See trip index here,Vietnam index here and additional Vietnam photos here

Our fiftieth day started early for a 6am tour to the DMZ.  Yeah – I know we hate organised tours, but there is very little alternative to see the DMZ.  Annoyingly, we got picked up at 6am, driven around for a bit, had a crap breakfast, then at 7:45am drove back past our hotel!  What a waste as we could’ve had an extra hour in bed and a decent breakfast. 

The tour of the DMZ took us to part of the Ho Chi Minh trail (Hiel Luong Bridge), and the bit we saw was just a modern bridge from Korea.  Then on to an old US airbase Khe Kanh with some old US equipment and then on to the Vinh Moc tunnels – a network of tunnels buried to avoid US bombs.

The tunnels are worth seeing and the history is interesting, but the rest of the items on the tour were not.  With 7 hours on a bus to see them you really need to be keen – or see the trip as more of a way of seeing the countryside and real villages and towns with a few DMZ bits thrown in. 

When we were back in the UK, we (and I’m sure some family and friends) thought we were going where no man had gone before – but as we’ve found its not the case – it really is a well trodden path.  Wandering round Hue in the evening we bumped into some more people we met in Ha Long bay and had a good night with.  They were just leaving Hue, but due to the standard route we all seem to follow, we have arranged a night out in Hoi An in a couple of days.  The French couple we met on the same trip and bumped into a few days ago – we will be meeting in Ho Chi Minh in a week or so!  Such a small world, and clearly such an unadventurous and standard route we use!

For our last day in Hue we used a walking map provided free from the Mandarin Cafe (cheap good food and beer) and explored the town a bit more – nice to be free of tours!  Had my hair cut and probably had the most care ever taken.  Took two guys to do it, one with clippers and one with a cut throat razor, and cost 50,000 dong (£1.60) which is cheap but probably Western rates.  We had hoped to get to our next stop in Hoi An by train and public bus, but due to the upcoming Tet holidays the public busses are packed to the brim and not really suitable.  So a comfortable tourist bus has been booked for the 3-4 hour journey.

As it turned out, the bus was the SinhTourist sleeping bus, which was a bizarre 3-row, 2 high and about 8 long arrangement with seats that reclined almost flat and really very comfortable.  Ifyou consider an overnight bus trip then use them.  Great views along the way, but we didn’t go over the pass and instead used the tunnel.  Made no difference due to the mist anyway.

Hoi An turns out to be a rather pleasant and chilled town though slightly tourist orientated.  But easy to walk around, nice shops, and lots of UNESCO sites to see, such as temples and the covered Japanese Bridge.  Restaurants are easy to find and menus easy to read, and the food rather good.    We had a nice meal in one which was rated at 71/144 – so thats at least 70 other good places. 

From our hotel we can walk about 3km interesting walk and get to the beach and sea, which again was rather pleasant – lovely quiet sandy beaches with good views.  And we are now fortunate the cloudy weather that has dogged us since getting into Vietnam has cleared.

One of the typical trips from here is to My Son – a UNESCO temple (ruin) complex.  Very nice to look at, and interesting, but only an hour or so needed.  Seeing  My Son is so typical we saw 2 people we’ve met previously!

All in all, a rather interesting few days in Vietnam

Next installment is here

See trip index here,Vietnam index here and additional Vietnam photos here

Hanoi is still a city of chaos – not a place to come if you want a relaxing time.  For new westerners street eating isn’t easy, most places don’t have menus or speak English and as Mel doesn’t eat meat  or speak Vietnamese its a bit tough. Also its a bit cold and sitting outside isn’t ideal especially on tiny plastic chairs that are meant for primary schools.  But, we found a nice restaurant with street-type food (and more) for only a little extra – and you can sit inside with a beer!  Our new Hanoi regular haunt.

We booked a trip to Ha Long bay which to be fair is a must see, even if (like us) you’ve already visited multiple limestone lakes/sea/caves in recent weeks.  After looking into a DIY trip we opted for a cheapish ($84) overnight trip, which included the 3.5hr minibus ride to Ha Long town (an adventure in itself!) and an overnight stay on a “junk” boat.  We were expecting a dire boat, but the cabin was a double en-suite room with AC which was actually pretty good. Food was good and we were lucky with a nice group on the boat too, French, German, Isreali, Brazilian, Polish and more, and a guy from Slough! 

