October 4, 2011
Hello Dunsborough!!!
July 30, 2011
Dunsborough and Shaun!!!
I know it has been a long while since I last updated you all on my travels, but has been the best time of my life and rather than writing it all down I thought it was better to just live it. After leaving Adelaide, I met up with my good friend from high school Katrina to tour around Perth and Margaret river. We hit up all of my favourite places in Perth, Fremantle and little creatures brewery, Cottesloe, Downtown, and Rottsnest island...talk about a beautiful place. Kats aunt put us up for a couple of Biggs and took us out on the town it was a lot of fun. Then we rented a car and headed down to Margaret river to meet up with Shaun ( for those of you who don't know Shaun is the guy I met in Indonesia). Our first night in dunsborough we headed into town for a couple of drinks at a local bar ( one of three in the town) malt. It was pretty fun we ate good food, danced, played some jenga and drank some good wine. The next day we headed out to Margaret river to check out some of the vineyards. Shaun took us to some of the best in the region and also treated us both out for a delicious lunch at a very popular restaurant called studio. We had a lot of fun the whole weekend and on Monday I was really sad to see Katrina go. It was so great to hang out with someone that knows me from home.
It was now time that I tell all of you my crazy story about how Shaun and I met. It all happened on my second night in Bali, up until this point Shaun and I had only really said a few words to each other but there was something really different about this guy that I really liked. He was constantly challenging me which was refreshing. We were having a great night out together dancing and talking it was obvious that there was chemistry in the air. Shaun kept saying that there was something different about me that he liked but he didn't know what it was, I agreed that there was something different about him too but I just didn't know what it was. Shaun then said to me and I quote " I guess we all have our secrets" I completely agreed and said yes, I guess we all have our secrets... Thinking in my head... Heck yes I have a secret in that I was married. We continued to dance and then shaun said that he wanted to tell me his secret, I am not going to lie I was completely freaked out about the prospect of what his secret could be.. I mean it could have been anything. Anyways, he then said are you ready and told me that he used to be married. I think I laughed and then told him to shut up... To which he responded do you have a problem with that. I then started laughing again and said that I also had a secret. So I told him and we basically hit it of ever since. If I am honest with you a relationship or being genuinely interested in a man at this point of my life was the LAST thing that I wanted, but you can deny how you are feeling and there was and still is a huge connection between us!
So, here I am now July 30th in dunsborough living with Shaun and enjoying life to the fullest. Shaun has an "zest" for life that I desire. He really lives life with no regrets and I am really impressed with how hard he works to achieve different things in his life. I really hope that one day you all get to meet him because he really is an amazing man.
I love you all so much and I can't wait to come home to see you all for a couple of weeks in September!!!
Sending you hugs and kisses from Aussie town.
Love c. Xoxoxo
It was now time that I tell all of you my crazy story about how Shaun and I met. It all happened on my second night in Bali, up until this point Shaun and I had only really said a few words to each other but there was something really different about this guy that I really liked. He was constantly challenging me which was refreshing. We were having a great night out together dancing and talking it was obvious that there was chemistry in the air. Shaun kept saying that there was something different about me that he liked but he didn't know what it was, I agreed that there was something different about him too but I just didn't know what it was. Shaun then said to me and I quote " I guess we all have our secrets" I completely agreed and said yes, I guess we all have our secrets... Thinking in my head... Heck yes I have a secret in that I was married. We continued to dance and then shaun said that he wanted to tell me his secret, I am not going to lie I was completely freaked out about the prospect of what his secret could be.. I mean it could have been anything. Anyways, he then said are you ready and told me that he used to be married. I think I laughed and then told him to shut up... To which he responded do you have a problem with that. I then started laughing again and said that I also had a secret. So I told him and we basically hit it of ever since. If I am honest with you a relationship or being genuinely interested in a man at this point of my life was the LAST thing that I wanted, but you can deny how you are feeling and there was and still is a huge connection between us!
So, here I am now July 30th in dunsborough living with Shaun and enjoying life to the fullest. Shaun has an "zest" for life that I desire. He really lives life with no regrets and I am really impressed with how hard he works to achieve different things in his life. I really hope that one day you all get to meet him because he really is an amazing man.
I love you all so much and I can't wait to come home to see you all for a couple of weeks in September!!!
Sending you hugs and kisses from Aussie town.
Love c. Xoxoxo
June 21, 2011
Awesome Adelaide
Well, after spending a couple of weeks in Perth, I decided to go and visit my Aunt and two cousins in Adelaide. I really had no expectations of what Adelaide the city was going to be like - but when I arrived I knew I was going to like it. I loved Perth because it was on the water, and could do my daily runs along the beach, but in Adelaide, I can go for runs in the national park - which is beautiful! It has been really nice for me to hang out with Aunt and cousins too. I haven't really spent much time with them in my life given that they have always lived away so it has been nice to spend a month with them. My Aunt got me a job working at the university, which is great for my bank account. I get to mark biology papers and edit biology manuals for my aunt! My time here has been filled with homemade food, sleeping in, runs in the park, and hanging out with family! I even went to a gay bar with Auntie Karen and Carmen... let's just say it was an interesting experience... but really fun!
I head back to Perth on July 2nd to meet up with Katrina Jones, a really good friend of mine from Vancouver. I think we will hang out with a couple of friends I met in Bali (Oz and Shae). We are planning on going to Rottnest Island - just off the coast of Perth for the day and probably hang out at Kings Park and around Perth. We will spend four days in Perth and then head down to Margaret River to taste some wines and hang out with a friend that lives down there. Stay tuned to what will happen next... you never know with me!
Love you all
xo
C.
I head back to Perth on July 2nd to meet up with Katrina Jones, a really good friend of mine from Vancouver. I think we will hang out with a couple of friends I met in Bali (Oz and Shae). We are planning on going to Rottnest Island - just off the coast of Perth for the day and probably hang out at Kings Park and around Perth. We will spend four days in Perth and then head down to Margaret River to taste some wines and hang out with a friend that lives down there. Stay tuned to what will happen next... you never know with me!
Love you all
xo
C.
May 26, 2011
My Bali Experience!!!
So I know that I have been away from writing my blog for a while but that just means that I have been having an incredible trip and did not want to take the time to document all I have been doing. So, basically traveling in Bali was a life changing experience for me. When I arrived at the airport I met this French guy Pierre who shared a cab with me from the airport - definitely saved me a couple of dollars and was really glad that we were able to meet. After the cab driver dropped me off at the hotel I knew I was in Paradise! The hostel (more like hotel) was incredible. "The Island" was literally a perfect paradise with more experienced travelers and Australian professionals looking for a cheaper holiday. The place had a pool in the centre and a rooftop bar and lounge areas. As soon as I walked in I jumped into the pool and met Matty and Renee (a guy). Matty is British and comes from a smaller city "Chester" outside of Manchester. He was traveling with two friends; Oz, and Aussie, who is seriously a world traveler and Shaun - a friend from back home who lives and works in Australia. I also met a beautiful Brazilian girl, Giuliana who you will later find out has been my little angel along this trip! The first night a huge group of us decided to go out for dinner at a Mexican Restaurant, Mojo's. After that we went out and had drinks at a restaurant where we shotgun beers and did tequila shots (my favourite). Then headed to the well know party spot - Skygarden , a five floor party area that has different music on different floors. We all had a blast and the next day we all decided to do it again. We had a blast again and really became a much closer group. The next morning before I even knew what was going on Giulana told me to get packed because we were going to Ubud with the boys - without hesitation I packed up my stuff and left along with them. This might have been the best decision of my life - it was the decision that allowed me to be free and really get to experience the life that I want to live.
