Back to Thailand 2001                                           Back to Home Page

In chronological order:

Bangkok 1  -  Pictures of Bangkok   

Ko Samui  -  Pictures of Ko Samui

Ang Thong Marine Park  -  Pictures of Ang Thong                 

Ko Taen 1  -  Pictures of Ko Taen   

Ko Taen 2                                   

Chiang Mai  -  Pictures of Chiang Mai

Loy Krathong  -  Pictures of Loy Krathong

Bangkok 2                                   

Monday 22nd October 2001

Robs -

After the temples we headed for the train station for our overnight sleeper South towards the islands. First class air-conditioned carriage, very comfortable. I had one beer (same strength as Special Brew I found out later).. . and started to feel a bit funny. My mouth filled with saliva as if I was about to chuck. Apparently I went green. I'd order some train food, but couldn't face it. Everybody else was drinking, having fun, while I just felt worse and worse. They all found it very funny of course. We persuaded the guard to make a bed for me and I went to "sleep". The others followed about an hour later.

Well I know Simon raved about the night train but I guess that he can sleep though ANYTHING. The train was racing through the night, bouncing along the tracks and every time our heads would BOUNCE off the pillow. Very disturbing. I was convinced we were going to come off the tracks and plunge over some unseen precipice into a jungle ravine. It wasn't a good sleep.

But it was amazing to be woken up at 6am by the guard, and looking out to see the station surrounded by huge palms, shrouded in a thin jungle mist. From there it was a 30minute ride to the port which was like something from "Mosquito Coast", a rickety platform on a muddy brown river with a rusty ferry chugging alongside. That's our boat!

While waited for the boat to be ready we sat in a little cafe, surrounded by the cutest tiny puppies begging for food. I had earlier convinced Matty that absolutely all the dogs in Thailand carried rabies, so he kept standing on his chair "GET THAT THING AWAY! IT MIGHT BITE ME". It was sooooo funny. Hang on Matty, I thought you were a postman?

The boat trip was gorgeous, out across the Gulf of Thailand passing hilly islands totally covered in lush vegetation from the hilltops to the beaches. Fishermen putt-putting past and casting nets out; rafts of palm trees that had floated down river. I sat downstairs and looked out an open window (I was still feeling a bit grim) but the others sat upstairs on deck. The boat was quite busy.

Here on Ko Samui we have taken 4 air-conditioned rooms for 3 nights in a very touristy bit (Chawen - wouldn't have been my first choice) which looks out across a picturesque little bay with hills at one end and with a coral reef separating it from the sea (so it makes a lagoon). The sea is warm, and doesn't get deeper than about 4 feet all the way from the shore to the reef, so you can walk and swim out to the coral, it's about 200 yards.

Last night was our first night here, and the first night we could really relax since we left England (Bangkok didn't count - that was a First-Night-At-Glastonbury-Festival type of thing). I had fresh barbecued tuna steak in garlic pepper sauce with steamed rice. 4 of us stayed in the cafe in our resort (which is very green, little bungalows surrounded by palms, flowers and 30 feet from the sea) and the others went to check out the bars "downtown". They were hassled to drink in bars, and by Ladies Of Dubious Morals. It does sound like the tourism trade is really down, and one of the beach sellers told us that one of the reasons for that is that lots of people had gone off to Ko Pha Ngan for the full moon party in a few days.  

Well it's Monday now, and I slept like a dog last night for the first time since we got here. We woke up this morning to more tropical rain although it's brightened up now, that's the monsoon I guess. We used the mozzie nets last night and I killed 5 before we got into bed. Within 2 days I had lovely big red blotches all over my legs, although I hadn't even SEEN any mozzies at that point. I'll take some photos to show you :)

My stomach got better after a couple of days, nothing came up or down. Couldn't take the beer and late nights I guess. Old fart. I'm playing it safe with the food though, nothing spicy for a few days. Well I'm off now to find out about the marine park tour. I'll write again in a couple of days, there seems to be internet cafes in most places. Use the hotmail address to reply.

Sounds like you're having dreams of security and I've only been gone for 3 days. Just think of my big red blotchy legs aaaahhh kissy kissy. You mentioned butterflies - there are big blue and black tropical butterflies in the trees around our bungalow. And MASSIVE FUCK-OFF WASPS.

Like I said on the phone I will definitely come back because WE would do such different things. Love you, miss you, eating for you, 

JP xxxx

Wednesday 24th October 2001

Robs -

Did I say they had been hassled by LADIES Of Dubious Morals? Well, we visited one bar in town and our little table was surrounded by the aforementioned Persons. "Out for some fun tonight boys?" What?? Where did THAT voice come from? It was deeper than Arthur Mullards - those are LADYBOYS of Dubious Morals. Yep, it was a Ladyboy bar, and 8 nervous people really can huddle around a 3 foot table. We didn't stay long...