cheapest I have found) plus my bus ride to Ko Phang Ngan is another 950 baht … it's all very expensive at the moment however I'm now back to my normal self. No light headed feelings, no stomach pains nothing. Not sure if it was the long sleep, McDonald's or the paracetamol … maybe a combination of the three.

Toodle Pip!

Khao Lak is lovely … however

Monday 23^rd December 2010

MP3 track of the day: Driving home for Christmas -Chris Rea

Weather: Nice in Krabi and in Khoa Lak until 6pm when the thunder and lighting started to erupt.

Some … git of a bus driver kept his engine running outside my dorm today resulting in yet another early morning. I got ready and, funnily enough, I was way to early for my pick-up. To kill time I went to the local bakery for a hot chocolate brownie and a bottle of water … yum. I had seen said brownie being eaten by Matt a couple of days ago and it was as nice as it looked.

Back at the hostel I wondered around abit, on the internet for abit with the intention of trying to kill time. It didn't help that the min-van was late to pick me up and that all the other people on there were a lot older than me … no backpackers going my way.

It wasn't long before we stopped at a 'mini-van hub' where loads of people were sitting down with stickers on. I was asked where I was going and was presented with a blue sticker - which was erected on the right side of my chest – and told to sit down. As I sat down, waiting to be called to a mini-van, I looked around in the hope of seeing many blue stickers. There where lots however most were families or couples … then it hit me. Re-reading through my guidebook again ,Khao Lak is a sleepy beach town with lots of resorts ... I bet most of these people were going to a resort. My heart sank a little.

Finally I was called to a mini-van where most of the people on the first mini-van I took boarded as well. Once on we had to tell the driver where our accommodation was. When it was my turn the driver, and his English-speaking assistant, looked puzzled. It took them ten minutes of debating for them to finally tell me that my guesthouse was 15km out of town and that they weren't prepared to take me there; instead I would have to take a tuk-tuk once they had dropped me off in the town center … I was not impressed at all. The mini-van system is supposed to be door-to-door which is why it's more expensive than a normal bus. The same was said to an older German couple sitting behind me, in which they kicked up a bigger stink than I as their travel agent told them that they would be dropped off at their resort.

I was surprised that I didn't worry too much; traveling has taught me that things always work out no matter the situation. We traveled not for very long until we had a 'ten minute' rest stop (which is never ten minutes on these mini-vans) so that the driver could have his lunch. Most of us sat near the van a little annoyed; I spoke to the German couple who had been told the same as I from the driver and they weren't standing for it … I shall adopt the same stance I thought.

The ride was really uncomfortable; luckily I had two seats so that I could swing my legs to give them more room … However I sat oddly, trying to look forwards, with a slight twist in my back. The ride was longer than I expected and it wasn't until 3:30pm that we past a sign for the German couples resort. I said goodbye and they wished me good luck; It was at this point that I confronted the driver and said that I want him to take me to my guesthouse; he said that we agreed I would be dropped off in the town center, to which I replied no we had not!

Back on the mini-van he wasn't happy; luckily a Thai lady translated what he was saying and that he said the guesthouse had shutdown and that he would take me somewhere else very nice … I had herd of this scam before and I replied in a way that no Thai translation was needed; he suddenly became very quite. After a while the Thai lady translated that he wanted to stop near a police station to ask for directions; I said to the Thai lady that this wasn't nessary as I have the phone number of the guesthouse. He rang the number and all seemed like it was being sorted … I started to relax.

After a rather lengthy conversation, the call terminated within the town Khao Lak itself; the driver did a 'U-turn' and within five minutes we arrived at my guesthouse (15kms out of town hey!). He grudgingly gave me my bags and I just walked away without a thank you given … I'm really starting to get annoyed with all this bartering and lies thrown around.

I arrived at the hostel to see a massive smiling face; immediately I left better. The lady was lovely however she was very puzzled why I wanted to stay nine nights; I tried to explain that I wanted to chill for a while, over Christmas, however I wasn't too sure about nine nights either. She was brilliant, basically by the end of our conversation she had said that I could stay as long as I wanted and just pay for those nights, making it extremely easy on me. She was also saying that if I wanted to go anywhere else I had to book it quickly as it's peak season and places are filling up … it was almost as if she wanted to get rid of me, but in a nice way.

