A journal of my travels in Thailand...

Chiang Mai 21st to 25th March 2005

After a hop, skip and a jump over the border from Cambodia, an overnight stay in Trat, a very slow bus journey to Bangkok, and a mad dash in a taxi we finally met up with Jason’s friend Emma at Bangkok airport. After almost 11 months of coming to terms with traveling with one Scouser I was now going to be put to the test and be traveling with 2! In all honesty it has been somewhat easier traveling with 2, although this probably has more to do with the fact that 1 of them is female. Conclusion is that it is more difficult traveling with a boyfriend than it is traveling with a Scouser. Make sense? To put it another way it’s great having some female company!

Having “been there and done that” with the trekking in Chiang Mai experience I sent the others off for a couple of days whilst I indulged myself in 2 days of Thai cookery school (click below for details).

I didn’t just learn how to cook some Thai dishes, but met some great people and had loads of fun with some very multi-skilled teachers … some of whom would give Jason a run for his money on stage as comedians! Big Mamma and J-Lo (my teachers) showed me how to pick my chillies at the market, how to make a red curry, yellow curry, stir fry, noodles, papaya salads and banana puddings. Watch out Delia I’ll be home in a couple of weeks!

Koh Samui 25th to 30th March 2005

Next destination Koh Samui (A.K.A. Costa Del Sol) for a little sun, sea and sand. Stayed in a fantastic beachside bungalow that literally was a pebble’s throw from the sand. We had big plans for a dive to Sail Rock here but it was cancelled at the last minute because of poor visibility. Instead Jason (and Emma) got there thrills from renting out a Jet Ski for a half an hour or so … me, I was just happy to lie by the pool

But it wasn’t all sunbathing … we hired a jeep for the day and explored the island ... despite this place being the new Magaluf there are surprisingly quite a few places of culture to visit! Big Buddha, temples, mummified monks and to top the day off we stopped for a lovely seafood lunch by the beach.

I've lost count of the number of times that I've been to Thailand and not seen Thai boxing ... the national sport. At last here was my chance with Chaweng Tuesday Night Fight Night. All of the boxers had incredible physiques with such defined muscle tone, and size wise (aside from one competition) these fellas are real small. Some only 61 lbs! Eight competitions, a couple of knockouts, gashed eyes and bruised bodies ... think I'll stick with the diving!

Bangkok 30th March to 3rd April 2005

Bangkok, Bangkok ... so smoggy, so hot and so full of cars. But I will never tire of coming here! And lets face it girls, the only reason for being here is the shopping. And how lucky have I been in sharing a few days with a fellow female shopaholic! I had a couple of dry runs at shopping ready for when I go back to Bangkok just before coming home ... the department stores and ChatuChak weekend market. So watch this space for the 2nd leg in a couple of weeks time!

Phuket 3rd to 8th April 2005

With only a couple of weeks left we decided to treat this part of the trip as a "holiday"! So cheap flights booked it was off to Phuket for us. We stayed in the rather luxurious but bargain priced Central Karon Village where I divulged in some serious pampering. Amazing what a year on the road can do to you! This one is for the girls ... imagine starting off with an orange peel body scrub, followed by a chocolate body wrap and topped off with a peppermint massage ... absolute heaven. Trouble is that I didn't know whether I was a Terrys Chocolate Orange or a box of After Eight Mints by the time I finished!

A few people have questioned why we should come to Phuket given the obvious recent history. To be honest, it was a hard decision to make. The truth, however, is that the locals are desparate and crying out for tourists here. Very little of the area was actually damaged and most of the islands in the area were up and running fine very soon after. Tourists have been, understandably, staying away ... the beaches and towns are running at about 50% capacity. But to anyone facing the dilemma it really couldn't be a better time to come and support the local economy.

There are lots of sides to Phuket and we saw a couple ... firstly there's Patong with its sunset strips of bars and neon lights which is definitely one for a lads trip away. And secondly there's Karon(where we stayed), only a few miles down the road. And although it still had its fair share of neon lights it certainly had a more local feel.

Similan Islands 8th - 10th April 2005

After a few days R and R by the pool it was then off to the Similan Islands for 3 days of "liveaboard" diving (Scuba Cat website...click here). Plan was to do 11 dives over 3 days ... shame I contracted a bit of a bug which layed me up for 2 of them! Aside from this the trip provided some of the best diving experiences we've had ... our first night diving, hanging out with "Scarface" (a 2 metre mray eel)and swimming with some beautiful turtles. We even learnt the hand signal for "abandon the dive" when we were caught in some frightening currents!

For the most part we were diving with ex-pats, living and working in a school in Phuket. It was so interesting to hear about how "the other half live", and about everyone's personal experiences of how they were effected by the Tsunami.

Koh Lanta 11th - 16th April 2005

It's only April and we've experienced our 4th New Year of 2005. This one is the Thai new year and is called Songkran. I felt very priveleged to take part in a water blessing ceremony with the buddhist monks at the hotel (Sri Lanta Resort) . The serenity of this then breaks down into a free for all for the rest of the day and continues for 2 days after this! It basically involves very liberal throwing of water between locals and locals, and locals and Farangs (non-locals!).

Bless ... Jason was so looking forward to our final dive of the trip (with Jo and Peter we had met on Scuba Cat)but it was not to be. He was struck down by an ear infection. The local hospital proved itself to be rather efficient (imagine getting seen on New Years Day in the UK), although the queue for A&E was basically Jason and a man who'd hurt his foot in the Tsunami. We eventually left with something for his pain but unfortunately nothing for his deafness!!!

Bangkok 16th - 18th April 2005

Round two of Bangkok has really only been a second round of Chatuchak Market ... all 15,000 stalls. I have basically bought a complete new kitchen (aside from the kitchen sink). Jason seems to be a bit perplexed by it all, having never lived with a woman before, but I'm sure he won't complain when I start cooking up some Thai food!

Return of the Wanderer 19th April 2005

Well the end is most definitely nigh. We land at Heathrow Airport at around 6.45 am (no welcoming party please!!!) and will no doubt pass comment on the weather and crap public transport system and then its off to our separate ways. I'll be heading up North to see family and friends, and all the new life additions there have been since I was gone. Since Jason (can I say) "cocked up" with giving his tennants notice he'll be staying ironically like a traveller, squatting in his friends' spare room for a while ... going to watch Liverpool, doing some comedy and searching for a job. Life for the both of us will be back to normal pretty sharpish ... how long it takes to get back into the swing of things is a different matter!

And thats that really. The end of a very special and incredible chapter of my life. It has been filled with the most amazing and fantastic experiences and I hope I have been able to give you a little glimpse into our world for the last year. All is left for me to say is a huge thank you to everyone who has kept in touch whilst I've been away. It really has meant so much to me. Well, see you all soon. Cheerio!