Good Day Mates: January 2009

We arrive Thailand and head to the train station located in central Bangkok. My first impression is exactly how I imagined the city, congested with Tuk Tuks at every block and heaps of scooters. We(myself and my fellow travellers...Jenn and Shelley) hop on an overnight train and get off in the town of Surat Thani to take a connecting bus to Ao Nang. Finally our last journey is a long boat from Ao Nang to Ton Sai a place recommended by both locals and travellers. The area is a backpackers retreat; we found accommodations for 950 Baht a night (no more than 15.00 Canadian a night). This is where I spent Christmas and then headed to West Railay just a long boat away...seriously, around the rocks and we were there! We stayed in the East area for two nights (it’s a 5 minute walk between the East and West). We did a snorkel tour during our time here and went to Phi Phi Island (where The Beach was filmed). I saw heaps of different fish species as well as beautiful colourful coral reef. The ocean floor was filled with colours that took my breath away. I also spotted a sea turtle, pretty cool! Next destination...Koh Phangan for 5 days. This is the place to be for New Years Eve...an estimated 30,000 on the beach of Had Rin...good times and buckets is all I can say about this place. From there we took a boat to Koh Samui for another couple of days. Then back to Bangkok by boat and an overnight bus. In Bangkok we found very cheap accommodations and food. I had Pad Tai for a total of 20baht...thats like a dollar. And it was good. Our first night in Bangkok we reunited with some English friends and had a great time.