*~*Miss Pammy Tan*~*

Finallyyy a vacation! This year, we went to Thailand and Malaysia because Jimmy (Henrik's brother from another mother) and Julie was visiting Southeast Asia. Our trip went from Phuket>Phi Phi islands> Krabi> Langkawi>Penang!

We headed to the train super early in the morning! It wasn't even fully bright out yet! But turns out, our time averaging wasn't as perfect as we'd hoped for (it actually was, but Henrik gets nervous if we aren't like an hour early for the plane) and daddy had to pick us up and bring us the rest of the way! Thanks daddy!

ready to go!

Breakfast at the budget airport!! I couldn't decide between hotcakes or the big breakfast and low and behold, the new McBreakfast deluxe with BOTH!!!! *angels singing*

We landed in Phuket at about 11am their time and were instantly bombarded by taxi men! WOW they're so annoying and so persistent I'm glad they're banned in Singapore! We know they have absurd rates, we tell them no, but they don't listen. In the end we luckily found some "metered" cabs. For all travelers on a budget, when you exit the airport, walk to the far end on your right and you will see cabs in bright red/yellow and can save at least 300 bhat!! The "meter" cabs are in quotations because they don't actually use the meter, but pay a set price throughout the island.

taxi!

Hello Kata!

We arrived at Kata beach to look for a place to stay, but had lunch instead while waiting for Jimmy and Julie to catch up. The first thing I noticed at Kata beach was how insanely touristy it is!!! Seriously, if Patong beach has been taken over by the British, Kata Beach is Scandinavian!! There were Danish, Swedish and Norwegian flags everywhereeee. And they sold frikadeller, roasts and everything scando!! What the hell kind of people travel 10,000 miles to eat food they have at home?! Plus the exorbitant prices of 100bhat (sgd$4) minimum per meal. That's like eating at a food court in Singapore. Bangkok was so much cheaper! Anyway, at least the food was delish! I started with red Thai curry with shrimps!!mmmmm

First Thai meal!

When Julie and Jimmy arrived, the boys left to find us a good place to stay. We ended up in a guesthouse up a hill. It was really minimal and all, but so was its price ;)

view from the balcony

After having settled down, we headed to the beach for some much needed sun! On the way, we passed a canal of sorts and there were super gross mini sand crabs with one claw bigger than the other lining the waterway!! There were millions of them popping in and out of their holes. So much so that it looked like a disease! I couldn't take my eyes off of them! It was just one of those things that are so gross but so amusing at the same time.

grosss, now just imagine it gleaming with water and the pincers popping in and out!

on zoom

Unfortunately the weather was rather cloudy, but the ocean was still a terrific temperature. Henrik and I had such a good time jumping the waves. I don't understand why all the Scandos paid 200bhat to rent a chair when it wasn't hot. I much rather sit on the sand with my towel! Though touristy, Phuket is an extremely beautiful place to be. The beach was so clean and the formations around it beautiful!

The beach!

after a swim!!

In the evening we found probably the cheapest, shadiest, most local food to eat. Mostly because the only other places to eat were Scandinavian restaurants and resorts! The food was really good though! And only about SGD2 per plate! The ambiance was actually pretty alright, with stone tables, a good conversation and a few other backpackers- it was only the mosquitoes I couldn't stand!! lol We eventually left to get some Thai pancakes (IMO the crispy dessert version of Singapore's roti prata- but oohhh so much better!) and hunted for a bar.

Happy Jimmy at a bar

buying stuff at 7-11 that we forgot lol

Of course we end up somewhere in the red light district (but pretty much all of Thailand's major cities are hooker areas) but the girls were super entertaining. I for one don't judge people by their professions so unlike other people, I actually had a rather good time. The girls didn't hit on the guys or us or anything weird. I super loved the chatty owner! She had just been through so much in life but she was still partying! And absolutely no language barrier could stop her from chatting the night away. Sad case I didn't bring my camera out this night :(

On our way back to the bars I found the best thing that had ever happened to my life! An Oyster pushcart!! There was a man who just pushed around a bunch of fresh oysters and cracked open however many you wanted to eat on the spot! The oysters were so sweet and big and fresh!! it also came with some Thai chili sauce and crispy onions and such. OMG YUM. I tried looking for more oyster pushcarts for the rest of the trip, but this was the only one. And it was like sgd1 which is sooo cheap! I should've had more!!

