Ok, so I didn't keep up with this last year but will now. And I will start where I left off last summer.....
Thailand.
What can I say? The most beautiful, exciting and exhilarating country I have visited so far. There is so much to do and see around this absolute jewel in Asia.
My trip started at Heathrow with my two gorgeous friends. We boarded our Boeing to Bombay to start that dreaded long haul flight. The excitement was so overwhelming, beginning with the inflight entertainment system! What a God send that was. The food was terrible, thanks Jet Airways! Who would've thought you could be served curry for breakfast, lunch and dinner? After a brief stop in India (guards with guns and holes in the floor to use as toilets!) we headed for Bangkok!
The international airport there is stunning: so clean, easy to get around and plenty of travel desks so you can book internal flights/ferries/trains and so on. We met two more friends there who had just flown in from Chaing Mai. After attempting to book some flights down to Koh Samui with absolutely no luck (I would advise you book in advance, especially if you're trying to get down for the Full Moon Party), we headed for the central train station across the other side of the city.
My first shock of the trip came when we went to KFC to get something to eat, I couldn't stand the thought of another curry yet, and I sat down while my pals ordered their food. To my complete horror, a rat bolted through the restaurant and in to the kitchen where dinner was being cooked!!! Needless to say, I didn't order a single thing. My friends still ate theirs though, yuck!!
We booked a train and ferry trip to get us down to Koh Samui. It was a sleeper train that took 7 hours to Chumphon, then a three hour ferry to take us to Samui, which was to be our home for the next 5 days. The train was such a fun journey, even though we had been awake for about 40 hours, we were still singing and laughing, joining in with banter from some drunk lads from Melbourne, Australia. The highlight of the train ride had to be the bathroom: a metal floor with a simple hole, which you had to crouch over to pee in, with no toilet roll, just a mini shower head to 'rinse' with. What a culture shock! And not ideal when I had travelling in my floral Palazzo pants!
After arriving in Chumphon, we were welcomed with a chaotic organisation system to get us to the port to catch the ferry. We were put on what I would describe as a giant truck, and our backpacks were just chucked on the top. We were all hoping our bags wouldn't fall on the road, they drive like maniacs out there.
A short time later and we were on the ferry, we had now been awake for over 48 hours, and it was scorching! None of us had any sun lotion on us as it was still in our backpacks from the flight, so we got a wee bit burnt. As we were some of the last ones to board, we had to lay on the top deck floor, crammed in like sardines, nonetheless all part of this fantastic adventure we had just started.
Eventually, after unloading endless tourists at the three islands of Koh Nangyuan, Koh Tao and Koh Phangnan, we had finally docked in Koh Samui. And it was love at first sight...
Monday, 5 March 2012
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Monday, 27 June 2011
The Great British Summer
After a scorching weekend, I can't help but get seriously excited about Thailand. With less than 7 weeks to go, I am pretty much ready for my adventure.
Vaccinations booked for tomorrow evening..eek.
Backpack ready, travel towel ordered and plane pillow in the post (my most important purchase for the dreaded long haul flight).
We are starting to plan a more detailed itinerary for our trip, as soon as this is finalised, I will post!!
Vaccinations booked for tomorrow evening..eek.
Backpack ready, travel towel ordered and plane pillow in the post (my most important purchase for the dreaded long haul flight).
We are starting to plan a more detailed itinerary for our trip, as soon as this is finalised, I will post!!
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
My Travel Experience So Far
I remember my first holiday to Tenerife with my family, picturing the huge hotel letters touching the sky, the pool being so deep I thought it was an ocean.
After this, I can recall trips to the Algarve and all time Brit favourite; Benidorm.
Then as I got older, we had the odd trip to Cornwall, Devon and France.
I went skiing in the French Alps at the ages of 13 and 14, thinking I'd never been anywhere so beautiful in all my life. What a fantastic drive around Lake Geneva and into the Alps, a picture I'll never forget.
Then at the age of 15, visiting Marbella, or 'Marbs' as its so commonly known as now.
When I hit 18, I was too cool to be holidaying with family, so me and the girls booked a two week self catering trip to Tenerife (where better to start my lone trips than to the place where my travel experience began!)
I then saw the afternoon and nights of Zante and Ayia Napa with the girls, and Turkey with my other half.
The sad part is that I feel like I don't know enough about these places, but there are so many more to explore, so my new outlook on travel begins right here, right now.
After this, I can recall trips to the Algarve and all time Brit favourite; Benidorm.
Then as I got older, we had the odd trip to Cornwall, Devon and France.
I went skiing in the French Alps at the ages of 13 and 14, thinking I'd never been anywhere so beautiful in all my life. What a fantastic drive around Lake Geneva and into the Alps, a picture I'll never forget.
Then at the age of 15, visiting Marbella, or 'Marbs' as its so commonly known as now.
When I hit 18, I was too cool to be holidaying with family, so me and the girls booked a two week self catering trip to Tenerife (where better to start my lone trips than to the place where my travel experience began!)
I then saw the afternoon and nights of Zante and Ayia Napa with the girls, and Turkey with my other half.
The sad part is that I feel like I don't know enough about these places, but there are so many more to explore, so my new outlook on travel begins right here, right now.
Summer Soltice
Welcome travellers.
I am currently preparing for my trip to Thailand in August. Travelling with two friends for just under two weeks to the land of smiles, I really couldn't be more excited for my mini adventure.
From searching to backpacks, arranging vaccines and travel insurance, I want to share all aspects of this trip on my blog.
Having heard so much about this fantastic country and its diverse culture, it has been a true nightmare trying to plan which islands to stay on and which cities to explore. Planning your travel can be the most exciting part. Always be sure to research your destinations thoroughly, if you're looking at travelling somewhere longer than 3 weeks, ask around, check out blogs and I would recommend you look at http://www.lonelyplanet.com/ for up to date advice, tips and hotel offers.
An ideal holiday is different to each traveller, someone that may enjoy a 5* all inclusive luxury beach holiday in Turkey, may not be the cup of tea to an under-grad looking for that once in a lifetime experience down under, but I intend to travel the world and experience it all.
I am currently preparing for my trip to Thailand in August. Travelling with two friends for just under two weeks to the land of smiles, I really couldn't be more excited for my mini adventure.
From searching to backpacks, arranging vaccines and travel insurance, I want to share all aspects of this trip on my blog.
Having heard so much about this fantastic country and its diverse culture, it has been a true nightmare trying to plan which islands to stay on and which cities to explore. Planning your travel can be the most exciting part. Always be sure to research your destinations thoroughly, if you're looking at travelling somewhere longer than 3 weeks, ask around, check out blogs and I would recommend you look at http://www.lonelyplanet.com/ for up to date advice, tips and hotel offers.
An ideal holiday is different to each traveller, someone that may enjoy a 5* all inclusive luxury beach holiday in Turkey, may not be the cup of tea to an under-grad looking for that once in a lifetime experience down under, but I intend to travel the world and experience it all.
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