The kindness of a stranger.

I thought I'd share something I witnessed on the way to work the other morning because it really moved me.

I was on the bus on the way to work when I saw a middle aged man get on the bus. He looked pretty spaced and unsteady on his feet and like he needed a good wash.  A few minutes later I looked across and he was stumbling across the bus towards a girl, probably in her early 20's, who had her back to me.  He sat on the seat next to her and put one arm over her shoulders and the other across her front, in an embrace and laid his head on her shoulder. I realised she was crying.  He continued to hug her for a good few minutes, muttering to her in a gentle voice, "It's alright girl".  At which point I got off the bus.

I actually felt quite choked up. It was such a sweet, child-like thing to do. I'm sure everyone else on the bus would have been thinking should I go over? But everyone else is welded to their seats, worrying about whether she would want them to intrude. Part of it I suppose it is being on a bus, where you have a captive audience  and quite often people aren't talking either.

I personally don't know that I would want a stranger to come and hug me like that and for so long (!) but it was a really touching and 'human' thing to do.  It made me feel ashamed that I would feel that I can't go up to a stranger and offer support.

I've had a few discussions with friends recently about interactions on bus journeys.  I personally don't often start conversations with people on buses and I tend to be quite closed (particularly in the morning), which is really sad. I worry that I'll start a conversation with someone, then feel I have to talk to them every morning and that seems like effort at 7am.  However, when travelling I would be open to speaking to fellow travellers on long distant journeys (as long as I wasn't feeling too nauseous!).

So....what I do take from this? Well, I aim to be more open to meeting and talking to people everyday, however that manifests itself. I guess I should come up with some better openers, rather than, "So, how are you finding the weather?" But that's a start :-)

Inspirational Pole Dancing Routine

I thought I'd post a link to this video, because I think it really shows what pole-dancing is really about: strength, grace, flexibility and creativity.

By the way - you should be 18 to go to this video, only because of the other videos/ads that come up alongside it!

Amazing pole-dance video

Broadened Horizons - the delights of Couchsurfing.

I have been away from home for a little over a year now and in Vancouver 9 months.  Although I love the city and my life here I have begun to feel restless - that I am back in to a mundane routine and I was missing the excitement of moving from place to place.

We originally came away again because we were looking for something. Yes, we wanted to see the world but we also knew that we wanted to experience as much as we could before we settle and, I know it's a cliche but, I think I have been doing some soul searching more recently, trying to figure out what I want from life and what my priorities are.  I haven't quite figured that out yet but I feel I did get a bit closer this weekend.

I have just arrived home from a weekend away in Portland with two other ladies, one who I have known for a few months and I see her most weeks at our art nights - Rachel.  The other I just met on Saturday - Lorena.  We had a great time, I thoroughly enjoyed their company and we spent the whole weekend talking about all kinds of issues, from Monsanta, LSD, ethical farming of marine life, sustainability, the after-life....pretty deep stuff!

Our weekend was also helped along tremendously by our host, Gina. I have to say we were a bit cheeky because we only messaged her on the way to Portland to ask if 3 rather than 2 of us could stay with her (not really acceptable Couch Surfer behaviour) however she took it in her stride and was the most amazing host.  She too is  an incredible person, with lots of interests and lots to share.  She took us all over her city.

And although it was great to visit a new place, and I thought that's what I needed - to get out of Vancouver.  It was spending time with and meeting these great people that made the weekend.  I have come away invigorated and excited about the way my life is going.  And just chatting to each of these individuals, each sharing their perspective, experiences and ideas, it feels like I have broadened my outlook on life and the possibilities. I have confirmed some of my own ideas and questioned others.

And surely that is what travel and life is about; asking questions of yourself, challenging your pre-existing ideas? I think sometimes what happens when you have an established life and routine in one place is that you don't as frequently interact and talk with different people and this is what limits us.  So maybe we're more inclined to accept a path and we stick to it.

I've always had an idea that I should find a career, make some money and settle down and that we were going travelling before we did this.  That this was our 'last chance'.  The biological clock is ticking and all that.  But I'm finding the longer I'm away, the more places I visit and the more people I meet from different backgrounds, the goal posts shift. I see different possibilities for myself and although I have vague idea which direction I want to go in, there are so many possibilities and I'm not so worried about how long it takes me to get to my destination but more about taking the scenic route!

This was one of the realisations I came too this weekend but also that you can have new and exciting experiences where ever you are just by interacting with stimulating and inspiring people that ask meaningful questions.