The limestone cave was a bit standard, and the walk up a hill for the view was pretty good.  Kayaking was okay but, again, fairly standard, and as the sun was behind cloud it wasn’t really the weather to max out the watersports.  Overall though a pretty good trip and superb if you’ve not been to similar places recently.

Our final Hanoi day saw us take in the Women Museum; Ho Chi Minh museum and the Literature temple.  All good sites but some of them a bit lost on us I’m afraid!

Our next stop is Hue (pronounced hway), and the travel options include overnight train journey, overnight bus, or fly.  After seeing a French couple have to get a taxi-bike (3 people and 3 rucksacks on a Moped), and after the 3.5hr bus ride to Ha Long bay we’re glad we took the safe and quick chicken route and opted for a quick flight – £56pp.  I know….. 

However….  when we were taxiing the plane had a problem with a “flight control system” so we had to return to the gate.  Obviously with a hammer and gaffa tape they fixed it, but then said “its now air worthy but we can’t land in the wet – and its raining in Hue” – so they tried to find another plane.  But then they got approval from Airbus that we could land in the rain so we left about 90 minutes late.

We got to our hotel in Hue and went for a walk, and low and behold we met the French couple who took the bus and they said the bus was excellent!  Damn.  Small world…

For our first day in Hue we went on a typical ”city tour”.  Whilst we generally hate being herded around, a few of the must-see tombs are miles away and the only way (bar expensive taxi) is via a tourist bus.   So after a quick dash around the Citadel (more time needed) plus a few other okay ish bits n bobs we went to the 3 tombs – Minh Mang; Khai Dinh and Tu Doc.  All different emperor tombs ages and styles and all impressive in their own way – either location, build, or natural beauty.  Well worth it – though the dragon boat bit back wasn’t really exciting!

On our return we ventured to the Citadel side of the river, rather busier and more local than our side, with a manic market.  But generally, Hue is more chilled than Hanoi in a nice sort of way but is still exciting – more Thai like.  Maybe the reason is the amount of cannabis we keep getting offered…

see next installment here

See trip index here Vietnam index here and additional Vietnam photos here

After an early start we got our bus to KL, quite a posh coach.  Yet despite all the naff busses we’ve used, it was this posh one that kept breaking down…  We did make the airport on time though and arrived OK in Hanoi, and got to our hotel without problem.  OK – we arranged a prebooked taxi to avoid all the airport scams.  Annoyingly, after 31’C and sunny for many weeks, Hanoi is cloudy and about 15’C which feels freezing!  Bring back the beach!

Completely knackered we went for a quick scout around Hanoi old town.  Blimey.  Makes Bangkok look like a quiet village, bikes everywhere, traffic lights, roundabouts and one-way streets ignored, and action and entertainment everywhere.  Quite a laugh to watch!  After getting some cash and finding our feet, we bought some food without issue, but then almost fell to a short-changing scam with a street seller.  I was just highlighting the incorrect money when a tourist policeman ran over and smacked her over the head and gave her a bollocking.  Oops.  Got my change but probably paid over the odds anyway.  Then the next supermarket where we got water tried to short change us and we think we were fake banknote somewhere along the line (worth 3p!)

Despite this early warning, Vietnam has the buzz and excitement lacking in Malaysia, but with much more care needed…

After a good nights sleep we were a bit more alert as we continued to see Hanoi.  The traffic and bikes remain chaotic but organised, and you can easily cross the road by walking across and just have belief everyone will avoid you.  They do, and its quite normal – though if we end up run over then you know we got it wrong….  Apart from the usual 4 people or 3 crates on a moped, we’ve seen a dead pig, a living pig, an orange tree, and 20 goldfish in their own bags.  Never a dull moment!

The Army museum is interesting showing downed and captured American planes, and the tone of some of the exhibits saying how they defeated the French is quite amusing!  Worth the 30,000 entry fee (£1) just for that.  The two lakes are worth wandering around, but sadly it is quite chilly in Hanoi in December so the lakes and parks weren’t at their best.

