Catch of the day

Tuna at market in Thong Sala, Koh Phangan
Originally uploaded by kuckibaboo.

We spent a few hours exploring the shops and markets in Thong Sala a few days before we left Thailand. It was far more low key than over on Samui. The outdoor food markets were bursting with variety and color. Sean was really into tuna feasting while we were there so I took this photo for him.

Safe passage

Offerings on boat from Koh Samui to Koh Phangan
Originally uploaded by kuckibaboo.

Pretty much every boat and even some of the cars and trucks we travelled in had a collection of flowers and prayer flags fixed to the front. Sometimes simple sometimes elaborate either way this silent display of the Buddhist faith had a way of generating a feeling that we were gonna be safe on this vessel.

On this particular boat we experienced some serious roller coaster like waves. All six of us were riding up front and got totally soaked except for Cory who managed to stay dry and read his book the whole while we were shrieking and hanging on! I made a mental note never to moisturize my legs before getting on one of these boats again. I was friggin' sliding all over the place!

From what I can tell we didn't lose a single orchid or anything else for that matter from the front of this boat including Canadians.

Sleepy primate

Yawning monkey at Great Bay, Koh Phangan
Originally uploaded by kuckibaboo.

So Sean and I are walking along the road and we hear some rustling in the tree above us. We see this fellow feasting on ripe papaya's. My immediate reaction is to stop and take pictures and his immediate reaction is to pee in our general direction! Nice. Apart from that he looked pretty cute and cuddly until he made his way to this rooftop to sit and yawn. This is about the time when we started to back off. "Nice monkey, them's is big teeth, nice monkey, we're gonna go now, nice monkey". Hey Tony, I took quite a few other photo's of this guy and I'll post them in the next few weeks for you.

My favorite bungalow

Bungalow at Haad Rin, Koh Phangan
Originally uploaded by kuckibaboo.

I could have stayed in this bungalow for a long time. We were really close to the beach, it was affordable and it was close to all sorts of things to do. The only draw back was that it was a little too close to the bars. Haad Rin is the beach where the famous all night "Full Moon" parties take place and it is home to establishments with names like "Big Boom Bar" who crank up the base until just before the sun rises. Fun for a while but not for folks who prefer to sleep at night and live life during the daylight hours!

To see more about the Full Moon Party at Haad Rin on Koh Phangan click on this LINK.

Thai transit at it finest

Raquel & I in a songthaew at Chaweng Beach
Originally uploaded by kuckibaboo.

Hang on. That's the best advice I can give you about hitching a ride in a songthaew. What is a songthaew? Well it's a small usually brightly decorated pick up truck with 2 benches of seats in the back. The seats are usually covered by a canopy and there's quite frequently folks standing up on the tailgate. I'm pretty sure the drivers drive faster the less money you negotiate to pay but I didn't spend enough time there to test this theory. We had a particularily hair raising ride from Haad Rin to Great Bay on Koh Phangan. The roads were very steep, Russ had a hangover and we had a couple of stinking and still drinking Danish gents on their way home from a local brothel hanging off the back.

Monk repairing shrine

Monk repairing shrine at Wat Chaeng, Nathon, Koh Samui
Originally uploaded by kuckibaboo.

Sean and I found this wat near the end of the day we rented the scooters. At this point it was just starting to rain and we were concerned about getting back to our bungalow before dark so we only stayed for about 15 minutes. We found this monk making repairs to the plaster on the side of this shrine. I wish we could have spent more time here. It was a really lovely spot.

Long tail fishing boats

Long tail fishing boats in Nathon port, Koh Samui
Originally uploaded by kuckibaboo.

Sean and I rented a pair of zippy Honda scooter's for a day and burned around half of Koh Samui. We toured a few temples and made our way back to Nathon port which is where we got off the ferry from the mainland a few days earlier. These colorful crafts are typical Thai fishing boats that you can also hire to take you pretty much anywhere water flows in Thailand. In the background at the top of the ridge you can see a neat row of coconut palms. Koh Samui exports an average of 2 million coconuts every month.

Sean at Big Buddha

Sean at Big Buddha, Wat Phra Yai, Koh Samui
Originally uploaded by kuckibaboo.

Apart from the lovely architecture and Big Buddha himself there was also a great view of the white sand beaches and hillsides surrounding the Wat. Here Sean is walking thru the covered walk way under the Big Buddha.

