Tag Archives: beaches

Koh Lipe Trash Hero!

2015-12-14 ramblintraveler Leave a comment

While on the island of Koh Tao, I’d volunteered to be Trash Hero on several occasions and was tickled to see that Koh Lipe had their own Trash Hero organization as well!

Koh Lipe has amazingly beautiful clean and clear waters surrounding all its edges, which honestly was surprising seeing how many longtail boats (easily over 100 with petrol run engines) were parked along the shores and the amount of trash that could be found washed up along the beaches.

Yes, this was my only critique of this otherwise lovely island. Trash could be found everywhere on the beaches. Generally the trash was washed up fairly high along the coast line so you could easily find spots closer to the water free from trash to lay on, but still seeing all the waste was disconcerting.

The Trash Hero chapter on Koh Lipe thankfully is quite well organized however. They meet every Monday at the start of the Walking Street along Pattaya Beach (if at other locations, someone at the Dive shop there will direct you). Along with the weekly trash pick-ups on Mondays they offer full day and even week-long trash volunteer programs where you can be dropped off on an island for up to 2 weeks, camp and eat there, enjoy the nature and pick up trash for 4 hours a day! Had I the time to stay longer, I would have signed up for that adventure, but alas…

I showed up along with 2 other volunteers at the end of the Walking Street on a Monday morning, and we were directed by one of the Dive Shop employees that the meeting location had been moved to the north end of Sunrise beach. So we headed off and were joined with another 5 people waiting to volunteer.

From there, we hopped on a longtail boat and headed to a nearby island (Ko Adang) to get started on picking up trash. To my surprise, when we arrived, there were at least 5 other longtail boats already there, each carrying at least 5-10 people! So in total, between the organizers (about 5) and the volunteers, there were probably about 30 of us! It was amazing to see such a great turnout!!!

We spent several hours picking up trash, then enjoyed a nice break with fresh watermelon and beers! Volunteers even enjoyed a nice swim at the end some even did some snorkeling 🙂 The amount of trash picked up in such a small amount of space was astounding!! I would venture to guess over 50 large trash bags worth! Absolutely unbelievable as the stretch of beach we picked trash from was no more than about 50 meters long.

Once the beers were consumed and the swimming was finished, we loaded the trash into the boats and headed back to Koh Lipe. From there, the group went to a local bar for some lunch and socializing.

A few things I’d recommend for anyone out there wanting to volunteer for Trash Hero on Koh Lipe: First, bring a camera because you never know where you are going to go and the beauty to be seen! Second, wear your bathing suit so you can join in with the swimming! Third, bring money and don’t make any plans after the fact if you are wanting to join the others for a late lunch after volunteering:)

But most importantly, if you are going to visit Koh Lipe, please do your part. Don’t litter while there, and join in to be a Trash Hero!!

Picture courtesy of Google Images 🙂

On to Don’t Mess with Thailand!

Back to Thailand

Ko Muk, Thailand

Ko Muk (Mook)

2015-12-12 ramblintraveler Leave a comment

While getting to Koh Ngai (Hai) was easy and cheap, leaving the island was a very different story! Since it was low season (therefore very little traffic to and from the island except on tour boats that would take you back to Ko Lanta) the opportunities to leave the island were very limited. Basically it all came down to “if and when” a local taxi boat operator wanted to take us to the next island . And the price was not cheap either… Of course they could basically charge whatever they wanted (despite our attempts to negotiate) because hey, it’s an island. You got here, but if you want to get off you’re gonna have to pay what they say to pay or not leave at all!

Coco Lodge Beach

Snakes Alive!

Dog with Snake

View of Pier

Welcome!

So it was one semi-stormy mid-afternoon that we decided to head out for Koh Mook (Muk) at the not so bargain price of 1500 baht. It was just Anna and I so of course the price was pumped a bit. Had there been more people going it would have been cheaper for the individual, obviously. Funnily enough however we did spot an older couple with a younger child who had arrived on the island in the morning and wondered whether they were staying or going on to Koh Muk. Neither myself nor Anna were brave enough to approach them to ask whether they were staying or going, but as it turned out, they were on their way to Koh Muk, so had we asked them we could have possibly gotten a cheaper ride there… In any event…

Coco Lodge

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We loaded up on our private longtail taxi boat and headed out on the stormy sea. The two crew men (brothers- one driver, one look-out) were chatty and quite entertaining as we headed into what originally looked like a calm enough sea. Pah-ah-ti (wrong spelling but phonetically sound and means “sun” in Thai) was the older and more “experienced driving boats” brother. When we set out he said his younger brother needed more practice in rougher seas, so he let him drive first, but “not to worry, if the sea gets really bad I will take over”… The closer we got into the open sea, no longer that sheltered from the neighboring islands, the rougher it got. Anna wasn’t feeling so hot, but I didn’t mind it so much until Pah-ah-ti climbed from the front to the back to take over driving… Not a good sign!! The waves got larger and more turbulent. Sea water splashed over the sides and we were often hit with sea spray from the sides and front of the boat as it crashed into the oncoming waves. A couple of times it was a bit worrisome (especially when the engine noise of the boat suddenly changed to include an ominous clanking noise) but eventually we made it to the north side of the island and banked onshore.

