A taste of paradise...

I think I’m in love with Thailand…

This was much too short, I really need to come back at least 3 weeks to backpack some more around the country…Who would be up for it in a year or two?!

The evenings here are magical – you can go to a bar on the beach, just lie there and relax under the starry sky, incense burning, torches lighted around you, lounge music in the background… Heaven on earth… I hadn't seen so many stars since my nights in the African desert – magic!!!

Buenas noches ;)

Anyway, to pick up where I left you last time: after our train/bus/ferry/pick-up mission, we finally arrived at Shiralea Guesthouse (600 BAT per night) – the best deal on the island according to Lonely Planet, so we were eager to check it out – a dozen of small bungalows 100 meters from the beach, swimming pool, bar, TV room, pool table, massage hut, basically everything you need for a relaxed holiday!! Plus the staff was super friendly and welcoming which was nice. The place is managed by a couple of New Zealanders; what I found really touching is that they try and collect funds to send their Thai staff – who have never travelled – on holiday to New Zealand, to finally discover the country they’ve heard so much about.

Backpackers' quotes in the toilet :)

We actually stayed there three nights in the end! We needed some rest, so we spent our days just exploring the beautiful beaches nearby, taking in the sunshine and relaxing by the pool…The highlight was having a massage in a little beach hut facing the sunset – Doro had a traditional Thai massage and I had a “normal” jasmine oil one – I must admit I didn’t regret my choice when I saw Doro suffering next to me for one whole hour hehe! 

Doro, l'amie des bêtes

I also finished my first holiday book, “Meurtre dans un jardin indien” – Funny story: I found this book in the guesthouse in Bangkok, Doro had actually told me about it a few days earlier. She recommended another book, “Les Dieux passent toujours incognito” while we were talking by the pool in Shiralea, and I found it in their collection of books as well – so I’ll be reading that one after “7 ans d’aventure au Tibet” which I borrowed from Doro J It’s so cool to be able to read again…I never used to take the time when I was working in Paris…

The only low point of our stay in Shiralea was that the bar got VERY noisy one night, they were blasting out music for a bunch of young people, it really felt like we were in an actual club, the walls of our bungalow were literally vibrating – Doro asked them to turn it down a notch but they refused to do so, and it lasted til 2am – we had to wake up at 7am so I guess you can imagine how tired we were the next day! We also had a bad experience in one of the restaurants by the beach. We took a little while to choose what we were going to order, but the waiter got really impatient and told us to “hurry up because we weren't the only ones in the restaurant”. We were quite taken aback at how nasty he was being to us and left the restaurant immediately, but his reaction was “I don’t care”…I must admit I wasn't very impressed by the attitude of some of the locals on the island  (in shops, restaurants, etc…) You can tell they resent the tourist invasion…

Other than that, we went on a day excursion to Ang Thong National Park, organized by Orion Tours (1,900 BAT – we made sure the price included the Park entrance fee) – the trip included pick-up transfer, breakfast, lunch and snacks, snorkeling, kayaking, treks to two viewpoints or to the caves. I think the pictures speak for themselves (Copyright: Doro lol)…I am SO glad we decided to do this!! The only disappointing thing about this excursion is that we realized how disgusting the seawater was inside the National Park…Beer bottles, plastic bags, crisp packets everywhere!! Really shocking considering it’s supposed to be “protected”… Such a shame…

Emerald Lagoon

Monkey Island

Where have you beeeeeeeeeen?!

A backpacker Doro met in Cambodia, Audrey, arrived from Phuket that evening and spent the night in the hammock in front of our bungalow. We went snorkeling on Koh Ma island the next day, but I nastily hurt my hand on a coral reef… A Thai lady from a massage stand came to my rescue with a first aid kit so it was all good – nothing serious, just really annoying!!!

In the evening we went to the other side of the island – the legendary Full Moon party place, Haat Rin! We ended up at SunSet Bungalows - 400 BAT for a bungalow right by the beach, probably one of the best deals we've made so far!! We went to a pool party at Coral Bungalows, a 2-minute walk on the beach – when we arrived there was nobody in the pool so we decided to get the party started, all three of us jumped in the pool and started splashing the people drinking on the side…It took about half an hour for the place to go crazy! We actually met 3 guys from Guadalajara, Mexico (I asked whether they knew you Dante ;)). Unfortunately my hand started bleeding again so I had to be reasonable and call it a night L I really want to go back for a proper Full Moon Party on the beach though, it looks amazing…

I left the girls on Koh Tao Island yesterday lunchtime, and made my way back to Bangkok by coach (7h30)! Caught my flight to Denpasar this morning, so I’ll be spending tonight and tomorrow in Bali! The next stop is SYDNEY J

The holiday has gone by so quickly, but it has been a real treat, I don’t regret the last-minute change one bit…As I've learnt from past experiences, improvised trips are often the best!!! And sharing everything with Doro made it all the more special…
Merci pour tout ma pink lady!!! 
Looking forward to seeing you in Sydney on February 7^th ;)

So long Thailand, I’ll be back!!!

Love,

Laura xxx