 With Tet coming up the Hanoi market was an absolute zoo – no idea how it works but money was changing hands everywhere and boxes/bags moving anywhere and everywhere.  Complete chaos to a westerner!  We popped into the infamous Hanoi Hilton prison (Hoa Lo) which the French built to house Vietnamese prisoners, but later used to hold American pilots caught in the Vietnam war.  The propaganda was immense saying how well the US prisoners were looked after – not quite how the US saw it…

One must see in Hanoi is the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre.  We had no idea what to expect, and were expecting it to be dire, but it was actually a superb bit of entertainment.  Very clever indeed and well worth the visit.

With poor weather, the idea of going trekking to Sapa was forgotten – at 1500m it can cold and foggy, and not lush and green as it would be in the summer.  Instead we are going to head to Halong bay for an overnight trip on a Junk – and just got our fingers crossed on the weather!  We’ll return to Hanoi after as there is still much more to see.

See next installment here

Malaysia Costs and Review

See our general tip page here.  Note the costs here do not include international  flights, vaccines and insurance etc – this will be detailed at the end of the trip.

Overall

Malaysia only appeared on our trip as a convenient way to get from southern Thailand to Hanoi.  Because we have been on islands & beaches in Thailand, and expect to in Vietnam, we didn’t want to see Malay beaches and islands, and also Borneo just didn’t fit in to our main plan.  As such, our views are just based on Kuala Lumpur and Melaka.

Sadly, what we saw didn’t meet expectations.  The places were okay but nothing of a “wow factor” stood out.  Pleasant enough, but not special.  KL especially was filthy, rubbish and food waste everywhere (bar main tourist drags), so rats everywhere.  Street food stalls we so loved in Thailand didn’t appeal – they looked dirtier, dimly lit, and just weren’t exciting.  The ones we did try were okay but not outstanding.

The lack of photos we took were due to not being able to find much that impressed…  So KL as a couple of day stop over is okay, but don’t expect too much.  Of course, if you are after islands and Borneo – then you will see much more than we did and may well have a different view.

I guess we just weren’t very excited by anything in Malysia, felt more of a holiday destination than an adventure trip. 

Budget

We didn’t spend too much as there wasn’t much to buy.  Accommodation was cheap and food reasonable, beer very expensive. Hardly any trips or interesting things to spend money on – even the tourist info didn’t have any leaflets on typical excursions. Museums and cinema/bowling dirt cheap.

Shopping for “stuff” is UK standard and prices and thus we didn’t buy anything.

Our spend is probably the lower end of what is doable in Malaysia.  If you go out and about more or see islands then expect to pay a lot more

Security

Never once did we hear any dodgy stories about Malaysia, nor did we feel unsafe at any time.  We always got the correct change back.   So in our view, very safe indeed.

Useful facts:-

• ATMS:  Everywhere for VISA and Mastercard.  Easy to get cash at airport. Only Malaysian Ringgits are dispensed
• Currency:  Everything is priced and paid for in Ringgits (RM).
• Landary: Not that common but doable, 6RM/kg
• 7/11:  Some places, but so are local shops – convenient for water but 2.5RM a bottle of water – and most is non-mineral.
• Transport:  Easy to use and busses/trains very cheap.  Not great links though.  Didn’t see any tourist mini busses so public transport only.
• Chemists:  Everywhere
• Food:  Street food stalls not great, try food courts in big malls for interesting and cheap local choices
• Language:  English everywhre. 
• Power:  UK plug and 240v -no issue.
• Internet:  Wifi available in every guesthouse we used and in many bars/cafes.  Internet cafes and PCs to borrow also available free/cheap.
• Toilets:  Western style in all guest houses and in most “good” public places, there may only be one in a row so look.  Worth carrying toilet paper though seldom needed.

Stuff we took and didn’t use

(see our packing list here)

• Towels – they were provided by every guesthouse, even special beach towels
• Mozzie net – not needed.
• Loads of clothes – you only need 4-5 sets of undies – laundry is so trivial to do you do not need to carry as much as us.
• Spare batteries for stuff – power so available we kept things charged
• Main padlock – all guest houses had normal locks

Things we’d change

Less time in KL and Melaka.  Our timing was fixed due to getting Vietnam Visa and flights sorted.  Didn’t see anything else near that seemed worth visiting.  Using Malaysia as a stop off is fine but not great, but of couse if you are doing islands/beaches or Borneo then its a different kettle of fish.