Little Buddha

White Buddha at Wat Phra Yai, Koh Samui
Originally uploaded by kuckibaboo.

I wandered around the backside of the Big Buddha structure hoping to find something a little different and I found this small solitary statue placed at the base of a tree amongst the leaves. I was struck by it's simple beauty and organic appearance. I could easily imagine a monk coming to this spot near the ocean and away from the crowds to pray or meditate. I don't think I could have found a greater contrast at this place.

Big Buddha

Big Buddha at Wat Phra Yai, Koh Samui
Originally uploaded by kuckibaboo.

Although this area is incredibley touristy we couldn't come to Koh Samui without visiting Big Buddha. Despite all the souvenir stalls you can't help but be amazed and humbled by this 12 m representation of Buddha.

Temple rooftops

Jaofao at Big Buddha, Wat Phra Yai, Koh Samui
Originally uploaded by kuckibaboo.

These hook-like gable fixtures found on the roofs of Thai temples are called Jaofao or 'sky lords'. Their spiritual function is to protect the temple from bad spirits that may fall from the sky. In earlier architecture these often represented naga heads (the dragon-serpent of Hindu-Buddhist mythology). In this more stylised version they kind of resemble exotic bird heads.

All smiles

Thai girl
Originally uploaded by kuckibaboo.

This lovely young Thai girl appeared in front of our bungalow and was more than happy to smile for the camera.

Our first beach in Thailand

Chaweng Beach
Originally uploaded by kuckibaboo.

So this is the first beach we swam at in Thailand. The water was very warm and clear and the best part was that we could walk from our bungalow thru the bar/restaurant and into the water in our bare feet and in less than 45 seconds. If necessary you could pick up a beer or Mango lassi on the way!

Dec 26

Beach chairs on Chaweng Beach, Koh Samui
Originally uploaded by kuckibaboo.

I'm up at 8:30 am to take photo's and walk on the beach. The tide is really high this morning and I found a great big clear jelly fish bigger than a dinner plate washed up on the shore. The sand is white and the water is that fantastic turquoise color that fades to navy blue way off in the distance. This is Chaweng beach. The biggest, loudest and most popular beach on Koh Samui but this morning it is simply paradise and the water and sand are warm at my feet. We spend most of the day loafing about, playing frisbee and cards, eating, swimming then Sean and I head off the beach to the main strip where all the shops, more retaurants and bars, banks and the Starbucks exist. This place is far more busy than we had imagined but it's a great place to be none the less. The big party is tonight and the place where we are staying has tickets for sale that will get us to Koh Phangan and back on a speed boat so we all line up to buy our tickets. When Sean and I are done we head into the restaurant and there are a few people watching the news. It's about 3 in the afternoon at this point and we are watching live footage from Phuket about 7 hours after the first tsunami hit. The images are really shocking and the number of dead estimated at about 5000 combined for Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and India seem unreal. I suddenly don't feel like going to an all night party anymore. As the afternoon wears to evening more footage is released and the death toll keeps rising. CNN broadcasts these numbers as if there's some sort to competition to see which country can amass the most victims. It makes me angry and the thought of a party now seems completely inappropriate.

Dec 25...Finally there

Christmas trees at Chaweng Beach, Koh Samui
Originally uploaded by kuckibaboo.

Merry Christmas to us! Now let's get on that boat! Fed, watered and showered we were on the boat and on our way by 10 am. The boat was a big 'ol diesel engine ferry/tour monster that I figure held about 200 passengers but likely should have only held about 150. We were seated in the lower part of the boat and the inflight movie was Spider II. By noon we had made our way past fishing villages on stilts and totally out of sight of the mainland, across turquoise waters, and into the port of Nathon on Koh Samui. Here at last and on schedule. We got online at internet cafe/travel agent and sure enough Russ was online and gave us directions to the place he was staying. A short cab right later we had ourselves a tidy bungalow at Lucky Mother's and Raquel and I had lunch and a huge icey cold beer each. By 2 pm we were swimming in the ocean and playing frisbee. We met Chris and Cory a couple from the Sunshine Coast in BC that had also come to Koh Samui to meet Russ. That night with not a turkey in sight for at least 3 countries in any direction we treated ourselves to Christmas dinner at Pizza Hut. Dinner followed by a nice long walk on the beach made all the travelling from the 3 days before quickly fade to distant memory. A Merry Christmas indeed!

