Category Archives: Thailand
How far can you go in South East Asia, if you had 3 months?
Well, I think, the “ultimate” single journey through South East Asia, would be as follows;
Nice and comfortable start point
Start in Singapore
Bus to Mersing via Johor Bahru
Ferry to Tioman Island,
Bus back to Malacca, then KL, Bukit Fraser, Cameron highlands and onto Penang.
Ferries,ferries then ferries
Ferry to Langkawi, onward to Ko Lipe, Ko Ngai, Ko Lanta, Ko Phi Phi and then finally give boats a rest for a while at Phuket.
Minibus to Krabi, though to Khao Lak, Ferry detour out to the Similan Islands, back to Khao Lak, onto Khao Sok and the Surat Thani.
Ferry to Ko Samui, Ko Phangan and Ko Tao, then ferry on to Chumporn.
Train to Hua Hin, and then Bangkok and Ayuthaya.
See some sites
Minibus to Pattaya, and Ko Samet, then onward to Ko Chang.
Minibus from there to Cambodia to Siam Reap then Phenom Penh and Sihanoukville.
Ferry to Phu Quoc in Vietnam, boat transfer via Mekong Delta to Ho Chi Mihn City.
See some beaches!
Finally, head up the Vietnamese coast, via Mu Nie, Nga Trang, Hoi An and Hue
Train to Hanoi, and then bus and junk to Halong Bay and Catba Island.
Complete this sucker, and you will never want to visit another island again, for as long as you live! Any feedback on oversights would be appreciated!!
and finish in Halong Bay
The above article is a reprint from a blog I no longer keep online, that was attached to www.asianitineraries.com. This blog became unsastainable, and I recently decided to take it down. I will reprint a dozen or so articles that really didnt see the light of day, and I think are relivant to this blog. I may change them from thier initial format, add pictures and update relivant information.
My Favourite Hotels Rooms for under $40 per night! (Part 1)
Long term travel is expensive, and probably the biggest expense of the lot is accommodation. Unfortunately, unlike transportation costs, which you can control by limiting the amount you move around, you pretty much need accommodation every single night of your journey. Therefore, the longer the travel experience, the greater the cost.
Accommodation cost obviously vary greatly, both between different countries, and between different standards of accommodation within each country. I have stayed in a huge variety, from $4.00 per night tea houses in Nepal, to $400 a night hotels in Europe, but in general I try to keep my nightly expenditure to under $40.00, and will usually spend lots more time in countries where you can get something reasonable for that amount (or hopefully less!!).
So, I though I would reflect on a few of my favourites. You will probably see from the photos, it is often more about the location than the comfort for me, although there is nothing better than landing a soft comfy bed and a powerful shower.!
Here are my first 2 examples, one each from, Thailand, Nepal. I will do two more ( Bali and Vietnam) next week.
Thailand
Lanta Riviera Resort – $35.00 per night (800baht)
We hadn’t organised any accommodation In Ko Lanta, figuring we would work it out when we got there, however, we took a deal on the ferry from Ko Phi Phi that we were sure was going to be a disaster. You just don’t get a good deal from a tout in that situation. Especially when they are prepared to pick you up at the dock, and drive you the 15km or so to the resort. However, under the assurance that if we didn’t like it we didn’t have to stay, or pay for the transport, we (and about 1/2 the others on the ferry), took the free ride, and had a look. We were very happy with the beachfront property, large, air conditioned concrete bungalows, tropical gardens, swimming pool and restaurant of the resort. Definately our best value in Thailand. Check them out at http://www.lantarivieraresort.com
$35.00 per night
Ko Lanta, Thailand
Nepal
Pokhara Village Resort – $20.00 per night
After finding accommodation either very unpleasant, or very expensive in Kathmandu, we were very concerned as to what we may end up with when we arrived at the departure point for our Himalayan trek, Pokhara. The Kathmandu travel agent who organised us a guide and porter, and bus transfer to Pokhara, assured us he owned a very nice hotel in Pokhara, only to cost us $20.00 per night. When we arrived in Pokhara, we were escorted to a different hotel (Pokhara Village Resort), as the original one was full? Anyhow, after a call to our Kathmandu Agent, he assured us he owned this one as well? We were allocated the converted store room on the roof, that turned out to have the most magnificent views of Pokhara lake, as well as the Annapurna Range, we genuinely could not complain! The room was OK, by Nepalese standards, they had a generator for when the power failed, and there was a trickle of hot water from the shower. The room was spacious and airconditioned (completely unnecessary).We stayed at 10 days in total, either side of our trek. The don’t have a website
Pokhara Village Resort
Our View, for $20.00 per night!
I would love travelers to support these hotels, as they were both small, family run operations. These types of hotels are often such a better experience than a multinational chain (although with a little less comfort!), that they help create a lasting memory. Next week I will add another post, part 2 to this, and include a couple of other little gems we have found on our travels!