Being a Tourist again!

We have been in Vancouver for 5 months now and I was beginning to feel that I hadn't really made the most of being here, as so much of our time had been taken up with job hunting and we were so short on cash.  However, more recently, I have been able to make the most of weekends and enjoy what Vancouver has to offer.

At the beginning of June my mum came for a 2 week holiday and I took a week off work to spend time with her.  Not only was it fantastic getting to spend some quality time with her but it was also an excuse to be a tourist and explore the surrounding area a bit more.

So on the first weekend we went out to White Rock, which a pretty seaside resort with a long promenade following the coast, and a wooden pier.  It's only a 40 minute drive out of Vancouver and is worth a visit, for the gelato and fish and chips alone!

Next we had a long day exploring the Sea to Sky Highway between Vancouver and Whistler.  It's a beautiful drive, however most of the viewpoints cannot be accessed on the way to Whistler only on the way back.  We were lucky to have a mostly clear day so the views were exhilarating.

It was also my first trip to Whistler and we paid to go on the Peak2Peak Gondola which I would definitely recommend, it is well worth the money.  Again stunning views from Blackcomb mountain across the valley, where the village sits, and the lakes behind.  On the way back we stopped off in Squamish to try and find somehwere to eat.  First of all it took a while of driving around to find Squamish itself.  Happily though we found a picturesque river walk.  Squamish itself is not worth a visit, unless you are in to outdoor pursuits like hiking, kayaking and rock climbing - in which case it is a must. Before you reach Squamish there is the Chief.  It is famous for challenging rock climbing and the 3 summit hike.

A few weeks earlier I had done the 1st summit of this hike.  It is a really exciting hike, as to reach the summit you have to climb ladders and chains in order to scramble up the rock face and reach the breath-taking views at the top.  If it is best to go during the week and avoid public holidays as it gets very busy and this can ruin the 'edge of the world' ambience when you reach the top!

Over the weekend I finally got myself over to Vancouver island and I'm really looking forward to exploring more of the island.  We drove around Sooke which was very pretty.  We enjoyed a picnic on the beach at Ed MacGregor Park, where John managed to spot a seal.  It has a long boardwalk that follows the coast over the water.  It was secluded and beautiful.  We spent the afternoon driving back to Victoria along the coast road, exploring the many beaches and beach side parks, dotted with the exotic looking Arbutus tree, with it's vivid rusty, cellophane like bark.

Of course there are other sights that are a must around the city and I made sure mum hit them all!  A really fun day out starts with a walk down Davie Street towards English Bay, you can then walk along the coast path around Stanley Park.  if you have time you can venture in to the forest and find your way to Beaver Lake and the aquarium, I am told it a must see - although I haven't been yet.

Another pleasant evening is spent at the public markets on Granville Island and enjoying fish and chips or a salmon burger while listening to one of the many buskers.  WE also went along to Bistro 101 which is the restaurant and cafe operated by the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts.  It offers 3 course meals MOn-Thurs for under $25 a head.  The food was fantastic, I was very impressed.  We were even offered a selection of breads and different flavoured butters.
http://www.bistro101.com/

I would also recommend visiting Lighthouse Park on the north shore.  It has lots of little low-key trails that wind in and out of the forest, over logs and bolders with windy views over small rocky coves.
Lighthouse Park hike

The cite itself is great but if you want to get out and around BC it's definitely easier if you have a car.  For example if you want to visit Vancouver island.  Then it will take you about an hour and a half to get to the ferry terminal, by bus and sky train, then 1 hour and a half on the ferry.  Once you are on the island it will take you about 40 minutes-1 hour on the bus to get in to downtown Victoria.  So it can be a bit of a trek!

Highlights so far...

So we have now been in Vancouver for over 3 months.  I can't believe it!  Don't really feel we've made the most of our time here because we're spending so much time job hunting and our financial situation is always so uncertain.  But hey!

Having said that we are having a great time and love it here in Vancouver, so I thought I'd write a quick post about the things we have done here that we would recommend to others visiting Vancouver.
1) If you are planning to stay in the city for a little while I would recommend signing up to CouchSurfing.  This is a community which started off as a site where people would offer up their couch/a spare room to fellow travellers for free.  In Vancouver there is a large CS/traveller community and if you sign up to CS there are always different events going on that you can join.  There is usually a meet up every week in one of the many bars/restaurants around downtown.  Everyone is always very friendly and open to meeting new people.  Someone usually arranges a hike for the weekend.  And if you ever fancy a trip some where, you can post a message online and usually someone will want to join you!