Coco Lodge_7

Beach View

Wood Home

Daily Catch

Colorful Home

Pier

The motor on the boat was killed and Pah-ah-ti hopped out with us to help us ask whether there was any accommodations available there. Being low season there too however, all the accommodations were closed and we were directed to go to the east side of the island to Coco Lodge. Back in the boat we went, however when the engine went to start, well, it didn’t… The brothers fussed over it for 10-15 minutes (mostly by simply hitting the side of the motor with a wrench) until deciding there was something very wrong with the engine and that they would need a mechanic. Thankfully the engine died when on land and not in the middle of the ocean when the odd noises started coming from it! And thankfully it was low tide at the time, so Pah-ah-ti, Anna and myself were able to walk (with bags in tow) around the edges of the island, through the sea gypsy village and over to Coco’s Lodge.

View from Pier

Homes on Beach

Goats!

Town

Boat Peek

Pah-ah-ti bid his farewells and headed further into town to get parts for the boat while Anna and I settled into Coco Lodge. Now, throughout my travels in Thailand I had stayed at many very nice and cozy places that were also very cheap . But none had even come close to the quaintness, comfort, style and class that we found at Coco’s Lodge. The owner and his wife were unbelievably accommodating and the individual bamboo huts were immaculate and very comfortable.

Crab Traps

Boat Peek_2

Looking Out

Jungle Trail

Lush Land

Lush Land_2

I’m going to have to side track for a bit here just to further sing the praises of Coco’s Lodge. The location (right on the beach and a 5 minute walk to the pier) was superb. The food in their restaurant was absolutely delicious (from the massaman curry to the fruit pancakes for breakfast). When it rained (which was quite often during our time there) the owner or his wife would come around to the bungalows and offer us umbrellas. A cleaning staff cleaned our room EVERY DAY (something I hadn’t encountered anywhere else in Thailand). All palm trees located above each bungalow were completely bare of coconuts, so none could fall on the roofs! The beds were the most comfortable I’d ever slept on. The rooms themselves had touches of personal details (like seashells lovingly placed in the bathrooms as decoration) that made the place feel like home. The ever-increasing number of dogs that decided to live there during our stay were all friendly and lovable and while none actually belonged to the place, they would still give them food scraps from left over dishes. Any time Anna and I were chilling for a long period of time in the restaurant after eating (due to adverse weather and not much else to do) board and card games were offered to us for entertainment. In other words, just about anything and everything one could imagine needing in a place was offered there! And all of this hospitality came at only 500 baht per night!! It blew me away! I 100% recommend Coco’s Lodge for anyone looking to travel to Koh Muk!!

Inland Lake

Rubber Plantation

Large Leaves

Lush Land_3

Seriously?

Moving on however, the main reason Anna and I picked Koh Muk as our next island stay was so we could visit the famed Emerald cave. Though we stayed on the island for the remaining time that Anna was able to visit (then I stayed on myself for another several days after she departed for Scotland) we never actually made it to the Emerald cave. This was NOT because we were too drunk or hung over to, but rather because the weather never cooperated and none of the tours were running there. See, to get to the Emerald cave, the tides have to be just right (low) and then you have to swim with a guide 80 meters through a cave until you reach the other end (the Emerald lake). So with all the stormy weather we had daily, even with the tides being low, it just wasn’t safe to swim through the cave and visit the lake… Or perhaps lagoon would be a better description? In any event, we did still enjoy our time there walking the island to the various points, enjoying cocktails on the beach (of course!) or just chilling at our bungalow, playing games and hanging with the dogs.

The island itself I will say was quite a conundrum. It too had been hit by a tsunami years ago and while some parts of the island had recovered nicely, other more inland parts were very shabby and trashy. One sea village a bit inland in particular had feet upon feet of trash piled under the homes (luckily on stilts) with seemingly no efforts or cares to clean up. I will admit when we first arrived on the island, neither myself nor Anna were really sure we liked the place. But alas, it grew on us. And while we still marveled as to why no efforts were put (in some areas) into cleaning the place up, I guess it just became part of the character of the island that eventually you just overlook. Last point, about Koh Muk: the beaches weren’t really all that to write home about. This may have been due to the bad weather stirring up the ocean waters so they didn’t look clear, but also there were some areas where there were warnings about strong currents. So needless to say not much swimming was really enjoyed while there. Oh yea, and while there aren’t ANY ATMs on the island, there is one coffee shop that will allow you to withdraw money for a 7% (or maybe it was 10…) fee. So just be sure you bring enough cash for your stay there!!

