@travellingwiththeateam

A day on the water today as we head off on a 4 island hopping boat tour. After yesterday’s sunny day, we had high hopes for something similar, however it wasn’t to be and the rain clouds descended. This didn’t dampen our fun and we started off in high spirits.

Maya Bay was our first stop and after battling some bumpy waves over the 1hr sail we arrived in the National Park. After an arrival on a makeshift busy pier, we had a short walk before arriving at Maya Bay. It’s a stunning spot with a white sandy beach and clear turquoise water, although no swimming here due to the existence of reef sharks.

Despite the light rain, nothing could dampen our excitement at seeing the beautiful bay in a tropical island setting.

Whilst we couldn’t swim, we did have a quick paddle and the water was bath warm and felt very inviting.

After our paddle at Maya Bay, we went to Loh Samah Bay for a swim off the back of the speedboat.

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We also managed to convince Michelle to join us in the water and for the first time in a long time she jumped off a boat and submerged. Big respect to Michelle who isn’t the biggest fan of open water swimming.

Lunch time brought a stop off on the larger Phi Phi Island which was a busy place when we arrived around 1.30pm, resulting in our boat having to squeeze into a space on the beach front that didn’t really exist…!!!

After a spot of lunch at one of the many ‘all you can eat’ restaurants on the beach front, we jumped back on the boat to visit Monkey beach. This was an incredible sight with grey monkeys playing on the beach and in the shallows. They have grown used to tourist visitors and sadly one or two have been feeding them making the monkeys aggressive if they think there’s food on offer.

After a short stay at the monkey beach we headed to Ao Ran Ti beach on Ko Phi Phi Don, the largest island of the archipelago. Thankfully it was very quiet and we got the chance to swim and then take a walk along the beach, allowing Amelia to search for coral stones to make a decorative picture when she’s back at home.

After visiting 4 islands over 6hrs we returned to the mainland and said a big thanks to our tour guide at Sea Eagle. A fun trip despite the rain and the bumpy ride on the way out.

As we returned to our hotel room for a shower and change we came across a large monitor lizard in one of the small pools close to our room. Wow it was big, almost crocodile proportions. Thankfully they are harmless and more scared of us than we are of them!

Tonight’s our last one at Railay beach so we returned to our favourite Thai restaurant where we went on our first night. Again the food was excellent and so very reasonable with a main meal for 3 plus drinks costing only £12.

Tomorrow we have the morning in Railay beach before we fly back up to Bangkok, with a short lay over and then another flight back south to the island of Koh Samui.

As it’s Father’s Day in the Uk today, Andy got the option of choosing what we did this morning, so off we went for a beach walk.

After a stop off at a local pharmacy for Amelia, who has sadly reacted badly to bites by mosquitoes, we went to the nearby Phra Nang caves.

As we walked along the beach path, it became clear that there were eyes watching us, with a family of grey monkeys looking down from the roof of a beach shack.

The monkeys clearly had been fed by tourists over the years and have become very confident around humans showing little or no fear, and were definitely on the look out for food or anything loose in a bag!

We eventually found our way to the caves, which defy gravity with stalagmites hanging down.

When we eventually reached the Phra Nang beach we were greeted with an amazing view of a number of nearby small islands, reminiscent of the film Avatar.

Behind us the steep rock faces were awash with rock climbers testing their agility to ascend the steep and jagged face.

After our walk, Amelia and Andy went for a swim and tried to recreate the Dirty Dancing final scene, but in the sea….not that successfully!

We then went for a walk along one of the most stunning beaches taking in the views out across the archipelago of islands.

Our plan was to walk along the beach back to Railay beach, however the tide got in the way and had to double back which was a bonus as it meant we got to the beautiful scenery from another perspective.

Once back at Railay beach we spent the next few hours lying at the hotel pool before moving to the main beach to watch long tail boats to and fro out to the nearby islands of Ko Po Da Nai and Ko Po Da Nok.

Our beach is nigh on picture perfect with white sand and clear blue waters, with peaked rock faces at either end.

With sunset approaching, we headed back to our hotel room for a quick change, before returning to the beach to catch another sunset.

Having the opportunity to share Father’s Day with our daughter made today extra special, and despite Amelia being 19, Andy managed to get the chance to walk hand in hand with her to celebrate the day with a meal and drinks.

The sunset proved to be another colourful affair and whilst perhaps not as spectacular as the night before, it still felt very special.