When we arrived in Ubud the boys went to work to find a place and Giules and I sat at the bar with the bags and drank a "bintang." The boys found us an incredible place for something like $15 a day. The Ubud Lesari was a little piece of heaven. Ubud is a vibrant city with beautiful food and people. One of the days I was there I wandered into a mans yard thinking that it was a temple - honestly it was incredibly well kept, he was quite proud of his home and welcomed us in. I also manned up at went on a motorbike to tour the rice fields around Ubud which are incredible! Giules and I were motorbike superstars - well to be honest I just sat at the back of the motorbike while she drove but still. We stopped at one spot and played soccer with a group of kids - you can have the most amazing experiences in the most unexpected places. You just have to be willing to allow yourself be open to whatever comes.
After Ubud, Giules and I headed to Lombok with the boys - this was probably the most important thing for me. The boys reason for heading to Lombok was to climb the Volcano, Rinjani. I had no idea what I was getting myself into but I knew that I had to have this experience. Initially, I was worried that I would not be fit enough to keep up with the boys, but I figured that regardless this was going to be something for me. On the first day up the mountain, I knew I was going to be okay. I stuck to the front of the group with Shaun - and in the end I managed to beat all of the guys up the mountain - granted Shaun hurt his knee the first day so I will give him that :P We hiked for 9 hours that day in the hot heat, so literally we ate dinner and went to sleep but that was not after experiencing the most incredible sunset and being able to see the stars so clearly you can see the Milky way. We woke up at 6 the next morning to continue on our hike up to the Summit. We hit the rim around an hour later it was incredible, we could see the cone of the volcano and also the route that we would have to climb to get to the summit... at this point I was still feeling good about it! We continued to hike but this time we had to hike downhill for us to get to the lake and the hot springs! It was a nice walk down and the hot springs were a nice treat when we got there. After we finished lunch at the hot springs we headed out for a hard 3 hour trek uphill - like grouse grind style but not as well maintained up to basecamp 2! I am not sure what happened to me that day but I definitely overcame a lot! I decided to walk ahead of the group there was this fire inside of me and I wanted to let it out! I hiked up to the top in 2 1/2 hours really fast considering how long it takes most people and got to the top and felt this huge sense of pride. I knew that I was going to make it up to the top of Rinjani tomorrow and I was going to celebrate this huge achievement! Once again absolutely exhausted from the 10 hours of trekking we all headed off to bed early. Shaun, Matty and I all woke up early for the trek to the summit. Giules wasn't feeling well and so she decided to opt out. We started our trek up in the pitch black it was really scary, but I figured if I could reach the summit then I could get through anything in my life! The hike to the summit takes 3 hours and after the first hour I was freezing cold and really scared but I kept on going - at about the 2 hour mark and literally climbing up the mountain side that has a path 4 feet wide and step deathly cliffs on either side Jannis - one of the german guys in our group just about fell off the edge and I freaked out. I started to panic and held on to a rock and just cried. I honestly thought I was going to die - I was really scared and alone and my flashlight went out and was not working. Nathan, another guy in our group, grabbed my hand and told me we were going to do this and I followed him up the mountain to the top and once at the top I let out a gut wrenching scream - I had done this and NO ONE could take this away from me. The pride and sense of accomplishment that I felt that day will be something I will remember forever... that and that amazing sunrise and view I got to see!
People.... I am BACK finally after all I have been through the many tears and months of sadness I am back.
After Rinjani, we headed to Sengiggi, a cute little holidaying town and rested for a couple of days before heading to the beautiful GILI islands! Janene told me before I left that this was here favourite place in Asia and I could see why. It was a little piece of heaven. WAter that you can see for miles in and beautiful beaches with a great night life. We hung out there for 6 days - lounging, eating and drinking! When we left the Gili's I was really sad because I knew that this meant that after two and a half weeks with our group we were all going our separate ways. The boys were going to Java and Giules to Thailand.
I decided that my trip had to be extended because my new sense of self and happiness was something that I needed to continue to explore. I decided to come to Australia for a bunch a reasons: there was a cheap flight from Bali, I wanted to have a positive Australian experience etc etc.....
So.... HERE I AM NOW in Perth learning how to surf running along the beautiful seawall and chilling out with good people!
Let the journey continue... not sure where I will end up but I know that I have never felt this sense of happiness in my life!
Sarah Gayda gave me a journal when I graduated high school and on it's cover it said "Go Confidently in the direction of your dreams, live the life you've imagined." So that is what I am going to do... Live the life I have imagined - an amazing life!!!
So much love to you all,
Love,
C.
When we arrived in Ubud the boys went to work to find a place and Giules and I sat at the bar with the bags and drank a "bintang." The boys found us an incredible place for something like $15 a day. The Ubud Lesari was a little piece of heaven. Ubud is a vibrant city with beautiful food and people. One of the days I was there I wandered into a mans yard thinking that it was a temple - honestly it was incredibly well kept, he was quite proud of his home and welcomed us in. I also manned up at went on a motorbike to tour the rice fields around Ubud which are incredible! Giules and I were motorbike superstars - well to be honest I just sat at the back of the motorbike while she drove but still. We stopped at one spot and played soccer with a group of kids - you can have the most amazing experiences in the most unexpected places. You just have to be willing to allow yourself be open to whatever comes.
After Ubud, Giules and I headed to Lombok with the boys - this was probably the most important thing for me. The boys reason for heading to Lombok was to climb the Volcano, Rinjani. I had no idea what I was getting myself into but I knew that I had to have this experience. Initially, I was worried that I would not be fit enough to keep up with the boys, but I figured that regardless this was going to be something for me. On the first day up the mountain, I knew I was going to be okay. I stuck to the front of the group with Shaun - and in the end I managed to beat all of the guys up the mountain - granted Shaun hurt his knee the first day so I will give him that :P We hiked for 9 hours that day in the hot heat, so literally we ate dinner and went to sleep but that was not after experiencing the most incredible sunset and being able to see the stars so clearly you can see the Milky way. We woke up at 6 the next morning to continue on our hike up to the Summit. We hit the rim around an hour later it was incredible, we could see the cone of the volcano and also the route that we would have to climb to get to the summit... at this point I was still feeling good about it! We continued to hike but this time we had to hike downhill for us to get to the lake and the hot springs! It was a nice walk down and the hot springs were a nice treat when we got there. After we finished lunch at the hot springs we headed out for a hard 3 hour trek uphill - like grouse grind style but not as well maintained up to basecamp 2! I am not sure what happened to me that day but I definitely overcame a lot! I decided to walk ahead of the group there was this fire inside of me and I wanted to let it out! I hiked up to the top in 2 1/2 hours really fast considering how long it takes most people and got to the top and felt this huge sense of pride. I knew that I was going to make it up to the top of Rinjani tomorrow and I was going to celebrate this huge achievement! Once again absolutely exhausted from the 10 hours of trekking we all headed off to bed early. Shaun, Matty and I all woke up early for the trek to the summit. Giules wasn't feeling well and so she decided to opt out. We started our trek up in the pitch black it was really scary, but I figured if I could reach the summit then I could get through anything in my life! The hike to the summit takes 3 hours and after the first hour I was freezing cold and really scared but I kept on going - at about the 2 hour mark and literally climbing up the mountain side that has a path 4 feet wide and step deathly cliffs on either side Jannis - one of the german guys in our group just about fell off the edge and I freaked out. I started to panic and held on to a rock and just cried. I honestly thought I was going to die - I was really scared and alone and my flashlight went out and was not working. Nathan, another guy in our group, grabbed my hand and told me we were going to do this and I followed him up the mountain to the top and once at the top I let out a gut wrenching scream - I had done this and NO ONE could take this away from me. The pride and sense of accomplishment that I felt that day will be something I will remember forever... that and that amazing sunrise and view I got to see!
People.... I am BACK finally after all I have been through the many tears and months of sadness I am back.
