Hello again!

This posts comes from Perhentian Besar, Malaysia. Since my last post I have visited Ipoh, the Cameron Highlands and now Perhentian!

I’ll start with Ipoh. The place itself doesn’t have much going on and I was slightly disappointed with it, however if I hadn’t have gone then I would have always have thought “what if it was great?!”, so even though it wasn’t my favourite stop I’m still happy that I visited. The nicest part about Ipoh was my hostel owner, Faizal! Him and his wife helped me out loads, giving me a private room and driving me to good spots to eat in the evenings. My favourite part was joining Faizal for breakfast with the locals and having a traditional Malay breakfast called “Nasi Lemak”. It consists of rice, a sweet/spicy curry sauce, egg and peanuts. In Malaysia going for breakfast is the equivalent of going to the pub in the UK. It’s a very sociable event for the locals! In the Malay tradition the oldest will always pay, so I very kindly had it taken care of my Faizal.

After Ipoh I was off to Cameron Higlands. A home away from home! I got to wear a hoody!!! The climate in the highlands is much cooler, which was a welcomed break from the asian humidity. I went for some delicious Indian food and slept so well under an actual duvet. The next day I went for a trek on one of the marked paths so you could do it without a guide. Luckily I bumped into a group of people who I joined along with, and what was described as a gentle hike turned into climbing through jungle and scaling back down a hill with a rope! The views over the plantations were stunning and made it all worth it. I finished it off with some tea from the plantation and a strawberry cheesecake.

And I was off again! This time to my favourite stop in Malaysia so far. The windy bus route back down from the highlands took me to the jetty for the islands. After a VERY fast boat journey to the smaller of the two islands I arrived at Oh La La Dive centre. The boat journey on the way over got me really excited! White sandy beaches, palm trees and crystal clear water! I was so excited to dive again.

In the time I have been in Perhentian I have dived 6 more times, seeing angry triggerfish, pipefish, cuttlefish, a variety of stingrays, scorpion fish, a VERY rare Napoleon Wrasse and 2 turtles!!! I have met such an amazing group of people too, 3 of which I have booked a flight to Bali with to dive in Nusa Penida with the giant Manta Rays (fingers crossed we are lucky and can see them). Everyone here is amazing and I’ve loved my time diving, napping, eating and partying with my new friends. They have been joking that next year they will come back here and I will be their dive master!

Onto Kuala Lumpur tomorrow 👌🏻

Until next time!

I found marmite!

Today I am posting from Ipoh, Malaysia. Since my last post I have completed my visit to Langkawi and Penang. Both such different places but not without their charm.

My first night in Malaysia I got a message from a girl I had met in Chiang Rai, Thailand, saying she was also in Langkawi along with her boyfriend who had come out to see her. We met at a beach bar where I treated myself to pizza and some cocktails. It was so nice to see a familiar face, and to chat about our travels since we left each other all those weeks ago! Drinks were followed by mango juices further along the beach where they had a fire show and music. (I’ll point out that the boys doing the fire show looked no older than 12 years old). After my eyebrows having a near miss at being singed off we called it a night and parted ways!

The hostel in Langkawi felt a bit like a camp site rather than a hostel. I was staying in a 20 bed mixed dorm, and the room was on two levels, in a sort of tree house style bungalow. The noise of the animals and bugs at night was overwhelming and it was a wonder how I actually got any sleep! I was woken up at one point to the hostel cat trying to get through my mosquito net. Along with the irritating cough I developed, it’s safe to say I didn’t get a lot of sleep.

After speaking with people who had also been to langkawi, I realised that I was staying in the more touristic area, and probably was the reason I didn’t see a lot of Malay food, and thought the prices were a little high. But, you live and you learn, and I had a lovely time anyway. Whilst I was in Langkawi a storm had rolled in over the south of Thailand, so being so close to there, Langkawi got the backlash of it. This put one of the days I was there down as a do nothing day, so I made sure to make the most of the rest of my time there. The next day there was beautiful sunshine so I visited the seven wells waterfall, sunbathed, swam and managed to avoid leeches!

