Wow! Where to begin...so I took off from quiet Koh Tao and headed over to Koh Phangan. I think I mentioned last time I was here that I heard about an secluded beach accessible only by water that I never quite had a chance to make it to. Well it had bothered me and part of the reason I changed my flight was because I really had to see what this place was all about....So after a two hour ferry in seas that made the boat move like a roller coaster, I arrived into Koh Phangan and took a bus to Haad Rin, home of the infamous Full Moon Party. Spent no more than 5 minutes there...just booking my return ticket back to Bangkok since I didn't know if I'd be back in civilization anytime soon and jumped in the boat taxi to Haad Yuan. I arrived at Big Blue Guest House and got a bungalow near the beach for 350 baht, 10USD. What an amazing place....Its the nearest beach (by boat) to Haad Rin, about 10 minutes, but whats so crazy is that its relatively unheard of...very few tourists, and VERY laid back! The beach is clean, clear water, you can swim, not too crowded....I can go on forever, but really guys, this place has to be the highlight of my entire SE Asia trip. Parts of me are glad I came at the end since soo many people I met got there and have been stuck for two weeks plus.
Haad Yuan, is a really small beach on the southern side of Koh Phangan. Can't find much about it on the internet and its guests primarily all come only by word of mouth from other travelers (thanks Jason in Langkawi!). Very laid back, very chill, very beautiful and an amnesty agreements with the locals for parties 2 nights a week (Friday/Sunday). Only one internet cafe (extremely expensive), no cell phone service, no scooters, no taxis...literally the only way to get out of here is take a boat taxi at 150 baht to Haad Rin or another part of the island. Everyone I met here was more interesting than most of the people I met in most of SE Asia (referring to the typical meathead travelers here)....I learned my Mayan Galactic sign (Yellow Spectral Seed) but missed out on the chance for meditation, yoga and a spiritual massage. All of this is available, along with anythign else you can dream of, making it very similar to the Gili islands. From what I heard from the locals the beach has not been overdeveloped and infiltrated by the tourists since there is no mention in any Lonely Planet making it such a relaxing place..hopefully that doesnt change before I get back here...Unfortunately I had to take off after 3 nights there, one night before the famous jungle Half-Moon Party. Oh well, at least I made it here and I know that on my next trip to Thailand I won't waste any time at any other beach....
Monday, June 1, 2009
Days 217-219 -- Koh Tao
So my last day in Bangkok didn't end up being my last day in Bangkok. Basically en route to the airport I decided I wasn't quite ready to leave SE Asia and had my flight changed to have an extra week in Thailand. Met some Americans at a nearby expat hangout who were cool enough to let me crash at their place for the night since I had an early flight to Koh Samui in the morning...back to the beaches! Really cool how hospitable they were considering they knew me for less than an hour...the beauty of travel! Anyways, got up the morning of the 27th about 4am after only a couple hours of sleep and caught my flight south. Arrived into Koh Samui and hopped on the ferry to Koh Tao where I ran into a couple of people from the Perhentian Islands who were headed to Koh Tao for some diving. Got into Koh Tao, Thailand's diving capital, and was surprised that the majority of the accomodation options were linked to dive shops and if you weren't diving you'd be paying a lot. Signed up to do some dives, but eventually cancelled after rough seas and low visibility made me skeptical about how it would go.
So more about Koh Tao...really nice island and I've heard many great things but unfortunately this wasnt the best season since the rainy season has begun. Came here since my friend Emily whom I met in South Africa was in Thailand for two weeks and I could run into them here before heading to Koh Phagnan for one last time!! It seems like everyone in Koh Tao was doing a dive course so in the day time, there wasn't much to do unless you were diving. Spent two nights there, had a good time, ran into my friends and one late night out! Spent the days lounging around at the beach and the pool enjoying the last few days of Thailand's islands. Not really much else to say though other than if you don't feel like diving, you're better off at what's coming next...