After Rinjani, we headed to Sengiggi, a cute little holidaying town and rested for a couple of days before heading to the beautiful GILI islands! Janene told me before I left that this was here favourite place in Asia and I could see why. It was a little piece of heaven. WAter that you can see for miles in and beautiful beaches with a great night life. We hung out there for 6 days - lounging, eating and drinking! When we left the Gili's I was really sad because I knew that this meant that after two and a half weeks with our group we were all going our separate ways. The boys were going to Java and Giules to Thailand.
I decided that my trip had to be extended because my new sense of self and happiness was something that I needed to continue to explore. I decided to come to Australia for a bunch a reasons: there was a cheap flight from Bali, I wanted to have a positive Australian experience etc etc.....
So.... HERE I AM NOW in Perth learning how to surf running along the beautiful seawall and chilling out with good people!
Let the journey continue... not sure where I will end up but I know that I have never felt this sense of happiness in my life!
Sarah Gayda gave me a journal when I graduated high school and on it's cover it said "Go Confidently in the direction of your dreams, live the life you've imagined." So that is what I am going to do... Live the life I have imagined - an amazing life!!!
So much love to you all,
Love,
C.
April 26, 2011
Full Moon #2 and Koh Phangan
Hi there folks,
I know I have not really been up to date with this thing but honestly can you blame me? When you are in an incredible place the last thing you want to do is sit on a computer and brag to others abot its beauty when you can just be outside enjoying it yourself... ok, that was kind of rubbing it in so I will just continue!
Full Moon Party #2 was not as eventful as the first one for me - only beacuse I could literally not breath because of my cold... I probably should not have attended at all.. but when in Thailand... you must attend the Full Moon Party! Well I paid the ultimate price and was sick in bed for days and had a high fever and had to have Bovy and Saah give me Thai massage while putting cold compresses all over my body (Okay I will say it I am SPOILED)!!! During this time I met a wonderful German Family. Gabi, Thomas, Nova, Vita and Yeisha! The three girls were absolutely adorable - every morning when I came for breakfast they would jump up from the table and yell chantelle mama chantelle and then run and give me a huge hug! So, I know I am softy but who would love them - I offered to babysit them so that Gabi and Thomas could go out and enjoy the day - I think only me would do that on their vacation/journey but then again it is my journey so I can do as I please!!! Gabi also took me to Yoga with here which was such a beautiful experience!! I am really sad to have left Bovy, she has been an incredible friend to me and if I am ever in Thailand I will definitely come and visit her!!!
So, After a boat 2 mini buses and a public bus (YES a PUBLIC BUS) I made it to SATUN where I will take a ferry to Langkawi tomorrow. I am so happy to have met my Doctor Friend May! She seriously saved the day for me - No one down here speaks english she got us a hotel room to share, diagnosed my cough as bonchitis and got us a cheap taxi to the pier tomorrow! Man I love this girl!!!
I am seriously starting to miss home but I think once I am better I will be living life again!!!
Miss you all,
Love,
Chantelle xo
April 15, 2011
Amzing Temples in Angkor Wat, Thai New Year in Chiang Mai, and Wonderful Waterfalls in Koh Samui.... Life is GOOD (Stratch that... GREAT)!
Sorry that it has been so long since I have last updated my blog, but I have literally gone none stop for the last couple of weeks!!! I will try to recap as much as possible about my trip but it will be hard given that I have done so much in such a short amount of time it is easy to forget all that I have done!
So, my trip up to Siem reap was awful. It was a 6 hour bus ride that took 8 hours because I swear Cambodian people have to pee all of the time - it is nuts! When I finally arrived to Siem reap I hopped in a taxi back to the guesthouse I was staying at. When I arrived it was definitely a different scene than what I had in Phnom Pehn. I seriously think that I was the only one staying there. It was in a nice location but not that much action given that there was no one to have a beer with or no one to even go to Agkor wat with but I was going to make the most of it! I went to the market that evening and did some shopping - Cambodia is the place to buy everything. It is even cheaper than Thailand, and if you dont mind being hounded by people saying "Hey Lady" then it is GREAT! I managed to pick up a few gifts and then headed out for dinner on "Pub" street! I knew that the next day was going to be a long one so I headed home early so that I was at least somewhat rested for my 4:30 am wake up call!
Yup you heard it correctly, I had to wake up at 4:30 so that I was able to be ready to see the sunrise. When I got up I headed down to the lobby to find my Tuk Tuk driver ready but there was pouring rain so he suggested that I head back to bed because there was no point to go out in this weather. I agreed - and we decided to meet back in the lobby at 8:30 so that I was still able to have a full day at the temples! The temples were incredible! They were unlike anything I had ever seen - There was one that was built with faces in it and there was another that had trees wrapped around the stone! There were so many more that I saw but it is much better if you see the pictures than me tell you about them! When I finished for the day I had a little sleep and then headed out for dinner and drinks on the town. Yup, I did it alone - and it was amazing. I decided to go and ask a group of girls if they minded if I sat next to them - they were awesome! We drank and eventually I met up with the group of British "frat" boys and we all headed out to the bars! It was a great night - probably too late of a night considering that I was volunteering at the orphanage the next day but I think that is what travelling is all about!
The day before I went out and bought all of the kids at the orphanage stickers, pencils, crayons, colouring books, and note pads - it was the best $20 I have spent this whole trip! The kids were so cute and so excited to see me there! One of the girls just wanted me to talk with her in English and teach her things. Most of the kids wanted to just sit with me. Of course in Chantelle style, I played daycamp games with them, sang and helped the kids colour write stories and draw. I am not kidding the kids coloured for 4 hours - how could you not love them. One of the little boys Srom made me a picture that said "I love you Chantelle." I honestly cried it was so amazing and if I had more time I would have loved the opportunity to work with the kids for a couple of weeks!
The next day I was headed for Chiang Mai! I had no idea what the week was going to entail other than there was going to be a massive water fight on the street! When I arrived I went straight to the hotel to have a shower then I grabbed a quick dinner on the street (which is the best way to eat in Thailand) and we were headed for the night clubs! Tup's friends and I - once again the only girl - all went out to a local bar where we danced most of the night. The next morning was waterfight time! Adam and I headed out on the streets - it was probably one of the best experiences of my travels so far. It was unbelieveable! We were having the time of our lives literally soaking anyone or anything that walked past us.
... I will have to continue with the rest of my update later... I am off to a party in Koh Samui.
April 8, 2011
Crazy Cambodia!!!!
After loading on the plane I was ready for new adventure in Cambodia! I knew it was going to be an entirely different experience than Thailand,not only because I am now literally travelling on my own but also from others I had heard that the culture was very different. When I walked off the plane I could tell this was a new country! People hounded you for a tuk tuk and followed you! I was lucky to have my hotel provide that service for me so I didn't have to worry about it:) the streets were crowded with thousands of motorbikes waaaayyyy more than in Thailand and my driver warned me to keep my purse close or someone might grab my bag from their motorbike! I was a little scared at that point but as soon as I checked into my hostel life was a breeze! First off I met my friend jelly, a 28 yearold guy from the Netherlands. He had been travelling for a couple of months so he was an old pro!! I went out for dinner and then headed back to the hostel where jelly and the " boys" were hanging out chatting andlistening to some good tunes! For whatever reason this hostel was filled with boys and a couple of "ichy" girls- so I stuck with the boys who were crazy!!!! I retired pretty early because that morning I was up at 4 am going to see tup's little bro in monk training camp!
The next Sam ( a guy from Britain, jelly and I all went to the killing fields. It was pretty horrible seeing a place where so many innocent lives were taken, it definitely makes me grateful for living in Canada. After that we went to see the national museum, the silver pagoda, and the royal palace! Then jelly and I went shopping for watches for him! We ate some street food which was delicious and then I retired to bed where I fell asleep while reading.
Today was a full travel day! I finally arrived a siem reap and now am sitting at an Internet cafe eating!! Hope all is well with everyone! Love you all xo chantelle
The next Sam ( a guy from Britain, jelly and I all went to the killing fields. It was pretty horrible seeing a place where so many innocent lives were taken, it definitely makes me grateful for living in Canada. After that we went to see the national museum, the silver pagoda, and the royal palace! Then jelly and I went shopping for watches for him! We ate some street food which was delicious and then I retired to bed where I fell asleep while reading.