To toast the day we stopped at Railay Beach cafe and enjoyed a cool Chang beer whilst Amelia dipped into an iced fruit tea.

After drinks we went in search of a restaurant and found a great Indian place. We were amused by the sign below and the interesting spelling of traditional which started to take on a whole different meaning.

The good news is that the food was great and we even got to play another card game between courses.

Tomorrow we are off on a boat trip around the Phi Phi Islands and a spot of snorkelling and diving.

Today we said goodbye to the bright lights of Bangkok and hello to the lush green southern town of Krabi.

We are a family of three again, with our daughter Amelia having joined us for two weeks now that’s she’s on her University summer break.

The flight down to Krabi is only 1hr 15mins and before we knew it, our flight was descending to the greenery of the South Thailand and our return to a more rural beach life for a few days.

We had arranged a transfer with our hotel and were greeted by a friendly coach driver who after 30mins stopped at Ban Ao Nam Mao, where we jumped into a golf cart for the last few hundred metres before arriving at our long tail boat.

The view from the harbour where the long tail boat was moored was stunning and more spectacular than we could have imagined. From there we had a 10min boat trip to Railay Beach our home for the next 3 nights.

The view from the hotel beach is one of the best we’ve seen since leaving Australia and we must say thanks to our friends Jamie & Tracy in Manly who recommended staying here. It’s so idyllic and just the tonic for a few days of relaxing on a beach as well as exploring the Phi Phi Islands by boat.

After checking into our hotel and very quickly unpacking we spent a few hours by the hotel pool and down by the main beach.

We’d been told that we should try and catch the sunset from the beach and we weren’t disappointed. Not sure our photos do justice to how stunning the sky looked as the colours changed with the sun slowing disappearing from view.

Having taken in the beauty of the sunset, the next goal was to go and satisfy our hunger pains. Railay Beach is relatively modest in size comprising one Main Street of less than 0.5 mile with bars and restaurants that run from one coastline to the opposite coast.

We are here in the low season so a lot of the places were quiet, which suited us as it made finding a table much easier. We opted for Mangrove restaurant and bar and the girls opted for Pad Thai, whilst Andy went for a Thai chicken curry.

In between we had a few games of cards whilst we waited for the food to arrive.

Our waiter turned out to be a card player and magician and before we knew it he had picked up the cards and was showing us all his tricks. It was great fun and helped to make the evening a night to remember.

We got the waiter to show us his tricks and how he managed to confuse with his sleight of hand. All very impressive.

With the Euro’s having started we headed back to our hotel to watch some of the Hungary v Switzerland game, although the real interest lies in Englands first match on Sunday night (Monday morning here) when they play Serbia.

Today marks our last 24hrs in Bangkok before we fly down to Krabi.

The morning started early for some with a 10k run on the treadmill whilst others in the group caught up with their beauty sleep.

Our morning was then spent reorganising our suit cases, as our flights to Krabi and Koh Samui are limited to just 7kg of luggage each. (Error from Andy!)

After rejigging our luggage and then filling up the smaller rucksacks, we headed to BKK airport to drop off the larger bags at a storage facility, which we will then pick up in 2 weeks time.

After a few hours of taxi faffing to BKK airport, we could then relax and start to show Amelia around.

Our first stop was ‘naturally’ a Seven Eleven for a strawberry frappe!

As you wander around the city, you realise how far English football has infiltrated – our tuk tuk driver had a Liverpool FC registration plate….

We found our way to Emsphere, an upscale street market with crazy inflatables tempting you in….

After a detour to Uniqlo for Amelia to purchase some shorts and a bag, we returned to Emsphere to have a proper look around.

Walking along the raised pathway on Sukhumvit Road, there is a garden feel to the street scape which despite the heat and crowds gives it a more pleasant atmosphere.

Emsphere has an oriental feel with coloured lanterns welcoming you in from the street.

As we entered the building from the street level we were hit by the crowds, bright lights and buzz of a place that really makes you come alive.

As we left the dazzling lights, we received a salute from one of the friendly greeters to Emsphere and made a note to come back again the next time we are in Bangkok.

On our way to the hotel, we came across one of the Cannabis stores now open across the city. The drug was decriminalised in June 2022 and you can now buy supermarket style your preferred blend.

Tonight we caught up with Shaun for the last time and he kindly introduced us to a great street food restaurant close to our hotel.