The next day I hopped on the ferry to Penang. I don’t think a lot of people thought they’d need travel sickness tablets... but they will definitely have them on the next boat they take! After arriving at my hostel I went for a wander and had the most expensive cake and lychee soda I’d EVER had at this world renowned cafe... I didn’t see what all the fuss was about!

Penang was a huge, but amazing, sensory overload. From one minute smelling the cooking of Chinese and Indian food, to then smelling the incense floating out of peoples shops and homes, the colours of the Indian fabric shops, and the noise from the hawkers markets as they were selling their goods. From one moment feeling like I was walking through China, being transported back to Malaysia, to then be thrown straight into India.

Luckily, I arrived in Penang during the Penang Hill festival. I was lucky enough to see some special markets, listen to traditional Malay choirs and see the locals out celebrating. The how city felt alive. The street art is fantastic and really sets Penang aside in its individuality. The only thing that bugged me was how impossible it was to get a picture of it! I had to take a quick snap between people posing and setting their children up in front of it. Between snapping the pictures of street art, I’d nip into the many boutiques to cool down in the shade, and if I was lucky, some AC. I found myself even admiring street corners and walls that didn’t even have street art, but just for its charm that makes Georgetown what it is!

After a few days in the city, I took myself out of Georgetown to the botanical gardens. I’d read reviews saying not to bother going, but I absolutely loved it. The colours of the flowers were incredible and it was a nice break from the traffic and crowds. I saw a few people being carted around the gardens in golf buggies, which is obviously fine, but they missed out on all the wildlife and flowers that they would have been able to stop and look at on foot. I followed a staircase that took me up to the most serene lily pool home to a family of turtles, watched monkeys tearing up coconut shells and saw a huge lizard/dragon troupe thing climbing up a tree. It’s safe to say I got my photographer on!

After that I visited Kek Lok Si, the biggest temple in Penang. This huge temple had Chinese and Indian influence, with multiple levels to walk around until you reached the top, where there was a beautiful view of the city and a ginormous golden Buddha. I sat for a while and watched Chinese people put wishing ribbons on golden trees, and say a prayer with smoking incense candles as offerings.

My final stop for the day was Penang Hill. Sat 701m above sea level, I had to get the fernicular train to the top. It ascends in 4 minutes, and my ears definitely felt it! I walked around for a while, welcoming the slight drop in temperature up there and taking in the view of the city. On top of the hill, same as in Georgetown, they have a Buddhist temple, a Hindu temple and a Mosque. A girl I had met in the second hostel I stayed in cane to meet me at the top to see the city view by night. It is not a view to be missed! You can see the coast all the way over to mainland Malaysia. It was beautiful! After we went back to the same restaurant I had been to for the past 3 days for a vegetarian Indian feast. It was the perfect way to end my time in Penang.

A few new things I have tried in Penang; roti dosai, a thinly cooked crispy pancake that’s soft in the middle. Can be pulled apart to scoop up the delicious sauces like ghee. Besan Ladoo (chickpea candy), which is absolutely delicious, rolled into a ball, it reminded me of a harder, dryer but delicious stuffing ball! I am yet to try more Malay dishes, but I am excited to do so!

Until next time xxx

So! I can’t quite believe it, but the first stop on my travels has finally come to a close! I am currently on route to Langkawi in Malaysia.

This first stop has proved to me that no matter what, you can’t really predict anything whilst away travelling. My planned 4 weeks in Thailand turned into 7 weeks, but I would not change a second of my time here. I have been in crazy cities with temples that look out of this world, in little hippy towns with scenery that looks like something from a painting, extravagant 7 tiered waterfalls, islands that are my idea of paradise, old rainforests that have a million tales to tell and have met so many incredible people along the way.