Today’s Photo – Songkran festival, Pattaya, Thailand
A truck load of “ghosts” revelling in Pattaya, during the Songkran Festival, 2010
Beer Chang – Obscure Beer of the World #3
- A bottle of Chang
Time to review another South East Asian beer for the series of Obscure beers of the world. The beer I am remembering this time is a little less exotic than some of my previous reviews, being Thailand’s biggest selling beer, and one that is exported to both the UK and Australia. This week we are reviewing
Beer Chang
Chang is produced and bottled by ThaiBev, the Thai Beverage Public Company Limited, and I was very surprised to find out it was the biggest selling beer in Thailand, as I always remember Singha as being far better know and better distributed. I know I drank Beer Chang in stead of Singha, but mainly because it was considerably cheaper!
Chang means Elephant in Thai, and the brand is easily recognized with the two elephants pictured on the label. The bottle featured in the picture is on a balcony on Ko Phi Phi, overlooking some monkey laden patch of jungle. I think many people’s fond memories of Chang are more an association with a Thai holiday or adventure, than a true appreciation of the beer itself.
The beer, like other South East Asian beers, is reasonably light and suited to being serves icy cold in the tropical heat. I thought Chang was a little darker than most and also a bit stronger in taste. A good variation from the very predictable beers of the region. It pours well, with a decent head that seams to hold for a while. At 5% alcohol content it is a bit stronger that others also.
It works well with Thai food, diluting the chili burn nicely! But it is also quite enjoyable without food, with a noticeable light malt flavour. A bit of a hoppy aftertaste, but nothing that cannot be knocked out with another beer (again, best if it is cooold)!
I liked Chang in Thailand, but have not been even tempted to buy a bottle or case in Australia. Just don’t remember it that fondly, unlike a few others like Bintag and Kingfisher.
Opinion - pretty solid beer – “a work horse”
rating – 6.5/10
As I am going to Bali in a couple of weeks, I am looking forward to doing an up-to-date review of one of my favourite South East Asian brews – Bintag! looking forward to it, and coming soon!!
Tropical Island Gems #1 – Ko Ngai, Thailand
This series of posts is covering some of the best “secret” tropical island escapes that I have visited. I have steered away from the obvious islands that everyone know about and so many of us have visited, and concentrate on some of the lesser known ones, in the hope I may enlighten readers and inspire some to visit one of these “gems”
First up in the series, is Ko Ngai, Thailand. This wonderful little island is located in the South Andaman Sea, on Thailand’s lower west coast. It is roughly 100km south of Phuket, and can be accessed either from the mainland at Pakmeng, or from Ko Lanta, Ko Phi Phi, and Phuket.
Ko Ngai Location
Only a small island, Ko Ngai, has one main beach on the eastern side of the island – facing the mainland. This makes for a very sheltered area, with a shallow shore and a long, clean white sand beach. A coral “ring” runs parallel with the beach, and produces some useful beach snorkeling opportunities. Only 50 – 100 meters offshore, and only 3-4 meters deep, the reef area included some reasonable coral, and many small fish. The interior of the island is heavily wooded and quite impenetrable, but has a couple of walking paths to follow. An excellent view is availed from the top of the island.
Visiting ferries dock at the only jetty on the island, that is awkwardly located around a rocky headland from the main beach, in front of one of the upmarket hotels, the Ko Ngai resort. It is then necessary to get a local boat to take you across to the main beach to consider the other accommodation options.
Accommodation is limited to about 8 operators, all lined up along the beach. Most are quite upmarket, and best booked in advance, with only a couple of walk-up, cheaper options. We found accommodation from 900 Bht at Ko Ngai Seafood Bungalows, and think that was the cheapest option on the beach (all resorts and bungalows are considerably cheaper in the off season – 50% or more). Some of the resort style operations have beachfront pools, and luxurious rooms, but, in the end, have the same attraction as the cheap operators.
The appeal on the island is the thin white beach, and the tranquility of the sheltered beach and sea, and this is shared with all resorts! Longboats are available to take visitors diving or exploring, and a visit to “Emerald Cave” on Ko Muk, a 50 meter tunnel through a cliff, to a hidden beach, as well as other snorkeling and diving options. Most enjoyable though, is to soak up some sun on very quite, very gentle beach, followed by a beachfront dinner of Thai seafood!
Arrival jetty at Ko Ngai - main beach around corner
Ko Ngai Vista
We accessed the island by speedboat transfer from Ko Lanta, that was only about an hours journey, but a slow ferry is also available at a lower cost (300 bht as against 650 bht). We were able to rent snorkeling gear at a minimal cost, and ate most meals at the bungalow we stayed at, Ko Ngai Seafood, as it is the only real, non resort place on the beach (or the island for that matter).
I will post at another time about the Ko Ngai seafood bungalows, with some photos, but in the meantime, if you are interested in looking at the accommodation options on Ko Ngai, follow the following link to Hotels combined, as they offer the best choice of rates -
Next island in the “Tropical Island hidden gems” series of posts will be Phu Quoc, Vietnam, as it has been a recent visit, and I want to share it soon, while it is still a bit ” hidden”. It hasn’t got long – commercialisation is on the way fast! Subscribe to my RSS at get the post as it hits the web!