The place was packed so as we waited we ordered drinks and toasted our last night in this great city.

Getting our table was well timed as within a few minutes torrential rain arrived and everyone was taking cover under umbrellas.

Post our meal, we headed to a nearby sports bar and after a little encouragement from Shaun we found ourselves drinking shots of tequila rose – a new family favourite!

What an end to a great last night in Bangkok – many thanks to Shaun for making it such a fun time. We so enjoyed spending time with you and hope to see him back in England when we return next year.

Tomorrow is an early start with a morning flight to Krabi so we were all safely tucked up in bed by 11pm.

Up early for Andy’s last run on the treadmill at Asai Chinatown. After a relaxing morning and a long breakfast we checked out for the third and final time from Asai and made our way out to Night Hotel in Vadhana district.

Our new home for the next two nights is a trendy boutique hotel with the obligatory pool on the roof. It’s great news and will be welcomed by our daughter Amelia when she arrives later today.

After settling into the hotel, we then wandered over to the Chinese Visa Centre to pick up our visa for our trip in August. This was much anticipated and we were nervous that there could be an issue with securing the visa, however the really good news is that we got it and the process proved to be a lot more straightforward than we expected.

From there we headed over to the airport for Amelia’s arrival on her flight from London. A double success, the flight was on time and she was in great spirits when we saw her, despite her limited sleep on the 12hr journey. Inevitably there were tears of happiness to see Amelia as it’s been almost 12 weeks since we said goodbye to her in Bali.

After returning to the hotel we then headed to the roof top bar and restaurant to celebrate Amelia’s arrival and to catch up with our fellow Intrepid friend Shaun.

The A team are back together and it’s so great to have Amelia with us for the next couple of weeks as we travel down to the islands in Southern Thailand.

We spent the next few hours catching up with Amelia and hearing about her first year at University. After a few G&Ts and a pizza we all felt relaxed and were ready for bed.

Tomorrow we plan to have an afternoon of sight seeing and let Amelia get her bearings before we fly down to Krabi on Saturday morning.

Back on a tour today out to witness the infamous railway and floating markets.

Our first port of call was Mae Klong where we discovered local fresh goods being sold along the tracks of a functioning railway track. It was truly amazing to watch as the public train comes through the market and the vendors pull aside their tents, umbrellas, stalls and fresh foods to allow for room for the train to pass in between the stalls and the tracks.

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The train market made for some great photos and videos that shows the craziness of a train only inches from the watching crowds on each side of the track. Truly a memory that will stay with us for a long while.

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We then went to visit the fresh local wet market, famed because the floors are forever wet! We walked through the narrow walkways between the stalls selling a host of fresh fruits, vegetables, dried shrimps, fresh fish and meats and many prepared takeaway meals sold daily to the locals and tourists alike.

The night market opens to the restaurant and wholesalers at midnight with the locals arriving at 5am each day to buy food and prepare it before the heat of the day takes hold.

After the market we drove for 30mins to the Damnoen Saduak floating market. It’s been an active place to trade for the locals over the last 150 years. We took a typical paddle boat to discover the market and sail along the various canals that stretch for over 40 miles all the way back to Bangkok.

We got to see how the locals buy and sell from the boat to boat. You name it, they sell it, although the majority now target the tourist spend selling gifts and trinkets, as well as food and beer.

The vendors on the banks of the river were cleverly using sticks to draw our paddle boat in to try and sell us their wares and battering was happening in seconds as we passed on by. So atmospheric and welcoming.

After 40mins on the paddle boat, we then explored spent some time back on land walking the narrow streets, tasting local products and observing the locals in their daily life.

Before we left for our 2hr drive back to Bangkok city centre it was time for a quick comfort break and Andy came across this sign. Something definitely got lost in translation.

After a little snooze in the coach, we eventually returned to the city around 4pm and decided to walk the 2.5 miles back to the hotel across the Chaophraya River taking in the sights and sounds of the local suburbs.

Before we started we briefly popped into the ICONSIAM, another huge themed Thai food hall and giftware store.

The walk across the river gave us great views over the city and within a hour we were back at Asai Hotel in Chinatown.

As this is our last night staying in Chinatown we decided to treat ourselves to dinner at a restaurant called Naam 1608 which looks out over the river and has a fantastic reputation for great Thai cuisine.