Today was a full travel day! I finally arrived a siem reap and now am sitting at an Internet cafe eating!! Hope all is well with everyone! Love you all xo chantelle
April 3, 2011
HOT NEWS..... CHANTELLE STRANDED ON AN ISLAND well not anymore but still I was!!!!!!
Flooding in Koh Phangan
Flooding in Surat Thani on the bus ride home you could not even see the road it was covered by water (I was a little scared I am not going to lie)
Bovy and I with our beautiful Poncho's
Tomorrow I am heading out with Adam and Tup for fishing and then Wednesday I head to Cambodia where I will be flying into Phenom Pehn, then heading north to Siem Reap where I will be touring Angkor Wat and volunteering in Savong Orphanage!
Well until next time missing you all,
Love C. xox
March 26, 2011
Rain Rain Go Away..... Koh Samui... SERIOUSLY RAIN GO AWAY!!!
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| My sad face that alyssa was leaving :( |
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| Bovy and I out for dinner |
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| Mond and I dancing to Auntie Barb's favourite Tina Turner! |
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| Sitting at the fancy 9Gems for my delicious and budget friendly soda water!!! |
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| 9 Gems! |
Things in Thailand are going really well minus the rain! But to be honest it really hasn't stopped me from having a fabulous time here! So, instead of sitting on the beach and tanning and reading and pondering life I found other ways to enjoy my day! I am not going to lie I was a little sad when Alyssa left, it was nice to have her around but I am really happy that Bovy has literally taken me under her wing and showing me around "her neck of the woods." Literally though her family runs this town (her uncle is the mayor) and her family owns multiple resorts on the island! However, the best part of hanging out with Bovy is her love of food! It is wonderful - we are constantly eating wonderful food and she knows the places to go! So after a sunny day on Koh Phagnan we were off to go to Koh Samui for a couple of days. Bovy and her auntie are opening up a designer boutique there so she had to go on business and I was going to go to check out the sights. Also, her family has so many shops and resorts on Samui - we stayed at her uncles resort which was GREAT and because she is Bovy we got an incredible deal!
When we first arrived the first thing we did was meet up with her Auntie Cinnee. She is a chic little lady who took us to breakfast! It was delicious - I had these thai doughnut things YUMMY! Then next thing we did was go and get our hair done. Now I am not going to lie usually this is not something that I would do, but my hair was looking awful and I really wanted to have nice hair if only for a day so I did it! We both looked and felt beautiful which was a real treat... and the best part it was her auntie's salon so we didn't pay a thing :). After we went to the pier to go and pick up Mun (a friend of Tup and Bovy's) who is the designer of the shop! Then headed out to see the shop (however, not without stopping for some roasted duck on rice- which turns out to be really delicious). Their shop is on the trendy street of Chewang Beach which is a really popular resort community! I hung out at a coffee shop while they were talking business! After that we went to check into our hotel at Lamai Beach! It is probably the second most popular beach next to chewang. We had a little rest and then got ready for a night on the town. We went to dinner with her aunt - a delicious seafood restaurant north of Lamai beach and then went to 2 bars. The first was this classy joint where I could not afford a drink it was 200 baht for one drink ... I just had soda water :) It was seriously intense there were flowers everywhere apparently the man put 2000000 baht into building and decorating this place. Very impressive, but almost over done! Next we went to an Irish Pub (definitely more my style) it was great! We had a couple of beers while listening to this crazy live band! It was fun they seriously sang everything and let people request songs! We didn't get home until 3:00 am. The next day Bovy treated us to breakfast at her uncles restaurant "the pier." It was unbelievable food and a great location! You were literally eating in this beautiful restaurant just on the edge of a pier! We decided to leave early that day because it because to rain really hard. We headed back to Koh Phagnan where I am now. I am not here for long though - I am leaving tomorrow for Bangkok and then Cambodia on Monday!!!
Let the travels continue!
Missing you all!
Love Chantelle
PS Check out my koh Phi Phi Photos I uploaded some to the blog!
March 22, 2011
From Rock Climbing Railey to dancing the night away at the full moon party on Koh Phangnan!
OKAY OKAY!!! I know it has been a long while but I have had limited internet access and have been on the move for the last couple of days so here comes a LOOOOONNNNGGG ONE!
I am not even sure where I left off but I will start with our trip to Railey! So, after a great time in Koh Lanta, Alyssa and I packed up our bags and headed out to Sea on the "Ao Nang Princess" to Railey! From the moment the long tail boat picked us up and brought us into the bay I fell in love with this place! It was so lush and green - something I truly envisioned when I thought of Thailand. The limestone coming up from the Andaman Sea with a beautiful white sandy beach with cascading mountains right behind - All I can say is GORGEOUS! While in Koh Lanta we asked a Swiss girl where she had stayed and she recommended the "View Point" hotel which was cheap and had air conditioned. It was on the ugly side of bay but we didn't care much all we had to do is wal 5 minutes through a path filled with wild monkeys to get to the beautiful beach. So after we unpacked our stuff and cooled off with something to drink we headed out to walking street to get signed up for rock climbing! We decided to go with a good company with really friendly people we were really excited and decided that night to celebrate our first night there with drinks at a local bar called "The Last Bar." This place was awesome! Super fun and it came with a serenading "fire boy" and a creepy Filipino bar mate! So while Alyssa was getting hit on by young and really stupid Tattoo boy (I will explain in a sec) Connor I was getting hit on by Filipino bar mate - GREAT! Eventually the bar mate left and we sat and talked with Connor. He was studying in Bangkok for the semester and decided to do it "Kendall Style" and travel during his time off! HE told us that he was getting a tattoo that night, which of course I questioned because it was now midnight and he seemed to be on some sort of drugs - well either that or he was a really stupid guy! We retired for the night right after he left to get his tattoo.
The next morning funnily enough Connor, with his new and to be honest nice tattoo, was in our rock climbing group! We also had another Alyssa in our group and by the end all of the girls were called Alyssa - normally I would correct but in Thailand the only thing my name sounds like is "white carrot" and I just don't like that considering how pale I was to start the trip. Rock Climbing was thrilling and a really REALLY good work out. We climbed four walls and by the end I could not climb anymore. The last wall was 30 meters high I was really impressed with Alyssa and I, but at the end of it all I could not even write because my muscles were sooo sore! We went to Phrangnan beach which was GREAT - you had to walk along a stone path through caves to get there, but once there it was beautiful. We relaxed there until dusk and decided to get an early dinner and head off to bed. I am not going to lie both of us could barely move our arms at this point and my eyes were literally closing! The next morning we decided to head back to the beach and then went for a tiger balm massage which was AMAZING and REALLY cheap! We booked our tickets to head out to Koh Phangnan but as we are crazy girls we decided to take the "shortest" trip that made us wake up at 5:00 am. This would not be a problem if we did not decide to celebrate St. Patty's Day in Style and get drunk stumble home at 3:30 am and get maybe an hour of sleep! I am pretty sure I was still drunk when I awoke - Good thing I was all packed the night before!
The Longboat ride to Krabi was good and we got to see the most amazing Sunrise... the first and last of the trip! haha lol Then we took a bus from Krabi to Don Sak where we caught a ferry to Koh Phangnan! It was on the bus that I started to feel awful! My stomach was spinning and I was feeling pretty horrible from all of the alcohol - I just kept thinking what my mom always says "if you are going to play you gotta pay the price" and let me tell you I was! This wasn't the worst part though! As the weather in the gulf of Thailand was bad the water was horribly wavy! We packed on this little rickety boat and began our 2 1/2 hour journey to Koh Phangnan. We thought we were smart by getting a seat in the cabin inside but within 15 minutes both of us were looking queezy and had to go outside. It probably was the worst boat experience of my life and the 2 1/2 hours have never felt so long! I was literally curled up in a ball on the deck as the waves took us up and down and the rain poured down on us... yep if you are picturing a poor little girl that pretty much sums up what I looked like. Alyssa looked white as a ghost and I just kept laughing because if I didnt laugh I was going to be sick! Hitting ground was the best feeling ever- we called Bovy who had her cousin meet us at the 7-11 and we headed to the Beauitful bungalows at Ocean View Resort!