2) Of course if you are a fan of skiing or snowboarding Vancouver and wider BC is the place to come.  An hour drive from the city there is a choice of 3 mountains that you can buy passes for: Grouse, Seymour and Baker.

We bought an end of season pass for Seymour, which meant we only had to go 3 times to save money.  Night skiing has been a definite highlight so far.  All the time I have been skiing on Seymour, the visibility has been really bad, which is a shame.  But on this occasion it added to the ambiance!  It was amazing going up the short ski lift through the fog feeling like you were travelling in to the abyss, not being able to see more than a couple of dozen feet ahead.  Beneath us there are huge lamps that light the runs at night and they bathe the mountain in an orange glow between the now covered conifer trees.  I kept expecting to see Mr Tumnus talking to Lucy amongst the trees!

3) Another activity I would highly recommend is snow shoeing.  We were really lucky when we went because it was beautiful clear day and we had great views from the top of the mountain.  We went to the Hemlock Valley, our friends had found a great deal on Group On.  It took us a couple of hours to drive out there and it was the first time I had ventured out of Vancouver.  It was really interesting to drive out through the suburbs, past docks and industrial areas in to the large flat farm land surrounded by abrupt snow capped mountains.  We then wound up in to the mountains, the roads getting increasingly slippery and treacherous.  When we arrived at the tiny resort I was suprised how deep the snow was. A path had been dug between the car park and ski centre and the snow was piled up over Martin's head!
Walking in the snowshoes takes a bit of getting used to, but it was so much fun.  Then on the way down we were sliding down dykes down the mountain and having snow fights.

4)  There are plenty of beaches around Vancouver and as soon as the sun is out that is where everyone goes.  I love English Bay near Stanley Park although I should think it is packed in the summer.



There are loads of other reasons to come to Vancouver, but those are our highlights so far!

A different life


As I've said before, part of our trip was not just about travelling but changing our lives for the 
better, and I want to record and share some of that.  Over the last few months we've talked a lot about what aspects of our lives we liked and what we wanted to change or improve about ourselves.  It came down to just our family and friends, and our flat that we really liked.  And those are the things that we are really missing now and we wish we could pick up and move with us.


There were several areas that I wanted to examine and try to improve on in my life:


Work: 

I did really enjoy my first 2 years of teaching and I really landed on my feet, in most ways, starting out at OJS.  I met a lot of great people who were extremely supportive and will continue to be good friends and of course the kids were fantastic.  But and I knew after 2 years I wanted a change and that I wanted to go back to working in 'special education'.  This is where my heart is.  I am really interested and passionate about working with young people with Autism, in particular.  Now I am in Vancouver this is the area of work I am pursuing.  I have now added another page, about getting back in to this line of work, my experiences of working with young people with Autism and also anything I've read or watched about this area that I think might be interesting to people!

I also decided that when I go back to being a teacher I need to find a way to have a better work/life balance.  I'd lost who I was apart from being a teacher!

Fitness:


In the year or so before I left the UK, I finally discovered a sport that I enjoyed doing - Pole Dancing.  In fact I became a bit obsessed with it.  So I have added a page to track my progress, when I can finally afford to go classes again that is!  But so far I have added pictures of some pole that I did while travelling and also a video of a pro!  Watch this if you still have a 'sleazy, lap-dance club' image of pole dancing!

Diet and Cooking:


Now, I've always felt that I ate a reasonably healthy diet - 'everything in moderation' being my motto. But I was aware that we could eat more fruit and veg and that some foods didn't agree with me! I knew that my repertoire of recipes was very limited and based on convenience.  So my quest now is to experiment more with cooking, buy more organic food and increase my awareness and understanding of how different foods and minerals can effect our bodies.

I've created a page to add any info I find out about diet and any recipes I think other people might like!

Creativity:


Before I started on the long road (well it was longer for me than most!) to teaching Fine Art was my passion and it consumed all of my time as a teenager.  Unfortunately, this is an area of my life that has almost completely disappeared, especially since teaching.  So I have vowed to spend more time being creative, therefor one of the first things I have done is ordered some wool to make felt!  I plan to make the most of the time I have free while I'm waiting to start work!  I have also been working hard at doing some basic photo-editing of all our thousands of pictures I have taken over our travels and I'm trying to learn how to be more creative with Photoshop.

