The Highlights of Thailand

I don't even know where to begin. With a 3 hour boat, 3 hours waiting, 9 hours on a bus, 24 hours in Bangkok, a 4 hour flight followed by a 9 hour flight, it's safe to say the journey home wasn't for the faint hearted and I had a lot of time to reflect about my adventure in Thailand. The past 6 weeks has been one hell of a rollercoaster. Overwhelming, hectic, crazy, mind boggling, the list goes on and on. From being at peace with the elephants in Chiang Mai to being drowned in Bali to weaving manically through the roads of Bangkok in a tuk tuk. I learnt a lot about myself this trip and whilst for some of it I wanted nothing more than my own bed and an English breakfast, I wouldn't change one thing about my experience. For any of you going to Thailand or planning to go to Thailand, here are my best bits. Trust me, all of these are a must!

Ko Tao

Ko Tao is everything I love about islands. Beautiful beaches, stunning sunsets and crystal clear water. The only problem with Ko Tao is it is by far the most expensive place I've been. 

Koh Phangan

So... I guess you can tell that the home sickness really got to me in Koh Phangan as I did not take one single photo on my camera there!! But I had some amazing nights out, most of which I remember and I'm looking forward to seeing how my disposable photos come out...

Missing Home

There are so so so many advantages to travelling, you get to see the world and you learn what you are really capable of. During travelling I have been pushed past limits I didn’t think I could possibly go past but now thanks to travelling I know myself that much better. But with so many pros to travelling, of course there are cons, I am now on the last leg of my current adventure and the itch to get home is stronger than ever.­Travelling is hard. No one tells you how hard it is. But it’s because as soon as you are home all those bad memories completely fade away and you wish more than anything you were travelling again.

Ko Samui

Yesterday evening we arrived in the beautiful Ko Samui. I was pretty dubious as to whether I would actually like it here as I've heard a lot of mixed reviews. But it has exceeded expectations by a long way. 

We had a quiet evening last night, only going out to buy food and then coming back to our hostel to take advantage of it's amazing wifi. BLISS!!! But today has been oh so hectic. For a mere £7 we were being shown nearly all the sights of Ko Samui... We started off with the Ko Samui view point. There was so much blue it was breathtaking! We were so lucky with the weather... I would almost go as far to say that the weather today is one of the best day's we've had this whole trip... 

Ao Nang, Krabi

I can't believe we have less than two weeks of our trip left! It's gone so quick and slow all at the same time. What a whirlwind... Whilst dreading the end of another adventure, I am so excited to go home. 

Ko Phi Phi

I have just spent the last two days in Koh Phi Phi... and I think this maybe one of the most beautiful islands I have seen yet. 

The Highlights of Bali

Yes.... I'm still in the airport... and I'm still bored... But I've cleverly figured out I can write a post now but not actually publish it... Ingenious right (did I use the 'in' correctly that time Dad?)

So whilst being sat in the airport, I've been given time to reminisce the wonderful 10 days I have just experienced and to pick out my favourite parts of Bali.

Dolphin Watching

For me, it's must. It's a long way to go for only an hour and a half watching but it really is an incredible experience. But then I also think we were really lucky with our boat driver, as a lot of the boats would spot a dolphin and chase after them straight away, but ours told us the dolphins would eventually come to us. He was right. I wouldn't have got half the shots I did if it wasn't for him, I'm lucky not all my photos were completely ruined by loads of other boats, which I'm sure lots of other people's photos are.

Seminyak and Kuta

Second post of the day! Curaaaazy times... but I am stuck in an airport for 8 hours with nothing to do... SO! Seminyak and Kuta... I can already tell that this is going to be a relatively short post as these were probably my least favourite places in Bali.

Surfing and Sunsets, Uluwatu

Well, I've fallen in love with Uluwatu. This place is incredible. Good surf, good people, good atmosphere.

The Gili Islands

The Gili Islands are insane, we only went to Gili T but it was absolutely packed with people, bars and restaurants.

The Monkey Forest, Ubud

After an exciting morning watching the Dolphins, we headed back to the south of Bali to Ubud. 

Lovina and the Air Panas Hot Springs, Bali

After a fleeting visit to Malaysia where we encountered a not so Irish bar (the only thing Irish was Guiness) and a trip to the Pentaling markets, we have finally arrived in Bali!

Elephant Nature Reserve Park

Once again T and I were up at 7am for another day of adventures. We had paid B2500 (around 50 pounds) to go the Elephant Nature Reserve Park, one of the things I had been most excited about before leaving for Thailand.

Da's Cooking Class

After a day of doing completely nothing and a rather chilled morning today, Tierney and I headed to a traditional Thai cooking class taught by a kind man called Da.

Chiang Mai

After a 9 hour luxurious bus journey, Tierney and I arrived in Chiang Mai.

Our hostel was called Eco Resort which is absolutely amazing! (We have just moved hostels but Eco Resort is much much better!, I'll do a post on all my accommodation at the end of the trip.) After quickly dropping off our stuff we took our and first Tuk-Tuk ride and headed to the Walking Market, which is a Night Bazaar that only happens on weekends.

Lebua State Tower Sky Bar

When I asked various friends for their advice and opinions of Bangkok, most responses were "Bangkok isn't that great, it's just really overcrowded and dirty. You really won't need much time there." But for me, Bangkok has exceeded expectations and last night I was blown away by Bangkok's beauty.

Damnoen Saduak Floating Markets

After an hour and a half bumping around in a minibus, we arrived in Ratchaburi for our day of exploring the Damnoen Saduak Floating Markets. This day trip was one of the best things I have done in Bangkok, most definitely worth getting up at 6am for. (For those that know me you will understand that getting up at 6am is a big deal for me.)

Night Markets and Temples

After getting up at 2pm on Wednesday morning and discovering Tierney had been ill for most of the night, we decided to have a relaxed day but to explore the night markets that evening. We discovered our hostel is in a pretty ideal location as the night markets were only a 10 minute walk away.

The Start of Thailand

After 2 planes, 16 hours and a 2 hour airport transfer we have finally arrived in our hostel in Bangkok. So far it's been a day of nerves and excitement. When I started writing this we had just boarded our second flight and were already exhausted. I managed to sleep relatively well on our 9 hour flight but poor T and her mile long legs struggled to get any sleep at all.