Ocean View resort was nothing short of amazing! I absolutely love it - Talk about peace and serenity. We literally have the entire beach to ourselves and our bungalow was the closest one to the water with huge glass windows so we can wake up to the sound of the ocean! When we arrived we slept for a couple of hours to cure our hangover both from the alochol and the sea sickness! When we woke up we met up with Bovy at the restaurant where we dinned on an amazing meal... actually it was one of the best meals we have had in Thailand! Then we went to bed where we slept the day away! We woke up the next morning to the pitter patter of the rain... not so much fun! But we made the best of it and decided to gt "organized" for the Full Moon Party later that night! We all bought our outfits. I went with a bright pink Singha tank and yellow skirt! Alyssa went for the "lifeguard" look with neon green shorts and bovy wore a pink dress. We also went the spa to get our nails and feet done! It was a fun afternoon very stress free and relaxing and we were ready to PARTY PARTY PARTY!!!
All I can say is CRAZINESS! Honestly, I thought I knew what I was expecting from the full moon party but it was even more. There was a "fire" slide, 6 different stages for dancing, people unconscious from falling of stages, people passed out in the water, stories of "lady boys grabbing a guy's junk while he was peeing, body paint, neon neon neon and buckets! The Full moon party was fun and amazing, I stuck with beer as buckets just make me feel ill but I had a great time and there are tons of funny stories that I am sure if you ask in person I will share with you!!! After, the party we headed to chicken corner while we dined on the best sandwhiches in Thailand as Bovy says - I will have to agree they were amazing... I ate 1 1/2 ha! We got home at 5:00am and slept! The next day we took it easy and lounged on the beach and relaxed and since the sun came up for us it was a good day for it! The next day was Alyssa's final day with me :( We decided to take a cooking course where we learned how to make spring rolls, pad thai and massaman curry YUMMMMMYYY!!!!!! Then we went to the spa for a thai massage and body scrub (for alyssa)! We ate a great dinner and then went to bed. We woke up at 6:00 am to drive her to the boat, I am really sad to see her go, but I am excited to be on the journey by myself! I am definitely starting more like "chantelle" which is awesome!
I am really missing everyone, but not enough to come home! I hope everyone is doing well. I hope to be more frequent with my posts and post pictures when I get back to Tups because I can download pics on these computers for whatever reason!!!
Missing you all!
Love you tons and tons!!!
xoxo
Chantelle
I am not even sure where I left off but I will start with our trip to Railey! So, after a great time in Koh Lanta, Alyssa and I packed up our bags and headed out to Sea on the "Ao Nang Princess" to Railey! From the moment the long tail boat picked us up and brought us into the bay I fell in love with this place! It was so lush and green - something I truly envisioned when I thought of Thailand. The limestone coming up from the Andaman Sea with a beautiful white sandy beach with cascading mountains right behind - All I can say is GORGEOUS! While in Koh Lanta we asked a Swiss girl where she had stayed and she recommended the "View Point" hotel which was cheap and had air conditioned. It was on the ugly side of bay but we didn't care much all we had to do is wal 5 minutes through a path filled with wild monkeys to get to the beautiful beach. So after we unpacked our stuff and cooled off with something to drink we headed out to walking street to get signed up for rock climbing! We decided to go with a good company with really friendly people we were really excited and decided that night to celebrate our first night there with drinks at a local bar called "The Last Bar." This place was awesome! Super fun and it came with a serenading "fire boy" and a creepy Filipino bar mate! So while Alyssa was getting hit on by young and really stupid Tattoo boy (I will explain in a sec) Connor I was getting hit on by Filipino bar mate - GREAT! Eventually the bar mate left and we sat and talked with Connor. He was studying in Bangkok for the semester and decided to do it "Kendall Style" and travel during his time off! HE told us that he was getting a tattoo that night, which of course I questioned because it was now midnight and he seemed to be on some sort of drugs - well either that or he was a really stupid guy! We retired for the night right after he left to get his tattoo.
The next morning funnily enough Connor, with his new and to be honest nice tattoo, was in our rock climbing group! We also had another Alyssa in our group and by the end all of the girls were called Alyssa - normally I would correct but in Thailand the only thing my name sounds like is "white carrot" and I just don't like that considering how pale I was to start the trip. Rock Climbing was thrilling and a really REALLY good work out. We climbed four walls and by the end I could not climb anymore. The last wall was 30 meters high I was really impressed with Alyssa and I, but at the end of it all I could not even write because my muscles were sooo sore! We went to Phrangnan beach which was GREAT - you had to walk along a stone path through caves to get there, but once there it was beautiful. We relaxed there until dusk and decided to get an early dinner and head off to bed. I am not going to lie both of us could barely move our arms at this point and my eyes were literally closing! The next morning we decided to head back to the beach and then went for a tiger balm massage which was AMAZING and REALLY cheap! We booked our tickets to head out to Koh Phangnan but as we are crazy girls we decided to take the "shortest" trip that made us wake up at 5:00 am. This would not be a problem if we did not decide to celebrate St. Patty's Day in Style and get drunk stumble home at 3:30 am and get maybe an hour of sleep! I am pretty sure I was still drunk when I awoke - Good thing I was all packed the night before!
The Longboat ride to Krabi was good and we got to see the most amazing Sunrise... the first and last of the trip! haha lol Then we took a bus from Krabi to Don Sak where we caught a ferry to Koh Phangnan! It was on the bus that I started to feel awful! My stomach was spinning and I was feeling pretty horrible from all of the alcohol - I just kept thinking what my mom always says "if you are going to play you gotta pay the price" and let me tell you I was! This wasn't the worst part though! As the weather in the gulf of Thailand was bad the water was horribly wavy! We packed on this little rickety boat and began our 2 1/2 hour journey to Koh Phangnan. We thought we were smart by getting a seat in the cabin inside but within 15 minutes both of us were looking queezy and had to go outside. It probably was the worst boat experience of my life and the 2 1/2 hours have never felt so long! I was literally curled up in a ball on the deck as the waves took us up and down and the rain poured down on us... yep if you are picturing a poor little girl that pretty much sums up what I looked like. Alyssa looked white as a ghost and I just kept laughing because if I didnt laugh I was going to be sick! Hitting ground was the best feeling ever- we called Bovy who had her cousin meet us at the 7-11 and we headed to the Beauitful bungalows at Ocean View Resort!
Ocean View resort was nothing short of amazing! I absolutely love it - Talk about peace and serenity. We literally have the entire beach to ourselves and our bungalow was the closest one to the water with huge glass windows so we can wake up to the sound of the ocean! When we arrived we slept for a couple of hours to cure our hangover both from the alochol and the sea sickness! When we woke up we met up with Bovy at the restaurant where we dinned on an amazing meal... actually it was one of the best meals we have had in Thailand! Then we went to bed where we slept the day away! We woke up the next morning to the pitter patter of the rain... not so much fun! But we made the best of it and decided to gt "organized" for the Full Moon Party later that night! We all bought our outfits. I went with a bright pink Singha tank and yellow skirt! Alyssa went for the "lifeguard" look with neon green shorts and bovy wore a pink dress. We also went the spa to get our nails and feet done! It was a fun afternoon very stress free and relaxing and we were ready to PARTY PARTY PARTY!!!