Since my last post I have visited Khao Sok National Park, Railay and now Koh Lanta. Each place so different from the other. I have spent the last week at the Lanta Animal Welfare centre, helping to care for the rescued dogs. They do such an amazing job and they know every dogs personality and their quirks. I told myself I wouldn’t get attached, but me being me that was an impossible task! My favourite was little boy Chai, 4 months old with a HUGE personality! I may have asked mum if I could bring him home. My other favourites were Katie, Cooper, Dudley, Bear, Harmony and the list can go on and on! All the animals are so well looked after and I thoroughly enjoyed giving my time up to help them. I learnt that I can sweat more in a day than I probably have ever sweat in my life!

Thailand has been a load of new experiences for me. Being on my own in a new country for the first time ever has been a whirlwind of emotions, but I can honestly say I am loving every day. Naturally, some days I won’t be in the mood to do much, or I’ll miss a cuddle from my puppies or someone familiar but I just remember where I am and I feel so lucky to be out here doing what I am doing. It still feels surreal! I felt as though I would just talk about the trip forever but never actually follow it through and actually do it!

I know that I am the sort of person who’s a bit clumsy... a bit forgetful... and lives in a nutshell! But I do trust myself more than ever. The fact I have survived 7 weeks with no major hiccups so far (touch wood) fills me with confidence in myself! One amazing thing solo travel has taught me, is to worry less about people’s opinions of me. We all are who we are, and the people who like who you are will want to spend time with you!

My favourite experiences so far have been meeting the elephants and learning about the Elephant Valley Project in Chiang Rai, learning how to dive in Koh Tao, and watching the beautiful sunsets, and making loads of furry friends in Koh Lanta! Fingers crossed many more favourite experiences to come!

Im excited for the food in Malaysia, for the extravagant markets and to dive more (and use my new neon pink rashguard)! They won’t lose me under the water whilst I am wearing it for sure!

Until next time! Off to learn some Malaysian words :)

(Harmony on the left in the picture and Bear on the right)

So... I wasn’t going to make an entry on Koh Tao until I left... BUT I’m still here! And so much has happened in the week I have been here.

I knew the moment I set foot on Koh Tao that I was going to love this island, the ferry pulled around and all I could see was white sandy beaches, palm fringed shorelines and mountains and aqua blue water. Getting off the ferry I felt in no hurry to get to the hostel but was just enjoying taking the whole new energy of the island in.

Arriving at Taco Shack, I had the feeling again, that I knew I was going to love it. Everyone here made me feel so welcomed, and that night I met a group of English girls who I spent the next few days with. The first couple of days entailed chilling out on the beach with my new friends, having big group dinners, playing killer pool at the hostel and partying in the evening at fishbowl. On my second day in Koh Tao, I saw the most beautiful sunset I have EVER seen. The oranges, pinks and reds shone like I’ve never seen, reflecting off the water which was so still. I sat on the beach mesmerised by its intensity and felt so lucky to be able to where I was watching it.

After a couple of days, and especially after Koh Pha-ngan, I wanted to feel like I was a part of something again. On the boat journey on the way over I read about the Koh Tao clinic, a charity funded organisation that helps sick and injured animals. They also run population control services by “de-sexing” the animals to prevent numbers getting out of hand. I cuddled many dogs and cats that day! But my main task was to watch the puppy, money, who had a broken leg. The animals, which some of had no use of their back legs, were blind, abandoned or abused etc showed that with a little love, they can come through anything. I heard someone say that “Koh Tao dogs are so happy!” Amd to be honest, I definitely agree.

Before visiting the animals, I had signed up next door at Taco Divers for my Open Water Diving course. A 3 day course of diving, some revision and a multiple choice test at the end. The day before starting the course, I was apprehensive as to whether I actually wanted to do the whole thing. I went with it anyway and met my instructor Julie, and 4 American girls who were also doing the same as me. They opted to do a try dive first and then carry on if they enjoyed it (which evidently they did). Anyway, I couldn’t be MORE happy that I decided to do my diving course. We first learnt how to set up and check our equipment. I likened it to learning how to tack up a horse correctly, as I learnt to position straps, buckles and clips properly and how to test the equipment was in working condition. After that, we were ready to jump in!