When the food arrived it looked and tasted so very good and with the backdrop of the river and sunset it made for a great way to finish our stay in this part of Bangkok.

As we walked back after dinner, we both agreed that Bangkok has grown on us over the last few days and it has definitely got an appeal that will draw us back to the city in the future.

Tomorrow is a big day, as our daughter Amelia is heading out for a 2 week stay now that she’s finished her first year at University. We are meeting her at the airport and after two nights at the Night Hotel in a trendy part of Bangkok we will be flying down to Krabi and Koh Samui for some much needed catching up time and relaxation. So looking forward to it.

An early morning session on the treadmill for Andy, as he tries to get his fitness back after too many Pad Thai’s and Chang beers on our recent tour.

This morning we headed to the Chinese visa service in central Bangkok to get our visa for Augusts visit.

We weren’t sure what to expect, but having filled out an extensive form online we knew it wouldn’t be straightforward. For this reason we had written off the morning.

Thankfully an early arrival bang on opening time at 9am helped and after an hour we had worked our way through their detailed check system and paid an increased fee to get our visas and passports returned in 3 days. That way we are free to head down to Krabi and on to Koh Samui with Amelia over the next 2 weeks. Fingers crossed all goes to plan.

With time on our hands we decided to do some walking around the city and by the end of the day we’d covered over 10 miles and 25,000 steps!

First port of call was Terminal 21, a themed shopping centre with each level referenced around a different country. Amusing one was England. So queue Red London bus, London street names and a telephone box!

Our next retail stop was a lot more imaginative and innovative. EM gourmet market was a next level food hall over 2 floors with 100’s of high end restaurants and cafes, including Gordon Ramsey. Not seen anything as impressive as this before!

As we walked around the food hall we came across details of Gucci Visions, a very similar theme to the Louis Vuitton exhibition we saw yesterday. We both love this kind of thing, so headed off to see what it was all about.

A wall and then a whole room of Gucci bags and mirrors. Created an incredible aesthetic and great for photos.

Some great designs from the Gucci back catalogue.

We were both very impressed with what we saw and felt they put on a show that surpassed LV the day before!

Who knew that Bangkok had shopping malls that rival anything you might see in New York, Dubai, KL or London. Not sure if the locals can afford it, but assume the Chinese, Koreans and Japanese are their real targets.

Next stop was a return to Central, another Goliath in the shopping district. We made a visit to their very funky Apple Store which sits outside on its own in a glass cube.

After leaving the retail Mecca, we decided to keep up with our walking returning the last 2 miles by foot.

Within a short distance we left behind the glamour and returned to the real and authentic Chinese district and a walk along one of the many canals.

This part of Bangkok felt a little like Amsterdam, low bridges and water taxis everywhere.

The last stretch back to our hotel took us through the old part of Chinatown and felt like another world to earlier in the day. Bangkok is a real blend of the old and the new, and is definitely growing on us both as we get to know the place better by the day.

Tomorrow we are off on a tour of Mae Klong and the Railway market before moving on to see the famous Damnoen Saduak Floating market. Until then.

Back to Mode Sathorn hotel and back to Andy pounding the streets to get his 6 mile run fix.

After breakfast we went to have a look at the Mahanakhon Skywalk, a glass external deck on the 78th floor looking out over the city.

As it’s Pride month in Bangkok the ground floor and gardens surrounding the skyscraper were decked out in full rainbow colours.

Not only is the skywalk high, it’s seriously priced high too, at over £20 each for the pleasure of scaring ourselves half to death (well definitely Andy), so instead we decided to take a more genteel and less expensive walk around the nearby Lumphini Park!

The park has something of the Central Park New York feel to it, although less glamorous. It’s surrounded by high end luxury apartments and penthouses with views that stretch for miles.

Towards the end of our walk we stopped off at the W Hotel to see how the other half live, and for a closer look at the skywalk glass walkway which looked a long way up & even less appealing from the ground.

After returning to the Asai Hotel in Chinatown, we went out for dinner in search of the perfect Pad Thai.

With a little help from YouTube and Google we found Thipsamai, a popular and much loved Bangkok restaurant established back in 1966, after humble beginnings on a sidewalk post WWII.

Thipsamai is the oldest Pad Thai restaurant in the country and if we believe social media it’s the most popular. The press cuttings from across the world, notably the Uk voted it the number 1 Pad Thai restaurant in Bangkok!