I've created a new page to show off some of my projects!

Artifacts.

So...we have been in Vancouver a month now and it continues to be really exciting and promising! I'm really chuffed with how well we've done in such little time and what we have done in the last 6 months with such little money. It's been a real adventure.

We are now settled in to our flat and are really enjoying living with Ami and Michael. It's really great to be living with such positive and open-minded people who are always looking at their own lives and striving to improve themselves and achieve their goals. I think it's going to be a really positive experience for us. Throughout our travels we have done a lot more reflecting about what it was we wanted to change about our lives and it's helpful to be around people who live very different but fulfilling lives that we can take inspiration from!

Having said that, sometimes it feels very lonely and frustrating to feel like we're starting again. And also because we're not properly earning again, money is tight. I'm actually really missing all my belongings and clothes, jewellery etc. All those things that make me feel like I'm home and like 'me'. I've been feeling guilty and ungrateful for feeling a bit down that I don't have all my belongings and such a limited and cheap (!) wardrobe. Martin and I had been talking about this being a chance to reinvent ourselves and that we could create whole new identities for ourselves. But the reality is we don't have the money to do that and actually I don't want to reinvent myself - I quite like who I am!

At home I often feel guilty (see a theme?!) for buying clothes, accessories or something for the house that isn't absolutely essential. I feel it's gluttonous and that I don't deserve to when other people don't have any disposable income and can barely feed themselves. I've been thinking about why I want particular clothes or jewellery or a new haircut and for me I think it is to individualise myself, show some of my personality. Although I suppose other people have different reasons - to display wealth, to fit in, to stand out, to attract the attention of the opposite sex etc, etc.

Last weekend, I went to the Museum of Anthropology here in Vancouver and I spent a good few hours admiring all the beautiful objects and artifacts from aboriginal cultures from all over the world. Many of these objects were colourfully and intricately decorated. Some of the objects were purely decorative and others had some function, lots of a spiritual or religious nature.



I was trying to decide why these objects seemed less frivilous and acceptable to me. Because they were displayed in a museum?...

I decided it was because all of these objects had been hand-made. Each one was individual. Time and love and been invested in these objects. They represented a moment in that person and family's history. There was something inherently spiritual about these objects regardless of their purpose. And there is something special about that. I know that the few belongings I have of my grandparents are very special to me and are treasured, because they are representations of their memory and how important they were to me. It is the same for these objects in the museum, a lot would have been past down through generations. They were a record of history, the story of a culture.

I don't think we have that any more in the developed world, or very rarely. How often do we buy something handmade or even make something ourselves. Most things that we buy and own are mass-produced. There is also this attitude that everything is disposable. We buy things so cheaply that we think we can wear a dress once and then throw it away. We are so distanced from the process involved in making these things and we can get things so easily. Most things we buy are easily replaceable - we could buy the exact same object again. We haven't seen it being made or know who made it, in fact it's often made by a machine, so there is nothing of ourselves invested in that object.

After the visit to the museum I decided that I want to create 'artifacts' for my family and have some kind of skill/craft that I can pass down to my children, that becomes part of our heritage. I thought about all the happy times I spent as a child 'creating' something with my mum and sister (usually a mess) and the happy afternoons I've spent with friends or family crafting. I think of the wonderful homemade gifts and cards I've been given and how treasured they are.

The visit to the museum also made me realise that every culture throughout history has sought to decorate and identify themselves and their homes. It is a 'human' thing to want to do. So does that allow me to buy a new wardrobe?;)

Our first few days in Vancouver.

We arrived on Friday night, after 2 days in Taipei, which was a really interesting experience. Taiwan has such an interesting history, governed in the past by the Dutch, Portugese and now working towards gaining acceptance of their independence from China. I would love to go back and explore the country, which is supposed to be beautiful - showcasing volcanoes, mountains and jungle.

Our visit helped us to acclimatise to the cold as it was about 15 degrees, a nice mid point from the 30 degrees plus we are used to and the 4/5 degrees we were about to experience. A big part of our few days was shopping for warm clothes! The rain is taking a bit of getting used to after having only 12 days when it rained in 5 months!

When we arrived in Vancouver we were greeted by our host for our first week, Dianna. She made a very good first impression of Canadian peeps. She is very accommodating and friendly and we are really enjoying our stay with her. So far Canadians in general are making a great impression. We have had so many people say 'Welcome to Canada'; shop staff who strike up conversation at the till, fellow patrons at a bar who overhear we are new to Vancouver. Literally everyone we have spoken to has been so open and friendly.