The first experience in the water was so strange! Breathing under water and only through your mouth is something I had to get used to, but my whole group adjusted very quickly! After learning how to clear our mask and safely take our air supply out and back in (and some other mandatory safety skills), we went for a swim around some corals in Mango Bay. The feeling of being weightless is second to none, and the only thing you’re able to hear is the bubbles coming from the air you’re breathing out and the fish nibbling on the corals, it is so peaceful.

After the first day I knew I was going to love diving and was so excited to carry on! I could write paragraphs on paragraphs about each dive, so I’ll try condense them to my favourite moments. Still during my open water course, I just stopped and allowed myself to be suspended around 15 metres under water. All I could see was fish and corals below me and I honestly felt as though I could have been flying. Another highlight was swimming right over an anemone plant/nest and seeing nemos cousins, the pink anemonefish. The anemone plant they live in look so unbelievably flawless, like tiny little pink fingers dancing with the currents, ticking the anemonefish’s belly’s. The next day during the advanced course we went on a night dive. We turned our torches to our chests so that we couldn’t see and waved our spare hand around like mad people to illuminate the bioluminescent plankton, I turned around and all I could see was little neon green lights in a black ocean, making them look like stars in the sky.

Another great memory was today, getting “narked” by diving down to 30 metres deep. Being “narked” basically means getting nitrogen narcosis, making you feel tipsy or high! Everyone gets it at different depths but only me and another girl got it. We stood down at 30 metres and played some games with different objects such as bottle caps and a tomato guessing their colours, as they change due to light absorption. A red tomato looked a dark brown colour and a red bottle cap looked dark blue. Me and Nicole, who were “narked” however could not stop giggling! Nicole was significantly more narked than I was and was putting her hands on her hips and pointing her fingers at the fish telling them off for coming so close and trying to eat the tomato. The giggling was infectious and I honestly couldn’t stop laughing! I knew that there was nothing to be laughing at but couldn’t stop anyway. A little fish started swimming in front of my face and I tried to gently boop it on the nose but it was obviously too quick for me. As I turned around when we finished the games I saw a HUGE school of fish swimming together, in the thousands! I just looked at them and went “whooaaaa”. As soon as we swum up a couple of metres the feeling wore off and when we surfaced we were all like “oh my god that was insane!!!”. It was definitely the highlight of the day.

I’ve loved Koh Tao so much that I have extended 8 extra days here as of yet, and I still have loads more to do! I am going to go and do all of the viewpoints, hopefully go back to the animal clinic, chill more on the beach and probably book a fun dive just before I leave! Getting out of the water today and realising it was my last dive made me very sad. From talking to Julie my dive instructor though, I still have so many more cool places to go diving!

Animals spotted:

- Stingrays

- Pink Anemonefish

- Crabs

- Barracuda

- Puffer fish

- Batfish

- Triggerfish

- Eels

(And so many more)

So, it’s been a while since I posted, but in my defence I tried to post 3 times but it deleted every time! If you’re reading this then I have had some better luck.

So since my last post, I have visited Pai, Kanchanaburi and am now leaving Koh Phangan to go to Koh Tao. Each place was so different to the other. Pai was a whirlwind of colour, hippies, mountains, awful car journeys and lots of dogs. I did a whistle stop tour around Pai, and my ethos of keeping your expectations low in the hope of always being pleasantly surprised came into play. For 500 baht (around £15/£20) we got a driver for the day, entry to the national park with all the caves, lunch, water and pick up and drop off. Other than the car being too full and the driver thinking he was Lewis Hamilton, we had a really good day. The landscape in Pai is extraordinary and our final stop at Pai canyon topped off the whole day. I followed my day with a night out to one of Pais many bars with some people I had met in my room. Safe to say the next day of a 2 hour minibus, all day wait in Chiang Mai and a night bus was a struggle. However bumping into a friend I met in Chiang Rai did help the time go past a little quicker!

