What nearly ended my holiday yesterday!?

sitting under the trees having an afternoon bite to eat and heard a soft "crack" sound followed several seconds later by a dull THUD!

looked around and about two foot from me was a large coconut that had decided to fall to the earth.

Apparently a cpl of people each season get hurt or killed by these falling fruits! or should that be nuts?

I hope one of them isnt me!

Oh yes, Karen here is what i spent a cpl of relaxing hours doing on my break......

Yeah you guessed it i got to do some virus checking and fixing registry files.... wicked ;lol it got me free time online tho so i cant complain

You can take the boy away from computers.......

Free wheeling fun! and not a helmet or leathers in sight

Hmm, maybe that title needed work!?

Got a scooter today 200 Baht No license needed just a passport lol

An automatic scooter that let me go speeding (within the laws!) around the island.

Whata day!, it was so hot , again and yet with a tshirt on it was beautiful, racing along some of the most beautiful coastline ive ever seen.

Went down to thonsala (the main port) to post some of the stupid things i brought with me (hmmm, will i need a hoodie?! NO!!!) lol back to Bangkok so i can pick it up when i leave to go the UK. The post office was closed today?! why who knows

Went up to Koh Ma and a fishing village 20 mins up the coast. Name forgotten, i will move there in a cpl of days, and slowly make my way around the island aiming to get to Haad Rin by the 2nd of May.

I have several different shades of brown/red on my arms and body but am slowly getting a tan that i can be proud of! Yes i am wearing sunscreen

I will take a pic of the insects that i share my bathroom with and post them soon (they kinda freak me out when i hear them making noise as they wander around the room.

Was woken up last night by geckos fighting in my room ( i think they were scrapping over the crumbs of a Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookie!)

I have a video clip that i want to add to my blog but it might take a bit of doing (yes i know Room 12 did them last year on their webpages but they are clever!)

This is the next place i might go to , The Malibu Bungaloo (classy name eh!?)

This is the view from the eating area, it is a lovely shady lil spot in a sheltered bay, i am going to be getting further away from civilisation soon so will be doing less blogging, probably, who knows how much wifi they have on this island!

Another difficult day in Phangan

Well this was last nite, i may have already published this pic but lets say im kinda chuffed with it, if you put the fan heater on high and sit next to it for about 30 mins then look at this pic, your almost here with me!.

tomorrow im off to get a scooter and see if i can get a Koh phangan tattoo (a lovely scar from coming off the thing on the dodgy roads! lol)

I will be taking my mask to Koh Ma to see what it is like there and maybe moving up there in a days time.

Im starting to not think in days which is a good thing, i may stay on the island until the next full moon party (its like a disco, kinda_)

then i will have to scoot off to Myanmar to get my reentry visa renewed (only 30 days at a tiime here)

This pic makes no sense to anyone but the teachers at Hataitai School
sorry but thats the way it is somethines
dont worry, its a teacher joke, how funny can it be!

Part of the wonders of technology, im doing the blog uploading pics to my gmail and chatting to a mate in welli!, very cool
although it means i will just do all 3 jobs sub par! lol
see you tomorrow maybe
Maqtt

Pics part 2 (Mr J mucked up!)

well here is my pic, the blogger page was in thai and i clicked the wrong link! ahh im so clever!

Oh and here is a sunset shot, kinda cool and lets you imagine your here, not in welli!

Im on free time at the moment for fixing the computers but being a kiwi i feel bad with how long

it takes to download! grrr

I have a pic that sums up the duality of Thailand (sorry using teacher words cos im speaking to myself lol) A big group of boy monks came to the beach today and trapped a french girl in her bikini on her lilo, it was quite funnyt to see as noone knew where to look. It wioll be posted next time

Matt

Pics at last!

Well i just spent the last hour and a half working through the server problems of the thai guy who runs the internet shop on the island

lol

dont even laugh, im just trying to download some pics and now im fighting my way through popups and malware!

the pics are from all over i will try to name them as we go!

The first id the lovely TukTuk driver who got surly and threatened me when i didnt buy any suits or travel at the places he took me too, yes its true, not all people giving the "thumbs up " are thinking the same as you!

The second is of one of tyhe many kids playing with water pistols/canon on the streets of Bangkok ( With New Year or Songkran water fights are the thing to do) It helps that the temp is 40 degrees

The third is of the bach im in at the moment 300B a night (at 30 B a $1=........) Hey its real life maths how cool!

not Bout 10 bucks and here is the view that i have each brekkie!

First to my left

Then to my right

The beach is a lovely white sand and the water is clear and blue, kind of like the picture i had in my head.

And there is even a cool dog! He follows you round and will lie in the sand next to you and sighs every so often lkike his day is soooooo tough (it aint)

The last pic is of me, hey it proves im here, which is something im very very greatful for.

Next blog will be from koh Ma which is an amzin glil island around the next cpl of bayts! see you then! Matt

Snorkelling!

