Month: March 2016

The Full Moon Party

Once a month on the full moon date (Lunar calendar), the full moon party takes place on Koh Phangan starting at dusk and ending on the afternoon of the following day.
There’s lots of do’s and don’ts, some absolute no no’s and a few maybe’s, but no if’s and but’s – caution is advisable at all times.

Most stalls sell Whisky (Thai, Scott and Vodka) in a bucket with ice, Coke and Red Bull. Prices vary, the later it gets the more expensive it becomes when no one notices and no one cares !!!!!
And so it happened that by chance we happened to be there on this day – not on the island of Koh Phangan where the party is but a bus and speed boat ride away.
When I got to the pier my first thoughts were, I’m too old for this. I got the distinct impression people were wondering what the hell I was doing there. However already booked my ticket and definitely not going to miss this event, I chose to ignore this. Knowing that once dusk turned to dark and people were looking through alcoholic lenses with pupils fixed and dilated I would not be so much of an oddity.

It has a distinct festival flair – clambouring off the boat at the jetty everyone is ushered to the gates where you buy a wristband for 100 Baht. (2,50€). It’s a great armband – my souvenir of a crazy party, along with my flower hairband, bracelet and plastic yellow bead necklace. Of course you must get neon body paint and armed with two neon body tattoos and my other accessories I felt at least 20 years younger (still a way to go though to meet the average age of the majority of participants ) 😊

Following the rule of eating before drinking we had an enormous pizza and two beers before making our way down to the beach area.
I did not know one word or one beat of any of the crazy music playing but if you move your head from side to side and put yours hands up in the air, I found this disguised this very well.
All nationalities, all genders, (I would like to say all ages, but this wouldn’t be true – I really was the oldest roaming dinosaur on that beach!!!) attend this event. It’s a crazy alcohol, drug fuelled occasion where it would be easy to lose every single inhibition you’ve ever possessed if you drank enough of those buckets and it looked as though most people had done. 😄

However the thought of a speed boat journey and a bus back to the hotel in the middle of the night prevented us from entering Nirwana that evening.
Drunken youngsters were refused entry on the return speed boat journey which was comforting for us, but disturbing for them.
I was praised for my efforts by the staff at our hotel and would not have missed this event for anything 💃
Long live Full Moon Parties and all who get to feel alright dancin’ in the moonlight 🌙⭐️🌜🌟

Thailand – Koh Samui -Mae Nam Beach

Not all people you meet on your travels will you want to befriend, exchange e.mail addresses (that’s more for the 40+ age group) or even hug. However it happened to me to today on a random beach with a Thai masseuse (female) my age, called Keng. Not only did she hug me, she threw in a bunch of bananas and a bottle of water after giving me the best ever 60 min. aloe vera/coconut oil full body massage for 10 euros. That’s never happened to me before (I mean a hug, a bunch of bananas and the water thing).
Even her mate seemed to want to be my friend proudly showing me the scars of her recent ovarian operation – not that any of this conversation was in English – mostly in Thai – but she did a damn good impression of an ovarian operation 😂
The day had started on a high, when we discovered the hotel we were staying in on a steep hill had amazing views of the north coast of Koh Samui. To get to the beach we had to take a shuttle bus which dropped us off on a road where the driver pointed to a dodgy looking alleyway saying “beach beach”. Skipping down the dodgy looking alleyway to the beach beach, we discovered that it was not such a lovely looking beach beach. Hence the ensuing low part of the day. Heading east along the beach beach we soon decided to turn west as the beach beach was not getting any lovelier……at all.
It had all the ingredients of our first disastrous beach in Goa albeit minus the cows and Indians. We arrived at a bar on a steep rock and decided to google best beaches in northern Koh Samui providing they had internet – they did and we did. We then had a mango shake or something resembling a mango shake and ordered a taxi. A private car turned up and we had to bargain our fare to the next beach. Still paying double the amount of bahts we were supposed to – he dropped us of at a complex called Lolita’s bungalows – I keep asking myself why he thought this was a good idea?
Proceeding through Lolita’s bungalows we arrived on a private beach which was obviously intended for Lolita’s bungalows inhabitants – we did not belong there – all seemed slightly dodgy!! We headed back west along the beach arriving at a rather smart hotel complex with rich looking people – we did not belong there!!!!! Also at a grand total of 75 euros for two sun loungers for the day (with free water Dani was quick to point out!!) I declined – this was not in accordance with our Thai budget!!! Moving on – we were hot and thirsty and parked ourselves under some palm tress only to find ourselves surrounded by a load of tourists (God forbid) but what a bunch!!! – we did not belong there!!!
After a quick swim we swiftly moved on and had almost decided to go back to the hotel to ask the French manager Maximillion – I know it’s Maximilian but if you say it the way I wrote it first it sounds even more incredibly Francais – ne c’est pas?
However, we then chanced upon some random looking old wooden sun loungers and a slightly dilapidated looking bar called “my place” – I knew instantaneously that this was where we belonged…