The overnight bus took me to Kanchanaburi. First impressions, not great. The bus got us in at 6am. Too early! I got a taxi to my hostel, assuming that, because it is a hostel I’d be able to chill in the reception/outside area until check in. However, what I found when I got there was a building all padlocked up, and the only sign of life being a cat laying underneath the tree. The reception hours for the hostel said 7.30 am, so I decided to sit and wait, having rung the hostel and the bell on the gate multiple times. 7.30 passed and still no answer, so I thought I’d go and get a coffee, watch some love island (no judgement) and wait. I walked back to the hostel at 9.30 am and still nothing. By this time it was getting hotter and the flies were unbearable especially after having a couple of nights with very little sleep. A hostel I had seen on Hostelworld was 5 minutes away and showed it had rooms. So I cancelled my booking at the hostel and walked there.

I was so happy that I did, my welcome from Adam was amazing, he got me an iced tea with a shot of vodka, and said that I looked like I needed it! I did 😂 I sat, relaxed and chilled until I could check in then took a long shower and had a proper lie down. I went to the bridge over the river Kwai that day, a bridge built by thousands of Southeast asian slaves and western prisoners of war. The museum next to it told some awful stories of things that had happened during the construction of the bridge. After feeling as though I couldn’t be out in the heat any longer I sat and had a smoothie and met an extremely fat bulldog with an underbite that makes ruperts mouth look normal.

The next day took me to Erawan Falls, a 7 tiered waterfall with crystal clear waters and beautiful wildlife. I took the recommendation to go early, and it was the best thing that I could have done. I got to the top and it was so quiet, just me and another couple. It was so peaceful, all I could hear was the rushing of the water, the breeze in the trees and the birds. I was going to have a swim but as soon as I put my feet in the water the fish descended on me and started nibbling my feet, so that was a HARD no from me! I walked over the shallow rocks and had a shower under the cold water to cool me down after the long climb up which was enough for me!

That evening I got back to the hostel and Adam offered to take us to see the sunset over the rice fields. We shared a beer and again it was so peaceful, I was so chilled out! After that we sat in the hostel with everyone and chilled out and chatted with a few more beers.

The next day was the journey to Koh Phangan! It’s been a full on few days of loud music and partying, but it’s safe to say, even though it is fun, the full moon is definitely overrated. I’m glad to say I’ve done it, but I’m also glad to move on to Koh Tao! Time for some beach relaxation, some trekking and trying my hand at diving!

I can’t tell if I have done a lot or a little during my time in Chiang Rai. I predominantly booked to go there souly for the elephant sanctuary, and ended up extending my stay for 3 days after that! I think Chiang Rai was a welcome resting stop, to reflect on the past two weeks and take a couple of days to relax.

The elephant sanctuary was everything I’d hoped it would be. When I arrived at the hostel the night before heading to Elephant Valley Project, a girl in my room obviously heard “elephant sanctuary” and immediately assumed it was the sort I was trying to avoid. After telling her what I knew we agreed that the only way to find out how ethical it was, was to go and see!

I was picked up by the manager of the site, Jack, a strange man but nice nonetheless. From there we picked up a large group of Americans (only one made actual conversation with me). Arriving at the EVP, we spotted the only male elephant at the project. Initially my gut dropped a bit as I saw his mahout attaching a drag chain to his leg. However after some explanation I felt much more comfortable. The elephants have come from the logging and tourism industries, and have never been able to roam freely in an open space without someone on them, or having a chain on. The useage of the chains and human company is being slowly faded out as the elephants become more used to being independent. The easiest way they put it was, this elephant doesn’t feel confident yet without a small chain or a mahout, and when they are not confident they are stressed and can become a danger to the mahouts and themselves!

