Popular Post Shillzz Posted May 23, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted May 23, 2014 My cat appears to have gone missing and i'm in need of some cheer, so it seems like a good time to do a brief little report of how my travelling adventure went. I should pre-face this by stating that it was the most amazing of times, and the fact that my report may seem a little negative at times is testament only to my brutal pessimism / honesty. I've also left large chunks of it out in the interest of keeping it readable. Thailand: An absolute rollercoaster of a destination. We started off with city breaks in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, the latter being absolutely superb. Littered with temples and showcasing a fairly relaxed way of life, the Northern City was a definite highlight. Bangkok by contrast was an unfathomable metropolis of tourism and traffic, not worth the effort to visit despite the fun to be had on Khao San Road. The highlight of Northern Thailand was a 3 day trek through the hills, staying with the local tribespeople. Exchanging stories and Manchester United-based banter around the campfire was unforgettable, and the basic accommodation had more than it's fair share of charm. Heading south to the tourist mecca that is the Andaman coast blew my expectations out of the water, and not always in a positive way. Khao Lak and Khao Sok were picturesque, quiet and relatively untainted by tourism. Railay had unrivalled beauty, but this was our first taste of the backpackers scene, and those folk who "set out to find themselves" on a 2 week package holiday. The lonely planet crew weren't enough to put us off Railay, but things soon went down hill as we headed to Phi Phi. The less said about this place, the better, but it's a perfect example of how Thailand was all too ready to sell it's soul to the foreign dollar. Leaving the prime tourist areas, we ended up in Koh Lanta, and absolutely stunning Island. Beaches that ran beyond the horizon dotted with amazing little bars and restaurants. The diving here matched the ambiance of the place, and things continued to get better and better as we headed through the lesser known Trang Islands of Koh Mook and Koh Ngai. Koh Lipe was a parting shot from the backpackers, reminding us that they can ruin any islan when they put their minds to it. A fun place to be, but another example of how Thailand fails to moderate it's tourist industry. Borneo: Beautiful Borneo started off with a trip to a little island (not actually an island) called Bako National Park. A stunning area littered with Proboscis monkeys and the nuisance making Macaques. This was a truly wonderful place where we were able to trek amongst abundant wildlife and virgin rainforest to our hearts' content. Our trip continued through the slightly (only slightly) underwhelming Orang-utan sanctuary at Semengoh. We did manage to see an Oran-Utan, but our enjoyment was tempered by the 300 Chinese tourists who seemed hell-bent on ruining it for everyone. That said, it was a pleasure to witness one of these creatures in their natural habitat. The heart of our Borneo adventure was spent trekking through Gunung Mulu National park, a world heritage area of unqualified beauty. Wildlife was no-where near as plentiful as you'd assume, but the scenery and experience more than made up for this. New Zealand: Undoubtedly my favourite spot on this amazing planet, New Zealand was perhaps the only place that truly exceeded my expectations. The entire South Island reads like mother nature's finest work, and it's a place that pictures could never do justice to. Abel Tasman had some of the most amazing beaches i've ever seen, yet it remains largely untouched by tourism. A Short 5 hour walk showcased an amazing landscape framed with beautiful rainforest and scenery. New Zealand's beauty didn't let up even for a second as we travelled anti clockwise around the island. The weather cleared just long enough to allow us to do some Ice climbing on the Franz Josef glacier, coupled with a Helicopter ride to make an unforgettable day. Fiordland in the South undoubtedly represents one of the true wonders of the world. Best appreciated with a 4 day trek along the Milford Track, this was an area of oustanding scenery, waterfalls and snowcapped mountains. Our Fiordland adventure was completed with a justifiably touristy cruise out onto Milford Sound. This leg of our tour was completed with a breathtaking Helicopter ride over Mt Cook. We had just endured the first snowfall of the season during a (very wet) trek the previous day, but the clouds conspired to clear and present us with the most amazing views i've ever seen. Australia: We spent the majority of our time here in Queensland, and it rarely disappointed. Our first significant stop was on Lady Elliot Island. a little coral cay located on the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. As we came in to land on our little island hopper we could see dozens of Manta Rays cruising the 'Gin-clear' waters around the Island. The diving here represented the most amazing underwater landscape i've ever experienced, and though expensive, witnessing so many Manta Rays, Sharks and Turtles was something quite special. We drove up to Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays for my birthday. After an unforgiving boat journey across the Coral sea, we had the privilege of Whitehaven beach all to ourselves for a couple of days. A $10 camping permit allowed us to enjoy this paradise Island for 2 nights with only day visitors present to spike our enjoyment. Our travelling adventures reached a conclusion up in Port Douglas and the Daintree. We both agreed that Port Douglas represented the finest of the many towns that we had visited. Australia had one final treat for us as we were lucky enough to witness 4 Cassowaries during a trip up to Cape Tribulation on our penultimate day. An unforgettable trip, gritty at times, breathtaking at others. 