We spent the rest of the night chilling out with drinks at the guesthouse. I got so many mosquito bites! Everyone is so friendly there!

The next morning we headed out and got a taxi/van (I don't really know what to call it lol) transport for an hour long ride to the pier. For 1 hour it was only 300bhat! LOL Julie is one tough bargainer! But the ferry rides were standard price and they kinda got mad when we tried to bargain. -.-" Its Thailand! you never know what you might get! lol The boat ride was long as well, I think everyone took a little bit of a nap but were aroused by travelers itching to get off as we reached the beautiful Phi Phi islands.

lol cute little red automobile

freaks

From the ferry, we took a little boat to a more secluded beach. Long beach had only 6 resorts on the beach, 1 bar and 1 convenience store. But it was wonderful! The beach was so clean and so beautiful with minimal amount of vacationers on it! It was so convenient to take a boat to town or snorkeling. We could actually even snorkel at the end of our beach where some coral were!

100 bhat to long beach!

haha the ginger that shared our boat

super clear waters! Helloooo long beach!

discussing the next move

the view comes with a fruit shake ;)

cutest ash tray I wanted to steal!!!

some kittens I also wanted to steal!

The first place we stayed at was horrid, being the cheapest, had blinded ants on my pillow from running into the one bar of light we had. Which then seemed like a small matter when we discovered the shower ran on pumped water. I could shower for a couple minutes and the water would just turn off because the pump could not keep up with my lousy showerhead's demands. So I would mill around the shody bathroom for 5 minutes or so before being able to wash off the soaps. A normal 5-10 minute cold shower took me about 20 minutes! We checked out the next morning and booked our own huts on Phi Phi hill which were sooo much nicer! They were clean and spacious and Henrik and I had the best view of the whole island, right at the edge of the hill! Our hut even had a porch I could tan and read on. I wouldn't call it the ritz, but by backpacker standards, it was liveable!

First place we stayed at...that I'm pretty sure was supposed to be a broom closet...at least it should be!

but its almost worth it when you walk out to this view every morning!

my dream fountain that I would've stolen if I could. Thailand seems to bring out the thief in me!

the second resort *loves* romantic little bungalows

glorious view

Anyway, our first day was really fun and relaxing. We got a little sun (and by little I mean Henrik looked like a very tasty lobster afterwards), a little reading and a little snorkeling. For dinner we went to our resort's restaurant which was quite delicious. It was only unfortunate that when I ordered pineapple fritters for dessert, I saw a humongus fly in the bottle of honey that was supposed to be applied to my pineapple AFTER I ate half my plate of fritters! The tranny staff were nice enough to replace my honey with a new bottle and included a bottle of chocolate sauce should I be too scandalised to eat more honey. The best part is, chocolate sauce is so dark, you can't see anything in it ;)

the boys super excited to get in the cooling water!

jimmy's sexxxiest moments

*happies*

to lunch!!

grossest place with the grossest food that tasted like ketchup that I'm pretty sure the insane ammount of flies had eaten and puked up already before it was stired into the noodles.

out for a late snorkel!

my sexxxiest snorkeler on the beach!

We had a wonderful hour-long massage after dinner. It was so nice! The ladys really paid attention to us and as usual, I found parts of my body I could relax/crack that I didn't know of before! Henrik had an aloe vera massage beacause his skin couldn't handle the sun as well as mine can. lol I loved the coconut tea served afterwards.

hahah so red only after 1 day of sun! we even bought a bottle of aloe vera gel for him to rub 24/7

and I only get blacker from here ;)

desserts with the giant fly in that bottle to the left!

massage pavillions!