We had thought we would head to one of the nearby ski resorts to find work but we have decided to stay in the city. It will be easier for me to find work here and also Martin can play live poker throughout the day here in the city. Which will be great, as it means hopefully we will be working similar schedules, which will be a big improvement to how things were at home.

The city has so much to offer. We haven't had a chance to explore properly yet but downtown has great shopping, loads of bars and restaurants, lots of theatres, 2 stadiums. At the moment the ice hockey season is in full swing and Canadians are BIG on hockey. So we are hoping to get to a Canucks game asap. There is also international womens football taking place. The mountains are only an hours drive from the city, Whistler 2 hours and Vancouver Island a few hours away. Within the city there is also Stanley park and the beach is 10 minutes walk from where we will be living.

We have hit the ground running. So far we have found a place to live. We saw an ad on Craigslist and went to meet the couple. We ended up spending a couple of hours chatting and they offered us the room. They have a beautiful basement flat. They are both artists and have really made the flat their own. We will have a 'suite' of 2 rooms, a bedroom, an office and a huge walk in wardrobe. They also have an art space, which they've said I can use! I'm very excited.

I also have applied for a few jobs and I have some interviews lined up. If I can get the jobs I'm applying for then I think it will really help me career wise.

Last night we went to a Couch Surfer social, which was really good fun. There must have been about 50 people there, all people who were travelling, new to the city or 'ex' travellers who just enjoyed meeting people. Everyone was really open to speaking to new people and it was easy to 'mingle' and chat with different people. We'll definitely go regularly.

So far I have a really good feeling about our move. We left England as there were several things we wanted to change about our lives and so far it seems being in Vancouver will help us to achieve these changes and hopefully lead to a more balanced, active life. Of course at the price of missing our family and friends, so we'll see how it goes.

Our last day in Thailand.

Kayaking in Krabi province.

Our last day in Thailand was a real adventure and we faced it with our good friends, Megan & Phil.

We had decided to splash out on a full day of kayaking through mangroves. We were picked up in a minivan and driven through Krabi province. There is plenty of stunning scenery along the coast of the province as dotted off the shore are lots of limestone islands jutting dramatically out of the water. At one point on the drive we could see 7 or 8 of these islands from one bay.

We began the day by kayaking out of a wide, silky estuary at low tide, getting accustomed to directing the kayak accurately (which seemed easy with this huge amount of space!) Out of the estuary, we turned inland in to the wide mouth of a canyon. Behind us on the horizon were silhouettes of jagged peaks; haggard facial profiles and leaking ink blots.


Ahead of us we spotted the small figure of a monkey who appeared to be walking on water! Our guide told us that monkeys can often be seen fishing for crabs with their tails and it is not unheard of for a monkey to be stuck with his tail down a hole, as a large crab has caught hold of it and he can't pull it out. The monkey then has a choice; to drown when the tide comes in or gnaw his own tail off. This was the first time I'd seen a monkey in the sea. He wasn't too interested in us until the Russian family with us started throwing him small bananas, which he stuffed in his mouth as quickly as possible and then strolled off when he'd had his fill.

We then deliberately ran aground on a mud bank and watched in amazement as a rusty red mass of army crabs swept away from us each pace we took. There were thousands of the creatures all scattering in different directions and then hurriedly digging a hole with their disproportionately long pincers and disappearing. We also found lots of dusty coloured star fish, with rippling cellophane like suckers.

Next we paddled in to the canyon, it was difficult to see where it was deep enough for the kayak to go and an hour or so later we did have to turn back and go back the way we came. Along the way we saw a few monkeys sauntering across the muddy banks and a large monitor lizard winking at us. There were cobalt-blue patched crabs scuttling along the sharp edged rocks of the canyon. On either side of us were mangrove trees and then the vertical walls of the narrow canyon formed by the Karsts. Up until 3 or 4 foot above us the rock was soot grey and heavily scarred with mollusc shells. The walls above were dirty vanilla striped with great drips of grey and orange, fragile, wiry trees somehow clung determinedly to the crumbly rock. The shadow of the cliffs were very welcome as we drifted through the canyon listening to the loud, constant hum of the insect world.

