Day 16 (29/11/2010):
Today, I just spend my day wandering around Phuket on my bike.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Adventures @ Phang Nga
Day 15 (28/11/2010):
Today can be summarized with just 2 words: water-rafting and ATV. I did the 9km white water water-rafting route which comprises of Grade 1 to 4. It was fun but wasn't too exciting as the controlling of the raft are done by the 2 Thai guides.
The ATV was more fun. At the beginning, I couldn't control the ATV properly. But after seeing how the Russians in my group maneuvered their ATVs really inspired me and the fun began from there.
Today can be summarized with just 2 words: water-rafting and ATV. I did the 9km white water water-rafting route which comprises of Grade 1 to 4. It was fun but wasn't too exciting as the controlling of the raft are done by the 2 Thai guides.
The ATV was more fun. At the beginning, I couldn't control the ATV properly. But after seeing how the Russians in my group maneuvered their ATVs really inspired me and the fun began from there.
Diving Again
Day 14 (27/11/2010):
Yay, it's diving day again. This time I am diving near Racha Yai and Racha Noi with All 4 Diving, previously known as the Sea World Dive Team, onboard their Similan Queen. The joke is that the boat never been to the Similan Islands. Dive 1 at Marina Bay, Racha Noi; Dive 2 at Camera Bay, Racha Noi. Apparently the dive site was named Camera Bay because someone lost his/her camera there, probably one of the pioneer divers there. Last dive was at Bay #1, Racha Yai, which was pretty different because there was 2 wrecks at the dive site. We were able to swim through one of the boat wrecks.
It was quite an eventful day. Just after the 1st dive, as I descended from the upper deck to the lower deck, I slipped and fell, leaving a bruise from the last step of the stairs on my back and a dent on my camera. Amazingly, after everything I put my camera through during this day, drops, smashes, rain, sand, mud, wind, dust etc, it still works almost perfectly. Just that after this incident, the battery couldn't eject smoothly anymore but the rest of camera functions still pretty much work as the day I bought it.
After the 2nd dive, we caught a glimpse of something flowing far away out in the sea. When we gotten closer, it was a body. It was pretty much rotten already. The skin turned whitish-grey. The head was gone. The hands and feet were gone. The forearms rotten til the bones. The chest area already cave in. Not a pretty sight. The guys was pretty dead for a few days already, with accelerated decomposition from the heat and sea water.
After the 3rd dive, I managed to start a conversation with this amazing Thai girl. I learnt that she is a dive instructor and brought her friends from high school to discover scuba diving. 1st Thai dive instructor I met, so far all the dive instructors and divemasters I met in Thailand are either Europeans or Japanese. She did an exchange at University of Hawaii so her english was pretty good. It was really a pity that I'm leaving Phuket in a few days time and couldn't get to know her.
In the evening, I went into Phuket Town to find a restaurant named Phuket Phochana recommended by Annkht for tim sum. However, I learnt that it only opens from 6am to 2pm. Bummer. So I went to the night market instead.
Yay, it's diving day again. This time I am diving near Racha Yai and Racha Noi with All 4 Diving, previously known as the Sea World Dive Team, onboard their Similan Queen. The joke is that the boat never been to the Similan Islands. Dive 1 at Marina Bay, Racha Noi; Dive 2 at Camera Bay, Racha Noi. Apparently the dive site was named Camera Bay because someone lost his/her camera there, probably one of the pioneer divers there. Last dive was at Bay #1, Racha Yai, which was pretty different because there was 2 wrecks at the dive site. We were able to swim through one of the boat wrecks.
It was quite an eventful day. Just after the 1st dive, as I descended from the upper deck to the lower deck, I slipped and fell, leaving a bruise from the last step of the stairs on my back and a dent on my camera. Amazingly, after everything I put my camera through during this day, drops, smashes, rain, sand, mud, wind, dust etc, it still works almost perfectly. Just that after this incident, the battery couldn't eject smoothly anymore but the rest of camera functions still pretty much work as the day I bought it.
After the 2nd dive, we caught a glimpse of something flowing far away out in the sea. When we gotten closer, it was a body. It was pretty much rotten already. The skin turned whitish-grey. The head was gone. The hands and feet were gone. The forearms rotten til the bones. The chest area already cave in. Not a pretty sight. The guys was pretty dead for a few days already, with accelerated decomposition from the heat and sea water.
After the 3rd dive, I managed to start a conversation with this amazing Thai girl. I learnt that she is a dive instructor and brought her friends from high school to discover scuba diving. 1st Thai dive instructor I met, so far all the dive instructors and divemasters I met in Thailand are either Europeans or Japanese. She did an exchange at University of Hawaii so her english was pretty good. It was really a pity that I'm leaving Phuket in a few days time and couldn't get to know her.
In the evening, I went into Phuket Town to find a restaurant named Phuket Phochana recommended by Annkht for tim sum. However, I learnt that it only opens from 6am to 2pm. Bummer. So I went to the night market instead.
Untainted
Day 13 (26/11/2010):
After checking in to my new accommodation, I rented a scooter for fun and for the day.
My 1st stop was the Phuket TAT.
The nice lady at the counter recommended me some places for food, beaches, sceneries and museums. She also told me in chinese which translates to: If you never been to Promthep Cape, you have never truly been to Phuket. Promthep Cape was recommended to be the best place in Phuket to enjoy the sunset. And that evening the sun set at 6.06pm. The time was 11:38am that left me about 6 and half hour to wander around.