“How much are the chairs?” we enquired. “If you eat and drink with me they are free” said the lady behind the dilapidated looking bar. At this point we had nothing to lose and ordered a couple of ginger ales and some water for us, the thirsty wonderful beach seeking travellers. Apart from a group of undesirables to our right – we were quite taken with our remote little beach shack with the ancient wooden sun loungers missing a number of slats inbetween – this I did not mind – I’d noticed the massage shack by this time which I thought would remedy any joint pain incured by missing wooden slats. Fulfilling our promise to eat we searched the menu for something available as most things had “not available” written next to it – if you’d seen the kitchen you would’ve realized why “not available” was perfectly legitimate and for our own health and safety probably our saving grace. We did however find crepes with seasonal fruit with condensed milk and honey and although I expected her to say this was also “not available” they managed to knock this up in that kitchen 😂 it looked great and didn’t taste half bad – even after this 🐜 crawled out of mine, I still ate it – after all I am a “back packer” 😂 I would not boast that I have a concrete stomach able to drink water out of rusty gutters like some seasoned travellers seem able to do – but a few ants here and there in my food….easy !!

Anyway after all this I made my new friend Keng and received my bunch of bananas to seal our friendship.
Leaving the beach at 6 ish and dusk settling in we made our way down off beaten tracks to the main road. I was just about to deposit my bunch of bananas in the woods for any random stray hungry monkeys when Keng road up behind us on her motorcycle – she asked if we wanted a lift back to our hotel, but as it was miles away and she had already been overly generous we declined. After seeing the giant giant giant spiders in the webs between the trees I think Dani regretted this – had it been mice I would most surely have been on the back of that motorcycle.

Tonight is the full moon party and when I got up at 8:30am for a dip in the pool – Maximillion questioned why I was up so early as I have an alnight party to go to and I would be needing all my energy – I was left wondering if he would’ve asked someone younger the same question and if my decision to go is maybe somewhat strange as it seems most of the hotel staff now know and ask me if I am really am going 😱😱😱😱………I really am 😂👵🏼

Strange images of what lies ahead!!!

A more descriptive blog with a touch of history for you today….

Hong Kong is the most densely populated city in the world. It’s official name is the tongue twisting Hong Kong special administrative region Hong Kong SAR.
A little history for you,
British reign in Hong Kong came down amidst a flutter of Union Jacks and royal family pagentry during the 1997 handover. Britain had won the island from imperial China during the opium wars in 1839 and would later add the New Territories on a 100 year long lease. It was this lease that led to the Hong Kong handover.

While Britain owned Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, the lease on the New Territories expired in 1997 and Britain felt it had little option but to return the whole of Hong Kong to China.

But what country is Hong Kong in? The answer isn’t as simple as it may seem; with its own money, passports and legal system Hong Kong isn’t quite Chinese, but with Chinese flags flying from its buildings and Beijing appointing its chief executive it isn’t quite independent.

Apart from all this……

I ❤️ Hong Kong.

There is everything you need:

Fish n’ chips and Union Jack stairways

Wonderful ice cream

besides those essentials – it’s a wonderful, diverse and vibrant city.

