Nicole's birthday (August 17th) was spent traveling - via taxi, bus and boat - and we have returned to Bangkok for the last few days of our journey. We've been keeping a low profile (beach burnout), however we did attend a night of Muay Thai boxing fights at Lumphini National Stadium in downtown Bangkok. We had both hoped for more blood, but the fights were both entertaining and brutal all the same. Our only regret is that we were unable to understand - and therefore participate - in the rampant betting that was taking place (imagine the New York stock exchange but twice as loud with crazy live Thai music and smelling of cheap beer and body odor).
We leave for Canada tomorrow and are looking forward to the many conveniences of home (hot showers, toilet paper, garbage cans, non-feral animals to name a few) that we hitherto had taken for granted. We both agree that this was our greatest travel experience: the pace, food, geography, culture, history and above all, the people make this a very special part of the world. We are already planning our return to South East Asia - hopefully next time with more family and/or friends.
Hopefully you enjoyed following the accounts of our travels because we certainly enjoyed writing them for you. We will post some more pictures on the blog when we get home as, again, we are faced with stubborn South East Asian computers. We miss you all and can't wait to get home to share our stories and get caught up on all of yours.
Bye for Now,
Joe and Nicole
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Nicole Life Achievement Update
Many off you know of Nicole's acute - though entirely unfounded - fear of sharks. This fear boarders on paranoia as she has been known to suspect swimming pools of containing sharks.
At our current villa on Koh Tao there is insanely good snorkeling right off the beach. Within feet of the shore we have observed nearly hundreds of species of marine animals all negotiating untouched coral gardens. Also worthy of note is the proximity of our beach to Shark Island, known for the abundance of black-tip sharks that encircle its shores.
Approximately one hour into our first trip off the beach Nicole was enjoying a new found confidence in her ability to snorkel without experiencing a panic attack. This was until we were approached by a five-foot (a conservative estimate) black-tip shark. This species is docile and is not a threat to humans, however Nicole viewed it as a direct threat to her life. Within seconds I found myself alone in facing the shark as Nicole had put her back to the shore, me at her front and was thrusting me towards the 'aquatic killing machine'. As the shark approached I could feel her grip tightening and she would later tell me that her heart was beating uncontrollably. Not surprisingly the shark swam past without incident.
Nicole continued to grip my arm tightly as we returned to the shore. On subsequent snorkeling journeys (yes, she has actually returned to the water) we have encountered two more sharks, none however as large as the first.
No time for a complete post, but we will try again soon.
Bye for Now,
Joe and Nicole
At our current villa on Koh Tao there is insanely good snorkeling right off the beach. Within feet of the shore we have observed nearly hundreds of species of marine animals all negotiating untouched coral gardens. Also worthy of note is the proximity of our beach to Shark Island, known for the abundance of black-tip sharks that encircle its shores.
Approximately one hour into our first trip off the beach Nicole was enjoying a new found confidence in her ability to snorkel without experiencing a panic attack. This was until we were approached by a five-foot (a conservative estimate) black-tip shark. This species is docile and is not a threat to humans, however Nicole viewed it as a direct threat to her life. Within seconds I found myself alone in facing the shark as Nicole had put her back to the shore, me at her front and was thrusting me towards the 'aquatic killing machine'. As the shark approached I could feel her grip tightening and she would later tell me that her heart was beating uncontrollably. Not surprisingly the shark swam past without incident.
Nicole continued to grip my arm tightly as we returned to the shore. On subsequent snorkeling journeys (yes, she has actually returned to the water) we have encountered two more sharks, none however as large as the first.
No time for a complete post, but we will try again soon.
Bye for Now,
Joe and Nicole
Some Koh Tao Pictures
View of our new beach from our villa. (Note the intense coral bloom)
Nicole chillin' beach side
A dog.
Sunset at Coral View Bungalows.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
More Tree House Pictures
Barracuda fishing in the cove.
The view from our cabana.
Check this one out in full screen.
Chilling in Thai pants.
Nicole's sarong/turban.
Koh Phangan
The lengthy gap between our posts is the result of a serious case of island inertia.
The journey from Bangkok to Koh Phangan was a tremendously trying experience. First, the VIP bus we had payed for was over-booked meaning that we had to board a 'regular' bus. This bus - which chose to play the oscar calibre film "Stargate Continuum" - travelled for 8 hours before we were asked to get off at 3am and wait on the side of the road for another bus. The next bus arrived at 4am and took us another 2 hours to Chumpon, even though our ticket was supposed to take us to Surat Thani. From Chumpon we were told to sleep on the ground in a parking lot outside the pier until the first ferry departed. At 7am we boarded a ferry which took us 4 hours over very rough seas to Koh Tao. After a 45 minute passenger transfer, the ferry set off for Koh Phangan. At this point the boat was so overloaded that passengers had filled every seat above and below deck as well as all available deck space, forcing many to hang their feet over the edge of the boat. This made for a very unstable ship, made worse of course by the aforementioned choppy conditions. During this 2 hour leg of the journey, we witnessed no fewer than a six passengers below deck vomiting uncontrollably into whatever they could find. Upon arriving on Koh Phangan we had only to sit in the back of a pick-up truck as it carried us the remaining 45 minutes to Tree House over roads that a tank would have difficulty negotiating.