Spent my second day just swimming and eating yummy pad thai for brekkie!
Then on day 3 i borrowed a snorkel set and went out into the bay.
WOW
The amount of sea life was amazing from seeing some of the costars from Nemo to finding and watching an octopus fight and get away from two camoflaged fishes. It was amazing, i spent hours just lying on the surface watching the world go by.
The next day i went a bought my own set and that is where things went wrong!
In a sea that feels so luke warm it is easy to stay in way too long, and i did, the sun tan lotion wore off and bingo!
Mr J is burnt
i spent last nite putting on aloe vera and drinking lots of water (water is bottled and costs between 6B and 15 b per bottle, about 20-40c)
woke up this morning sore but hopefully another day of being good will help.
sorry no pics of me yet! lol waiting tillim brown and relaxed looking!

Koh Phangnan

Well, its been 5 days and what have i been doing tyhat has meant no blog?
Well, once i get myself together enough to remember camera, and downlad cord you will see!
I arrived in Thurat sani from Bangkokon a doubledecker bus that stopped regularly but without reason, ie it would be 2 amm in the morning and the driver would just disappear, do you
a) get off the bus to use the "picnic bathroom " option because onboard is scary as!
b) get off and look for a food stall because your starving and there is no food on board?
c) go nowhere because thisis the best location for either your backpack or wallet to go walkabouts.

It was a long trip! I arrived at about 7.30am at this little port (pic to come)
we waited and watched the Thai chickens fighting, the the catermaran appeared, we charged down a long rickety pier and sat down just as the skies opened up!
I have never seen rain like the kind ive seen here, although as im going north soon and monsoon is coming im guessing this will not be the worst i will encouter this trip! doh!
We stopped first at Ko Tao which is a small Island with amazing diving, i may go back there later in the year.
http://www.champgallery.com/archives/thai4.jpg
We then moved onto the second Island where i got off.
It was raining incredibly hard, everyone else seemed to have a booking at a bungaloo or resort but did i?!
NO
I just jumped on the nearest 4x4 that was heading towards Haad Yao ( a small bay that you will see is quite beautiful) and off we went
i had no idea if it had two places to stay or 22 didnt know if it was booked up or not. Lets just say it was anticipation!
Got dropped off at The Haad Yao (the driver guessed that was where i was staying) walked down a gravel path towards one of the most scenic beaches ive ever seen., my bungaloo is looking out on the sea, yes its not right o the water but i can handle the 15 foot walk :-)
The beach has beautiful white sand and curves away from me into a perfect arc.
http://kohphangan.eternaltravel.net/wp-content/themes/mapleleaf/images/HadYao3.JPG
I have been here 4 days now and will stay a cpl more as i get over the really quite clever case of sunburn that i got (explanation coming next!)

Songkran in Thailand

Sometimes being unorganised can be good, sometimes not!

Case in point, I have turned up in Thail;and in the middle of Songkran, (Thai New Year) a 4-5 day festival full of religious and family traditions , but alos a time when water fights become the name of the game!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_New_Year

Sounds great yeah?

Well yes and no, not only are you being pelted with water, but sometimes plaster as well, now heres a uestion for the clever amongst you, what happens if you mix water and plaster......

anyone?

anyone?

Yes you guessed it you become a statue, O for orsum!

So Im out of bangkok and off on the night boat to an Island called Koh Pangnan

It should be amazing, next update will be on a beach! with pics from my new camera!

See you soon

Matt

Closer to the Sun?

Arriving in Bangkok at midnight has to rank up there with the silliest things ive doine travel wise.... ever! was dead tired , confused and felt like someone had locked me in a sauna for a day.
A mad taxi drive through bangkok which made me feel like we were part of some sort of Tokyo Drift XBOX 360 game, no indicating no brakes just foot to the floor, quiter a thrill really!

The first hotel was flash, kinda it had a pool and lifts which i think will be the last of each that i see on my time in asia!
It cost about 1100 Baht a night with brekkie thrown in follow this link to work out the cost in NZ$ http://www.xe.com/ucc/

The new place ive moved to looks cool but is down markety! im in a cell, i kid you not (i will get a pic for you ltr) Im off now to buy a sleeping sheet and mossie net amd a big PADLOCK!!!

Its weird having to think about this stuff all the time but i guiess it is good for me to get into the right habits before i start going down south.

It is nearly New Year here and everyone is getting ready foir a big water celebrtation.
One of the weird things you see is that almose everyone is wearing tshirts or tpops that are yellow and say long live the king on thew back of them
the royal famil;y is really respected i guess, i know itts an offewnce to deface any image so .....

Its real, and its kinda scary

So i arrive in Sydney, finally! and turn on my flash new phone (thanks nokia) doh!! who didnt sort their global roaming b4 he left welli?
Yes we have a first mistake and we are only 4 hrs into the trip, well if im being honest getting my mate to take my car back to his place to avoid the hefty parking fees at Welli Airport, but electing not to call my Dad to tell him the change in location...... your getting the picture?
I was going to do it on my flash nokia when i departed in sydney! your spotting a theme here i hope.

Well i guess mistakes are natures way of telling you to F.O.C.U.S. so im going to go have breakfast and look at my itinerary.

Day 1 of my holiday and we are still in the english speaking world.

Oh and if your interested in how/if i tried to undo the car parking fiasco? well i emailed a cpl of people so hopefully one of thwem will get on the ph to Dad and save my bacon.

See you in Thailand