Macau….day tour

20 million Chinese per year 70% of visitors in total visit Macau – 90% of GDP revenue is earned through gambling – 36 casinos in total.
A gambling gene inherent amongst the Chinese is apparently responsible for this.
Macau 60 km away from Hong Kong is a 1 hour ferry ride. Once again you need a passport – once again they have their own currency. So in China there are three territories where you need a passport and change currency. All very confusing.
Personally Macau was not my favourite place, China’s Las Vegas.

Lantau Island was however a wonderful island with beautiful countryside and an old functioning fishing village with a great community spirit.

Leaving Hong Kong tomorrow – the question I always ask myself – would I return? Indeed I would.

Goodbye China ❤️

From Sri Lanka to Beijing.

Reality check – the sun not shine worldwide – this became apparent after a 7 hour flight from Sri Lanka to Beijing – we had a minus 30C temperature difference. From 35C to 5C set to fall to 0C on the Great Wall. Freezing freezing freezing!!!!!
Tian Anmen Square, the forbidden city and the Great Wall of China were on the programme after a late flight arrival and an early morning start. Combine that with trying to come to terms with the cold and you have a recipe for travel weariness.

However the Great Wall is an absolute must in life – it is a steep climb and I am always amazed at the way Asian folk just “get on with it” some in little black velvet shoes – amazing – old and young puffed and panted their way up the steep slopes where you had the feeling nose meets pavement. Absolutely spectacular – stunning views, one of the seven wonders of the world – a richly deserved title.

From Beijing we travelled to Shanghai on the high speed express – a 5 hour journey at 310km per hour, trapped once again in a compartment where the male population considered it necessary and acceptable to snort upwards, swallow and process the contents in an alarming fashion and then regurgitate their bronchial reflux in a manner which had me once again reaching for my earplugs and scarf over my face.
We survived.
Shanghai is so different to Beijing.
Shanghai’s “Pudong” is a
new district and home to some of the tallest skyscrapers in the world, as well as the city’s iconic Oriental Pearl TV Tower.

Beijing is more solidly Chinese – however it is said that there is a growth in expats moving to the city in spite of the international propaganda machine that continuously ties it to authoritarian doom and gloom. However I did find Beijing somewhat repressive. Shanghai on the other hand is extremely cosmopolitan. While not home to as many foreigners as other Asia cities like Hong Kong (our next stop) or Tokyo – it’s apparently getting there.

Yu garden

Some interesting Chinese signs

Next stop Hong Kong 🙂

Beijing and Shanghai are withou TV Tower.

The Rajadhani Express

The Rajadhani Express 7777 – 1007 from Peradeniya to Nanu Oya was a four and a half hour train ride up into the mountains. It was exactly 1 hour and 1 minute late – nobody knew why – no one seemed to care – it just came and then jolted off once we were on board.
It took a while to acclimatise to the wooden roller coaster type carriage which swayed from left to right – steep drops on both sides – no one seemed worried – no one seemed to care.

The station

The train

The sun blazed through the window, the scenery magnificent.

The villagers from way up high in the mountains would stand on the embankments waving to passengers, as would cows and hens and monkeys.

Tea pluckers plucked their tea…..

School children in pristine uniforms would occasionally board and disembark.

Finally after a long and arduous journey in an air conditioned carriage which was in fact an open window as the AC did not function we arrived at our destination.

We met our driver who then took us around the little mountain village and showed us a rather grand hotel – aptly named the “Grand Hotel”- a hotel in old fashioned British style, glorious surroundings, more than impressive.