All I can say is CRAZINESS! Honestly, I thought I knew what I was expecting from the full moon party but it was even more. There was a "fire" slide, 6 different stages for dancing, people unconscious from falling of stages, people passed out in the water, stories of "lady boys grabbing a guy's junk while he was peeing, body paint, neon neon neon and buckets! The Full moon party was fun and amazing, I stuck with beer as buckets just make me feel ill but I had a great time and there are tons of funny stories that I am sure if you ask in person I will share with you!!! After, the party we headed to chicken corner while we dined on the best sandwhiches in Thailand as Bovy says - I will have to agree they were amazing... I ate 1 1/2 ha! We got home at 5:00am and slept! The next day we took it easy and lounged on the beach and relaxed and since the sun came up for us it was a good day for it! The next day was Alyssa's final day with me :( We decided to take a cooking course where we learned how to make spring rolls, pad thai and massaman curry YUMMMMMYYY!!!!!! Then we went to the spa for a thai massage and body scrub (for alyssa)! We ate a great dinner and then went to bed. We woke up at 6:00 am to drive her to the boat, I am really sad to see her go, but I am excited to be on the journey by myself! I am definitely starting more like "chantelle" which is awesome!
I am really missing everyone, but not enough to come home! I hope everyone is doing well. I hope to be more frequent with my posts and post pictures when I get back to Tups because I can download pics on these computers for whatever reason!!!
Missing you all!
Love you tons and tons!!!
xoxo
Chantelle
March 13, 2011
Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta
Well it has been a while since my last blog - well actually not that long but to me it seems like it has been age, so this one is going to be a long one!
When Alyssa and I arrived at Koh Phi Phi we were amazed - We both could not stop saying "Wow, this is SOOOOO beautiful!" However, after we got off the ferry and looked for accommodation we both wanted to rip our hairs out, we were literally hounded by people to get their accommodation. We met one guy who seemed to be reasonable who took us to a place - we were going to take it but then I spotted them (yup little creepy crawlers crawling up the walls behind the bed. Now, I don't know if they were bed bugs or what but I was not staying there. After that we decided it would be better for us to go around and actually inspect all of the properties ourselves before committing to a place. We also decided to go and buy a can of "raid" so we could spray at the door and literally every corner of the room - now that is probably not the healthiest thing to do but I would rather have that than bugs climbing over top of me while I slept. That night we decided to head out to a restaurant - we ate at 6:30 which we thought was late but people on phi phi are definitely on thai tie and ate around 9:00 so the restaurant was empty! That night we retired early so that we could have a good start to the next day! We relaxed on the beach ate some delicious food - but not before the rain set in! It was a warm rain but really hampered our sun tanning plans but what can ya do! That night we decided to go out on the town or the beach. We danced in the sand to great music while drinking our first bucket! We also got to see a fire show which was really cool! Good thing we decided to share a bucket because A) they are really potent B) they are not conducive for dancing C) there are so many creepy guys around!!! Alyssa went home to eat pizza around 1:00 am but I decided to stay out and sit under the stars listening to music for a little longer. I chatted with a couple of guys from Britain for a while and then around 3:00 decided to head back to the hotel. We slept in that day and decided to have yet another go at a beach day! It was a success - the sun decided to greet us with it's presence. We bought a volleyball to play with and decided to rent a kayak and kayak to "Monkey Beach." This was the first real white perfect sand beach and really our first time to go snorkeling. Alyssa was really scared, so swam beside her while she looked - I think this was the moment that she decided that diving was not going to be "her" thing! That night we decided to treat ourselves to a delicious meal - and let me tell you it was AMAZING! I had some chicken in port sauce and Alyssa had King Prawns flambeyed in something delicious! It was at this restaurant that we met Claudie, she was a lady in her late fifties from France. She had been to Thailand for the past ten years. When we told her we were thinking of heading to Koh Lanta she gave us the name of a place that she always stays there "Fruit Tree Lodge." The next morning we decided to go on a boat trip over to the where the movie "The Beach" was filmed. On our way over to Maya Bay we had the craziest bopat trip ever. I honestly thought that our boat was going to tip over. Alyssa and I were screaming and the guide was just laughing at us - I am sure that he thought he was quite hilarious but it was a bit scary! Maya Bay was beautiful but definitely a touristy place. The beach was packed with all foreigners but I would still recommend people to go! The ride back was a little calmer and from there we literally rushed to catch the ferry to take us to Koh Lanta.
Koh Lanta is a larger Island then Phi Phi. I definitely prefer it here over Phi Phi which is absolutely beautiful but just too busy! The place where we are staying is great and I knew we could trust Claudie's opinion! She seemed like a classy woman. We met the owners of the bungalows: Bamon (who is Thai) and Kava (Who is Australian). They run the bungalows and also work as dive instructors! They told us about the Lanta Lanta festival which was happening the next day. So, the next morning we woke up late and decided to head down to the festival! It was really cool to see how they made certain things work. The had rides for the kids - Literally floating boats in an inflatable swimming pool. A trampoline for the kids to jump on and games that only cost 10 cents! There was a lot of food we ate: Potato on a stick, Corn on the cob, a thai banana pancake, spring rolls and rice! The food (for the most part) was delicious! We called our taxi drive Kun to come and pick us up and headed home after being at the fair for 10 hours! It was a really long day and we were exhausted! We did come home with some good buys though :). Today we went the beach - it was such a beautiful day and really hot! I finished reading eat pray love (Thanks Jess) and sat in the sun all day! I watched the sunset which was gorgeous and when I get a computer that will allow me to uplaod my photos I will put them up!! I am really missing all of you soooo much and hope I get a chance to talk to you over skype.
Lots of Love,
Chantelle xo
When Alyssa and I arrived at Koh Phi Phi we were amazed - We both could not stop saying "Wow, this is SOOOOO beautiful!" However, after we got off the ferry and looked for accommodation we both wanted to rip our hairs out, we were literally hounded by people to get their accommodation. We met one guy who seemed to be reasonable who took us to a place - we were going to take it but then I spotted them (yup little creepy crawlers crawling up the walls behind the bed. Now, I don't know if they were bed bugs or what but I was not staying there. After that we decided it would be better for us to go around and actually inspect all of the properties ourselves before committing to a place. We also decided to go and buy a can of "raid" so we could spray at the door and literally every corner of the room - now that is probably not the healthiest thing to do but I would rather have that than bugs climbing over top of me while I slept. That night we decided to head out to a restaurant - we ate at 6:30 which we thought was late but people on phi phi are definitely on thai tie and ate around 9:00 so the restaurant was empty! That night we retired early so that we could have a good start to the next day! We relaxed on the beach ate some delicious food - but not before the rain set in! It was a warm rain but really hampered our sun tanning plans but what can ya do! That night we decided to go out on the town or the beach. We danced in the sand to great music while drinking our first bucket! We also got to see a fire show which was really cool! Good thing we decided to share a bucket because A) they are really potent B) they are not conducive for dancing C) there are so many creepy guys around!!! Alyssa went home to eat pizza around 1:00 am but I decided to stay out and sit under the stars listening to music for a little longer. I chatted with a couple of guys from Britain for a while and then around 3:00 decided to head back to the hotel. We slept in that day and decided to have yet another go at a beach day! It was a success - the sun decided to greet us with it's presence. We bought a volleyball to play with and decided to rent a kayak and kayak to "Monkey Beach." This was the first real white perfect sand beach and really our first time to go snorkeling. Alyssa was really scared, so swam beside her while she looked - I think this was the moment that she decided that diving was not going to be "her" thing! That night we decided to treat ourselves to a delicious meal - and let me tell you it was AMAZING! I had some chicken in port sauce and Alyssa had King Prawns flambeyed in something delicious! It was at this restaurant that we met Claudie, she was a lady in her late fifties from France. She had been to Thailand for the past ten years. When we told her we were thinking of heading to Koh Lanta she gave us the name of a place that she always stays there "Fruit Tree Lodge." The next morning we decided to go on a boat trip over to the where the movie "The Beach" was filmed. On our way over to Maya Bay we had the craziest bopat trip ever. I honestly thought that our boat was going to tip over. Alyssa and I were screaming and the guide was just laughing at us - I am sure that he thought he was quite hilarious but it was a bit scary! Maya Bay was beautiful but definitely a touristy place. The beach was packed with all foreigners but I would still recommend people to go! The ride back was a little calmer and from there we literally rushed to catch the ferry to take us to Koh Lanta.