Charlie’s Beach

Charlie’s Beach_2

Charlie’s Beach_3

Charlie’s Beach_4

Charlie’s Beach_5

Charlie’s Beach_6

Sadly, it was time for Anna to get back on to mainland Thailand and head to Bangkok to get home, while I stayed on several more days catching up on blogging about our trip so far. My next destination: Ko Lipe!

Charlie’s Beach Hermit Crab

Coco Lodge_8

Coco Lodge_9

Coco Lodge_10

Leaving

P.S. As some may notice, most all pictures were taken on one of the ONLY sunny days there, lol!

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Ko Muk From Sea

On to The Beauty of Koh Lipe

Back to Thailand

Koh Ngai, Thailand

Hangover to Koh Ngai (Hai)

2015-11-08 ramblintraveler Leave a comment

The time had come to leave Ko Lanta (Lantaaaah) and do some more Thai island hopping. Ko Ngai, pronounced “Hai” was the next destination. Up until this point in our travels together, Anna and I would enjoy drinking nightly and so far had been very tame about it. No hangovers, no overdoing it, we had been behaving! A couple of days before we left Ko Lanta, there was a Buddhist holiday for 2 days where booze were not allowed to be sold in any stores. You could still get them in restaurants however, but in honor of the holiday, we decided to abstain ourselves.

Rain at Sea

Soaked Driver

Koh Ngai Beach

Koh Ngai Beach_2

Pensive Anna

Koh Ngai Beach_3

However… The night before we left Ko Lanta, which was no longer one of the holiday days, we went a teeny bit overboard. I guess you could say we were making up for lost time! We were due to leave the next morning at 8am for a taxi boat… And we ended up staying up the night before drinking until about 2am, then chatting away until about 4am. Or maybe it was 5… So needless to say, when the alarm went off at an ungodly hour of the morning (7ish) we were not happy campers!! The only good thing that we did do was pack our things before falling asleep, so all that was really necessary was to drag our rears to the front office with all our things and wait for the taxi.

Koh Ngai Beach_4

Koh Ngai Villa

Koh Ngai Villa_2

Jumping for Joy

Anna Jumping for Joy

The Bungalow

Princess Bed

While we did manage to make the taxi relatively on time, it was just painful to be awake at all! I wasn’t so hung over from the booze as I was just grumpy and not feeling well due to lack of sleep. After a very long delay in picking up more people from other hotels, we made it to the taxi boat and headed out. All morning it had been sunny, but about 10 minutes into our boat ride it began pouring rain! The poor taxi boat driver looked miserable in the back getting soaking wet!! Yet somehow he was still able to light and smoke a cigarette…

Sunset Point

Sunset Point_2

Night Boats

Beaches

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Beaches_3

Moving on, we made it to Ko Ngai (Hai) probably 40 minutes later. The taxi boat driver ran us onshore and Anna and I got off. As it turned out, all the other people on the taxi boat were on an island hopping snorkeling tour, so they were heading to a different island first. Made me wonder how good the snorkeling would be with all the rain around, but I digress.

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Koh Ngai Villa Front

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We were dropped off on the shore of a cheap place (our request of course) and got settled into one of the bungalows. Well, it really wasn’t that simple. Anna and I were both still exhausted and grumpy to ridiculous levels. We barely spoke to each other all morning, neither of us wanted to make any decisions, everything seemed ugly and miserable. Everything was annoying. Everything sucked. We were just plain out of ourselves. So at first we had turned down the “horrible” cheap bungalows and tried to go elsewhere but were stopped shortly after leaving by an english speaking local who said that every other hotel/bungalow (literally) on the island was MUCH more expensive… I’m talking into the thousands per night! So really it was (at first) with GREAT reluctance that we settled into the Koh Ngai Villa.

Taxi Boat

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Sailboat

Meal with a View

Posh Bungalows

Food was the next agenda item. Neither of us was really hungry, but we knew it had to be done. We wandered next door to another hotel where they served food and ordered. I found a teeny roach in my soup, and honestly would normally not have said anything (it’s just one of those things you get used to picking out and setting aside when traveling) but because I was so darn grumpy still, I pointed out the little critter to the staff. Mind you, I still continued eating the soup because, well why not? And I wasn’t expecting anything to come out of it, I just wanted to let them know about it. But when the bill came, they said they wouldn’t charge me for the dish (though I tried to pay still) and that they had decided to close down for the rest of the low season because they felt like they were “losing face”… I felt absolutely a million times worse after hearing that for even pointing out the bug!! It broke my heart! But certainly they will be back up and running again in time for high season.