The night was topped off with a fire show at the single bar on the beach. It was so comfortable with the cold sea breeze coming in and the bar's good music volume. The friendly fire crew had dug sand pits in which they lit fires in to keep us warm. I had the most delicious coconut rum thingy yumm!

sea breeze+ abar+ fire pit+ a fire show and lounge chairs = a perfect night in Thailand

The next morning we looked for Mr. Lin who had approached us the night before with his snorkeling trip. He was very down to earth, not pushy and seemed really sweet, so we decided to check out the islands he talked about the next day. Jimmy and Julie didn't want to get up early, but Mr. Lin had advised us to go in the morning as it was most clear under tha water and lesser tourists around. So after an early breakfast, we went on our own.

I really wouldn't mind waking up to this every morning!

breakfast with a view ;)

pretty flower I found on the way

The morning had a light drizzle, but we'd hoped that the weather would clear up abit while we were out there. Mr. Lin drove us in Alice, his boat to the first destination Maya Beach. On the way there the clouds loomed ahead and before we knew it- twenty minutes out into the water- it was pouring! Mr. Lin didn't seem the least bit bothered by the rain and stopped us where some sea turtles hung out. I gathered some courage to jump into the dark waters thinking it would be freezing, but instead, the water was really warm! It was like stepping into a different planet. The fish were going about their business in their colonies and streams. Their scales glistened in whatever sunlight managed to poke through the waters. I saw a couple of fish fart. Nothing out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, we didn't see any turtles but we headed on to our next destination. Good news though, true to the tropical weather the rain ceased suddenly as the sun lit up the islands. Hoorayy!!

Alice's words of wisdom. I think they're good words to live by and maybe it reflects her owner as well ;)

uh oh, dark skies ahead!

yikes! it really came down!

Mr. Lin being the kind man he was, drove us to the front of Maya beach to take pictures (For those who don't know, Maya beach is the beach where "The Beach" was filmed with Leonardo Dicaprio). However, for alighting, he brought us to the back of the island (took maybe less than 10 minutes by boat) where there was no visiting tax! Apparently theres an island conservation tax that tourists have to pay to see the tiny beach. It's about 200 bhat per person, but apparently if you go AROUND the island, its free. And I think going around the island was more fun as well. We had to go through a mini cave with small little crabs and fish running around in the pools that the tides had made. Someone had put up a rope contraption up for people to climb. OR you could climb up a well built staircase onto the island. It takes about 5 minutes to walk to the beach. We played in its crystal clear waters and walked on its flour-like sand.

Maya beach!

Super sunny, super beautiful!

Afterwards, we snorkeled around our boat in the back of the island. It was truly amazing. There was probably every fish I could imagine and then some! Mr. Lin even jumped into the water with us to point out the unique fishes like the pufferfish and flute fishes. We saw some eels as well! Mr. Lin brought us to a lagoon next. A lot of other tor boats and private yatchs were there was well. Some people started swimmng becase you could see deep into its clear waters. But I couldn't imagine jumping in as there was tash floating all over the place! Mr. Lin says people litter too much. I think he is a secret nature activist.

the lagoon

The last stop really wasn't a stop but we parked at the outskirts of the reef at our beach. Mr. Lin once again dove into the waters with us because he knew where the sharks hung out. I saw at least 4 blacktip sharks with him! It was so exciting! The sharks are of course not dangerous and seemingly really well fed already saying that the fish didn't look scared of them. I also saw a really cool glowy squid. Too bad I don't eat those (or maybe a good thing for the squid haha)! So, if anyone is going to Long beach on Phi Phi Island, we really reccomend Mr. Lin! He'll show you an amazing time! Just ask around, everyone knows who he is ;)

post card anyone?

We milled about the resort for the rest of the day with a long nap inbetween as it became rather rainy as the evening approached. We met Jimmy and Julie for dinner and just chatted through the night at our resort's restaurant! Good times!

Thai green curry! and the rice came in a heart shape! heehee

the boys

butt grabbing and all!

