Koh Phi Phi (13.04.22 - 20.04.22)
Wednesday 13th April 2022
Happy heavenly birthday dad – miss you more today than I did yesterday – if only I could tell you about all the amazing things I have been doing – I know you would be so proud of me – lol you’d probably be here with me sharing in the experience – I still can’t believe you were taken from me – it is still so raw all these years later.
Thursday 14the April 2022
Yesterday I tidied up behind me, hung the keys where I found them and left Tracey’s – thank you so so much for trusting me with your house – I now feel refreshed, the shit that happened in Cambodia is behind me and I am ready to go again 😊
I got to the bus station 3 hours early, dropped off my rucksuck and went for a drink where I spent an hour and a half chatting to my beautiful daughter on the phone – it was just so lovely to hear her voice – and Rachel and Lucas – god do I miss them. Before I got on the bus I bought some Valium and in hind sight that was such a good move – after demolishing most of my munchies I knocked myself out for what I was hoping would be the whole journey, however, the guy next to me was leaning heavily on my left arm and my break and tennis elbow woke me up just before the driver stopped for his dinner – it was midnight! Wide awake I took another Valium just before we started off again and was having the maddest of dreams, I had been away and Jason Davari was looking after my flat for me (Plummer Road!) but had invited a strange girl to stay who had hung clowns everywhere, even in the bathroom, I can’t remember most of the dream but I do recall not being happy and as I was removing the clowns we were all rudely woken up ‘get out get out’ as we had arrived in Surat Thani and it was 5:30am – lol – love those Valium. And just to let you know I did ask the guy next to me not to lean on me and he didn’t so I woke with my arm feeling ok. From Surat Thani I got a minibus to Krabi with a few other really lovely people, we chatted all of the way which was so nice and made the journey go that much quicker. We didn’t have to wait long before another mini bus took us to the pier and we got a speed boat, which didn’t speed too fast to Koh Phi Phi
Oh what a mistake! This is the worse Thai island I have ever been to – even worse than Koh Samui – Thanks Paul from Nottingham, that’s the last time I follow any of your recommendations – it’s one great big tourist trap, the first thing you see when you get off the boat is a Burger King and then a MacDonalds! Although in saying that it is very beautiful here but there is no escaping the high prices and drunken Brits that should have gone to Benidorm. And because it is Songkhram (Thai new year) the island is full also of Thai tourists – arrggg. Such is life, I am here for 6 nights, that is enough to do my free 30 hour course on teaching online and to catch up on my online diary. Tracey messaged and said there are some nice beaches here, which will be almost deserted as there is still a lack of tourist here, so tomorrow I will take my laptop to Maya beach and see what happens. I am actually extremely exhausted this evening as I didn’t arrive till after 1pm today and, having no wifi couldn’t find the hostel – lucky for me a lovely Thai lady came to my rescue and walked me most of the way here – I do love the Thai people, friendly warm and helpful – what more could you ask for. PS – I left my bum bag at Tracey’s – I am so pissed off as I remember packing it!
Friday 15th April 2022
What a lovely lovely day – I did my usual getting up slowly business and headed out when my belly started to grumble. I bought yellow noodles and chicken and sat by the pier to eat. After that I took a stroll along the promenade to the bay to the lefy of the harbour if you facing it. Wow, it was so beautiful and no shit food shops 😊 I sat for ages in one bar making my banana shake last for as long as possible while I added a bit more my diary weblog. After that I went to the Hippy bar, checked my money and was happy to find I had just enough for a Long Island Iced Tea, it must have been one of the strongest I have ever had – lol. I did a little more on my weblog and am pleased to say I finished the first visit to Phnom Penh entry, but I’m still 2 months behind ☹ On my way back to the hostel I succumbed to the elephant print and bought a little bag to replace my bum-bag, it’s probably a little better than the bum-bag as it doesn’t sit round my waist making me sweat more than needed and it holds about the same amount. As it’s Friday night I have decided to chill for a little while and then head out to a bar for a drink – will fill you in tomorrow 😊
Sunday 17th April 2022
I was so ill yesterday, the first time I’ve had a stomach upset since I’ve been here, probably not true but it feels like it! It must be something I ate or drunk the day before – which was a fabulous evening. I found myself back at the Hippy bar, where I had a glass noodles and seafood salad – the seafood should be fresh here, after all we are by the sea, but I did find the calamari a little chewy, probably overcooked. I was happy in my own world listening to the live music when a single guy sat on the table in front of me and kept looking over, I gave him plenty of smiles and eventually he came and joined me. His name was Ali and he is a doctor from Saudi Arabia, I think he thought he might like to add me to his harem, that is until he found out my age, jumped out of his chair took 3 steps backward and said ‘you are fucking too old’! Lol – I pissed myself laughing, but he did sit back down rather than run away. After the musician the musician there was a fire show, it was ok but not as good as the one I saw on Koh Tao. At one point the fire guy asked for volunteers, I volunteered and sat extremely sit while he waved his fire sticks round me and another volunteer and then he lit the cigarettes he gave us – lol. Ali turned out to be such a gentleman, not only did he pay for all of my drinks (2 long islands and 3 GnTs) he also paid for my dinner 😊 By the time we left, and we were the last customers to do so, I could just about stand up, let alone walk in a straight line. Ali zig zagged me to another bar but I turned around and left him there, or so I thought because after a while I realised he was following me, he said he was just checking I got back to my hostel ok. All sounds a bit dodgy but as soon as I got to a place I recognised he double checked I was ok and then left me to make the rest of the journey home. I bought a rather large and delicious banana and chocolate crepe (a treat as I hadn’t paid for my dinner) and staggered back safely.