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Beach Dog

It wasn’t until the next morning, when we woke up sober and well rested that we really realized what an absolutely beautiful little island we were on! The water was clear and warm, and had this gentle current that ran parallel to the shore where you could literally swim in it and not actually go anywhere! Great exercise!! The beaches were white and clean and the beach dogs were all so very friendly. It was quiet and serene and every evening the tide would go out so far that you could walk all the way to the Southern tip of the island to watch the sunsets. We even ended up really liking our bungalow and “princess bed” at the Koh Ngai Villa! It’s amazing how your view can shift so easily when you aren’t really yourself! In any event, I would recommend this island for a visit, though I would also recommend showing up for it sober;)

On to Koh Muk (Mook)

Back to Thailand

Koh Tao, Thailand

Koh Tao Island

2015-06-01 ramblintraveler Leave a comment

After leaving Bang Saphan I headed directly to Champon to catch a catamaran over to the very beautiful island of Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand. Only 21 sq. Km, Koh Tao (turtle island) has surprisingly a lot going for it! It boasts 2 of the top diving schools in the world and is considered one of the top spots in the world to dive, has several volunteer opportunities from being a “Trash Hero” to helping at the Animal Clinic and even some Marine Conservation programs as well. In addition, it has 2 Muay Thai Kickboxing training facilities: Island Muay Thai (where I’m currently training and will write more about in another post) and Monsoon Muay Thai Gym.

Catamaran Dock

Catamaran to Koh Tao

Dock Bay

Koh Tao Arrival

Koh Tao

Koh Tao_2

The island itself is lush and green with a large variety of foliage and critters all around. The beaches are breathless with clear blues and greens and abundantly diverse marine life to boot. Sadly, the island does have a dark past as it is the site of the very unfortunate murders of a young British couple just last year in September that made news world-wide. There are even websites dedicated to the “dark side” of Koh Tao, but so far I haven’t witnessed or felt any dark side to the island.

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Koh Tao Arrival_2

Koh Tao Arrival_3

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Koh Tao Green

The Neighborhood_3

Like the two neighboring islands to the South of Koh Tao, Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan, Koh Tao also parties it up every full moon. They call them “Full Moon” parties, which is really just another excuse to do what people do nightly here (party in bars) but apparently kicked up a notch. Before coming I had heard the Government is trying to put a stop to them because of the drugs that also surface during the parties, but so far all the islands are still celebrating the moon phases. The other two islands apparently also have half-moon parties and even new moon parties! I haven’t experienced the Full Moon party here (the first one I will be present for is tomorrow night) but honestly have no interest to join the crowds at the bars for it. See, while this place does have a huge party scene to it, my purpose here is to train in Muay Thai and get involved where I can in the available volunteer opportunities. Guess I’m growing up a bit… Just a bit though;)

Sunset

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Another Sunset

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Another Sunset_4

The expat community here is also huge! Most are in their early 20’s and have come here originally just for vacation and ended up getting jobs and staying. I would say honestly the population of people from the UK or Australia is possibly more than that of Thai’s and Burmese. It is legal to get a job in Thailand as an expat if it’s in an area of expertise that a Thai local wouldn’t necessarily have, such as teaching English or in the case of Koh Tao, diving instructors. One of the bummers in my opinion about having so many expats on the island however, is that the Thai culture seems lost a bit. Many of the locals speak better English than most native speakers and while they may view it as a benefit for them, it’s hard to find locals who only speak Thai. Hence why I wrote my other post on “Talking Thai” so I wouldn’t forget what I’ve learned so far!

The Neighborhood

The Neighborhood_2

Sairee Main Road

Sairee Main Road_2

Sairee Beach

Sairee Beach_2

As the island does boast some of the best diving in the world, there are dive shops absolutely everywhere! You could probably throw a rock in any given direction while walking, and within only a few meters (depending on your location) could hit anywhere from 3-5 of them! They really are everywhere you look, which makes it tough when trying to pick one to go with. Everyone has their opinion on which is the best, and so far each person I’ve spoken to has named a different one as “the best”, lol!! Though I do have my open water certification, I have yet to have done any diving as it’s been so long since my certification and I would have to do the refresher course AND for this month at least, I am tapped out financially on my extra-curricular spending. It’s all about the budgeting! Perhaps next month I’ll get into it, but for now, I frankly enjoy going to the beaches and simply snorkeling! It’s free to snorkel on your own (though there are snorkel tours available too) and the variety of marine life seen snorkeling is impressive enough to me to stick with that for now.