After a really tasty and filling lunch, we were down to just a group of 5 and we ambled down the coast and through the mangrove forest. Monkeys were dropping from tree branches in to the water to keep cool and quietly stalking our kayaks. Either side of us were the dark intricate webs of roots, like fairground claws clasping for a prize in the deep mud. Each tree was formed from a dozen or so overlapping arches bridging the water culminating in one proud spindly trunk growing high out of the water.

We turned down a narrower tributary and appeared, on first sight, to reach a dead end of rock. Our guide told us to duck and keep going beneath the overhanging rock in to a low cave. Watching our heads on bobbly stalacites and without room to paddle we cautiously guided our kayak through the cave and gradually out the other side in to a hidden lagoon. Surrounding us were high rock walls, mangroves and vines hanging off the trees. Pixels of blonde sunlight danced and tickled the grey rock walls. Magical!


Emerging once again we continued through the mangroves to another cave. We clambered in to the steep opening of the cave through sticky mud. Above us were a hundred bats hanging in the shadows, swooping away when we clapped our hands. Before us opened a large high cavern, it was so dark we could barely see the ground below us. We stumbled through one step at a time over the uneven ground cushioned with powdery 'kee kam kaow' (bat poo). All the time we could hear the gentle whispering of wings and the bats conversing in clicks over our heads.

The large cave had several different exits. We climbed down towards one exit which led down to the water one way and then to our right, were columns of stalacmites and stalactites clinging to each other like a falling child and his desperate mother. One structure looked like it might be a set of heavy, velvet curtains hiding a trophy or plaque. The guide drew our attention to a noise that sounded like drumming in the distance. We walked towards the cave wall following the eery sound like water boiling over, rattling the lid of a saucepan. It was apparently water trapped from high tide.


Reluctantly we climbed back in to our kayaks and made our way back. This seemed to take us a lot longer than on the way there and we struggled to get in to rhythm and eek out the last of our energy!

Overall it was a fab end to our time in Thailand and we were really sad to leave this incredible country and our new found friends.

But we can't complain, on to phase 2 of our travels!

Koh Lanta

In total we stayed on Koh Lanta for 10 days and we loved our time there.

Although it is quite a small island, there is plenty to do and something for everyone, including Scuba Diving, great snorkelling, kayaking, lazing on the beach, exploring the national park and the Sea Gypsy village, elephant trekking, trekking, watching Muay Tai (although it is very pricey). You can sample all types of cuisine: French, Greek, seafood, Indian, Italian (although the quality is generally better if you stick to Thai). Although we did sample the Greek Taverna and that was really good and Mr Wees 2 pizza was very good. We'd highly recommend Muslim Seafood near Pimilai and before the turning for Meteoroligical Department. The food is fresh, very reasonably priced and the staff are very friendly.

There are several 'hubs' ,if you like, where people stay and all the eateries and bars are. There is Saladan, which is the main town at the ferry terminal and there are a few dive centres there. Then there is Long beach which is a long strip of beach cafes, bungalows and bars and it has quite a nice vibe, however the beach isn't the most picturesque and it's quite rocky in places.

For the second half of our stay we stayed at a beach further south, Khlong Nin, which is a lovely stretch of beach with views of Koh Ha. We stayed in a gorgeous little family run resort called Fevrier. It only has 9 rooms, most of them are quaint looking bungalows with coloured glass windows and attached warm shower bathrooms. The lady that runs it is so sweet and helpful and they really pay attention to detail, cleaning the rooms everyday, providing bottles of water and a fridge. It's been a lovely stay. I would highly recommend it and according to Tripadvisor I think most other people that have stayed here would as well!

Not only is Lanta a great place, but we had some great company, which always helps. Jason was with us for 3 weeks and it was great to spend more time with him and get to know him a bit better, which we never seemed to get round to doing at home! I hope he's having a fab time in Malaysia. We were also lucky enough to meet up with Arthur and Justine while they were 'holidaying' and they were a lot of fun (as always) to spend time with. Last but by no means least, we managed to bump in to Phil and Megan for the third time! And so far we haven't been able to get rid of them!! Only joking, I think these two will be friends for life, feel really lucky to have got to spend so much time with them!



Right, enough of that..