See trip index here and additional Malaysian photos here

After a post new year lie in, for our last full day in Kuala Lumpur we ventured out by train to Batu Caves just north of the city – visible from KL tower.  Getting there on the train was trivial and full of locals as the Batu Caves is a selection of religious temples which some interesting statues – including an absolutely massive Buddah.  The walk to the top was only <200 steps – nothing compared to the Tiger Cave steps in Thailand, and the top opens to a cave and more temples.

We didn’t venture into the cave tour or the temples – we’re limestone-caved out after Thailand and we know there will be more when we get to Vietnam.  We had tea at the restaurant associated with the guesthouse, and the food was actually pretty good.  Excellent naan with tandori chicken (or fish for Mel) – showing that Malaysian traditional food is definitely a cross between Indian, Thai, Vietnamese and American fast food.

Leaving KL we went via train, long distance bus and local bus to our guest house in Melaka (also known as Malacca).  We were expecting better things in Melaka and to be fair our guesthouse is a vast improvement – not bad for 55RM (£11) a night for a large en-suite room, breakfast and wifi.  On our first scout Melaka looks a lot cleaner than KL and is a bit more interesting and less chaotic to walk around.  Still not spotless though and we found a family of rats opposite the guesthouse.

We had a good lunch – one of our tips for Malaysia is to go to some of the local shopping centres and their food courts.  Forget the UK style, these provide numerous tiny individual stalls with all the possible local foods at almost street price, but in a cleaner environment.  They are always full to the brim of local people and the food good and varied.  To be fair, they look a lot more appetising than the street cafes which in Malaysia we’re struggling to get excited by, though we did try some out.  More annoying is a single bottle of beer (330ml) is as much as two main courses (or 4 ice creams!)

With our flights and visa letter sorted for Vietnam, we also managed to find a way to get from Melaka direct to KLIA airport preventing us from having to return to KL.  This does give us more time to explore Melaka which isn’t that big.

The river is an interesting walk, lots of arty and painted buildings, and huge lizards (comodo dragons?) walking about freely.  The Bukit Cina hill has some poignant memories of WW2 but the Portuguese settlement and St Johns fort were not that exciting, and the maritime museum was just about worth the RM3 (60p) entry.  Sadly that sort of summarises our view of both KL and Melaka:  interesting to walk around, but nothing that is of “wow” standard. The lack of photos backs this up!

On our final day in Melaka, all that is left is the night market in China town (street) – but that is in doubt as Mel is a little ill – another bug/flu of some sort.  Its okay, its not as if we’ve got a day of busses and planes and taxis tomorrow as we go to Hanoi is it?  Oh…….

Review of Malaysia here and next installment when we get to Vietnam is here

See trip index here and additional Malaysian photos here

With a sad goodbye to Thailand (for now) we went to Krabi airport and flew AirAsia to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia which turned out to be a quick and simple affair.  Malaysia only appeared on our itinerary as a convenient joiner for Hanoi and southern Thailand rather than a specific desire.  From KL airport, a simple and cheap bus to the city (8MYR £1.60) let us chill and see the lush countryside – all looking good.

Our guesthouse was easily found and in a good location, but to be fair not up to our usual standard despite good web reviews.  Hate to see some others… We rejected the first room due to leak in bathroom, then rejected the second due to faulty air con, and then went back to the first room after they fixed the leak.  Only after did the leak return and we realised the window had a huge gap in it so it was very noisy.  Hey ho.

Our evening hike into KL didn’t make the city warm to us.  A mix of very big/modern buildings with very poor and messy unkempt backstreets.  Lots of rubbish everywhere including food waste, and hence some mega-sized rats running around.  The cafes and street eateries just didn’t look or feel as good as Thailand – even the lightbulbs were dimmer, and our random choice of food on the first day was mediocre at best.  This was quite a surprise as we expected KL/Malaysia to be a step up from Thailand in terms of quality and appeal, but first wanderings suggest otherwise.

