a brief synopsis of the months i spent on perhentian, then.

my entire life existed on a stretch of beach about 200 yards wide: long beach, on pulau perhentian kecil.
after i got my divemaster qualification i proceeded to become an instructor and worked at spice divers until the end of september, when the season ended. met some amazing people, did lots and lots of diving, of course, and slowly but surely started to get myself back on track.

after a few days in KL (kuala lumpur, for those of you who haven't been there yet), i headed back to civilisation, and the great unknown.

not sure what's next, but will keep you posted.

thanks again for everything.
greetz from the canals,
iain

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well, you've all noticed that my blog has become ever so slightly less interesting since i got to perhentian and basically started working and studying in paradise. i do apologise for that. the thing is, i do pretty much the same every day:

wake up at 7, smiling because i can see the sea and the sun is already shining. have a (cold) shower and stroll down the beach to the diveshop. open up the diveshop and then have breakfast (fresh mango juice and a banana pancake) while planning the day's dives.

then sit drinking instant coffee with the Spice gang, dive, dive some more, have lunch, dive some more, have a beer on the deck, close up the shop, and that's pretty much the day done and dusted.

the evenings are also fairly uniform: have dinner with the gang, or various subsets thereof, consisting mainly of some combination of vegetables and rice (boring), drinking tiger beer and entering into the umpteenth round of discussion on one of the two only topics we ever discuss: fish that we saw that day [e.g. 'did you see that massive blacktip on temple this morning?' 'nah, went this afternoon - a big school of bumpheads was shitting sand so the viz was crap. saw that emperor angel at three reefs that you guys were talking about yesterday though. awesome!'], and food (or booze) that we can't get on the island ['god, i would kill for a bottle of bombay sapphire instead of sucking down monkey juice every night.' 'no kidding, and why can't you get real cheese anywhere in asia? this processed rubber stuff is driving me insane.']. the other day we tried discussing the state of affairs in the world, but no one knew what they were so that didn't last long.

ad infinitum, ad delirium!

in other words, i'm still having a blast! and tomorrow there's a big beach party for my birthday, so looking forward to that!

it's fairly quiet on the island right now, as the full moon party on koh phangan is coming up in 2 days time, and we've had 4 days of relatively bad weather (torrential downpours all night every night which have cut canyons into the beach from the runoff), which has kept people away, but it's picking up now again as the sun has returned in full force. we'll be back to normal after the weekend.

coming up to the end of my divemaster training now, and am loving it more every day. signed up for the instructor course in july, so am going the whole distance on this one. well, that is, if i pass, of course. 2 weeks of intense bootcamp training followed by a 3 day exam still gives most instructors the chills just thinking about it. sound like fun? hell yeah, bring it on!

patrick is coming over to see me in 3 days, so hat will be really cool. we're meeting in KL (i have some shopping to do) and then spending a week here, diving, drinking and generally kicking ass. dude, remember to bring the bombay!

hang in there, all of you back in the world. thinking of you!
all you travellers, rock on ;-) !
cheers,
i

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shall we start with the view from my office? just to make you a little jealous...

this is what it looks like almost every day, although today we've hit a spot of bad weather. well, with bad i mean that the water's wavy, we get a few showers and the sun has taken a day off. otherwise, it's still 30+ degrees, so not a complete disaster ;-)

check out my photo gallery for to meet some of the spice crew. i'm terribly sorry but uploading the photos has taken so long that i need to rush off again now - can't be late for my dive!

more to come soon!

rock on, everyone.
cheers,
i

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actually, i'm enjoying the quiet life of a divemaster-in-training on perhentian islands. to be exact, for all those anal readers out there, at spice divers on pulau perhentian kecil's long beach.

my day to day routine consists pretty much of getting up, looking out of my window at paradise, taking a 2 minute stroll down a perfect beach overlooking impossibly blue waters, having a banana pancake breakfast, diving, chatting, diving some more, eating, and spending my evenings socialising (read: drinking) at the bar. so my toes are either under water or sifting through pure white sand all day, every day, whichever way you look at it. such a hard life.

the dive shop has a great crew - although they have caught on to the fact that my jokes can get pretty bad. i guess it's genetic. anyway, i've been rationed to one a dive, which is a step up from the one a day limit i used to be confined to...

my divemaster training should be completed in a couple of weeks. not quite sure what i'll be doing after that. maybe the instructor course in july, depending on how things work out. really getting the hang of this diver's life.

while i really enjoyed travelling, turning up somewhere new every couple of days, it's actually quite nice to spend some time in one place again, getting to know the locals and such. of course i've gotten myself roped into promotion and marketing for the diveshop and one of the beach bars on longbeach, so i'm keeping busy.

so sorry it's taken me so long to update this site. i'll do my utmost to regain your collective confidence and start updating the blog more regularly. thank you all for your patience. really appreciated.

greetz from the beach - and you're all more than welcome to pop by, the water's lovely!

cheers,
iain

ps, yes, the pictures are someone elses. still working on uploading my own. but this is really what it looks like here!

