Meeting the new group for the next couple of weeks has been good. Always good to pepper these periods on my tod with an intense couple of weeks with nowhere to hide! I'd been led to believe that the group would be much older mostly but actually it is pretty evenly mixed with couples both younger and older and also plenty of people around my age, both male and female. They seem like a really good bunch.
I must be getting old or lethargic from too much socialising but I missed out on what sounds like a pretty boozy late night. Some of the younger crowd stayed up until 4am singing karaoke and drinking. They all seemed a bit frazzled this morning. Instead I went to bed about half twelve after a few beers and got up to go to the gym this morning. How virtuous! I feel like I missed out though.
We are leaving Hong Kong today and heading for the Chinese border to experience a sleeper train overnight to Guilin. I'm hoping it's one of those sleek bullet trains that I've heard about (that is China that has those isn't it?) but we'll have to see what we end up with. Quite excited about such a new way to travel. Haven't got any trains so far on my travels apart from the subway.
Yesterday we had a typical sightseeing day covering all the main parts of HK that I've experienced before, albeit a long time ago. Star ferry, Victoria Peak, Stanley Market, a temple (yes, more temples although after a few days off I felt ready to face the Buddha again!). Victoria Peak is a lot more built up than I remember it, there's a whole shopping centre at the top now which I really don't recall.
Everything seems way more expensive than it used to be on the island as well. I went looking for a new SDHC card for my camera and one shop quoted me 760 dollars, which works out about 60 pounds. Ridiculous. Luckily I went to an identical looking shop further down the road and got exactly the same one for about 130 dollars, a massive difference. (And yes, Dad, I did think about the quality but the spec was all the same so I think it was a good deal!).
Our local guide was filling us in on all the info about the Chinese taking over the island on our trip. He seemed pretty pissed about it having grown up here, although now he lives in Buckinghamshire with his family. They are definitely taking over the world with their extreme wealth and lack of manners (according to our guide). Mainlanders come to Hong Kong to give birth so their children will have a passport and free education for 12 years, something they won't get in their own country. They can thank the Brit influence for those perks! And of course they get the freedom to have as many kids as they like here and spend all their money in the designer shops.
He showed us some of the multi-million pound properties in the exclusive areas and the nine-hole golf course with a one million pound membership fee. A huge waiting list for that one so it just goes to show how many filthy rich people hang out here. Property prices have shot up 50-100 per cent over the last two years. Something the girls have reiterated with their tales of having to move home as their landlords have pushed the rent up by unaffordable proportions. Again, you can blame the Chinese for that.
I am looking forward to experiencing mainland China though. Another culture shock coming my way I'm sure. Not sure how accessible the internet is going to be so I may be out of action for a little while. We shall see. Back before too long hopefully. Over and out...
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Luscious art and ladyboys
No abuse about the credit card so far then! Thanks guys. It was a cultural day yesterday of extremes I guess you would say. All the best that Bangkok has to offer, depending on your opinion!
Started the day heading over to jim thompson's house, an American art collector who mysteriously disappeared. Beautiful house and grounds in the old, traditional style. Had to restrain myself from buying up half the shop afterwards, a stunning array of silk to behold. Met a really nice English lady, whose name I never got to learn, but we had lunch and I was encouraging her to pack it all in and go travelling! She wanted to hear about all my plans and I gave her some tips on Vietnam.
She recommended a massage place so I headed over there with her to see if they could fit me in. Fantastic massage in a really nice setting. Was stretched and cracked in all the right places. Think my thigh muscles are still suffering after all that cycling, walking and diving!
Then headed off round the monstrous malls of Bangkok. Seriously the recession has clearly never reached these parts. I invested in some underwear as I didn't quite bring enough. I think I should buy all my bras here. Without getting too personal with all you folk, Asia is the best place for smaller-chested ladies. More than a C cup and you're screwed!!
Dan returned from the coast so we headed out for a final farewell tapas in the gay district with squid and sangria. Next we checked out a ladyboy bar, as you should. They didn't really do much except mince around a bit and flick their hair. Then we headed to a swanky rooftop bar for a cocktail and amazing views of the city.