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Pedestrian Walkway

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Sairee Beach_7

Truth be told… while there are several beaches around the island I’ve so far only made it to two! Sairee beach and Hin Wong beach. Hin Wong beach is teeny and is privately owned so the owner (Mol of Mol’s beach bar) asks that each visitor either pays 50 baht (equivalent of just over $1.50) or buys a drink from the bar. The snorkeling is unbelievable there and I keep returning for it’s absolute beauty and range of marine life! Every time I go I see something new! There are irradescent clams, blue-spotted sting rays, parrot fish, all sorts of damsel fish, christmas tree corals, anemones, puffer fish, and on and on! Every time I go I also wish I had an underwater camera so I could share the beauty under the water!

Hike to Hin Wong

Hin Wong Bay Peek

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Hin Wong Bay

Hin Wong Bay_2

Hin Wong Bay_3

Since I don’t have a motorbike however (the roads are absolute crap on the island and the other drivers are nuts to boot!!) I walk there, which is yet another way I get my exercise. It’s a literal pain in my rear to scale the wee but very steep hill to get to the other side of the island, but it’s well worth it once there!! While I do adore going to that beach, I also try to space out how often I go because inevitably I end up having some drinks at the bar then curse myself as I have to make the trek back over the hill, sweating my rear off (and hopefully some of the booze) to get back to my place. Mol herself is quite the character too! She is a native Thai but speaks English perfectly and even has a cockney accent when she drinks, lol!!

Hin Wong Crab

Fishes!

Mol’s Beach

Mol’s Beach_2

Mol’s Beach_3

When I first arrived, I walked my way in the blistering heat from Mae Haad (where the boats all dock) toward Sairee and found very close to the Wat a place called Happy Bungalows. For 400 baht a night I got my own bungalow with a bed, bathroom and little fridge. When I first arrived I wasn’t sure honestly how long I’d actually stay. My plan was to check out the two Muay Thai gyms and if I liked one, I would stay for a month to train. If not, I would hang about for a few days to a week then head elsewhere. Within 3 days I’d decided to stay and found a monthly rental with a kitchen through Bua Management. Now almost 3 weeks in, I’m planning to stay for another month. There are two reasons I came to that decision: first, I’m really enjoying the Muay Thai training and want to give it another month and second, one of my friends will be popping into Thailand to see me. Since she is interested in diving, I figured I may as well stay put so at the very least she gets to do some diving in one of the best spots! 🙂

Eating Bat and The View

Back to Thailand

Sairee Beach_8

Pedestrian Walkway_3

Sairee Beach_9

Sairee Beach_10

Monument to Founding King

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Monument to Founding King_2

King’s Mark

Pier Road

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Pier Road_3

Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand

Wat A Cave!

2015-04-25 ramblintraveler Leave a comment

While there are several fabulous things to do while in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand, perhaps one of my favorites was visiting the Ao Noi Wat. ‘Wat’ simply means Temple, but what sets this one apart from every other Wat I’ve been to so far is that it is located inside a cave! In college I took a biospeleology class in college where we went all over the state of Texas and even into Mexico to different caves and the idea of finally getting back into one was thrilling! Mind you, this particular cave wasn’t one that required to wiggle on your belly to get from one point to the next as it is quite large and easy to simply walk through.

Walk to Ao Noi

Fishing Village from Afar

Fishing Village Welcome

I headed out about mid-day on my own to track down the Ao Noi Wat with a bottle of water, my camera and favorite all around walking shoes, my Keens. The walk there really wasn’t all that interesting per se, since it literally was just walking along the side of the road. The views however became more and more breathtaking as I got closer to the Khao Ta Lai Forest Park. The beauty of the hills jutting out from the ocean was so beautiful and picturesque, I had a hard time continuing without stopping to take a gazillion pictures!

Fishing Village Bay

Khao Ta Lai

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Khao Ta Lai_3

Toward Ao Noi

Turn off for Wat Ao Noi

I walked past the over 150 year old fishing community of Ban Ta Monglai toward the Ao Noi community as the sun beat down on my skin making me wish for shade! I knew I was going in the right direction, but I also knew the Wat was located in a cave, so some form of hill had to be ahead. But as I walked past the fishing community and the Khao Ta Lai Forest Park, the hills disappeared. The only ones visible were about 11 kilometers away in Myanmar (Burma)! I continued to trek on however stopping every now and again to ask locals which direction the Wat was, and armed with the confidence that even they were still pointing for me to continue on, I figured some hill structure would have to show up soon.