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the cameron highlands were very good for kicking back for a few days. it turned out to have many faces: when it rained, it was how i imagine washington state to be: oppressive, mysterious, tall trees shrouded in the clouds; when the rain stopped and the clouds retreated to where ever it is that clouds go, there was this fresh, earthy smell everywhere, and the cool air reminded me of english summers. and then the sun would come out, and suddenly you'd notice the picture perfect palm trees and aloe vera, and realise that it was actually 27 degrees. that was the point where i expected to see old people playing petanque, maybe catch a few accordion chords on the breeze, and yes, even the baguettes and the stripy shirts crossed my mind. ;-)

the food was really good up there as well - strawberry cheesecake, excellent tea, apple pie, and also great indian food (dad, you would have been eating curry off a banana leaf all day!)

but after a few days of that, my foot was starting to heal, and i started thinking about blowing bubbles again. so i headed off to the perhentian islands. i made landfall two days ago on perhentian kecil's long beach, and have just started my divemaster training which will keep me here for the next 6 weeks or so. really looking forward to it.

unfortunately, i've not yet found an internet cafe where i can upload photos, but will continue my quest for this.
take care everyone, speak soon!
cheers,
i

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I open the door and the receptionist anxiously bleats "you ready now?" at this, i wave at the room in general and shoot back "does it look like i'm ready? it's 8:20. i'll be out at 9."
Now the little guy is getting really nervous. He jabs at his watch - "no, no, this no thailand. this malaysia. is 9:20!"

My grim smile faded. i slammed the door in his face, saying "give me 5 minutes1". packed in 2, was in the bus in 3. what an absolutely excellent start to the day.

my bus ticket; on the road to Ipoh

Four hours later, the bus passed through the outskirts of Ipoh, turned left and started grinding its way slowly up the road to Tanah Rata. Taking us effectively from sea level to 4,500 ft. As it twisted and turned in very low gear, the landscape slowly started to change. From the red earth and limestone cliffs, overgrown with dense, tropical vegetation, the colours started to change ever so slowly, as the temperature dropped. At 3,000 ft, we entered the realm of the clouds. Cotton candy whisps clung to the hillsides and the road gleamed black with the thin film of moisture that covered everything.

My nose was stuck to the window of the bus as we passed glistening rock faces and tiny waterfalls. Bright green ferns clustered where ever there was room and the sky above was a deep, slate grey.

At 3,500 ft, a fine drizzle started to fall, which was not to stop until late that night. We rounded a few final bends and twists in the shiny black serpent we were using for a road, and suddenly the landscape opened up. We were surrounded by gently rolling hills. Some densely forested, others carefully cultivated. Strawberry farms and tea plantations were glimpsed as the bus picked up some speed now. And before long, we had reached our destination: Tanah Rata, main village in Malaysia's biggest hill station: the Cameron Highlands.

The village has an almost Twin Peaks-esque quality to it, being so isolated, cloud bound and hemmed in by dense, cool forests. Daniel's Lodge, where I'm staying, lights up a campfire every evening where travellers sit and chat, play the guitar and sip Tiger beer. As I ripped my right foot to shreds on a bit of glass on Koh Samui, I'm not exactly Sebastian Coe at the moment, so I'm taking it very easy and hoping it will heal in a few days. It's cramping my style slightly, as i was hoping to do some hiking while i'm up here, but will have to be content will the 1 mile strolls around the village.

not so bad, with the campfire and all...

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Firefly Air whisked me away from Koh Samui yesterday morning - right on cue, as my visa was only valid until yesterday - and after crossing the Malaysian border at several thousand feet, unceremoniously (it is after all a low cost carrier) dumped me on Penang. Immediately upon walking down the stairs from the twin-propellored flying machine, the unmistakable smokey tang of Malaysia enveloped me.