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don_Simon Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Ive been to all the places described apart from Borneo, and agree with all of it. I'd move to New Zealand tomorrow, there are few things more depressing than seeing a Tesco or Starbucks on what you hoped would be a beautiful Thai island, and Whitehave Beach, wow. Just, wow. Glad you had a blast mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shillzz Posted May 23, 2014 Author Share Posted May 23, 2014 Thanks Pal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Glad you enjoyed it ..wouldn't mind seeing some more photo's when you feel like uploading some Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shillzz Posted May 23, 2014 Author Share Posted May 23, 2014 Glad you enjoyed it ..wouldn't mind seeing some more photo's when you feel like uploading some Yeah i'll drop some in here when i've sorted some out... None of those photos (apart from the last) are actually mine, they're just the ones i've managed to pinch from facebook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Where the ladyboys at? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 Glad you enjoyed it ..wouldn't mind seeing some more photo's when you feel like uploading some Yeah i'll drop some in here when i've sorted some out... None of those photos (apart from the last) are actually mine, they're just the ones i've managed to pinch from facebook. does that mean I can make comments about which girls would " get it" in the top pic as none of them are your other half ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shillzz Posted May 23, 2014 Author Share Posted May 23, 2014 One of them is my other half, but by all means crack on . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyp102 Posted May 23, 2014 Share Posted May 23, 2014 How long did you go for? If you don't mind me asking how much approximately was it? Did you have a multi flight ticket or round the world? Sorry for all q's may be planning a trip myself and just trying to get as much info as possible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Thailand: An absolute rollercoaster of a destination. We started off with city breaks in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, the latter being absolutely superb. Littered with temples and showcasing a fairly relaxed way of life, the Northern City was a definite highlight. Bangkok by contrast was an unfathomable metropolis of tourism and traffic, not worth the effort to visit despite the fun to be had on Khao San Road. The highlight of Northern Thailand was a 3 day trek through the hills, staying with the local tribespeople. Exchanging stories and Manchester United-based banter around the campfire was unforgettable, and the basic accommodation had more than it's fair share of charm. Heading south to the tourist mecca that is the Andaman coast blew my expectations out of the water, and not always in a positive way. Khao Lak and Khao Sok were picturesque, quiet and relatively untainted by tourism. Railay had unrivalled beauty, but this was our first taste of the backpackers scene, and those folk who "set out to find themselves" on a 2 week package holiday. The lonely planet crew weren't enough to put us off Railay, but things soon went down hill as we headed to Phi Phi. The less said about this place, the better, but it's a perfect example of how Thailand was all too ready to sell it's soul to the foreign dollar. Leaving the prime tourist areas, we ended up in Koh Lanta, and absolutely stunning Island. Beaches that ran beyond the horizon dotted with amazing little bars and restaurants. The diving here matched the ambiance of the place, and things continued to get better and better as we headed through the lesser known Trang Islands of Koh Mook and Koh Ngai. Koh Lipe was a parting shot from the backpackers, reminding us that they can ruin any islan when they put their minds to it. A fun place to be, but another example of how Thailand fails to moderate it's tourist industry. Thanks for the post, interesting to hear your thoughts about Thailand. How long did you stay in Bangkok? Did you venture down Sukhumvit? I ask as if my only experience of Bangkok was Khao San then i'd dislike it as well Its glad to read that there still are some quiet island and coastlines in Thailand.. i've just commented on a post on another thread that they don't seem to exisit anymore. Hopefully the places you went won't be overrun with tourists anytime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shillzz Posted May 24, 2014 Author Share Posted May 24, 2014 How long did you go for? If you don't mind me asking how much approximately was it? Did you have a multi flight ticket or round the world? Sorry for all q's may be planning a trip myself and just trying to get as much info as possible Being a complete travelling-novice at the time, i bought my tickets through roundtheworldexperts.co.uk. They basically arranged a multi stop ticket with Qantas (sharing tickets with Emirates). There are probably cheaper ways of doing it, but £1500 wasn't too bad. Thailand: An absolute rollercoaster of a destination. We started off with city breaks in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, the latter being absolutely superb. Littered with temples and showcasing a fairly relaxed way of life, the Northern City was a definite highlight. Bangkok by contrast was an unfathomable metropolis of tourism and traffic, not worth the effort to visit despite the fun to be had on Khao San Road. The highlight of Northern Thailand was a 3 day trek through the hills, staying with the local tribespeople. Exchanging stories and Manchester United-based banter around the campfire was unforgettable, and the basic accommodation had more than it's fair share of charm. Heading south to the tourist mecca that is the Andaman coast blew my expectations out of the water, and not always in a positive way. Khao Lak and Khao Sok were picturesque, quiet and relatively untainted by tourism. Railay had unrivalled beauty, but this was our first taste of the backpackers scene, and those folk who "set out to find themselves" on a 2 week package holiday. The lonely planet crew weren't enough to put us off Railay, but things soon went down hill as we headed to Phi Phi. The less said about this place, the better, but it's a perfect example of how Thailand was all too ready to sell it's soul to the foreign dollar. Leaving the prime tourist areas, we ended up in Koh Lanta, and absolutely stunning Island. Beaches that ran beyond the horizon dotted with amazing little