Tomorrow we have the pleasure of a visit to China visa centre to apply for our visas in readiness for visiting the country on the 10th August.

Expecting it may take some time and we’ve been warned they are very meticulous needing info on every place we intend to stay at, as well as details on our parents, employers, children you name it.

We are back at the Asai hotel in Chinatown after our 30 day tour and feeling a little unsure of what to do with ourselves.

We said our goodbyes to those on the trip who are heading home, and those who were moving on to another destination and by 10am we were the last people in the breakfast bar.

After being directed to be somewhere each day at a certain time, to suddenly have nowhere to be felt strange but liberating.

After a quick adjustment to solo travel again, we soon got our act together and took a tuk-tuk to see the Jim Thompson House. The silk industrialist came to notoriety after moving to Thailand from the US in 1946 and set up a silk company as well as amassing a collection of art and crafts from the country. Sadly Jim went missing in 1967 whilst on holiday in Malaysia and his body was never found.

After an enjoyable morning at the Jim Thompson estate we moved hotels and have been upgraded to an executive room with a lounge area!

The view from the bathroom looks out over the many skyscrapers in the Sathon area.

We decided to explore the area on foot and came across one of the infamous upscale Starbucks with a dome shaped seating area.

From there we crossed over to the monorail and on to the raised canal walk, famous to those with a love of instagram.

After jumping into another tuk tuk we thought we’d check out the shopping area of the city and visited the ‘big one’ centralwOrld. This place is huge and sits over 7 levels full to the brim with upscale shops & restaurants. Despite being a Sunday, the place was packed with people everywhere.

Time for an ice cream via the use of social media. All you had to do was post a picture on-line of the ‘extreme’ ice cream and you then picked up a freebie!

After seeing the mainstream retail offer, we went up a notch or two and did a tour of the Louis Vuitton Visionary Journeys. Essentially it was a history of the iconic baggage brand and how it has evolved over the last hundred years.

Back in the real world, we returned to the bustle of Bangkok and watched in wonder as the cars and bikes vied for space on the roads below the pedestrian walkways.

Toys for overage boys. Lots of twenty and thirty somethings eyeing up these retro toys in one of the stores in Siam Paragon.

Next stop was the Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre, another centre piece in the Siam district. A huge place over 5 levels with arts and crafts including a store called Andy & Fine. We couldn’t work it out, lots of Andy & someone…..

By late afternoon we were getting hungry and headed to one of the finer dinning places in Siam Paragon, an upscale food hall. Great food at very reasonable prices.

Andy bit off more than he could chew, with a super spicy chicken curry which brought on hiccups and a need for lots of water (and a beer!).

After dinner we travelled back with the locals via the monorail which was interesting in that everyone was on their phones!

After a busy day, we had a relaxing evening catching up with some Apple TV viewing.

Tomorrow we move hotels again and return to the Chinatown area with the promise of a Thai massage and some more discovery.

Today is sadly our last day in Cambodia and also on our tour of South East Asia.

As like other travelling days, we started early with a 7.15am departure by bus to the Thai/Cambodian border some 2 hours or so away.

We are finishing on a high, with a modern comfy WiFi friendly coach, which is a good job as it’s almost 10hrs in total!

As others read, slept or just looked out of the window, we caught up with plans for the next stage of our trip and the impending arrival of our daughter, Amelia who flies out to Bangkok for 2 weeks on the 13th.

The next few hours passed relatively quickly and before we knew it we had arrived back in the bustling city of Bangkok. Thankfully we have returned to hotel Asai in Chinatown, where we stayed for the first night of the tour. It’s a great funky hotel right in the centre of town and close to the Chinese markets and lots of amenities.

Our first job after checking in to the hotel, was to get a new SIM card for Andy’s phone which is our lifeline to the world for communications with home as well as banking and all that important stuff. After a little toing and froing we managed to find a place selling SIM’s and got a good deal that gives us a month in Thailand with unlimited data, so we can google and navigate to our hearts content!

After the admin, we went for a walk around Chinatown, in part to try and find the restaurant we visited on our last day in the city. Unfortunately our memories deserted us and combined with the crowded streets we opted for noodles at a Japanese restaurant close to our hotel.

Returning to our hotel we had final drinks with Ryan, a Canadian who had been with us for the whole of the 30 day tour. He is a great guy and someone we intend to keep in touch with and hopefully meet when we visit Canada in the next couple of years.