According to the lonely planet, Georgetown's Chulia Street is the destination of choice for street savvy travellers, so I dutifully instructed the taxidriver accordingly.

chulia street

After checking out three or four of the local flop houses, as is traveller etiquette, i finally shrugged off my inexcusably heavy backpack in a fan room at the illustrious Blue Diamond Hotel. The place is okay, although far from attaining the status of hotel. The diamond association baffles me, but i did manage to find some peeling paint that may have once been blue.

Spent an uneventful evening slowly sipping Tiger beer and chatting with the other travellers, who seemed to have one common goal: getting out of Georgetown as quickly as possible. With that in mind, i set out this morning to explore what used to be known as the 'pearl of the orient'.

Penang, a tiny island in the straights of Melakka, has quite an impressive history for it's size. If you're interested in that stuff, please google it ;-). What has been super though is riding around in rikshaws. Hadn't done that in ages!

The centre of colonial Georgetown is Fort Cornwallis, founded by a certain Captain Francis Light, to whom I bear a striking resemblance, i am told...

Anyway, turns out that you can quite easily see the town in a day, which i did. You'll find more pictures in my gallery, if you enjoy temples, shopfront houses, etc. Well, it makes a change from those sickeningly white beaches and azure waters, doesn't it!

Tomorrow morning I'll be on a bus nosing up the arterial highway through the lush, green countryside of peninsular Malaysia, on my way to Tanah Rata, the epicentre of the Cameron Highlands.

From Georgetown, Penang, I'm Iain Howe for Travellers Network. Back to you in the studio!

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please bear with me. i'm struggling to upload the pictures, but wanted to bring everyone up to speed on the latest events, so please check back in a day or so. until then this blog entry is for the hard-core readers: no pictures, just words ;-)

last friday, i cunningly planned and set in motion the workings of a daring escape that would free me from koh phangan. that is, i hopped on a ferry to koh samui.

bidding a fond farewell to little israel, i fixed my sights on the big sister of the three sister islands and did not look back. well, okay, i looked back once for your collective benefit.

what struck me first upon making landfall on koh samui was the noise level. i mean, this place is noisy! there's the airport, of course, with a never-ending procession if bangkok air jets landing and taking off. there's the traffic, the sheer number of people, and the sound systems. i felt like i had walked into a city by mistake.

the lonely planet has likened koh samui to beautiful lady wearing too much make-up. the island is very pretty, but everything man made is just a little over the top. or a lot over the top. chaweng beach is very pretty, which is par for the course in southern thailand, i'm realising now. but behind the beach with its row of beach bars varying from ultra trendy to faux rasta and eco-friendly, the raw machinery of koh samui does the dirty work: indian taylor touts and taxi drivers compete madly for attention with the island's brigade of ladyboys in front of the 7-11, macdonalds, and starbucks.

the tourist melange consists of travellers and holiday makers in equal measures, topped with a rather sad bunch of mustacchioed middle aged men whose soul mission to be here is easily guessed, and becomes embarrassingly obvious as soon as the sun sets over chaweng and the pros start grinding it out.

the ark bar, where i'm staying, seems to attract a lot of people travelling alone, so i'm glad to say i'm not exactly isolated here. you can't really help but party all night, and although i naturally resisted with every fibre of my being, i have seen quite a few sunrises here ;-)

however, that has not deterred me from my main reason for being here (apart from the airport): the koh angthong national marine park.

yesterday morning at 7AM i was picked up outside the ark bar and whisked off to a powerboat that took me, along with 7 other adventurers, to the very boundaries of sensory overload: snorkelling and kayaking around the 42 islands of koh angthong national marine park. it is the setting and probably the inspiration for alex garland's book 'the beach', and i know now exactly what he means.

granted, i had not slept the night before and was fighting a kingsized hangover, but i am not ashamed to say that i wept. tears gushing down my face as the astonishing, literally breathtaking beauty of the islands unfolded. my pictures, once i upload them, do not do it justice. not even close. it is perfect in every way. azure waters, limestone islands surrounded by coral reefs, secluded beaches and even a hidden lagoon.

i lie. it is perfect in every way but one. and this is probably the main reason for my embarrassingly girlie sobfest: the big, chunky charlie (to quote daffy duck in garland's book). it is beautiful and perfect, and we will destroy it. we are raping it with our speedboats and kayaks and our viewpoints and souvenir shops. it is forbidden pleasure, and should be closed off immediately. of course, that is about as likely to happen as outlawing ladyboys on the island. so i cried for paradise lost.