So more about Koh Tao...really nice island and I've heard many great things but unfortunately this wasnt the best season since the rainy season has begun. Came here since my friend Emily whom I met in South Africa was in Thailand for two weeks and I could run into them here before heading to Koh Phagnan for one last time!! It seems like everyone in Koh Tao was doing a dive course so in the day time, there wasn't much to do unless you were diving. Spent two nights there, had a good time, ran into my friends and one late night out! Spent the days lounging around at the beach and the pool enjoying the last few days of Thailand's islands. Not really much else to say though other than if you don't feel like diving, you're better off at what's coming next...
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Day 216 -- Bangkok
Got out of the Perhentians and headed back to Bangkok for 1 last night before my flight to India. After a week of cold, spring water showers and no fan in my room I decided to cash in some Marriott points for a room at the JW Marriott. What better way to end 4 months of slumming SE Asia?!!? So I got into Bangkok after a long day and half of traveling, boat from Perhentian to Kuala Besut, night bus to KL, flight to Bangkok which was delayed three hours....once I got in, I enjoyed the splendors of Platinum membership, free happy hour and apetizers and then hit the streets to drop off a week's worth of laundry and get a haircut. Spent most of my last day in Bangkok finishing up last minute things, sending some mail, picking up malaria medicines and enjoying my pimped out room since who knows what to expect once I hit India.
Next stop...New Delhi via London! Damn British Airways....if only OneWorld had a more direct route!
Next stop...New Delhi via London! Damn British Airways....if only OneWorld had a more direct route!
Days 208-215 -- Perhentian Islands
I took my flight from Bali to KL and then another from KL to Kota Bahru, Malaysia. Arrived in KB about 11pm and jumped in a cab to a nearby hostel. Once I arrived the door was locked which was a fun adventure, even though the sign outside said '24 hours...' Finally got inside and found that the dorm room I had booked was empty so I had the whole place to myself....and the guy at reception tried to upgrade me to a single room for 5 times the price...ha!
Woke up in the morning and caught the 1 hour shuttle to Kuala Besut, small fishing village on the coast and jump-off point for the Perhentian islands. Jumped on the 30 minute boat to the islands and the driver asked where I needed to be dropped off. I had done no research at all so basically said take me where I could find a cheap place and meet some people and he advised Long Beach on the small island. As I got off the boat, I ran into a Italian guy who had the Lonely Planet (I traded mine in Bali for a new book to read....great idea!) and it said Rock Garden was a good place with cheap bungalows. We made the trek up the cliffs and got some bungalows for 25 ringit (3.5 ringit = 1USD) and the views were unreal (see the pics). No fans in the bungalows which made getting to sleep a little interesting, but after 1 night you got used to it and a cold shower right before bed helped you fall asleep immediately. When I got in my place I realized I had two geckos living in the bungalows, but they helped keep the mosquitos to a minimum so it was no worries...a little shocking at first sight though!
During my week on the islands I did a total of 7 dives on the islands, one site, Temple of the Sea being the highlight so I did it twice. Across all the dives, I saw bamboo sharks, black-tip sharks, coral cats, sea horses, rays, turtles and sooo many fish I can't even begin to list. It was a great idea to come here since the diving was realllyy cheap at less that $20USD a dive and beer really expensive @ $3USD compared to basically free in Indonesia. I only drank one night over the course of the week since I purposely setup 9AM dives every morning. It felt good to detox and relax on my last week in SE Asia. Had planned to do the infamous 1 day snorkeling trip dubbed as the best in the world but never got around to it since I got so caught up in the diving.
About the Perhentians: Amazing islands, the small island is the more backpacker island while the big island is the family/honeymoon island. Most travelers find themselves on Long Beach and in the week I was there it was pretty much all females. Walking along the beach in the daytime you'd see scattered groups of couples and then big groups of girls, but no guys...but at night after the 8pm movie at Panorama (which I watched everynight...) nobody seemed to go out. I guess they were all saving their money or all came for a similar reason to mine. Highly recommed you check this place out if you are in SE Asia...you won't be disappointed, but bring a few bottles of your own so you don't burn a hole in your wallet.