For the first time I requested to see my room before confirming that I would be staying. I was thoroughly glad to see that the room was spotless, my sheets get changed every three days, my room is cleaned every day and the room, though bland, is very nice indeed … part one ticket. The downside was that she said the internet didn't work in my room; normally this wouldn't be a problem however, with the luxury of being able to leave things out, I wanted to download a few films over night and watch them the following day (in our house-hold it's a tradition to watch 'Muppet Christmas Carol' on Christmas Eve … I was a bit gutted I couldn't keep that tradition this year).

I was left in my room to unpack and double check that yes the internet didn't work in my room :(. As it was raining outside I went downstairs to use the internet and to speak to the lady on reception. We had a good laugh and she told me of the very few things to do in Khoa Lak (again she was urging me to cut my time here short). She gave me a very good map which I had a look at to see plenty of things to do including six waterfalls, elephant trekking, island visiting and beaches … I felt it was pretty good here as the lady is the nicest local person that I have met in South East Asia so far.

I then asked the dreaded question of how many others were staying here; it seemed like there was me, a tambourine and a penguin that had checked in for Christmas … oh goodie. I was online at the time and I went onto Facebook; I saw that Stephanie (the German girl from Georgetown that was going to let me know if there was any accommodation on Ko Phi Phi but didn't reply to my message … not that I'm bitter or anything) was online where we chatted. She pleaded for me to come to her next destination, Ko Pha Ngan (a small island on the other side of the country where people go to get drunk). She pleaded so much (women do that to me for some reason) that I said yes, hopefully in five days time I shall be meeting up with my friends from Georgetown, however I actually really do like Khao Lak. The only problem I've got is that I will have to arrive without pre-booking accommodation as it's all full on the internet … well apart from the expensive places. This would be a first for me, and a pretty scary the thought it is too.

I asked the lady on reception if I could go direct to Ko Pha Ngan from here to which her eyes lit up and she said yes. I replied that it might be in five days time, however Stephanie and I will be chatting again to finalize details.

Having only had a chocolate brownie to day I was starving. It was that annoying time of 5pm when it was too late to have lunch and too early to have tea. As the rain had stopped I decided to walk in a rectangle shape up into town (where I stopped for a snack) and then return to my guesthouse via the beach. At this stage I was feeling worse and worse; my stomach was doing summer salts and my back really hurt (not to mention this annoying cough I've had since the Cameron Highlands). I made it back to the guesthouse house where I dropped off my bag and went somewhere close for tea.

Three doors down I ate in a restaurant that, during my meal, I found out the owner was originally from Yorkshire. The food was okay however I was feeling worse and worse. In the distance lighting and thunder could be herd and so I went back to my hostel around 7pm without finishing the meal.

I decided to go straight to bed as that was all I wanted to do; I immediately felt a little better however I couldn't doze off. I decided to sit up in bed and go on the internet for a while (which is now working though I still can't download any films!) before trying to sleep again.

Tomorrow depends on two things ... if I feel better and the weather. I fancy going elephant trekking and so I need to go around town to get the best quote; I also need to see how much a bus to Ko Pha Ngan, for the 28^th, will cost. On the internet I need to read up on my Lao and Cambodia visas as, when I get to Bangkok, I need to apply for them. Souvenir shopping is also on my 'Khao Lak' list as I thought I would have bags of time. Oh and I need a new pad-lock as I've lost one … when am I going to get time to do what I planned which is sit on the beach, relax and read my books?

Now some people may think that it's rotten luck to feel bad so near Christmas, however I'm pretty pleased it's been here and no where else. Firstly I'm on my tod so no missing out on fun with a group and secondly I have my own clean room, which has become a God send. Hopefully tomorrow I'll feel a lot better, I'm going to sleep now hopefully for a long time … that should do the trick!

Toodle Pip!

P.S. I haven't taken anything for my stomach, caught and temperature as I need to make sure that what I take doesn't interfere with my malaria tablets … I do have the list of 'no no's' but I can't be bothered to look tonight.