of course, upon returning to the ark bar, i washed down an alka selzer or two with gin and tonic and was fine again ;-)

my visa runs out tomorrow, so i'm heading to penang, an island on the west coast of peninsular malaysia. got myself a secondhand lonely planet for malaysia today, so will investigate what to do when i get there. suggestions are welcome of course!

well, thanks for tuning in again, and please remember to come back in a day or so to check out the photos.

oh, and the tattoo was henna, of course. disappointed / relieved / couldn't really care less? i'd be interested to know, so drop me a note with your views on this matter? - your input is greatly appreciated by the management of this blog, i.e. me.

koh samui remains copyright of the author idhowe, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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hat rin - sunrise beach

the weather has been flip-flopping for days now on koh phangan. one moment you're on the beach getting nice and crispy in the brutal sun, the next you're running for cover as all of a sudden you find yourself pelted by raindrops the size of marbles. it does have its upsides though, as this particular thunderstorm, brewing on the horizon...

...gave me this rather nice shot, and then caused a power blackout on the island, which meant i enjoyed a candlelight dinner! okay, it was vegetable pad thai, again, and i was dining alone, but i had a candle on my table, so it counts.

went diving again yesterday. we took a boat out to sail rock, a limestone pinnacle rising out of the gulf halfway between koh tao and koh phangan. the visibility wasn't great, but we did get to do a lovely swimthrough - swimming into a tunnel at around 20m depth, and then up through a chimney, emerging at around 9m. smashing stuff.

later on, the swedish couple i'd been diving with joined me for a few drinks on the beach, and we decided to take the plunge: the half moon party! twice a month, a few thousand people make their way into the jungle for a psychedelic rave. many actually say it is better than the full moon party. as i've only been to the half moon party, i'm not really qualified to judge, but i will say that it was a whole lot of fun.

basically it was a clearing in the jungle with a massive sound system, some pretty good deejays and lots of blacklight.

of course we weren't prepared for the blacklight, so were not wearing white. so unprofessional of us. but thankfully the party organisation catered for people in exactly this predicament: neon bodypaint!

superman vs the dragon master

anyway, ended up hanging off the back of a pickup truck full of partygoers in various states of enlightenment at 6am, bouncing back through the jungle at full tilt, heading for the safety of my cabin on rin beach.

oh, and i finally got one:

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Not that I've been participating much. From the moment I arrived here I've been feeling a little under the weather. Slight touch of the 'flu, i'm afraid, so your faithful reporter has preciously little to report this time. Spent a lot of time in my hammock looking at this:

therapy...

But never fear - I have consulted a clinic and am currently sufficiently (and legally) chemically fortified to start my exploration of life on Koh Phangan properly.

Hat Rin is probably best experienced if you are 22 and Israeli, which is what most people seem to be around here. The locals have learned to deal with their particular style of communication (I'm grossly generalising here of course, as I've actually met some really nice Israelis) by taking there money very quickly and efficiently and packing them off on trips taking them anywhere but Hat Rin.

Life happens on the beach here. Sunrise beach, that is. Truth be told, it is actually a gorgeous beach, and relatively unspoiled despite the monthly onslaught of ten thousand ravers at the Full Moon parties. There is a big red neon sign at the south end of the beach, reminding you that you are on Koh Phangan. Overstating the obvious? Maybe, but considering the enlightened state of mind that most partygoers are in, at night, on the beach, it is probably not a bad idea ;-)

I'm diving on Sail Rock tomorrow morning, and will be going to the half moon party tomorrow night. This party is actually supposed to be better than the full moon parties, as it is set deep in the jungle with a fairly fierce dj line-up.
I'll also rent a quad (one of those 4 wheel bike/tractor jobbies) and head up to the waterfalls before I leave.

And naturally, I will be submitting a report in full of my discoveries and appraisals of these wonders of nature.

That's it for now, i'm afraid. Thanks for tuning in again!
cheers,
i

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in the two days that i was there, the weather pretty much looked like this:

and when i say rain, i mean rain

the sultry, musty smell of tropical rain mixes nicely with the atmosphere actually. it's all about the water. the beach is gorgeous, and must be amazing when the sun's out.

sai ri beach

did two dives on the first day, with ban divers, one of the worlds largest scuba operations. the massive dive boat took us to chumphon first, a deep reef that is the scene of most whaleshark sightings. saw lots of sharks, but unfortunately the whaleshark remains a particularly elusive character.

black tip reef shark (at 30m depth); silver batfish

and as usual the damn paparazzi showed up...

no pictures please; nathalie in a private zen moment

on the second day, the diving was slightly more eccentric. our guide was of the braindead variety, and failed to find the reef! we spent 15 minutes swimming at 15m depth, in the deep blue sea, and never saw a thing. in the end, we decided to surface. miles from the boat, and going the wrong way altogether. i suppose that's what they call an open water safari...

in the meantime, the full moon party was raging on koh phagnan. didn't go to the party, but got to see the full moon!