Everything the EVP do is with the end goal of slowly reaching elephants how to be elephants again so that hopefully one day they can be released to the wild again. The way they talk about and treat the elephants shows they really do care. For this reason, I loved my trip to see the elephants! (It reminded me of the BBC programme, the orangutan school). We helped to prepare the elephants food and we watched them get showered and have a swim. My favourite elephant was Lu, the youngest of the 3 girls. I felt somewhat relatable to her. She was a messy gal! When we arrived she was covered head to toe in mud and threw a tantrum when the other elephants went for a shower when she didn’t want to... she just loved being covered in dirt!

The day before I left for the EVP, I met my two roommates, a Dutch dive instructor and another English girl. Safe to say we all got along really well! We borrowed the hostel bikes and cycled to the blue temple. We were mind boggled at the amount of people who walked into the temple on their phones, sat and posed like every other person for a picture and left. It’s sad really how a lot of people didn’t even look up to look at the paintings and colours all around the temple. We were particularly amused by a group of 4 guys, all in elephant print pants with matching shirts and a funny rotating camera. We thought they were joking at first until the day after we saw them again all in the same clothes. (1 of who was pretty much bandaged head to toe after being an idiot on the motorbikes).

I visited the White temple in Chiang Rai also which was one of the strangest temples I have visited, with white grotesque hands reaching up on either side of the stairs and strange statues or gargoyles and distorted faces. The one thing I did not expect in Chiang Rai though was the heat! I assumed because it was closer to the mountains and the Laos border that it would be cooler. But I was so wrong! I ended up paying double the price just to get home quickly as I needed to get out of the heat.

The days to follow consisted of me and Azminah (my english friend from my room) lying by a pool all day and lounging about in the hostel, for which I have NO regrets. I loved having a couple of days where I really did nothing. A visited the gym across the road once, and treated myself to a sneaky pizza and a couple of cocktails.

So although I don’t really feel like I did a lot, I’m not disappointed with my time in Chiang Rai whatsoever!

One thing I have learnt, I LOVE jasmine tea. Mum, I will be asking you to stock up for when I am home 🥰

Hello again to whoever is reading!

Today I am posting from Chiang Rai!

I made my first traveller faux pas, which I wasn’t going to mention because it was really embarrassing, but now I’m over the embarrassment I will. The hostels don’t organise buses from Chiang Mai, to Chiang Rai, so I went online and booked my ticket. Easy peasy. I arrived at the bus station with plenty of time, found the bus I needed to be on, so sat and waited. The bus, bearing in mind looked empty, and there were lots of people sitting around me. Then however, the 8.30 bus was boarding (mine was 8.15) so I thought maybe they were running late. I turn around to ask a girl behind me and as I look back around the bus had pulled away and was driving off! I panicked and felt so stupid, why hadn’t I gotten up to check? Why hadn’t they come around to ask? (My name was on the system) and there were only 2 other tourists sat with me? I composed myself, hid my first bus ticket, then went back to buy another 😂. When my next bus pulled in I jumped straight up and was the first on the bus. I’m sure there’ll be many more mistakes to come! I reminded myself stupid mistakes happen.

My time in Chiang Mai was interesting. I expected a more rural, slow placed city, but what I found was a mini Bangkok! This isn’t to say I didn’t like the city, because I did. I loved the diversity of it, of one morning being blessed by a monk, and the same evening basically being lap danced on by a ladyboy in the cabaret! The markets were also out of this world, after visiting the night bazaar, I struggled to think how they had a Saturday AND Sunday walking street. But each market had a different charm which meant that the markets never got old or boring. And anyone who knows me knows I’m a sucker for a market! I ate more yellow curry than I care to admit, and probably my body weight in mango of different varieties. Mango sticky rice, dried mango, fresh mango, mango roti! You name it and I’ve probably eaten it.