Dec 24...Are we there yet?

Watching our train go by...
Originally uploaded by kuckibaboo.

Up at 5 am and it's a clear sunny day. Segga picks us up at 5:30 as promised and we're back at the train station in a flash. When we get out of the car we realize that it's a Sega. Segga drives a Sega. Unreal. Segga turns out to be a genuinely caring fellow. We board our train and it's Pringles for breakfast. The train is pretty noisy but it's decently clean and it's moving so that's good enough for us. We pass thru the last bit of Malaysia and we're in Thailand by 10 am. Immigration once again is a breeze and we change a bit of money and buy some real food and juice and are on our way again. Once in Thailand the farming quickly changes from palm and coconut to rubber. Endless rows of rubber trees make their way into the distance. We arrive in Hat Yai at 11:30 am and decide it's time for lunch. We also decide we're gonna try to get air tickets for our return trip to KL so we don't have to do the boat, van, bus, train, donkey thing ever again. Sean calls out the first travel agent we see and we head in and manage to get tickets from Phuket to KL for 2600 Baht (that about 68 US$). Cool. After a quick lunch for Sean and 'Quel at KFC and a round of espresso and animal crackers we make our way into town, arrange to take a van to Surat Thani (which is where we have to catch the boat to take us to Koh Samui, our final destination for this leg). So we're crammed in a van that has 12 seats but should really only fit about 9 seats. But once again it's moving so we're ok. Moving very fast actually, faster than the bus in KL and faster than anyone would ever dream of driving in Japan. It's best to keep our eyes closed. The good news is, after an hour delay in Hat Yai we arrive in Surat Thani about 30 minutes early! As soon as we step out of the van we're ushered into an office where there's a large smiling Thai woman sitting at a desk with a cat on it that is more than happy to make our travel arrangements for the rest of our lives. Again, we're tired and hungry and it's getting dark. I have a "good feeling" about this woman so I barter for a hotel room with dinner and breakfast included, transportation there and the boat to Koh Samui. It came to 1800 Baht for the 3 of us (about 50 US$). The hotel was really nice, better than we had expected, very clean, pretty styley, AC, nice bathroom, comfy beds and our room had it's very on gecko so no mosquito's!

Dec 23...Planes, trains and automobiles

We wake up to discover Salmon, the young fellow who works at the hostel has bought bread, peanut butter and jam for us for breakfast. We fuel up and head out to see a bit of the city and see if we can arrange air tickets to Koh Samui or Phuket. We discover that KL is much better in the day light and it also has some of the best shopping we've ever seen! We vow to spend more time here on the way back, pick up our stuff at the hostel and head to the train station. Kuala Lumpur has a great transit and road system. Everywhere we went there seemed to be endless amounts of highway under construction and buildings were also going up all over the place. As it turns out our overnight train to Hat Yai in Thailand is sold out for the next 2 days. This is a big disappointment. It also means we would miss the Full Moon party on Boxing Day on Koh Phangan. We once again try to arrange air tickets to Phuket or Koh Samui and even consider staying on Penang in Malaysia for a couple of days until we can get on the train. We also decide that if we're gonna miss the party we may as well just go ahead with our original plan and go to Koh Lanto or Koh Phi Phi first. No reasonable air tickets are available and we didn't want to commit to the train tickets in two days just yet so we have lunch and take a taxi to the bus station. This is crazy, the bus station is hot as Dante's inferno and there are about as many people including a legless fellow begging on the sidewalk. The good news is there is space on a bus heading north to Butterworth and it leaves in a little over an hour (4 pm). We make the decision on the spot to buy the tickets and are very happy to be on our way again. We spend the next hour on the street watching the vehicles and folks of Kuala Lumpur go by. Scooter's are the vehicle of choice here and it's amazing how many people seem to fit on them. We've seen scooter's with mom, dad and two kids and the evening meal weaving thru traffic so fast that we couldn't bear to watch. Nutty stuff. Our bus ride thru the northern part of Malaysia is amazing. We pass thru endless lush jungles and palm plantations. At a reststop an old fellow got on the bus and he and I started to chat. He had a great command of the English language and I soon found out he had just returned from Toronto of all places! Then all sorts of other folks on the bus started chiming in and it seems everyone's been to Toronto! Crazy! We arrive in Butterworth at 10:30 pm, it's dark, raining and we're let off at what appears to be a pretty nasty part of town. We wander over to the train station convinced we're gonna get mugged and we walk thru the doors figuring we'll be spending our night there on the wooden benches. I guess we were looking pretty forlorn and this fellow who works at the train station with the name Segga stitched onto his blue uniform shirt approaches us with glossy black hair, a big smile and a "Can I help you?" It turns out Segga has a place for us to stay and he will take us there and bring us back for the 6:10 am train. Sean's got a "good feeling" about this guy and I'm just thinking about all the guide books I've read that tell you to stay away from these sorts of offers. Moments later we're crammed into his car and I'm feeling a little more comfortable but not convinced we're not about to meet our maker. We arrive at a hotel, check it out, agree on a price, unload our stuff from his car and don't I see a bit fat rat in the sewer as we cross via a plank. Nice. Mental note: stop looking in the freakin' sewers. In Raquel's words the room was "pretty ghetto" but the door locked and it felt suffieciently safe. I think we had Pringles for supper that night.