Off to the airport soon to head to hong kong for ladies night with Rachel, Lynda and Ann. Can't wait - it's going to be messy...
Started the day heading over to jim thompson's house, an American art collector who mysteriously disappeared. Beautiful house and grounds in the old, traditional style. Had to restrain myself from buying up half the shop afterwards, a stunning array of silk to behold. Met a really nice English lady, whose name I never got to learn, but we had lunch and I was encouraging her to pack it all in and go travelling! She wanted to hear about all my plans and I gave her some tips on Vietnam.
She recommended a massage place so I headed over there with her to see if they could fit me in. Fantastic massage in a really nice setting. Was stretched and cracked in all the right places. Think my thigh muscles are still suffering after all that cycling, walking and diving!
Then headed off round the monstrous malls of Bangkok. Seriously the recession has clearly never reached these parts. I invested in some underwear as I didn't quite bring enough. I think I should buy all my bras here. Without getting too personal with all you folk, Asia is the best place for smaller-chested ladies. More than a C cup and you're screwed!!
Dan returned from the coast so we headed out for a final farewell tapas in the gay district with squid and sangria. Next we checked out a ladyboy bar, as you should. They didn't really do much except mince around a bit and flick their hair. Then we headed to a swanky rooftop bar for a cocktail and amazing views of the city.
Off to the airport soon to head to hong kong for ladies night with Rachel, Lynda and Ann. Can't wait - it's going to be messy...
Monday, 16 May 2011
Banking on the back up
Ok, now don't have a go at me all at once but I lost my credit card the other night. I'd like to be able to blame nitrogen narcosis (which brings on foolish behaviour) but it was just me being an idiot really. I wasn't drunk and it wasn't late at night either. Though I was pretty shattered after a day's diving. Anyway, I left it in the ATM machine and didn't twig until the following evening when I went to get some more money.
Normally I'd be reduced to tears by something like that but I think this laid-back lifestyle is agreeing with me. I kept my cool and just shrugged my shoulders and did my best to sort it out. I didn't even lose it with Halifax or MasterCard when it all proved a bit too problematic for them to sort their shit out either! Long story but after about six or seven phone calls I think we finally got there. Thank crunchie I managed to get my new current account card before I came away otherwise I'd be totally screwed for a back up.
I was late for our dive video unveiling but I claimed I was on 'Thai time'! There was only one thing for it and that was to get drunk for the evening, which we all did. Went to a few nice bars, had a bit of a boogie and a nice hangover in the morning but it was all good fun. It's been great hanging out with Jazz and the American girls plus a couple of the divemasters over the last few days. I will miss the island and definitely miss the vibe and the beach.
Back in Bangkok now to do some proper sightseeing round the city at last. I think I am now suffering from temple and Buddha fatigue. You've seen ten, you've seen them all. My visit to the grand palace this morning was a little marred by torrential downpours at first but eventually it brightened up.
I'm convinced there was some kind of bad taste party going on at the palace today, one which I clearly wasn't invited to! Several groups of tourists were clad in the worst brightly coloured, patterned and badly clashing outfits I think I've ever seen - en masse! I had to take some photos just to prove it to you but can't upload them yet. Truly terrible, grown men in baggy trousers with elephants plastered all over them...
I do feel a sense of achievement after a day negotiating such a sprawling megalopolis like this, not getting lost with my map reading, not getting sucked in by scanners and overpriced tuk tuk drivers, not getting the ferry the wrong way down the river and managing to make it home in one piece. There's always a sense of nervousness setting out in the morning, wondering what the day will bring, whether you'll make it to all your destinations but when you're back round the pool by four, things couldn't be better!
Normally I'd be reduced to tears by something like that but I think this laid-back lifestyle is agreeing with me. I kept my cool and just shrugged my shoulders and did my best to sort it out. I didn't even lose it with Halifax or MasterCard when it all proved a bit too problematic for them to sort their shit out either! Long story but after about six or seven phone calls I think we finally got there. Thank crunchie I managed to get my new current account card before I came away otherwise I'd be totally screwed for a back up.