When we arrived at our shack we were somewhat disappointed to say the least. Absolutely starving we decided to try the cuisine and ordered some soup which we heard being microwaved several times repeatedly. It was gruesome!!
We needed food, so we headed back by foot to the “Grand Hotel” completely unaware that as the only guests in the shack that our departure time of 19:46 had been noted.
Sitting in sumptuous surroundings eating our venison and pheasant (joking – was a rather tasty pizza actually) we asked ourselves what a room would cost and how much we would pay – we decided on a total of 200 dollars which was about as much as all our hotels to date have cost in total and when the receptionist said 249 dollars – Dani was quick to point out that this included breakfast as well – Bargain I thought and no sooner had my credit card been swiped, there we were lounging away in not one but three beds – felt a little like goldilocks and the three bears – we tried them all. We had no luggage and no phones with us, so we ordered toothbrushes and slippers and made our way down to a dingy shop in the basement just about to close (down altogether I was thinking) however we purchased 2 boxer shorts and vests and hey presto – there we were set up for the night.
We slept on soft cotton sheets dreaming of the exquisite breakfast banquet in the morning and worked out exactly when to set back off to pick up our luggage and meet our driver.
Breakfast was perfect, exceeding all our expectations and the instrumental music, Bryan Adams, Robbie Williams etc. had us both loving angels instead.
HOWEVER – this is where the bubble burst and a divine clout from above was due to strike in about 15 mins.
Merrily skipping along having stolen banana bread and placed in a cloth napkin for our journey we arrived to receive that impending clout from above, in the form of an irate driver, an agitated hotel manager, and two surly looking staff (the only staff) and a barrage of questions about where we had been. Whilst we had been lounging in luxury an all night police search had been underway. At 11pm they had been informed that we had not returned to the hotel. Lakes and mountains were being searched and all local hospitals contacted. The driver, the hotel manager and the two surly looking staff had all joined the search and had been up all night. We were horrified – everybody’s phone began to ring simultaneously (except ours – ours were still in the room!!!) Head office were passed over to me and I had to explain where I’d been – the police search was called off. At this point I was overcome with emotion and did the very thing I do best – I burst into tears – this seemed to send everyone in complete disarray and we were ushered into the hotel and ordered to eat breakfast (slightly awkward as we’d just eaten six horses – but not wanting to cause further trouble, I managed to swallow some tea inbetween my heart rending sobs.
Unfortunately it did not end with a severe reprimand from head office, the driver, the hotel manager and the two surly looking staff – oh no – we then had to go to the local police station and our whereabouts were documented. We had concocted a story about how we had suddenly met some of danis friends (a likelihood of zero in the Sri Lankan mountains) and it was late and we felt it was unsafe to return to shack 1 in total darkness. We had previously managed to avoid mentioning to the hotel manager that we had in fact stayed at the “Grand Hotel” – but at the police station this became an unavoidable topic of conversation – awkward!!
We were detained for one hour for paper work and then free to go. I offered them a donation. They declined stating it was their duty (which made us feel even worse).

The other “station”

We were embarassed and ashamed and would urge all future travellers to book the Grand Hotel in advance to avoid such an unpleasant incident !!

Due to our sudden and unexpected request to attend a Sri Lankan police station in Nuwara Eliya this morning for an incident which occurred out of complete naivety and possibly stupidity, I am posting a picture of us in the botanical gardens on the previous day. The world seemed a better place on this day as we sang “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony”, and stood under wonderful blossoming trees with honey bees and wore our 70’s style inspired fab clothes which we bought at “Fashion Bug” in Kandy.
Once our incident has been mentally processed, it will surely be blogged.
We are safe and have been released and are now many kilometers away in Colombo where hopefully we shall catch our flight to China in the morning.

This morning I read:

“Tea tempers the spirit and harmonizes the mind….”

Shortly after this we were being interviewed by a Sri Lankan police officer – my mind was a little less harmonized than it should’ve been……
To be continued…

Most travel agents are removing their offers of riding on an elephant – although this was still available to us – we declined as we felt it would be unethical. We still visited the elephant orphanage though, which was originally set up to take care of abandoned elephants – it does however seem to be a major tourist attraction now, with people buying food and feeding them which is absolutely forbidden. We also didn’t stay for feeding as we felt we wouldn’t like a herd of elephants taking photos of us eating. However I couldn’t resist taking just a few photos – they are just such majestic animals and the baby elephants make me want to adopt!!!

We left the orphanage hoping they really are being treated with respect.