<<wolves howl, an owl hoots in the distance>>

today, after a close encounter with some parrots, i said goodbye to nathalie and donned my travelling boots and struck out for koh phangan.

yes, those are my feet, and yes, those are teva's i'm wearing. sue me.

i've just arrived at hat rin beach. party location extraordinaire. of course this is the quiet week after the full moon party, so the atmosphere is nice and chilled.

checked into a fan bungalow slash milldewed, mosquito infested prison cell. very cheap, of course. might have to find something slightly more comfortable tomorrow. don't want to take the traveller thing too far, of course.

looking forward to finishing reading my book and trekking up to the waterfalls inland. oh, okay, twist my arm, and maybe a few singha beers to wash it all down with ;-)

thanks for tuning in again! remember to check out my photo gallery for more pics (just click on the 'author' button. i think that should work)

cheers,
i

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So, the last time I updated my blog I was in an internet cafe on sleepy Koh Lanta, bragging about my easy rider lifestyle. Let me show you the beast that I zoomed around Lanta on!

the beast

Scooted around the island for the day, finishing up at sunset - and with both the bike and myself in one piece - back on long beach.

Koh Lanta sunset

Ended up spending the evening on the beach with some dutchies and an aussie girl called Rebecca. We got extremely lucky as there was phosphorescence in the water. Night swimming, trailing clouds of blue-white sparks is something I now highly recommend.

The next day I hopped on the boat back to Koh Phi Phi, for some more diving. Got the afternoon ferry, and got wet. Very wet. Like monsoon wet. Utterly soaked. (get the picture?)

So anyway, I squelch my way to the guesthouse, ignoring the "mista mista, cheap room for you!" and the "g'day mate, wanna come diving tomorrow?", being thoroughly immersed in my own soggy state.
Drop the backpack, change into something semi-dry and go in search of a hot cup of coffee to put me back on track. Immediately, I ran into Dennis, who I'd met on Phi Phi previously, and Rebecca, who I'd met on Lanta the previous night. What are the odds!

Chilled out for a sunset dinner at Carpe Diem beach bar.

carpe diem fairy lights; rebecca

And then got cultural with Thai boxing at the Reggae bar!

free bucket of joy for anyone who gets in the ring

Spent a few very enjoyable and relaxed days on Phi Phi, blowing bubbles and hanging out with the coolest Aussie girl I've met so far. But of course I had to kick the habit, and finally leave Phi Phi to its own devices. So off on the great adventure: boat to Krabi, bus to Surat Thani and nightboat to Koh Tao.

The nightboat from Surat Thani was my first real traveller experience: 8 hours on an old slow-boat with dorm mattresses covered in fleas and god knows what else, spooning with complete strangers in the dark on heavy sees. So much fun should be illegal!

night boat to Koh Tao

Arrived this morning on Koh Tao. In the rain. Itchy, smelly and grumpy, but so glad for this experience ;-)

Met up with Nathalie, who is a veteran of 9 days on the island. We'll do a few dives together before we both move on to the beckoning shores of other islands.

Tune in next time for more amazing tales!
cheers,
i

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We actually beat the hordes by about 20 minutes or so. You could see the big speedboats racing in from Phuket. They arrived in a long string of gleaming white hulls and excessive outboard motor power, discharging tourists with cameras onto the white sands. Exactly what 'the beach' is dead set against, of course - Maya bay must be one of the most ironic places on the planet.

"we are from sweden. we like to fish. and in winter, we like to ski... of course there is no skiing in thailand"

I tried to take some decent pictures, but failed miserably to capture the magic of the place. Check out my photo gallery for more. Iglika, I carefully selected a small seashell for you, so you'll have something from the exact spot where Leonardo stood.

• **

Arrived on Ko Lanta yesterday afternoon. Only an hour's hop on the ferry from Phi Phi. Decided I'd kick the aircon habit and got myself a fan bungalow. Lanta is a very sleepy place, with deserted beaches and little villages where not much happens. Got myself a motorbike today and spent the morning pottering about on the island. I know someone who had a surprise encounter with the tarmac while doing that, so am extra careful ;-). (get your motor runnin', head out on the highway!)

the highway

Everyone is all smiles, and the scent of jasmin is heavy on the breeze. We had a short thunderstorm yesterday evening, which caused a routine power cut. It's that sort of place.The food is excellent. You ask for 'no spicy, please', you get 'no spicy, please'. So even though there's not much to do, or see for that matter, I'm well pleased I escaped the madness of Phi Phi and came here. Will start to plan next destination, so watch this space for more!