Apart from the company, there has been several highlights of our stay on Koh Lanta:

1) I would definitely suggest hiring a bike for at least a day or so during your stay here. For the only other way to get around the island is by tuk tuk. Unfortunately, this island is under the influence of 'the tuk tuk mafia' which basically means they have agreed to charge extortionate prices. We have been charged 240 B just to go 2 km's down the road compared to Chiang Mai where you would pay no more than 80B to go anywhere within the city.
But it is also a beautiful island to explore. Inland there are mangrove forests and as you circumnavigate the island there are stunning views of hidden coves and the jagged limestone islands off shore. We had great fun with the 7 of us driving around the island in convoy stopping at various photo opportunities and bars with sea views.
2) We also hired a long tail boat and crew for a day to take us out to 3 different nearby island. This was a fantastic day out. Between the 7 of us we paid 4500 B, including the boat and crew, pick up and drop off at our hotel, cold water and lunch and use of snorkel gear. First of all they took us to a snorkel spot around a rock island. We jumped off the boat and off we went. Unfortunately the visibility wasn't very good, it was very cloudy but we still saw lots. The second snorkel spot was much better. It was off a beach and there was much
more coral and colourful fish. We then spent an hour or so relaxing on the beach and enjoying out lunch.
The final destination was much more than we expected – Emerald cave. We arrived at the entrance of a cave. It was quite choppy swimming in to the cave so we were given life jackets. We bobbed around trying to navigate ourselves towards the cave entrance sticking as close to our guide as possible, laughing at how ridiculous we each looked in our life jackets as they floated up above our heads. The cave got progressively dark and we realised we were actually going in to a tunnel. You could only see a few feet ahead so it was difficult to tell how wide and how far the cave went. Just as I was beginning to get a bit scared we saw sunlight and we came out of the cave in to a secret beach surrounded by high cliffs and forest. It was a real pirates hide out! Incredible experience!
3) Finally Megan, Phil, Martin and I decided to book a 'Discover Scuba Diving trip' when our other companions had gone home or moved on. We booked with Lanta Diver (visit http://www.lantadiver.com/en/About-Lanta-Diver ) and I would highly recommend them. The day consisted of 3 dives. It took 2 hours on the boat to get out to Koh Ha where we do all 3 dives. The boat is very spacious and they provide breakfast and lunch and a good supply of cold drinks thoughout the day, Our first dive was off a beach, where we were able to stand while we got used to the gear and practised skills, like being able to put our --- back in if it comes off and clear our mask. We then swam towards a rock island and had a nose around at about 5 metres. The instructors are great and we had 1 instructor to 2 people. Megan and I buddied up and the boys went together. By the end of the day we were calling Megan 'the Mermaid' as she was such a natural! I wasn't such a natural and a few times had to fight the nerves.
After about 45 minutes we were back on the boat, desperately trying to warm up as we'd all got a bit cold down there (my lips were literally blue!). Unfortunately it was overcast, so we had a few warm drinks and my instructor kindly found me another wet suit, so I could double up for the next dive. For the second dive, we jumped off the boat in the same place but swam towards a different one of the 5 islands (Ha means 5 in Thai). Here we went down a bit deeper and by now we were beginning to control our depth through our breathing which was exciting! We saw plenty of fish, including Boxfish, some angel fish,moray eels, and some shrimp. We were swimming around the rock island which was like a beautiful, colourful wall with lots of nooks and crannies. I loved swimming through shoals of fish and watching fish nibbling on jelly fish. Again we were under water for about 45 minutes and then had to swim back to the boat which was a bit of a challenge as it was a bit choppy, but we managed it.
Next we enjoyed lunch on board the boat, although it was still a bit chilly, before all deciding we wanted to do the third dive, which was optional. This dive proved to be a little trickier for me. It took me a while to equalise and we had to come back up to the surface once, but eventually I was okay. The instructor was very patient with me. The when we got down I was struggling a little with nerves as I felt that I was too buoyant and I couldn't seem to use my breathing to stay at the depth I wanted to. So my instructor told me to let some air out of my floatation belt as soon as I did this I thought I was floating up instead of down and started to worry. I didn't know what to do and felt helpless as I slowly drifted up towards the surface, my poor instructor ended up chasing me up to bring me back down. She later told me that what had actually caused this, which now seems obvious, but I didn't realise as I was thinking about everything else I should be doing. So while I had been concentrating on pressing the right button and worrying about my breathing I'd actually turned my body so I was upright in the water and I was kicking, so of course I was kicking slowly up towards the surface! Duh! I'll never make that mistake again!
I still really enjoyed the dive, there was plenty to see again and there was lots of rocky outcrops and coral to explore. My favourite sighting was a shoal of squid, which I'd never seen before. They look like cute alien creatures or the cartoon 'squelchy' characters we used to draw as kids.
All in all it was a fab day and good value for money! I would highly recommend this company, they were very professional and our instructors were very experienced and patient.