I was late for our dive video unveiling but I claimed I was on 'Thai time'! There was only one thing for it and that was to get drunk for the evening, which we all did. Went to a few nice bars, had a bit of a boogie and a nice hangover in the morning but it was all good fun. It's been great hanging out with Jazz and the American girls plus a couple of the divemasters over the last few days. I will miss the island and definitely miss the vibe and the beach.
Back in Bangkok now to do some proper sightseeing round the city at last. I think I am now suffering from temple and Buddha fatigue. You've seen ten, you've seen them all. My visit to the grand palace this morning was a little marred by torrential downpours at first but eventually it brightened up.
I'm convinced there was some kind of bad taste party going on at the palace today, one which I clearly wasn't invited to! Several groups of tourists were clad in the worst brightly coloured, patterned and badly clashing outfits I think I've ever seen - en masse! I had to take some photos just to prove it to you but can't upload them yet. Truly terrible, grown men in baggy trousers with elephants plastered all over them...
I do feel a sense of achievement after a day negotiating such a sprawling megalopolis like this, not getting lost with my map reading, not getting sucked in by scanners and overpriced tuk tuk drivers, not getting the ferry the wrong way down the river and managing to make it home in one piece. There's always a sense of nervousness setting out in the morning, wondering what the day will bring, whether you'll make it to all your destinations but when you're back round the pool by four, things couldn't be better!
Saturday, 14 May 2011
Tested, equipped and qualified
Apologies for not updating for a few days. It's been all go on the scuba front and I'm sure you're all waiting on tenderhooks to hear how it all went! Normal service will now be resumed.
It has been a great few days on Koh Tao. The first night I arrived, after checking into my room I headed to the bar to sample bit of the Crystal Dive nightscene. One of the dive instructors invited me over to join them when he realised I was on my tod, which was really nice. Met a couple of really nice Aussie girls (Sophie and Dee) and their friend Will and after a few beers we headed off to the nearest restaurant to grab a bite to eat. They were doing their Open Water as well but were two days ahead of me. Dee was doing her Rescue qualification as she was already qualified to Advanced level.
The following morning I met the rest of my group (one Brit, two Yanks, two Swiss, all girls except Chris one of the Swiss pair) and my instructor, Nick. Thought Nick was Canadian at first but turns out he is also Swiss but grew up in Africa and went to many American international schools, hence the accent. We had two half days in the classroom, an afternoon in the pool learning our skills, and then two half days diving to complete the course.
Apart from having to flood and empty your mask underwater (I hate that part) all went well in the run up to our first proper dives. I hadn't anticipated the whole having to learn so much and actually pass an exam when I decided to do this, it's a while since I've had to study and pass something but it was all fairly easy. I even mastered the dive planning despite my shady grasp of mathematics!
I have to say that the first dive was a positively surreal experience. Getting used to the lack of peripheral vision in a mask and the constant awareness of your breathing is most bizarre. But once we got into it I really enjoyed it. Lots of fish to look at though the whole 40 minutes went so quickly that it felt like we didn't get much of a chance to take it all in.
The second dive, following an hour back on the boat, was at the same site as the visibility was so good. I struggled a bit more on this one as we had to master some of the skills we learnt in the pool and my ears were giving me grief, unable to equalize all the time, and started hurting quite a lot. A few of us had the same problem.
I was a bit more nervous about the second two dives as a result but was determined to enjoy it. Nick took us to a deep dive site to show us how different an experience it is. Really glad we did as it was amazing, huge schools of fish everywhere you looked, a massive pinnacle in the middle to swim round just covered in anemones, coral and too many creatures to mention. We'd all got the hang of our buoyancy more and saw a massive improvement in our abilities. I struggled to stay with my buddy, Jazz, a bit as she always seemed to be a few metres above, unable to bring herself lower down with her breathing and weights that she was carrying. But we got the hang of it by the final dive.
I'm so glad I did the course, especially as I've been so shit scared of everything that lurks in the deep, dark sea ever since watching Jaws as a kid (let's face it who hasn't!). But I think I've got over that a lot more now. It was tempting to stay on and do the advanced course but decided that money and time didn't really allow. There are plenty of other places on my trip that I can revisit my newfound skills anyway.