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Yesterday afternoon, while I was at Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Leh (where the beach scenes in "the beach" were shot - more about that later), there was a cloud of smoke on the horizon. Turns out that one of the ferries from Phuket heading towards Phi Phi burned from bow to stern. I was not on this ferry! No one actually got hurt, as all the passengers merely jumped overboard and were picked up by other boats.

Anyway, must rush now, or I'll miss the boat to Lanta. I'll put pictures of Maya Bay up soon.
cheers,
i

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Climbed hundreds of steps in the sweltering heat yesterday to watch the sun set from the top viewpoint, high up on the island. We (Chris, an English guy i met, and me) were completely drenched and exhausted when we arrived at the top, but the view was spectacular.

As the sun was setting, all at once the cicadas started up. Really cool. Of course we stayed up there, sipping Singas, until it was completely dark and we realised we were being eaten alive by the resident mozzie squad.

Anyway, must get back to my hammock in the shade now ;-)
Hope you enjoy the pictures. Will add more comments later.
cheers,
i

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When we turned into the bay to dock I got a little sad, remembering December 26, 2004 and the friend I lost here. But mostly I just gazed around in awe. Completely gobsmacked by the sheer beauty of the island. Wow!

Of course the village is a construction site, so not very attractive in itself, but the views from it are to die for.
Compared to Bangkok, it's very expensive, but that was to be expected. Yesterday upon arrival I marched straight towards a diveshop that gets good reviews, Viking Divers. Parked my backpack and asked them to recommend somewhere to stay. Worked out fine!
Then of course I overslept this morning. Just forgot to set the alarm. So woke up at 8. Too late for the dive trip I had arranged. Absolutely gutted, but will make up for it tomorrow. Had a relaxing day eating, drinking and reading 'the beach', which seems like the appropriate reading material here.

I've worked out how to upload pictures too! Finally! So have fun with those.

cheers,
i

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Had my first banana pancake of 2007 this morning - felt tremendously good about that ;-). Almost a traveller now. Of course, I enjoyed it in the comfort of a very nice cafe on Rambuttri Rd, instead of sitting on the pavement in Khao San Rd. But I'm getting there, slowly but surely.

In another area of progress - you have no idea how having no agenda opens up possibilities - as I slowly enter the 21st century, I have armed myself with a digital camera. Now all I need to do is learn how to get the amazing pictures I'll undoubtedly be taking uploaded to this blog, and I'll be able to dazzle you with the sights of Thailand.
Just arranged travel to my next port of call: Phuket. Following in the footsteps of Leonardo, I'll be heading for Koh Phi Phi, most likely.

That's all for now. Off for another night in Bangkok ;-)

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And so it begins. Left Amsterdam yesterday evening in a haze of apprehension, devastation and excitement, but with a vague sense that everything will be alright again soon. And let's face it, there are worse places to recuperate and reflect - okay, there are better ones too...
Landed in Bangkok a few hours ago. Avoided getting ripped off by the taxi driver on my way to the guest house on Khao San Rd (one point for me!). Did get absolutely drenched as soon as I got out of the taxi. Turns out it's the last day of the Thai New Year festivities, which apparently involves chucking water on everything that moves.

Got my single room in the guesthouse. Very cheap, very clean, I was promised. And it turned out to be true! Okay, I confess, I chickened out and got the aircon. Sue me. I'm new to this. Of course it wasn't turned on, so I showered and by the time I had got changed I was drenched again. I've missed this so much! ;-)

Next, I did the right thing and ordered myself a Chang beer and pad thai. Yummy. Well, not half bad, anyway.

So, no real adventures yet, but just wanted to let everyone know that I've arrived safely (just in case anyone was wondering). Watch this space for more action packed stories!

khao san road baby! remains copyright of the author idhowe, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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cheers,
iain

change of plans remains copyright of the author idhowe, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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This being the first entry into this blog and all (actually the first entry I've ever made in any kind of blog), I'm not quite sure where this is going. So, I'll get back to you later when I have something slightly more intelligent to offer.

cheers,
i

the final days before take-off remains copyright of the author idhowe, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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