I haven't ate breakfast yet so next stop had to be for food. The lady from TAT recommended me 2 places for food. One seemed to be a night market and the other a morning market so I just ate pad thai yet again at a random local restaurant. After that I went to the Phuket ThaiHua museum which shows the lives of the early chinese immigrant to Phuket. After that, Khao Rang which shows a view of the Phuket Town, Rawai beach, Karon View Point which shows a nice view of Kata and Karon beaches and Nai Harn beach. It was 5pm then and time to head for the Promthep Cape. The recommendations were right. It is truly stunning. This is probably the only thing left untainted by massive invasion of tourism into Phuket.
5:27pm: The evening sun casting its reflection onto the Andaman Sea.
5:45pm: My silhouette watching the sun disappearing behind the clouds.
6:02pm: The sun returned as a round ball of fire.
6.05pm: The sun disappearing over the horizon.
6:13pm: The afterglow.
After checking in to my new accommodation, I rented a scooter for fun and for the day.
My 1st stop was the Phuket TAT.
The nice lady at the counter recommended me some places for food, beaches, sceneries and museums. She also told me in chinese which translates to: If you never been to Promthep Cape, you have never truly been to Phuket. Promthep Cape was recommended to be the best place in Phuket to enjoy the sunset. And that evening the sun set at 6.06pm. The time was 11:38am that left me about 6 and half hour to wander around.
I haven't ate breakfast yet so next stop had to be for food. The lady from TAT recommended me 2 places for food. One seemed to be a night market and the other a morning market so I just ate pad thai yet again at a random local restaurant. After that I went to the Phuket ThaiHua museum which shows the lives of the early chinese immigrant to Phuket. After that, Khao Rang which shows a view of the Phuket Town, Rawai beach, Karon View Point which shows a nice view of Kata and Karon beaches and Nai Harn beach. It was 5pm then and time to head for the Promthep Cape. The recommendations were right. It is truly stunning. This is probably the only thing left untainted by massive invasion of tourism into Phuket.
5:27pm: The evening sun casting its reflection onto the Andaman Sea.
5:45pm: My silhouette watching the sun disappearing behind the clouds.
6:02pm: The sun returned as a round ball of fire.
6.05pm: The sun disappearing over the horizon.
6:13pm: The afterglow.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
To Phuket
Day 12 (25/11/2010):
I didn't do much today except traveling to Phuket. I got stopped by the rain as usual for a few hours.
It started drizzling again when I reached Patong Beach so I didn't waste a lot of effort to find accommodation. Just went to one which looked decent yet not too posh. Sino House Patong; 800baht a night; got pretty much everything; wifi, mini fridge, safe, aircon, tv. However, the wifi was pretty slow though.
I took a walk around Patong, at the same time looking for better accommodation and found the Power Inn; for just 600baht a night it got everything the Sino House have and better; plasma tv, internet using cable which turned out to be much faster. So yup, decided to shift there the next day.
I didn't do much today except traveling to Phuket. I got stopped by the rain as usual for a few hours.
It started drizzling again when I reached Patong Beach so I didn't waste a lot of effort to find accommodation. Just went to one which looked decent yet not too posh. Sino House Patong; 800baht a night; got pretty much everything; wifi, mini fridge, safe, aircon, tv. However, the wifi was pretty slow though.
I took a walk around Patong, at the same time looking for better accommodation and found the Power Inn; for just 600baht a night it got everything the Sino House have and better; plasma tv, internet using cable which turned out to be much faster. So yup, decided to shift there the next day.
Riding in Thailand
Just love riding in Thailand. Helmet is optional. Road directions are optional. Traffic lights are optional. Even age limit is optional. Nah, just kidding. The only thing that is legally optional which I learnt from Ire is helmet for pillion.
However, it is probably still not a good idea to ride illegally in Thailand especially if you don't know how to dodge the traffic police's road blocks. Just in Phuket, I was stopped 3 times by the traffic police to check my driving license and twice in Krabi. Probably due to too many tourists renting scooters and riding illegally without proper licenses.
However, it is probably still not a good idea to ride illegally in Thailand especially if you don't know how to dodge the traffic police's road blocks. Just in Phuket, I was stopped 3 times by the traffic police to check my driving license and twice in Krabi. Probably due to too many tourists renting scooters and riding illegally without proper licenses.
Mud spring waterfall
Day 11 (24112010):
I got back to Krabi from Koh Phi Phi today and wanted to check out Saphan Yung hot spring waterfall. Just wanted to relax and enjoy the hot spring today. However, got caught by the rain which lasted for about 2 hours. When I reached the hot spring waterfall, there wasn't much of a hot spring, more of a mud spring waterfall. The pool wasn't hot and saturated with mud.
Haiz. I was so disappointed and headed back to Krabi. In the evening, I met up with Ire and Annkht again for dinner at the local night market. I had the damn nice Thai fried rice with everything (at least that's what they claim). Highly recommended by Paul.
I got back to Krabi from Koh Phi Phi today and wanted to check out Saphan Yung hot spring waterfall. Just wanted to relax and enjoy the hot spring today. However, got caught by the rain which lasted for about 2 hours. When I reached the hot spring waterfall, there wasn't much of a hot spring, more of a mud spring waterfall. The pool wasn't hot and saturated with mud.
Haiz. I was so disappointed and headed back to Krabi. In the evening, I met up with Ire and Annkht again for dinner at the local night market. I had the damn nice Thai fried rice with everything (at least that's what they claim). Highly recommended by Paul.
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