Dec 21 & 22...Our journey of the land of smiles begins

In hindsight we spent way too much time travelling. It was our first visit to Southeast Asia for Sean and myself so in the beginning we didn't mind being on the road a little longer as it meant we would see more of the people and topography. Here's how the travel itinerary unfolded....

Dec 21
On a cold evening Sean, Raquel and myself leave Obihiro just after 7 via train to Chitose. We arrive at our hotel by about 10:30, check in, shower and spend the rest of the evening in our yukata's watching absurd Japanese television including an entire program about women competing for the best breasts.

Dec 22
It's an early start as we have an 8 am flight to Osaka. We get our first glimpse of warmer weather in Osaka, shed socks, have breakfast and make a pilgrimage to Starbucks before our 11 am flight to Kuala Lumpur. Immigration is a breeze and with our freshly stamped passports we're giddy with excitement as we board the plane. We're even more excited once we're seated and discover we each have our own personal TV that allows us to watch movies and TV, play video games, listen to music among other things all completely independent of each other. Tres cool. The flight is nearly over before we know it and we make a short stop in Singapore to refuel. We are all amazed by the bookstore there with endless books and magazines all written in English. It's another 40 minute flight and we're in KL. We get off our plan and are stunned to see a group of about 50 Santa Claus's all decked out in red and white. The had all just got off a plane at the gate across from us. It was kind of like a hallucination. They were all waving and "ho ho ho'ing" as they walked thru the terminal. It was the first time this past Christmas season that it actually felt like Christmas to me.

The bus ride from the airport is 1.5 hours of crazy driving on highways that wind, curve and go from 1 to 6 lanes faster than the road runner can say "beep beep". We arrive in the Bukit Bintang area of downtown at around 11 pm, it's hot and humid, we're tired and hungry and after running around in circles through dark alleys lined with open sewers we finally find our less than pleasant hostel. The folks there seem nice enough and after we lock our stuff in lockers and get the door on our room to lock we head out in search of a nice Malaysian meal. We're inundated with massage offers and the heat and smell of this place and end up in a decent restaurant that only has pizza left on the menu. No biggie, we eat pizza and watch the people go by until 1 am. On the way back to our hostel I see a big 'ol fast moving cockroach speeding along the sidewalk and I start praying that none of his cousins are waiting for me in our room. We get back to discover the AC has cooled our room down quite nicely despite the fact there is a big hole in the window above Raquel's bed (definately big enough for cockroaches to enter). We all sleep completely clothed but fitfully none the less.

Thailand

I have wanted to travel to Thailand for about 10 years. We finally had an opportunity to go over Christmas 2004/New Years 2005 and we made the decision to take just under 3 weeks to live on the beaches, swim in the ocean, eat great food and explore the natural beauty of a few small islands. Sean and myself were travelling with Raquel and we spent a whole day 3 weeks prior to our departure date roughing out the details of our trip. We wanted to go to Koh Samui and Koh Lanto or Koh Phi Phi. Originally we were going to go to Koh Lanto or Koh Phi Phi first as they were faster to get to. Then, a friend of ours named Russ who has been travelling in South East Asia since September told us about a great all night Full Moon beach party on Koh Phangan just north of Koh Samui. We decided to change our plans around and go to Koh Samui first. We purchased air tickets that would bring us as far as Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia because they were a good deal and this decision, the above change in plans along with a few other unforseen occurences turned our trip into a string of fateful events that we won't soon forget.