Woke up in the morning and caught the 1 hour shuttle to Kuala Besut, small fishing village on the coast and jump-off point for the Perhentian islands. Jumped on the 30 minute boat to the islands and the driver asked where I needed to be dropped off. I had done no research at all so basically said take me where I could find a cheap place and meet some people and he advised Long Beach on the small island. As I got off the boat, I ran into a Italian guy who had the Lonely Planet (I traded mine in Bali for a new book to read....great idea!) and it said Rock Garden was a good place with cheap bungalows. We made the trek up the cliffs and got some bungalows for 25 ringit (3.5 ringit = 1USD) and the views were unreal (see the pics). No fans in the bungalows which made getting to sleep a little interesting, but after 1 night you got used to it and a cold shower right before bed helped you fall asleep immediately. When I got in my place I realized I had two geckos living in the bungalows, but they helped keep the mosquitos to a minimum so it was no worries...a little shocking at first sight though!
During my week on the islands I did a total of 7 dives on the islands, one site, Temple of the Sea being the highlight so I did it twice. Across all the dives, I saw bamboo sharks, black-tip sharks, coral cats, sea horses, rays, turtles and sooo many fish I can't even begin to list. It was a great idea to come here since the diving was realllyy cheap at less that $20USD a dive and beer really expensive @ $3USD compared to basically free in Indonesia. I only drank one night over the course of the week since I purposely setup 9AM dives every morning. It felt good to detox and relax on my last week in SE Asia. Had planned to do the infamous 1 day snorkeling trip dubbed as the best in the world but never got around to it since I got so caught up in the diving.
About the Perhentians: Amazing islands, the small island is the more backpacker island while the big island is the family/honeymoon island. Most travelers find themselves on Long Beach and in the week I was there it was pretty much all females. Walking along the beach in the daytime you'd see scattered groups of couples and then big groups of girls, but no guys...but at night after the 8pm movie at Panorama (which I watched everynight...) nobody seemed to go out. I guess they were all saving their money or all came for a similar reason to mine. Highly recommed you check this place out if you are in SE Asia...you won't be disappointed, but bring a few bottles of your own so you don't burn a hole in your wallet.
Days 201-207 -- Kuta, Bali
Back to Kuta since my brother had to take off. We hit up all of our usual spots and did some last minute shopping before it was time for him to take off. Becca/Jacob, the couple from Lousiana also took off to Australia on the same day for their work holiday. After spending soo long in the Gilis I realized I'm not the biggest fan of Kuta....although the city and party is nice, the beaches are overcrowded, water not so clear and overall its just really touristy...Anyways, once my brother left, Eric (Manager from HK office) arrived for the weekend. Since he only had 4 days we couldn't venture too far so we stayed in the area. It was a fun weekend, ran into a handful of people that I met in the Gilis and we basically enjoyed Kuta for what it had to offer. Rented surfboards one afternoon and enjoyed the beaches on most days even though there were about a million other people on them. A few long nights out as well at Embargo, Bounty, Paddy's and some place I don't remember the names of. We stayed at New Arena which was basically little Scandanavia...the hotel might as well be located in Sweden since we were definitely the only room that wasn't Swedish. Lots of Scandanavians all over Bali...I guess its where they go to escape the cold of their country.
Anyways, had planned to stay in Indonesia once he took off, but after getting burned out in Kuta I decided it was time to take a break from the booze and head to Malaysia...I had heard that the Perhentian Islands had some amazing diving and know from experience that its expensive to go out so sounded like a perfect place to go detox for a week before leaving SE Asia.
Anyways, had planned to stay in Indonesia once he took off, but after getting burned out in Kuta I decided it was time to take a break from the booze and head to Malaysia...I had heard that the Perhentian Islands had some amazing diving and know from experience that its expensive to go out so sounded like a perfect place to go detox for a week before leaving SE Asia.
Days 193-200 -- Gili Islands
So I apologize for being such a slacker the past month...internet was expensive and more importantly, it was tough to get away from the clear water beaches of Indonesia to update the blog...here is an attempt at catching everyone up on the activities of the past few weeks...if it helps, I stopped writing in my journal too! Ha!