Our second day took us wandering further up to the Petronas towers and the KLCC mega shopping mall. If you love shopping you’ll love KL and its countless Mega Malls, but really the shops and prices are no different to the UK – the Malls could almost be in London.  All tours of the towers and sky-bridge were full and due to holiday season you need to queue before 8am to get a ticket!  We decided this wasn’t for us, so went to the Kuala Lumpar Tower instead – a huge tall broadcasting tower just down the road.  The views from the top were impressive and worth going up to see, but the little zoo attached was a good example of how not to look after animals – most cages were simply “pet-shop” sized which didn’t please Mel.

The only interesting exhibit was a weird two-headed tortoise – really weird.

We still found street stalls to be less appealing than Thailand, but our food choice improved.  The place we went for tea we pretty much got dragged in by the vendor, and probably were the only white people to venture in – ever.  Very rough and ready, and though the fish heads were not appealing, the food was good and tasty and very cheap!

Continuing our KL tour, we explored Chinatown and the interesting Central Market and the Merdeka Square, the latter being prepped for NYE fireworks.  We then ventured to the almost deserted, but very nice Lake Gardens – a huge botanical/tropical garden with a lake and quite a few things to do – you could easily spend a day or more here.  (Butterfly world, Bird world, museums etc).   We went to the Planetarium which was a bargain of 20p entry and 60p per film,  fairly interesting but we got there late so only saw one film there.  Well worth a visit if you have any interest at all in the stars.

After more wandering we went to another (!) mega shopping mall – Pavilions – and saw the new Shelock movie which was superb. 

On New Years Eve we cheekily sneaked up to the 33rd floor in Traders hotel, to their sky bar, for an impressive view of the Petronas towers.  Clearly by the multiple swimming pools its a more expensive place than where we stay! For New Year itself, there were numerous parties and bands around KL, but we went back to the KLCC park and the Petronas towers.

The DJ and first band were quite dire, amateurish at best, and when the fireworks appeared they weren’t between the buildings as everyone expected, but behind us….  They were supposed to be sync’d with music but we could not hear the music so it didn’t really work.  A good final but not an event you’d class as spectacular.  Getting out was a challenge the manners of most people wasn’t great.

So fair to say, Kuala Lumpur has some nice sites, but nothing that has wowed us and isn’t a place we’d recommend or return to (bar using the airport!).  With one more day here before heading to Meleka (Malacca) where we hope to see some nicer places in Malaysia.  For sure Malaysia has some lovely rainforest, limestone caves and beaches, but as we’re seeing similar in Thailand, Vietnam etc they aren’t on the Malaysian agenda.

Next installment here

Happy new year from us both.  Currently 1:23am and still about 30′C here!  Just been to see the fireworks and party at Petronas towers.

Sadly the DJ was dire, and the band awful, but the fireworks were ok with a good finale.  Not much booze here for obvious reasons….

Leaving KL in a couple of days to go to Melaka (Malacca) – then back to KL then off to Vietnam…. 

Hope all your dreams come true in 2012!

Ryan & Mel

Southern Thailand Costs and Review

See our general tip page here.  Note the costs here do not include flights, vaccines and insurance etc – this will be detailed at the end of the trip.

Overall

Overall we were very impressed with Southern Thailand.  The more we saw the more we liked, and we know we could have easily stayed longer here.  We did see a few too many beaches and maybe we were a bit too touristy for a bit, but this area was supposed to be our gap-filler last area rather than the first.  Whilst very much geared for longer trips and tours, there were some areas suitable for 1-2 week holidays.

Southern Thailand is a fun and trivially easy place to explore, it may be chaotic and confusing at times but it does work! 

Budget

Our daily spend of £43 for us both we think is pretty good.  If you like drinking more, eating in better places, or buy more tat, then £50 a couple is a good budget.  We did use good and more expensive guesthouses, and had a few expensive meals and trips.  Thus on a budget, you could do everything we did for probably £30-35 a day for a couple quite easily.  (e.g. shared bathroom, no AC, and only street food). 