Turn off for Wat Ao Noi_2

Flowers

En Route Wat Ao Noi

Detour to Beach

Detour to Beach_2

Hut on Beach

As I didn’t have a watch with me, I honestly don’t even know how much further on I walked until some hills became visible again and until I finally hit Wat Ao Noi. I was drenched in sweat from the sun and had been guzzling water as if my life depended on it (which let’s face it, it does!). Finally I arrived at the base of the Wat and started an over 300 step climb to the entrance of the Wat. The views of the town and beaches as I climbed were spectacular! I will say that while most of the stairs up were in good condition, there were a few bits that had me worried as they were split in half and sliding toward the edge of the cliff. Up and up I went until finally coming to the entrance where a box with 2 rechargeable flashlights sat. A little sign said they were for the borrowing, and just to plug them back in when done.

Wat Hills

Wat Ao Noi Bay

Wat Ao Noi Bay_2

Start of Steps to Wat

View from the Top

Sketchy Steps

Of course, the one thing I SHOULD have thought and known to bring (a flashlight) I didn’t, so it was really quite nice that they provided them there :). I headed into the cave armed with my flashlight out of the sun and into the darkness. I was literally the only person in the Wat and I won’t lie, at some points little bits and flashes of the movie “The Descent” went through my mind that at times freaked me out. An especially heart-pounding moment was after I left the only naturally lit area of the cave and headed to the first reclining Buddha. As I grappled with my camera while attempting also hold onto the rather large flashlight, the light flickered on something alive on the cave floor. I immediately scanned the light back to what I had seen to discover 2 little black dogs!! They lived in the cave!!

Flashlights!

Cave Entrance

Cave Inside

Natural Lighting

Stranger in the Dark

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I sighed a sigh of relief upon seeing them as I called them over for a pat, but then had another second of slight panic as I wondered whether they could be rabid! I mean, bats can carry rabies, bats live in caves and who knew whether the dogs had been vaccinated or if anyone actually took care of these dogs… Luckily however they were very friendly and showed no signs of being rabid and quite frankly their presence made it easier to be the only one in the cave. Because surely if some crazy creature crawled out of some crevice to attack me, they would bark first to alert me, right?? 😉

Reclining Buddha 1

Reclining Buddha 1_2

Sitting Buddha

Reclining Buddha 2

I carried along the length of the cave past the first reclining Buddha and to my surprise found a second next to a series of about a dozen large Buddha’s in seated position. Along to the right of the seated Buddha’s was another walkway that led to another large area where tons of visitors had stacked rocks in a variety of patterns, making their mark to show they were there. And in the very back of this last large room sat yet another Buddha watching over the whole show.

Inside Cave_2

Inside Cave_3

I spent probably twenty minutes (it’s not THAT large a cave) walking around and searching for various other avenues to explore while listening to the nothing sound of caves, linked in with little chitters from bats above every now and again. I will say my favorite thing about caves is the nothingness. There is no sound most of the time and when the lights are turned off, you could hold your hand an inch in front of your face and still not see it. There is such a peace about caves that is so very hard to find anywhere else and being back in the environment again was so very delightful.

Inside Cave_4

Inside Cave_5

As I headed out of the cave, my two little protectors followed. At the entrance I noticed that indeed there was dog food scattered about the entrance around two blue dog bowls (I hadn’t noticed this detail before) but I also noticed there didn’t seem to be any water source for them. As one of the dishes was empty, I poured it full with water. One seemed to be quite thirsty, the other not so much so again it was a good sign that they were being taken care of somehow.

Inside Cave_6

My Protectors

I headed back to the ground floor as the dogs chose to remain behind and wait for the next cave guests. Back on solid ground I visited the actual Wat of Ao Noi. The Cave is simply where there are several Buddha statues, but the actual Wat isn’t in the cave, yet decoratively set along the base of the cave hill near a pond, the ocean and a monk community. After visiting the Wat, I headed back toward my guesthouse back in Prachuap, stopping along the way at a very delicious (I should have gotten the name!!) restaurant with some of the best khao pad gai (chicken fried rice) I’d tasted anywhere.

Wat Ao Noi

Wat Ao Noi_2

Wat Ao Noi View

Wat Ao Noi View_2

I was quite shocked to learn that the whole trip only took me about 5 hours or so, including a leisure lunch! I am generally quite a fast walker by nature, but even this surprised me! One not so good outcome from having walked as far and as fast as I had, however was my feet. It had been a long time since I’d actually worn my Keens and by the time all was said and done with the walking for the day, I’d developed quite a large blister on the bottom of my foot. Luckily it hadn’t popped, but I wasn’t so sure the same could be said after the walk we had planned for the next day at Khao Lommuak…

On to Hiking Khao Lommuak

Back to Thailand

Prachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand, Travel

A Real Gem

2015-04-20 ramblintraveler Leave a comment

I’ve debated several times whether to actually give away the location of this next place we traveled to (are still are after a week, with no plans to jump up and leave just yet)… I honestly can’t believe it hasn’t been discovered more! While there are a handful of Europeans living here, foreigners are a very uncommon sight. Thai tourists and locals (of course) are the ruling majority. It’s just my kind of place to really feel like a part of the culture and life!