Noises, loud noises!

So far we have been on Koh Lanta, in southern Thailand for 6 days. It is a beautiful island in the Andaman sea and is a lot quieter than other better known islands.

For the last 3 nights we have been staying in a bamboo bungalow, a few minutes walk from the beach, in quiet gardens. Each bungalow has a little porch and a hammock. I have to say I never feel very secure when I stay in these bungalows. I think as there is usually gaps between the roof and walls, the odd hole nibbled in the bamboo and gaps between the wooden planks of the floor. So as you can imagine they're not particularly private or sound proofed!

The first night we stayed here I was really quite afraid when I woke during the night. It was because of all the unfamilar noises out 'there' in the night. I'd forgotten how loud a quiet,peaceful place could be! If you're not used to it these noises of nature can feel as loud and intrusive as sleeping alongside a busy motorway.

However in the last few days I have got used to it and have tried to separate and identify the different sounds so I can try and describe them for those who are not familiar.

You are first alerted to the noise by what sounds like the the wheezing in and out noise of a dogs squeezy toy saying 'cukoo,cukoo'. The reply comes as a warbling chuckle and the conversation continues with the tutting and snapping of another creature. There is a whispering undercurrent of gentle maraccas contributed by crickets. Then a sudden crescendo of urgent pulsing rattles accompanied by the tick,tick,tick of a second hand. When all of a sudden, time stops still......

and you wait....

The brief silence is broken by the sound of a wooden spoon tapping on plastic,' tut-tut-tut' partnered with a sound like finger nails urgently scratching an itch. Up starts a high-tempo drum beat which gradually subsides in to a gentle whistle like yachts awnings tinkling in the wind. Finally it is drowned out by the wind through the battered palm leaves and branches scraping and scratching the side of the hut.

Ready to begin over again.

Unexpected Footie Match

We stayed in the Chiang Mai area for around 3 weeks and it was great to catch up with Martin's dad and brother. The week between Christmas and New Year were particularly busy as we stayed in Chiang Mai city for a few days and we had several friends come to visit. We had a few trips out of town; exploring Doi Inthanon national park and then an 'adventure' day, trekking to a waterfall and white water rafting (which was very tame!).

However one of the most memorable experiences for me and one that encapsulates my experience of Thailand occurred as we were walking home from a night out. As we past Tapei gate along the moat we saw 5 or 6 people having a game of football in an open space alongside the moat. In the space was a huge coil shaped sculpture made from C.D's and an arch that was partly constucted for the New Year celebration.

The current players included 2 young boys (who looked like they live on the streets), 3 middle aged Thai men and a middle aged European man. Jason and Martin immediately approached this ensemble and asked them if they could take part. With much smiling and pats on the back from the Thai members they were welcomed in to the game and it was announced the 2 teams would be Thai and 'Falang' (meaning foreigner). So the 3 Europeans joined one team with the assistance of 1 of the young boys.

There were several unusual things about this game. The first was the boundaries of the pitch. These were: a busy road, one of the gates of the old city, the city moat (which one of the goals backed on to) and the Christmas Arch. Throughout the game the pitch would occasionally be crossed by a refuse collector or a passer-by on a bicycle. Several players were only wearing 1 shoe as they were using the other as a goal post, 2 of the Thai players were playing bare footed on the paving slabs.

Throughout the evening various passerbys joined the game from all sorts of walks of life. There was a lot of spirit and jovial banter going on. When one of the young boy stubbed his toe his middle-aged, pot bellied, Thai team-mate pulled him up and shoved his cigarette in the boys mouth. The scrawny 8 year old boy took a drag and off he went again!

As we had approached the match initially, a goal had been scored and the ball had flown in to the moat. Without hesitation, and to our suprise, one of the players dove head-first, fully-clothed in to the cloudy, dirty water to retrieve the ball. Within seconds he was being dragged out of the moat, ball held high and he continued the game dripping wet. Of course throughout the game this happened a few times and the same player happily jumped in again and again. I suppose it was refreshing!

Watching this game made me realise how fond I am of Thailand and how many wonderful people we have met. In general people are very friendly and hospitable. It was great to watch people with such different lives playing and cooperating together despite not speaking much Thai or English and within the game they all understood each other perfectly.