We also did spend money on good transport and didn’t always use the cheapest option, sometimes a simple taxi to the airport is easier than a crammed lorry with bags balanced on the roof doing the rounds trying to pick more people up for an hour…

Security

You will hear all the nightmare stories before you go and when you are there.  But we didn’t have any security problems, and only felt vulnerable once or twice – and that was in “night life” areas of dodgy places.  Always carry your valuables, so don’t leave laptop/money/passport anywhere other than your “day bag”.  You may be forced to leave main rucksack out of view (bus hold, ferry bag pile etc) and thus don’t keep anything in main rucksack of value.

That said, we never had problems, and no one tried to short-change us or rip us off, so for us, Southern Thailand is as safe as anywhere.  Just don’t get complacent.

Useful facts:-

• ATMS:  Everywhere for VISA and Mastercard.  Easy to get cash at airport. Only Bhats are dispensed
• Currency:  Everything is priced and paid for in Bhats.
• Landry:  Everywhere – 20 to 70 bhat depending where you are (35/40 average)
• 7/11:  Everywhere – convenient for cheap/cold water and sweets!
• Transport:  Busses easy; Trains easy; and taxi/tuk tuk “beep” on way past you – so easy to get as you just wave.  Agree taxi/tuk tuk price before getting in.  We used taxi; tuk-tuk; bike tuk-tuk; pickup truck; songthaew; mini van; old bus; newish bus; train; sleeper train;  speedboat; longtail boat; ferry; moped.  No problems in anything…
• Chemists:  Everywhere
• Food:  Easy to get on street – wherever people are there are food sellers
• Language:  Knowing Yes, No, Thanks, How Much and numbers in Thai is enough to get by easily.  You will learn other things when needed. 
• Power:  mains plugs everywhere so charging stuff is trivial (socket adapter may be needed, and of course make sure charger is 110/240v!). 
• Internet:  Wifi available in every guesthouse we used and in many bars/cafes.  Internet cafes and PCs to borrow also available free/cheap.
• Toilets:  Western style in all guest houses and in most “good” public places, there may only be one in a row so look.  Worth carrying toilet paper though seldom needed.

Stuff we took and didn’t use

(see our packing list here)

• Towels – they were provided by every guesthouse, even special beach towels
• Mozzie net – only needed in one place, and it was already provided.
• Loads of clothes – you only need 4-5 sets of undies – laundry is so trivial to do you do not need to carry as much as us.
• Spare batteries for stuff – power so available we kept things charged
• Main padlock – all guest houses had normal locks

Things we’d change

Less time in Khao Lak (we were ill so stayed longer than necessary).  More time in Kanchanaburi and surrounding area.  We’d also bring a weaker DEET as you don’t always need the strong stuff.  We’d probably try and find some normal towns along our route as these are more interesting than the touristy places.

See trip index here and Southern Thailand index here. Additional pictures here

We are suitably impressed with our accommodation and hosts at Groovy Bungalows – nice to splash out for Christmas!  Included in the room is a 100cc scooter, so we ventured out onto the Thai roads…  The scooter is a semi-automatic which I’ve not ridden before, but apart from being a bit clunky it seems to be okay with us both on it – though the drum brakes aren’t up to my old CBR600 twin disks!

Ao Nang is a rather pleasant place – a little touristy but not spoilt or pushy like Patong, and as such it feels a lot more genuine and is priced accordingly.  Street food is far cheaper here than anywhere else.  The Nopparat Thara Beach near Ao Nang is quiet and very beautiful, and it is possible to walk/wade to private beaches on islands just a few 100m away.

We ventured out about 30km to Tha Pom which is a unique place where salt water and fresh water mix creating a cross between a swap and a rain forest, making for some very pretty views.  The only downside was the heavens opened (well I guess it is a rain forest ish!) and we got soaked – and the entire ride back was in driving rain and without full face helmets it was like being sand blasted!

When the weather dried out in the evening we ventured into town for a Christmas meal as it appears everyone thinks 24 December is Christmas day.  (Due to the Sweeds?).  So we had a Christmas meal in “Bernies” – which was a massive buffet.  We skipped starters and I had 2 plates of “Carlsburg BBQ quality” food – e.g. 95% meat and a token potato.  Superb but costly at about 10x street food meals.  Still, we tried to get our moneys worth!