The next morning on our way to breakfast, Henrik and I met some huge monkeys right outside of Jimmy's and Julie's hut! They were about the size of a toddler. I saw them first and was so surprised I didn't know what to do. So I stared at them while they stared back at me for the longest time. Henrik followed up behind me and attempted to take out the camera. Faster than Henrik could move, one of the monkeys ran at me and grabbed my leg! I could feel his rough tiny hands around my ankle as I screamed. I think I was more surprised at this monkey's bolad actions than anything else. Also, I didn't know if he was nice or wanted to bite me. I think I shocked the monkey as well as it looked at me in disgust and sauntered off, back onto the side of the hill we lived on. I later found out that the side we were closest to was called "monkey island". Go figure. lol. To be fair, I pride myself as a kind person and walked around with a bag of peanuts that I had bought from the store for the rest of the trip, should I run into any more monkeys! (In the end the biggest monkey of all ate them when he was bored, right before he ate all of my Lay's potato chips as well (--,))

look at ted and tedlina, walking away from me in all disgruntled :(

Anyway, that last day on Phi Phi was a nice one. We took a boat into Phi Phi town. The place is a rather fun place to be in. It was crowded with shops and retaurants, one after the other along some narrow streets. It turned out to be quite a bit of a maze if you didn't know where you were going. I was a little disappointed I didn't get to enjoy its nightlife because it looked like it had a good one. However, when we arrived at the Phi Phi island beach, we were glad we didn't stay in town as it looked like a can of very tanned sardines! There was literally no space to walk with so many people lying in a straight line from one end of the beach to the other. We decided to give that beach a skip. Instead, we did a little shopping and a little lunching. I got a new beach dress! And a super cheap pedicure! woo hoo! We also booked a diving trip for the next day!

breakfast view!!

beautiful day!
(the blue thing on the right is a pick up point for the luggage pully that hauls our luggage up the hill for us!)

super happy that we are taking a boat instead of the original plan of walking so he doesn't have to sweat lol.

Helloooo PhiPhi town!

super delicious stir fry!

yay!

Back on our island, we built our dream sand castle! Henrik was the engineer and I was the architect! hehehe! We caught the most beautiful sunset with Jimmy and Julie and had a most delicious dinner. We ended the last night at long beach with a drink and more fire show!! I'm now pretty sure that all Thai people are born with fire skills as there were so many of them that could throw fire so well!

*loves*

mid-day snack! and probably the best mango smoothie I've ever had in my life!

watching the sun set

We found a rondom frog. There were a lot of these, one in the bathroom that I actually thought was a door stopper until it hopped away lol!!

yay last night at long beach, chillin' out!

The diving trip early the next morning was proably one of the biggest highlights of my trip! We split ways with Jimmy and Julie for a day and a half because Julie just HAD to see her friend she missed to much like Henrik hadn't missed Jimmy and vice versa, but whatever makes them happy. Anyway, I took a "discover scuba" course. I had 2 girls in my group and our instructor, Mckenna. We were taught the basics on the boat and were assisted with putting on the really heavy gear. I was super cool about diving unil my mild panic attack when I actually jumped in the water Mckenna used some arm motions to test my water blowing skills in my mask, but surprised me by pulling out my mask so water pruposely got in it. After the first surprise, I eventually got ahold of my wits, blew out some air and was allowed to dive down. We didn't go deeper than 12 meters, but thats really all we needed! Everything was so beautiful and colorful! Different types of fish were pointed out to us and we saw 6 sea turtles!! There were starfish and spotted fish and I even found Nemos!! (clown fish) Everything went so smooth, that my instructor told me and the girls that we were the best group ever! We're like natural mermaids! There was a lunch break in which I got sick from the wobbling of the dive boat, but back in the water, everything changes again. It was really an experience of lifetime! I would've really liked to buy the underwater video they took while we were diving because I did an awesome backflip, but phew!! 1000 bhat was a little too much! I would have gotten it if it was 500. Anyway, I can't wait to get my diving license!!

goodbye long beach!

helping the girls out of the water!

tada!! Its me!! I'm so consentrated because the equipment was so heavyyy!!

Some friendly instructors

*~* Keep reading for more updates and part II)! I apologise for tardy updates as I've been extra busy recently! Much love to everyone! *~*

<3
Love, your Toxic.