We bought tickets for the mini-bus to this gem of a place from Hua Hin, and though were told it would only be an hour wait for the bus to arrive, it turned into almost 2 before we even got on. And when we did get on, the bus was so full that literally 2 of the passengers had people sitting on their laps, all the seats were taken AND 3 people had to stand (rather uncomfortably by the looks of it) in the aisle of the bus. Essentially a bus equipped to seat 14 passengers had 19 PLUS our huge travel bags (which are about the size of a small human). Luckily within the hour or so however people started exiting the bus, so space opened up a tiny bit to at least allow everyone to have their own seat. I suspect that the bus was so crowded because of the upcoming Holiday of Songkran.

Crowded Mini-bus

Arriving in Prachuap

Once we arrived, we set off on motorbike taxis to a place called Ban Thai Hut, where we were told had cheap accommodations. We settled on a tiny hut complete with a bed, bathroom, fan and TV (which we’ve yet to actually plug in or turn on) just a short walk across the street from the beach. The place is absolutely darling, and while very rustic (there are some parts of the room we fear to put too much weight on just in case the floor falls through) it has been suiting our needs quite well.

Mini-Hut for Buddha

Ban Thai Hut

Ban Thai Hut_2

Ban Thai Hut_3

Prachuap Khiri Khan is the name of this adorable town. It consists of 3 semi-circular bays separated by jutting hills and islands. Farthest to the North is the little Ao Noi bay then the Prachuap Khiri Khan bay and finally Ao Manao. Each location offers so many outdoor things to do that it just boggles my mind when the locals say tourists only stay here for a couple of days because “there isn’t much to do”. Seriously?? They have a Wat inside a cave in Ao Noi, beautiful beaches on all three bays, hikes to a Wat on the top of a hill in Prachuap, a hike to another tiny Wat at the top of another hill (Khao Lommuak) which gives the highest panoramic view of the entire area, plus snorkeling (I still have to check that out myself!) and within driving distance several day trips could be planned to surrounding National Parks! There is so much to do around here that when you add in days to just relax and beach, you would need at least a week to get it all done leisurely!

Prachuap Beach

Prachuap Beach_2

Prachuap Beach_3

Prachuap Beach_4

Now Those are Crabs!

Prachuap Beach_5

But I digress… This place really is darling though! I would recommend it over and over but hope that even when it does get properly discovered, the integrity of the place as it currently is doesn’t get destroyed. The weather is always delightful (though admittedly quite hot), the beaches are never overcrowded, the beach water is deliciously warm and refreshing and there is a ridiculous amount of fun sea life to play with (hermit crabs, clams, sand dollars, etc). Seriously, what more could one ask for?

Prachuap Beach_6

Prachuap Beach_7

Loving the warm water!

A Hermit Crab!

Prachuap Beach_7

Local Dogs

On to Songkran 2015

Back to Thailand

Hua Hin, Thailand

Arriving in Hua Hin

2015-04-14 ramblintraveler Leave a comment

The bus ride to Hua Hin was mainly uneventful. I say that because I had gotten a wee bit tipsy before meeting Jo at the bus station and therefore don’t recall most of the trip. However, at one point between little naps, the inevitable sensation that always creeps up when one drinks started to kick in… Yes, I REALLY needed a bathroom!! I had heard that the trip was only a couple of hours, so I figured I would be ok… But just like all mini-bus journeys in Thailand: whatever time you are given for the trip, double it! However, given that, what’s also nice about the mini-buses is that they inevitably always take a bathroom break about halfway or just an hour shy of reaching the destination. Thank goodness for this!!

Hua Hin

Hua Hin_2

I seriously was starting to worry whether my poor bladder would hold up! I kept asking the driver “hong nam??” (room water literally) in hopes he would hear the absolute desperation in my voice and make a potential emergency stop just for me. “Ha nittie” (5 minutes) is all he kept saying as I kept praying that THIS time it really would be ‘ha nittie’… Sure enough we did (eventually) make a stop at a gas station for food, drinks and bathrooms (hooray!!!). Fully content (and about a quarter less body weight in water) we continued on the last little bit to the coast.

Hua Hin_3

Hua Hin_4

It’s amazing how much you miss something and don’t ever recall that you do until you are faced with it again… I speak of the ocean. We pulled up at a random junction near the clock tower (which is really a HUGE poster of the King with a teeny clock at the top) where the driver said to us “falangs” (foreigners) and pointed for us to get out. True to my style (and thankfully Jo’s too) we didn’t have any place planned to stay just yet. Jo used her phone to track down a potential place to stay and we headed off in the direction It showed, which was also in the direction of the water.