Tree House, however, is fantastic. It rests in the jungle nestled around a private cove which has the perfect mix of powdery white sand, turquoise water, and large cliffs. The bungalows themselves are perched on the cliffs, affording them amazing views of the ocean. The place has a similar vibe to Jungle Beach, however we were surprised to find that nearly everyone at the guesthouse is German. For the first few days we were the only two people whose first language was English but everyone was quite friendly and made efforts to include us in conversation.
Nicole spent her mornings running in the jungle while the rest of our days were spent laying in the sun getting drunk before 11am, snorkeling and participating in the highly-competitive Germany v. Austria beach soccer games. Nights were occupied with lounging in hammocks or on beds surrounding low lying tables up at the tree house. Here, we spent our time talking with fellow travellers, listening to the ambient/funk/house/jazz blend that was supplied by DJ Glyn, or watching "The Fifth Element" as it was projected onto a screen made from a stretched out bed sheet. The vibe at Tree House is very relaxed in part due to the abundance of locally grown herbal and and fungal 'medicines'.
On a side note, our stay on the island also happened to coincide with on of the legendary full-moon parties (FMP) for which Koh Phangan is known. Nicole had intended to participate in the festivities but was unfortunately afflicted with a serious stomach condition. For a detailed account of the night you will have to speak to Joe. But rest assured that he - and the couple with whom he attended the party - fully immersed themselves in the experience. Highlights include but are not limited to: questionable milkshakes, neon body paint, The Reggae House Bar, naked farang vomiting in the streets, the freak out of a Iranian/Trinidadian couple, and several hours spent on a secluded beach arranging and taking pictures of three water bottles.
Our last few days have been spent in Haad Rin (scene of the FMP) at the CoCo Hut Village enjoying some luxury. We now head to Koh Tao for some more seclusion. Again we may have difficulty updating the blog but we will try our best.
Bye for Now,
Joe and Nicole
Terraced tree house at night.
Bungalows right off the beach.
Joe in his sarong on the hammock outside our cabana.
Daytime view of the tree house.
Nicole in one of her common reading positions.
The journey from Bangkok to Koh Phangan was a tremendously trying experience. First, the VIP bus we had payed for was over-booked meaning that we had to board a 'regular' bus. This bus - which chose to play the oscar calibre film "Stargate Continuum" - travelled for 8 hours before we were asked to get off at 3am and wait on the side of the road for another bus. The next bus arrived at 4am and took us another 2 hours to Chumpon, even though our ticket was supposed to take us to Surat Thani. From Chumpon we were told to sleep on the ground in a parking lot outside the pier until the first ferry departed. At 7am we boarded a ferry which took us 4 hours over very rough seas to Koh Tao. After a 45 minute passenger transfer, the ferry set off for Koh Phangan. At this point the boat was so overloaded that passengers had filled every seat above and below deck as well as all available deck space, forcing many to hang their feet over the edge of the boat. This made for a very unstable ship, made worse of course by the aforementioned choppy conditions. During this 2 hour leg of the journey, we witnessed no fewer than a six passengers below deck vomiting uncontrollably into whatever they could find. Upon arriving on Koh Phangan we had only to sit in the back of a pick-up truck as it carried us the remaining 45 minutes to Tree House over roads that a tank would have difficulty negotiating.
Tree House, however, is fantastic. It rests in the jungle nestled around a private cove which has the perfect mix of powdery white sand, turquoise water, and large cliffs. The bungalows themselves are perched on the cliffs, affording them amazing views of the ocean. The place has a similar vibe to Jungle Beach, however we were surprised to find that nearly everyone at the guesthouse is German. For the first few days we were the only two people whose first language was English but everyone was quite friendly and made efforts to include us in conversation.
Nicole spent her mornings running in the jungle while the rest of our days were spent laying in the sun getting drunk before 11am, snorkeling and participating in the highly-competitive Germany v. Austria beach soccer games. Nights were occupied with lounging in hammocks or on beds surrounding low lying tables up at the tree house. Here, we spent our time talking with fellow travellers, listening to the ambient/funk/house/jazz blend that was supplied by DJ Glyn, or watching "The Fifth Element" as it was projected onto a screen made from a stretched out bed sheet. The vibe at Tree House is very relaxed in part due to the abundance of locally grown herbal and and fungal 'medicines'.
On a side note, our stay on the island also happened to coincide with on of the legendary full-moon parties (FMP) for which Koh Phangan is known. Nicole had intended to participate in the festivities but was unfortunately afflicted with a serious stomach condition. For a detailed account of the night you will have to speak to Joe. But rest assured that he - and the couple with whom he attended the party - fully immersed themselves in the experience. Highlights include but are not limited to: questionable milkshakes, neon body paint, The Reggae House Bar, naked farang vomiting in the streets, the freak out of a Iranian/Trinidadian couple, and several hours spent on a secluded beach arranging and taking pictures of three water bottles.
Our last few days have been spent in Haad Rin (scene of the FMP) at the CoCo Hut Village enjoying some luxury. We now head to Koh Tao for some more seclusion. Again we may have difficulty updating the blog but we will try our best.
Bye for Now,
Joe and Nicole
Terraced tree house at night.
Bungalows right off the beach.
Joe in his sarong on the hammock outside our cabana.
Daytime view of the tree house.
Nicole in one of her common reading positions.
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