On Christmas day we ventured to the Tiger Cave, which was a little dull, but the main reason was a 1200+ step climb to the top of the mountain – so we thought it’d help burn off the preceding evenings dinner.  The first few steps are tiny which lull you into a false sense of security, as after that they get a lot steeper…  The climb was a challenge but the views at the top, with Budda, were  stunning and worth the hike.

On the way back our motorbike broke down, and within 30 seconds a guy stopped with us, asked what was going on and proceeded to help get it started.  Amazingly friendly and we got going again, only to brake down 1km later.  Following the tips from our helper we managed to keep limping a km at a time, and for a second time we got asked if we needed help – all very genuine and very impressive from the locals.  When we got back we found the fuel filter was crudded up, so we got another bike – this time with a disk brake that worked!

For tea we ate on the streets again and had a lovely walk along Ao Nang beach – a place we actually really like and recommend.  It is pretty enough and really feels a nice place.  All the trips we did from Patong can be done from Ao Nang which makes Ao Nang a really good place to base yourself.

The following day we took a longtail boat to Ao Phra Nang beach, which is rated as one of the top 10 beaches in the world and the best in Asia.  Not sure about that, but it was absolutely stunning – very impressive.  Lovely sand, superb limestone cliffs and formations (being climbed), and a beautiful blue sea.  We were more than impressed, so much so we forgot to walk to Rai Lay beach.

On our last full day in Southern Thailand we took the bike into Krabi town.  We must admit it wasn’t the most spectacular of places, but it did feel more local than many places we’ve visited, and we had a hassle free look around the town and a big market.  So still worth a trip if you fancy a day away from other tourists.

After yet another lovely (and cheap) street meal in Ao Nang our time in Southern Thailand comes to an end with a flight to Kuala Lumpar in Malaysia in the morning.

See our review and costs of Southern Thailand here and next installment here

See trip index here and Southern Thailand index here. Additional pictures here

Leaving Patong we headed to Koh Phi Phi (pronounced pee pee) for a night.  Our expectations of Phi Phi were quite low as we heard it was over spoilt by tourists.  The ferry over from Patong was a death trap and the luggage was stacked just ready to block the door in an emergency.  Think Mels rucksack got damaged here…

Anyway, we got to Phi Phi alive and checked in to an expensive but pretty poor guesthouse – just about suitable for a night and explored Phi Phi.  The main “town” is packed with scuba shops and bars, and lots of shops selling “buckets” of drink – e.g. a small bucket with a can of coke and a half bottle of spirit and a couple of straws.  So in the evening Phi Phi was rather like a club 18-30s venue, lots of drunk people getting dubious tattoos and partying along the beach with entertaining fire dancers. 

The beach and views on Phi Phi were okay but not as impressive as we’d expected, though of course we didn’t have time to explore the more distant beaches which are certainly more special, and of course we only looked at the main Phi Phi Don island.  If you go to Phi Phi and don’t want the constant party then you should seriously consider an out-of-town resort.

In the morning we left to another island, Koh Lanta to a section called Klong Khong – apparently the last backpacker beach area here.  This area is much more suitable for couples or people wanting a quieter time – the beach is nice, the sea warm, and loads of quiet beach bars with enough going on to keep us entertained – just.  Our accommodation was basic but sweet, a sort of concrete/bamboo hybrid.

A couple of the beach bars had fire dancers and live music which were good enough, but there didn’t appear to be enough people for a big party which suited us.

The beach was pretty at high tide, but at low it exposed more rocks and coral, mainly dead, but it meant you could explore rock pools and see some weird things.  Not quite a wild life haven but interesting nevertheless.  We also found some wildlife, a frog, that was trying to live in Mels rucksack.  An amazing creature as it could stick to walls an could jump almost across the room in one go. 

We left by taxi/ferry to Ao Nang via the usual ferry chaos – including 2 mid-sea transfers for some, but the views were interesting and some others did a transfer at Rai Lay where the views were spectacular and the beaches looked quiet and idyllic.  Had we heard of the place beforehand….

As it was, we got to our accommodation “Groovy Bungalows” just outside Ao Nang which is the most expensive we’ve had to date, 1800 per night, or 7,200 for 5 nights, so £29 a night including breakfast and free motorbike.   The room is stunning by Thai standards and great by UK, the hosts more than helpful, and we’ve even got a swimming pool!  Bargain…

See next installment here