The diving world isn't a half bad life really. It's a very macho environment (may I just say that there are some very fit men on the island!) on the boat and the whole post-dive culture but it's also very very laidback and chilled. So many of the divemasters out here came to do the Open Water and have just kept going and never left (or at least gone home to earn some money and come back again).
It has been a great few days on Koh Tao. The first night I arrived, after checking into my room I headed to the bar to sample bit of the Crystal Dive nightscene. One of the dive instructors invited me over to join them when he realised I was on my tod, which was really nice. Met a couple of really nice Aussie girls (Sophie and Dee) and their friend Will and after a few beers we headed off to the nearest restaurant to grab a bite to eat. They were doing their Open Water as well but were two days ahead of me. Dee was doing her Rescue qualification as she was already qualified to Advanced level.
The following morning I met the rest of my group (one Brit, two Yanks, two Swiss, all girls except Chris one of the Swiss pair) and my instructor, Nick. Thought Nick was Canadian at first but turns out he is also Swiss but grew up in Africa and went to many American international schools, hence the accent. We had two half days in the classroom, an afternoon in the pool learning our skills, and then two half days diving to complete the course.
Apart from having to flood and empty your mask underwater (I hate that part) all went well in the run up to our first proper dives. I hadn't anticipated the whole having to learn so much and actually pass an exam when I decided to do this, it's a while since I've had to study and pass something but it was all fairly easy. I even mastered the dive planning despite my shady grasp of mathematics!
I have to say that the first dive was a positively surreal experience. Getting used to the lack of peripheral vision in a mask and the constant awareness of your breathing is most bizarre. But once we got into it I really enjoyed it. Lots of fish to look at though the whole 40 minutes went so quickly that it felt like we didn't get much of a chance to take it all in.
The second dive, following an hour back on the boat, was at the same site as the visibility was so good. I struggled a bit more on this one as we had to master some of the skills we learnt in the pool and my ears were giving me grief, unable to equalize all the time, and started hurting quite a lot. A few of us had the same problem.
I was a bit more nervous about the second two dives as a result but was determined to enjoy it. Nick took us to a deep dive site to show us how different an experience it is. Really glad we did as it was amazing, huge schools of fish everywhere you looked, a massive pinnacle in the middle to swim round just covered in anemones, coral and too many creatures to mention. We'd all got the hang of our buoyancy more and saw a massive improvement in our abilities. I struggled to stay with my buddy, Jazz, a bit as she always seemed to be a few metres above, unable to bring herself lower down with her breathing and weights that she was carrying. But we got the hang of it by the final dive.
I'm so glad I did the course, especially as I've been so shit scared of everything that lurks in the deep, dark sea ever since watching Jaws as a kid (let's face it who hasn't!). But I think I've got over that a lot more now. It was tempting to stay on and do the advanced course but decided that money and time didn't really allow. There are plenty of other places on my trip that I can revisit my newfound skills anyway.
The diving world isn't a half bad life really. It's a very macho environment (may I just say that there are some very fit men on the island!) on the boat and the whole post-dive culture but it's also very very laidback and chilled. So many of the divemasters out here came to do the Open Water and have just kept going and never left (or at least gone home to earn some money and come back again).
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
All set to scuba
Well, I've passed my final exam, the swim and float tests and now I'm off to actually scuba in my first two dives. Totally shitting myself, facing one of my biggest fears but here goes...
Sunday, 8 May 2011
Photos so far
Thailand 1
https://picasaweb.google.com/m/viewer?fgl=true&pli=1#album/carriegoldilocks/5602061704754686577
https://picasaweb.google.com/m/viewer?fgl=true&pli=1#album/carriegoldilocks/5602061704754686577
Thailand 2
https://picasaweb.google.com/m/viewer?fgl=true&pli=1#album/carriegoldilocks/5602437503470855857
Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam 1
https://picasaweb.google.com/m/viewer?fgl=true&pli=1#album/carriegoldilocks/5602063337185769425
Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam 2
https://picasaweb.google.com/m/viewer?fgl=true&pli=1#album/carriegoldilocks/5602439414119046401
Sent from my iPhone
Saturday, 7 May 2011
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