Peek of Water

Urination on a Tree

About 10 minutes later we hit Naret Damri Alley, a bustling tourist street full of every possible worldwide cuisine restaurants that you could possibly imagine. I mean they had German, French, Spanish Tapas, Italian, Norwegian, Swiss (seriously!!), Greek, American, Indian, Finnish, and more!! Having come from and lived in the small town of Sangkhlaburi where the most exciting thing was pad thai or fried rice, we just about fainted when we saw all these delicious food options!! Keeping ourselves in check (wiping the drool from our chins as we walked by each place) we first found a place to stay. Memory Guesthouse just down the street from Dechanuchit Alley on Naret Damri Alley was where we decided to settle for 400 baht a night. We paid for 2 nights, settled in and then headed out for some FOOD!! We opted for an Indian restaurant just across the street and dined as if we had never had food before!

Quick Snapshot

Hua Hin_5

At this point the sun had already set so going to the beach wasn’t an option as far as tanning was concerned. So instead we got a couple of beers and headed out just to scout where the beach actually was from us. First we went the wrong way down N.D. Alley to basically a dead-end, along the way checking out and continuously being shocked even more so by the array of differing cuisines available. We turned around and went the other way down N.D. Alley, past our guesthouse toward the Hilton. We reached what looked like another dead-end (a parking lot near what looked like a Chinese Temple of sorts) but continued on as I was determined that there HAD to be a beach nearby!

Chinese Temple

Chinese Temple_2

Chinese Temple_3

Chinese Temple_4

Luckily, just around the corner from the Chinese Temple, the land opened up and a vast beach lay ahead of us. The water was severely choppy and there was absolutely no way to swim in it, so we just dipped our toes in for a bit (gloriously warm water!!) then sat on the beach drinking and talking. We watched the moon rise, a fabulous red-orange glow coming over the horizon through bits of hazy clouds and eventually headed back for some rest.

On to Hua Hin Days

Back to Thailand

Europe, Italy

Isola d’Elba

2014-11-17 ramblintraveler Leave a comment

Isola d’Elba!! Though I am half Italian, I never knew that this little archipelago off the coast of Tuscany in the Mediterranean Sea even existed!! The shame, I know!!! Thankfully my dad did as he suggested a weekend trip there to explore the little land and its numerous beaches!! From his house outside of Florence it took about 4 hours to get to the dock at Piombino where we drove on to a ferry-boat (called MOBY) and headed to the port in Portoferraio on the island of Elba. Though the weather had been very sketchy for several weeks prior to our trip, and though it even rained on the ferry ride over, we got two full days of sun on the island and only had cloudy days on the day we arrived and the day we left:) Seriously lucked out since it was toward the end of summer/early fall that we went to begin with!

Our hotel (hotel Gabbiano Azzuro- hotel Blue Seagull) was located in a town called Marciana Marina on the North Western section of the island. The town itself is a cute little quaint place with the usual shopping, restaurants, beaches, marinas and hiking trails from here to there. The hotel, while really not terribly impressive inside offered quite a delicious breakfast including some of the best brioches I’ve personally ever tasted! They were filled with Bavarian cream… YUM!!! Just looking at them however pretty much capped my daily allowance of sugar intake… lol!! I should probably clarify that the hotel itself was quite clean, the people very nice, the location an easy walk to/from the town center, but the rooms were not that big and while they boasted that each room had a private balcony, the majority of those balconies looked on to an abandoned building and you could only see a sliver of a nice view. However, we were not there for the hotel… we were there for the BEACHES!!!

As far as beaches are concerned, I seriously didn’t think the ones in San Blas could be topped but the ones on the Island of Elba sure do give them a bit of a run for their money!!! The colors of the water surrounding the island at the various spots are out of this world beautiful! I found myself literally taking the same exact picture 3 or 4 times over just to make sure I was properly capturing the colors!!

The beaches are quite different from one another and some were even different from any I had previously been on before. While I’ve mainly been used to beaches with sand, many of the beaches on Elba consisted of stones!! I wasn’t expecting this aspect at all!! The stones are like river stones, therefore not sharp in any way, but smoothed out from years of sea water sanding them out. While they weren’t that comfortable to lay out on, they weren’t completely terrible either and it was due to these stone beaches that the colors remained so crisp and lovely, even when in the water!

Needless to say, after mapping out several beaches for us to visit, the next few days were spent just going from one beach to the next, sunning and tanning, swimming and snorkeling and generally just loving the water and life! It was a great and relaxing time to be sure!! Even more of a bonus was that we were still in Italy so dinners were to die for!! I Love Italian food!! The last day was spent driving almost all the way around the island, taking several pictures along the way before heading back to the ferry and then home.