Koh Lanta is a larger Island then Phi Phi. I definitely prefer it here over Phi Phi which is absolutely beautiful but just too busy! The place where we are staying is great and I knew we could trust Claudie's opinion! She seemed like a classy woman. We met the owners of the bungalows: Bamon (who is Thai) and Kava (Who is Australian). They run the bungalows and also work as dive instructors! They told us about the Lanta Lanta festival which was happening the next day. So, the next morning we woke up late and decided to head down to the festival! It was really cool to see how they made certain things work. The had rides for the kids - Literally floating boats in an inflatable swimming pool. A trampoline for the kids to jump on and games that only cost 10 cents! There was a lot of food we ate: Potato on a stick, Corn on the cob, a thai banana pancake, spring rolls and rice! The food (for the most part) was delicious! We called our taxi drive Kun to come and pick us up and headed home after being at the fair for 10 hours! It was a really long day and we were exhausted! We did come home with some good buys though :). Today we went the beach - it was such a beautiful day and really hot! I finished reading eat pray love (Thanks Jess) and sat in the sun all day! I watched the sunset which was gorgeous and when I get a computer that will allow me to uplaod my photos I will put them up!! I am really missing all of you soooo much and hope I get a chance to talk to you over skype.
Lots of Love,
Chantelle xo
March 8, 2011
Koh Phi Phi = My gorgeous place I have EVER seen!
Just a quick update to let everyone know that I have arrived at the beautiful island of Koh Phi Phi and let me tell you I hope that everyone has a chance to come here in their lifetime! There is really something so special about this place. Talk about rest and relaxation! Anyways I am thinking of you all... the internet here is really expensive so I will probably wait a couple of days to update you all on my adventures but don't worry I will make sure to make it a good one the next time I write!
With a huge and warm hug from Sunny Koh Phi Phi,
Chantelle xo
With a huge and warm hug from Sunny Koh Phi Phi,
Chantelle xo
March 5, 2011
Elephants Elephants and More Elephants!!!
After our busy night at Muay Thai and a good breakfast we headed out to the day market in a tuk tuk! As we were getting off the Tuk Tuk a gentleman approached us and told us about the factories we should go to which were a little ways out of town. These were the factories that had actual gems, silk, gold, silver, real Thai cotton etc. It was amazing and it I was rich I would have bought so many things, but sadly I am not! I did buy myself a pearl necklace - it was something that I really wanted and it was beautiful. I decided to treat myself to something beautiful (granted being here is treating myself but still). We spent a couple of hours out there looking around at everything and then headed back to the city to meet Nok for our final Thai massage lesson. It was great and very relaxing she even allowed us to video her so that we could see how it was done rather than seeing pictures in the booklet she gave us. After that my friend from TRU, Kwan, met up with us and took us to a traditional Northern Thai buffet and performance. It was really fun and of course I went up and danced with them at the end! Our night didn't end there, we then got Kwan to drop us off at the Night Bizarre - it was here that we perfected our bartering technique. Alyssa, played the girl who was really interested and I played the tough "no we are getting ripped off" girl! It was great and we managed to get some great deals. We went home around midnight and then packed our bags for our trek the next day.
7:45 am - we got up late because our alarm did not go off but we still had enough time to get ready for our big day! We packed our bathing suits, running shoes, towel, sunscreen and Bug spray and were ready for our adventure filled day! We were picked up around 8:45 by another Kwan - she was our guide. On our tour we met two guys from Singapore ( Lionel and Tay) and Three people from France (Etinne, Elsa and Veronique). They were all really nice and friendly. We first headed to a butterfly and Orchid farm. The butterflies were not really that beautiful - to me they looked like moths (there were no beautifully coloured ones) but the orchids were absolutely gorgeous. There were flowers of every colour and every size :) After that we went and visit the karen Hill tribe. The Karen Hill tribe fled Burma around 20 years ago and settled in the mountains of chiang mai. They wear coils around their neck so the Thais call them long neck. It was really interesting to see how they lived their life (although it seems a bit touristy it was still really interesting). After that we headed up to one of the many waterfalls in chiang mai. It was beautiful and a great way to cool off after an hour long hike. We headed back down the mountain to go rafting and bamboo rafting. It was a really beautiful setting and so incredibly peaceful! Then it was time for the GRAND FINALE!!! The ELEPHANTS. Patricia told me that the Indian God of the elephant represents letting go of obstacles inner and outter. Well that is exactly what I did! I let go of all of the stress and worry that I have in my body and was just HAPPY! It was an amazing experience and to top it off I ended up riding the elephant bare back and then having the elephant pick me up in its trunk and lift me off the ground. Then on our ride we passed this tree - now normally this would be like any other tree, but before I left and when I had just gotten back from Australia I started to paint and I painted a tree just like this one. It was twisted and tangled and dark - but somehow perfect to me and beautiful. The sunlight was shinning from behind it just as I had painted it! It made me realize and think a lot and since this trip supposed to be for that it made me feel so peaceful and happy!
Well that is all for now! I am back in bangkok and heading to Koah San Road (Forgive me if I cant spell)
I love and miss you all.
March 3, 2011
Max and the Gang!
Then they dropped us back off in the city centre where we decided to book our elephant trekking adventure and headed out to eat before the big muay thai fight. Dinner was amazing to say the least. We ordered: Peanut Chicken, spring rolls, pad Thai, green curry, papaya salad and rice. I think the girl thought we were disgusting but we were sooooo hungry and besides the last little drags we ate it all! We then went to the Muay Thai. This was definitely not my scene but it was interesting to go and watch a real thai fight. There were 7 fights in total, one that was between 7 year old boys... both alyssa and I didnt like that very much. Alyssa kept saying " where are their mothers!" One of the guys kept doing "praying mantis" type kicks it was intense and people kept looking at me because I was squealing at the thought of being kicked and punched int he face! We took a Tuk Tuk back to the hotel and relaxed and fell asleep.
Today we will let the adventures continue!! We will complete our class in Thai massage and then head to the night markets!!!
Love you C. xo
March 2, 2011
Hello Chiang Mai and Nok!
After a VERY early wake up call (4:10 am) to be exact Alyssa and I were off to the airport for our new adventure in Chiang Mai. I am not going to lie, I thought I was going to be an "oscar the grouch" but instead I think I was past the point of grumpy and just funny - You will have to ask Alyssa on this one though. I am glad we got up when we did because when we arrived at the airport there was a huge line up to check in. We didn't even have any bags to check in (amazing I know especially for Alyssa and I) but the airport was not like in Vancouver where you can check in online and receive your bording pass from the computers. Our flight was only an hour long and was pretty easy and then we had arrived in beautiful Chiang Mai. I can definitely see why Sean and Jess loved it up here. It is so much cleaner and "fresh" than Bangkok! Don't get me wrong I love the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, but Chaing Mai had a much slower pace and easy going vibe! We called the hotel (The Grand Napat) and asked them if we were able to check in early. They agreed, when we got there we ate breakfast and lounged around the pool. We are paying $25 a night for this place it is unbelievably cheap.