Chiang Mai also taught me more about how my trip will probably be as a solo traveller. After spending a lot of time with a girl I met in Bangkok, she left after the second day in Chiang Mai. I think I got comfortable with spending time with her, being able to message her from my room and just asking if she fancied going out for some food. So when she left I think I had a bit of a wobbly about being lonely. The next day I met a group of people, who looking back on it I just didn’t click with. They liked to go out in the day and be back for happy hour to get pissed and go out to more bars. After spending a bit of time with them I realised that I preferred my own company than that of people who I didn’t really get along with. After that night, I was speaking to my roommates and they asked if I wanted to join them out. I said thank you but no thanks, and they said “that’s cool, you’re probably in need of some solo time”, and they were absolutely right! Took myself for a curry and a wonder and was in bed by 10.

I feel as though I have to remind myself, that if I was at home I wouldn’t be out doing something every day and every night. I have to allow myself the time to chill and just do what I wanna do, even if that means nothing!

Anyway, Chiang Mai has some amazing temples, I went for a really fun hike, swam in waterfalls and tried my hand in Thai cooking! I also may have spent a little too much on shopping 😂 I need to remind myself that money adds up, even when I think something is a bargain!

New word learnt: Arroy (delicious)😛

So after a week in Thailand I finally decided (and got encouraged) to pull my finger out and start documenting my trip! From landing in Bangkok I have met so many amazing people already. People you feel as though you have known a lot longer than a week! I feel like the traveller community here is so strong, from just smiling at each other, to meeting people and 5 minutes later sitting sharing your meals. Perhaps I’ve just been lucky, but if the rest of the trip carries on like this I’ll be fairly happy!

A big part of this trip wasn’t just to come out and see the main sites and be a typical point and shoot tourist, but to come away and test myself, it’s hard to put it into words, and sometimes I’ll say it in a conversation and hit the nail on the head, but in true Alex fashion forget how I said it immediately after.

Bangkok was an interesting and much needed change of culture. I found myself walking through the streets muttering “tuk tuk cheap cheap” to no one but me, as I heard those 2 words repeatedly from the guys pulling up next to me then scooting off when I showed no interest. I walked for 5 and a half hours around a maze of alleyways in the huge chatachuk weekend market, brought some funky trousers (only because I sweat through my shorts), tried my first Pad Thai, and treated myself to a nice foot massage (which almost turned out to be a full leg massage). That night me and my friend Maria hit Khao San Road! We had fried rice and had people trying to sell us scorpions, crocodiles and ping pong shows (if you know then you know...😷🤯). We joined a pub crawl that evening which was loads of fun, and after the clubs closed found a secret club to keep the party going. Let’s just say it was 4.30am when we bought the last spring rolls from the street vendor.

The next day consisted of the gorgeous Grand Palace, well worth the 3,000 baht you pay to get in. I had a great time, even though I almost lost my temper when certain tourist groups were treating the temple like it was a Black Friday sale. I swear some people don’t know what personal space is (I had to remind myself it’s just a cultural thing), and what made it worse was the ridiculous humidity of Bangkok, and the fact covering your shoulders and knees are a MUST in temples. After, I saw a traditional Thai dance show (almost fell asleep) then went and had a couple of beers with the new roommates at mad monkey.

The next day we took a bizarre boat tour, enlightening, but we definitely got ripped off, and ended up in Chinatown 3 hours before it opened. Every cloud though! I had the BEST fresh coconut with coconut ice cream, coconut milk and peanuts (£1, pictured above), and learnt how to say delicious in Thai “arroy!”. We headed back to the hostel and after a FaceTime with mum and a dip in the pool we headed back to Chinatown for some yummy street food.

The next day I pampered myself and got a pedicure with some of my new friends, before getting a loooong night bus to Chiang Mai. A couple of herbal sleeping tablets, my eye mask and ear plugs did the trick!

Favourite food so far: Thai Yellow Curry (average £2)