So, I woke yesterday morning feeling bloody awful and with diarrhoea which cleared quite quickly. Concerned I decided to stay at my room, and I am so glad I did as early afternoon I spewed my guts up, it was pure liquid but tons of it, then later on the diarrhoea came back. I know it was probably the seafood, but I can’t help wondering if I bought a dodgy bottle of water, I know if sounds a bit mad but I’m wondering if the water was really tap water in a recycled bottle? Anyway, I feel a lot better this morning, my coffee has gone down and feels like it will stay down – I have yet to go to the toilet, but if my stools are solid then I’m going to head to a beach for the day – I really fancy a good swim. The Thai people opposite are all wearing masks this morning and one keeps trying to clear her throat !!!! Time for food, after not eating anything yesterday I am starving this morning – I could murder a full English; but think I should be a little more sensible all things considering.
Monday 18th April 2022
Last night I was minding my own business, fulfilling a craving for a burger when this young guy comes and sits next to me and asks me to decide what he should have to eat – he worked hard at chatting me up but freaked out, in a nice way, when I told him my age, turns out he was only 19 (and from Scotland), he so didn’t believe me that I told him I could show him a pic of my passport – lol. When the conversation started to irritate me, which didn’t take long as he was far more pissed than me, I made a quick exit, bought a beer and came back to my room.
Today I went for a beautiful walk to Long beach, the two beaches nearest to where I am staying are called Ton Sai beach and Lon Dalum beach. The walk took me along the sea front and onto another small, secluded but very beautiful beach called Viking beach and then up and over a rather big hill, which was not quite the ‘mountain’ the Thai I asked for directions called it. The beach was beautiful, but not very long, and there was not a drunk young English person in sight, mainly couples and families. If I ever have the misfortune of coming to this island again I will stay there, or even Viking Bay in one of the cabins up on the hillside. Even the cost of beer and food at the restaurant on Long beach was cheaper by 40p (on everything. It may not sound a lot but saving a quid on every meal with a drink makes a big difference in the end. The walk back was quite refreshing as the air started to change, there was a lot of thunder and they sky greyed over, however it took 2 hours of thunder before the rain finally came and now the air is fresh and cool – divine.
Due to having spent a lot more money than I can really afford I am going to be a boring cow tonight and get a yellow noodle with chicken and beer and sit here on my balcony. I also need to book my way out of here, I have decided to go to Krabi for a couple of days and then Trang before I head into Malaysia. I also finally got enrolled on my free TEFL top up course today (Teaching English Online and 1:1), but I only have 4 weeks to complete it, it’s only 30 hours so if I focus, do a chunk each morning, I should easily get it finished on time.
Tuesday 19th April 2022
Ha ha, all the Thais in this vicinity thought I had covid, hence they all had masks on the day after I was sick – they stopped wearing them yesterday when they saw I was up and about again. And then this morning I heard one of them in hysterics and he kept says blar blar blar covid, which I interpretated as, ha ha they thought she had covid. And then just now as I was coming into the hostel the owner asked if I was feeling ok – I explained that I had been sick and thought it was the sea food salad I ate, but felt absolutely fine today, the relief on her and the other staffs’ face was indescribable, but then covid is a real scare and it only takes one person to come down with before for it to spread like wild fire.
I am so happy, my adopted kiwi does not want to disown me. Yesterday I sent him a message saying that when he returns to his wife this week that I fully understand if he deletes me, after all the last thing I want to do is cause him trouble even though we only had a snuggle, nothing else, not even a kiss – that would have been incest – lol – anyway his reply was that disowning me could scar me and lead to learning difficulties and that he was sure she would be ok – love you my kiwi brother – lol.
This morning, after breakfast I went for a hike to view points one and two, as I have said all along, Phi Phi is extremely beautiful and the views were magnificent, you could see Toni Sap Pier and the bays each side of it. There are 4 viewing points altogether, however I got talking to an American guy and he said 3 and 4 were not as good so I gave them miss. Instead I’m going to do a couple of hours on my TEFL and then hit the town tonight, after all it is my last night here 😊
Wednesday 20th April 2022
I had a good last night in Phi Phi, I had one of the most delicious cheese, ham, bacon and mushroom pizzas I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating and then decided to go and plot up in a sports bar – let’s face it if I’m going to find older male company for the evening it will be in a sports bar. But as it goes I didn’t get that far, I was walking past a bar that had live music, smiled at this guy, Charlie from Liverpool, as I walked past and he invited me over for a drink. It was all a bit gross to begin with as he was eating his dinner and kept spitting food over me, but once he finished we had a good chat and he told me how is not talking to his two eldest daughters, but has a good relationship with his son. He didn’t reveal his age but kept saying that he is lot older than me, I kinda gathered that, but hey I’m after company not romance – lol. We parted company when he decided he needed a game of pool, so I thought I might go and watch the kick boxing but had a peep at the bar and it looked dead. On the way back to my room I bumped into Charlie again and he was chatting to Ryan who is out here for a year with his mates, but they are doing a month in each country so covering a wider area than me – Thinking about it this morning I might shorten my time in each country, 2 months was fine for Thailand but about two weeks too long in Cambodia. I need to have a good look at what Malaysia has to offer and how long I think I will need there as it would be awesome to squeeze in the Philippines and Indonesia and I still have my eye on Vietnam and Loas – but no solid plans, and money as running low ☹