We then met a couple from Edmonton who gave some details of some things that they had done in Chiang Mai. One of the things was learning how to give Thai Massage. That is where we met NOK! She is the loveliest Thai woman. She is probably the size of Hailey (well maybe not that short but small). She taught both Alyssa and I on our own and was about 1/2 the price of other classes. She was wonderful and hands on. She would give us thai massage by showing us how to do the "moves" and then would make each of have a turn on each other. On our litter break she gave us banana's to eat it was at this point that I started asking her some questions about what to do and where to go in Chiang Mai. Sean and Jess had told me that they had gone and rented scooters and travel up into the mountains to see the temples. Alyssa and I were a little scared to do this and I asked Nok what she thought of the idea. She said it would be safer if we didnt do that so she offered for her husband and other members of her family to take us there for no charge :) So, her husband Max and her family will be taking us up there today to see it - talk about a cultural experience! After our thai massage class Alyssa and I were hungry so we decided to get Mexican food - haha lol not exactly what most people would do in Thailand but to be honest we aren't most people! The food tasted delicious but after - I think because we were so dehydrated from our class we both had really bad crampy stomaches and headed home! Luckily the pain didnt last long and we both slept around 12 hours last night. Today we are going to lounge by the pool and then head off to meet max at 1:30 then back to see Nok for our Thai massage instruction!
Well that is all for now - I will have to let you know how our "journey" with max goes tonight!
Cheers C. xo
We then met a couple from Edmonton who gave some details of some things that they had done in Chiang Mai. One of the things was learning how to give Thai Massage. That is where we met NOK! She is the loveliest Thai woman. She is probably the size of Hailey (well maybe not that short but small). She taught both Alyssa and I on our own and was about 1/2 the price of other classes. She was wonderful and hands on. She would give us thai massage by showing us how to do the "moves" and then would make each of have a turn on each other. On our litter break she gave us banana's to eat it was at this point that I started asking her some questions about what to do and where to go in Chiang Mai. Sean and Jess had told me that they had gone and rented scooters and travel up into the mountains to see the temples. Alyssa and I were a little scared to do this and I asked Nok what she thought of the idea. She said it would be safer if we didnt do that so she offered for her husband and other members of her family to take us there for no charge :) So, her husband Max and her family will be taking us up there today to see it - talk about a cultural experience! After our thai massage class Alyssa and I were hungry so we decided to get Mexican food - haha lol not exactly what most people would do in Thailand but to be honest we aren't most people! The food tasted delicious but after - I think because we were so dehydrated from our class we both had really bad crampy stomaches and headed home! Luckily the pain didnt last long and we both slept around 12 hours last night. Today we are going to lounge by the pool and then head off to meet max at 1:30 then back to see Nok for our Thai massage instruction!
Well that is all for now - I will have to let you know how our "journey" with max goes tonight!
Cheers C. xo
February 28, 2011
Temples Temples and Temples.... Oh and of course SHOPPING!!!
Hello Family and Friends, I realize that it has been a couple of days since I have last updated my blog so.... here it comes!!! The last couple of days have been great - but I am not going to lie I have had barely any sleep and I am now starting to get grumpy and if anyone has seen me when I am exhausted they know it is not a pretty sight. ha ha lol oh well give me a good nights sleep and I will be back to my normal self.
So, I guess you are all wondering why I haven't had any sleep - Well, it all started the night that Alyssa arrived at the airport. That day Tup and I went shopping at this massive Mall (well kind of mall that was actually 3 malls in one) probably the biggest shopping centre I have ever seen. You all know that I love to shop and guess what ... I did not buy a single thing, honest! Tup was so shocked that I didnt end up buying anything, but I guess unless there is something that I really REALLY want to buy, I am not going to get it! This trip was not for shopping it was for me to relax and have a journey! Then Tup and I went to his parents house where I swam and then stayed at played Xbox kinnect with his little brother. His brother loved me so much that he ordered a pizza for me - how cute is he! Then Tup took me out wth his friends - now, I am not going to lie, at this point all I wanted to do was go to sleep I was exhausted still from Jetlag but I wanted to greet Alyssa at the airport. So, I manned up and decided to go out with Tup and his friends where I started to drink a couple of beer - now, I am not sure how many beers I had but those beers were the start of a GREAT night! After hanging out with his friends at Cafe de beer we headed to the airport only to find out that Alyssa's flight was delayed so we now had an hour to kill at the airport. My obvious answer was to have a couple of more beers at the airport!!! It sure made that hour go by quickly, soon enough we were greeting the lovely Alyssa telling her that we were going out tonight. In true Alyssa fashion she was GAME! We went to a local bar/club called "ichy." It was really fun and once again I was the fish out of water. I had people shaking my hand wanting to dance with me (I don't think I have ever had this much attention in my life). It was a LOOOOOOONNNNNGGG night we ended up getting home around 5:30 am! We slept until 12:00 and then got up for our next activity.
Hello JJ market! Now, if you have never been to a market before this was the one to go to! It was the end all be all of markets. There was literally thousands upon thousands of stalls filled with everything from clothing to antiques to scorpions. Here I had to learn how to bargain - and to be honest I suck at it and Alyssa might even suck more! Both of us constantly said please but I guess that is kind of our nature! I ended up buying one dress and that was it!! One of the most interesting things about the market was that at 6:00 the national anthem came on and the once pushy loud and vibrant market became still. It was shocking to see how quiet everyone got, but as soon as the music stopped it was back to craziness. Later that evening Alyssa and I watched Tup's soccer game. I was eaten alive by mosquito's which was not so much fun, but what can you do. After his game we met up with his friend Bovy whose family owns a resort in Koh Phangan. She said that she would help us out when we went there. I am pretty excited that we are getting to know a bunch of new people from Thailand. That evening Alyssa and I decided that we wanted to go to Chiang Mai (a northern province of Thailand) for a couple of days before Adam gets here. So we booked it for March 1st and managed to get a pretty cheap flight considering that we booked a flight for a day and a half later. Then we went to sleep so that we would be "well" rested for the next day.
Hello 6:30 am... I am starting to hate waking up to you! I am not sure if it is the birds or sun that is waking me up either way I am starting to get really tired and I need SLEEP! I knew that today was going to be a full day and I wanted to be well rested for it. So, rather than sleeping in (which is what I wanted to do) I decided to take a shower and then read about some places in Chaing Mai that Alyssa and I could visit on our trip up there. Once Tup and Alyssa woke up we were off to his parents house to have breakfast - as usual it was delicious! After breakfast and a couple of phone calls we headed out to Meet Tup's brother Tai who was going to take us out for the day while he went fishing! Tai took us to "The Grand Palace," and a couple of the temples near there. The structures in the Grand Palace were unbelievably ornate and gorgeous. They were filled with beautiful coloured glass and gems and mostly made out of gold. It was an unbelievable sight and really something I will never forget! The temple that houses the "reclining Buddha" was really amazing as well. After that, we took a ferry to the other side of the river where the last temple was. This temple was really interesting in that you could climb to the "top." I am not going to lie I was so scared after we got past the second level, also I felt like passing out because I was so stinking hot wearing long pants and a long sleeve shirt in 30 degree weather! After that Alyssa and I both stripped down from our long pants into our short shorts and tank tops. We grabbed a couple of drinks and headed back downtown to go Shopping! No joking we shopped and shopped ans shopped for 8 hours. I bought on bag for myself and I didnt even have to bargain I just walked away and said a price I wanted to pay for it and so I bought it. Also, Tup was making fun on me and my Gonzaga basketball knapsack because I was wearing it with my pink dress! Aparently I looked like a dork... which was kind of true! Alyssa on the other hand, Miss Shopaholic, bought so much stuff! Tai even got into the shopping mood and bought a couple of tops!
It was really fun until..... we couldnt get a taxi back to Samut Praken (Tup's Province). We literally waited 30 minutes flagging down Taxi after Taxi until this one nice gentleman, who I might add was wearing a "Canada" hat, agreed to take us! So now I am back from our long journey it is now 11:53 and I have to be up in 5 hours to go to the airport for our flight to Chiang Mai.... here;s hoping that I sleep a little on the plane so that I am not horrible to be around for poor Alyssa!
Talk to you in Chiang Mai,
Love you,
C. xo
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