Hi All,
Last weekend we arrived back from Thailand where we stayed and traveled for two weeks. The difference in temperatures were quite harsch as it was +35 degrees celcius in Bangkok and -5 here in Holland. Not sure if that was the reason but soon after that I fell ill 
Anyways the holiday was one of the best we ever had, we loved Thailand. We found it was very friendly to travel through and had great food everywhere we went, the weather was nice and hot as we expected …
After our flight we started off in Bangkok, where we had to try and stay awake to stay ahead of any Jetlag which worked quite well. We started walking around sight-seeing and went to the Grand Palace which was overwhelming to see….
It was much like walking in a fairy tale, a lot of gold and other colors that made it look quite spectacular.
After quite a tiring day we managed to push our sleep a bit forward still and would try and find a restaurant called Eat Me which was in another part of Bangkok, the taxi driver did not have much of a clue where he was going… he kept going on and on about a certain food market and tried to drop us there…. But we did not buy it and made him go towards where we planned to go instead. We got out of the taxi and tried to find the restaurant, just about when we almost gave up we managed to find it in a small alley where you would normally not go….
Great food at Eat Me, highly recommended if you go to Bangkok !
Next morning we had to get our arses into gear for a cycling tour in and around Bangkok, called Bangkok Countryside and which is operated by Grasshopper Adventures, it was highly rated on Tripadvisor and we thought it was fantastic ! The cycling itself was nice (hot for some…) but all the things you can see and experience on a bike are great. Narrow alleys with people cooking, washing, chatting and all sorts of stuff in Bangkok and then crossing the river to see some of the countryside, lots of times you had to cycle on narrow concrete slabs which was challenging enough sometimes… Seen lots of things and had great fun, Grasshopper Tami was a great host and we will surely come again for another tour….
At night we went for some food at Cabbages and Condoms, which is mentioned quite a lot in reviews and magazines. Not too bad but we were probably too spoilt by the excellent experience at Eat Me the day before….
A new day and time for our flight to Phuket, which was the base for our Island Hopping in the South of Thailand. Arriving at Phuket Airport we had to find our driver and so we started looking for all the signs and both saw one with “Mr and Mrs Shrek” on which we thought was quite hilarious…. unfortunately we did not see them anywhere…. Another sign said “Johnny Cash” and so it did not take any time to make us feel at home 
We stayed for two nights around Kata and Karon Beach in Phuket, nice but a little too touristy for our taste. I recognized a few places from pictures I have seen 5 years ago after the Tsunami, which is a bit strange to see but nearly nothing reminds you here of what happened on that day.
Time to start our lost islands boat tour round Koh Yao Noi !
First a speedboat ferry to Koh Yao Noi and there we are picked up by Joe, who will be our guide for the next couple of days. We took the tuktuk to our accomodation and in the afternoon we started exploring the area by longtail boat.
At night we have some great local food and the next day there is more islands, nature, beaches, rocks, caves, lagunes and all sorts of stuff We visit Koh Panyi which is a muslim fishing town build on the water of the Phang Nga bay, we have lunch there and walk around the town which attracts quite a few tourists so it is more like a big market now…
On the last day of our tour we visit some local rubber makers and take the tuktuk for a spin around the Island, thanks to Joe and our captain we have seen a lot in little time and take the ferry back to Phuket for the night.
Next day we get picked up early to take a speedboat ferry to Koh Racha, but this morning has high winds and because of our luggage we are about the last ones entering the boat which means bad seats in the top of the speedboat, which takes it 400 HP engine over the waves, nearly banging us out the boat a few times, bit scary…. or worse actually….
But as soon as we arrive on beatiful Koh Racha we tend to forget…. nice beaches, good resorts… this is more like it ! The island is still not fully spoilt by tourists and has got a lot to offer, just 30 meters from our pavillion is a nice snorkeling beach and everything on this island is near enough in walking distance so we visit the several beaches and really enjoy it out here…
Last major stop is Koh Phi Phi which is very popular but nevertheless very nice, although our hotel is not as superb as all the others the view from the room is amazing !
The day after we arrive we walk up to the view point, a very steep walk that must have took us about two hours, not quite sure but here’s the view…. well if you just look behind the bloke in the DG T-shirt…..
We walk down on a small path to end on a resort that most people just approach by boat, nice bits of beach here…. but lots of stones so we just have a little dip in the sea and dry up before having lunch.
On the way back by longtail boat we have a nice view of our Hotel…
Ah well, there might be lots more to talk about but then you willl have to come by and I we will tell you all about it….
Next stop: Dublin !
Take care.
Marcel.
PS: more pictures you can find here and slideshow
Tags: Holiday, Thailand
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