Here we go...got up early the first day to catch the fast boat to the Gili islands...bumpy ride, but glad we took the fast boat at 2.5 hours vs. the slow way at 12 hours. Got into Gili Trawangan and found a cool place at Coral Beach 2, massive room just steps away from the beach for less than $25. So more about the Gilis...The Gilis are a set of 3 islands east of Bali near the surf capital of Lombok. Backpacker havens for their laid back vibes and beach paradise feel. I finally understood why it came so highly recommended once I arrived because its probably the nicest beach I've ever been to in my whole life! Landscape was amazing and water crystal clear. Most of the week we spent our days right on the beach which had amazing snorkeling just meters from the beach. Currents were strong so we would just walk to the north side of the island and drift down in a matter of 20 minutes staring at the world underneath.
Checked out some of the dive shops to do some diving and ran into Luke, a guy from Canada who stayed at my hostel in KL. Since he was getting his divemaster at Buddha Dive and said all the instructors were good, we decided to go with them. Ended up completing my advanced course in Gili so now I am an advanced diver with the ability to go to 30 meters! Dive sites were really nice, but unfortunately a lot of the coral was dead since dynamite fishing used to be a big problem in the area.
Now the nightlife...where to begin. I think what makes this place so special is the nightlife! The 3 main party bars are set up on far end of the island and all of your accomodation options are on the opposite side. So basically, if you want to party, you walk down to the bars/restaurants and spend your time here before going home...if you don't you have quiet time on the other side near your bungalow...cant ask for much more. The 3 main party nights are Monday, Wednesday and Friday as the party rotates each of the nights to a different spot. EVERYONE from the island comes out on these nights and by about 1am the bar is happening and you are hanging with your Gili family. You end up running into everyone the next day on the beach and since you have a day off between parties you're well rested before the next big night! Oh yeah, it doesn't hurt that double anything (rum/vodka/gin/whiskey + mixer) is only 13,000 rupiah ($1.30 USD) all across the island....The local arak is tastier and stronger than tequila which helps set the tone for many nights out....
Movies: We also spent a lot of time at the movie cafe which ahd really comfortable lounge chairs and screened two movies everynight at 7pm and 9pm. All you had to do was order a drink or food and you could watch the movie for free!
Tolerance: Sooo how to explain...with no police on the island, the Gilis are a fairly tolerant place. All of the bars have signs offering magic mushrooms to "send you to the moon...no transport needed!" Pretty interesting and when police did come, they just erased their boards and put up drink specials....fascinating concept! I think this has a lot to do with why people get stuck here for so long....and for the record, we didn't indulge.
That wraps up about a week of time in the Gili's. When we arrived we anticipated staying about 4 days but that changed once we fell in love with the beach and made lots of new friends...
Day 192 -- Tulamben, Bali
Woke up early that morning after taking a night off from the nightlife of Kuta...the bus was there to pick us up at 7am and we had a 2.5 hour drive to Tulamben on the north side of the island of Bali. Slept most of the way and when we arrived we were basically at the base of the largest volcano on the island sitting right on the coast. We got our gear together and did the orientation for our first dive, Meno Wall about 2km from the USS Liberty wreck (2nd dive). Meno Wall was a pretty sweet site...literally a wall that drops off about 20 meters off the shore. Saw plenty of coral life, not as many fish as I anticipated, but still a good dive. Colors were pretty spectacular and it was good to see there wasn't too much damage from all the dynamite fishing that used to take place here 10+ years ago.
After the dive, we stopped for lunch just outside the site for the USS Liberty, a American ship that sank during World War II (I think?!?...its been a while). Anyways, we dove in and what an amazing site...lots of swimthroughs and after an hour we didnt even get to see the whole site...schools of barracuda, travely (jackfish), among others. Probably the coolest dive I've done yet and really wish we had listened to the divemaster and done both of our dives here rather than insisting we dive at the wall...Oh well, no big deal. Made the drive home and took it easy since we had another early morning to catch the boat to the Gili Islands!!!
After the dive, we stopped for lunch just outside the site for the USS Liberty, a American ship that sank during World War II (I think?!?...its been a while). Anyways, we dove in and what an amazing site...lots of swimthroughs and after an hour we didnt even get to see the whole site...schools of barracuda, travely (jackfish), among others. Probably the coolest dive I've done yet and really wish we had listened to the divemaster and done both of our dives here rather than insisting we dive at the wall...Oh well, no big deal. Made the drive home and took it easy since we had another early morning to catch the boat to the Gili Islands!!!
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