bars and restaurants. The diving here matched the ambiance of the place, and things continued to get better and better as we headed through the lesser known Trang Islands of Koh Mook and Koh Ngai. Koh Lipe was a parting shot from the backpackers, reminding us that they can ruin any islan when they put their minds to it. A fun place to be, but another example of how Thailand fails to moderate it's tourist industry. Thanks for the post, interesting to hear your thoughts about Thailand. How long did you stay in Bangkok? Did you venture down Sukhumvit? I ask as if my only experience of Bangkok was Khao San then i'd dislike it as well Its glad to read that there still are some quiet island and coastlines in Thailand.. i've just commented on a post on another thread that they don't seem to exisit anymore. Hopefully the places you went won't be overrun with tourists anytime soon. We had 3 nights in Bangkok, went to the Grand Palace and weekend markets (as well as Khao San road). I didn't have anything against Bangkok, there was nothing that i particularly disliked, I just wouldn't chose to go there in lieu of some of the better places in the area. There are still a couple of reasonably untainted islands, Koh Mook only had 2 resorts on it, Koh Ngai only a couple more. There are also plenty of Islands which haven't been touched by tourism at all, as well as national parks such as Turatao. Koh Lipe on the other hand is a recent addition to the tourist brochure, thanks to one of the locals selling his land to a property developer, and that is an island that has been completely saturated with resorts etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardo Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Sounds like a great trip Shillz!! Thailand seems to have gone downhill a lot in the last few years judging by what several people have said. I was there this time 7 years ago and Phi Phi was heaven. It wasn't tainted with any of the western influences and was really quiet. Now it just seems like another Ibiza or Costa del sol resort. Would you recommend Borneo as a destination? Food good and that?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shillzz Posted May 25, 2014 Author Share Posted May 25, 2014 (edited) Sounds like a great trip Shillz!! Thailand seems to have gone downhill a lot in the last few years judging by what several people have said. I was there this time 7 years ago and Phi Phi was heaven. It wasn't tainted with any of the western influences and was really quiet. Now it just seems like another Ibiza or Costa del sol resort. Would you recommend Borneo as a destination? Food good and that?? Yeah i'd have to agree with that, there are still some nice places in Thailand, but Phi Phi certainly isn't one of them. It's not quite Magaluf, but I wouldn't recommend going there to anyone except the most discerning chav. Borneo is pretty amazing. It's obviously still quite a poor area, so it's worth factoring that into your thinking (whether you'll appreciate that or not), but the scenery is pretty incredible. I would absolutely love to go there again, perhaps to do the half that I didn't do this time (Sabah). If you're thinking of going there you do have to bare in mind the kidnappings that have been happening in eastern Sabah. The FCO advises against travel to large parts of the country, so make sure you check that out if you're considering a visit. Edited May 25, 2014 by Shillzz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgyknees Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 What an enjoyable read... kind of jealous! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donnie Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 (edited) How long did you go for? If you don't mind me asking how much approximately was it? Did you have a multi flight ticket or round the world? Sorry for all q's may be planning a trip myself and just trying to get as much info as possible Being a complete travelling-novice at the time, i bought my tickets through roundtheworldexperts.co.uk. They basically arranged a multi stop ticket with Qantas (sharing tickets with Emirates). There are probably cheaper ways of doing it, but £1500 wasn't too bad. Thailand: An absolute rollercoaster of a destination. We started off with city breaks in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, the latter being absolutely superb. Littered with temples and showcasing a fairly relaxed way of life, the Northern City was a definite highlight. Bangkok by contrast was an unfathomable metropolis of tourism and traffic, not worth the effort to visit despite the fun to be had on Khao San Road. The highlight of Northern Thailand was a 3 day trek through the hills, staying with the local tribespeople. Exchanging stories and Manchester United-based banter around the campfire was unforgettable, and the basic accommodation had more than it's fair share of charm. Heading south to the tourist mecca that is the Andaman coast blew my expectations out of the water, and not always in a positive way. Khao Lak and Khao Sok were picturesque, quiet and relatively untainted by tourism. Railay had unrivalled beauty, but this was our first taste of the backpackers scene, and those folk who "set out to find themselves" on a 2 week package holiday. The lonely planet crew weren't enough to put us off Railay, but things soon went down hill as we headed to Phi Phi. The less said about this place, the better, but it's a perfect example of how Thailand was all too ready to sell it's soul to the foreign dollar. Leaving the prime tourist areas, we ended up in Koh Lanta, and absolutely stunning Island. Beaches that ran beyond the horizon dotted with amazing little bars and restaurants. The diving here matched the ambiance of the place, and things continued to get better and better as we headed through the lesser known Trang Islands of Koh Mook and Koh Ngai. Koh Lipe was a parting shot from the backpackers, reminding us that they can ruin any islan when they put their minds to it. A fun place to be, but another example of how Thailand fails to moderate it's tourist industry. Thanks for the post, interesting to hear your thoughts about Thailand. How long did you stay in Bangkok? Did you venture down Sukhumvit? I ask as if my only experience of Bangkok was Khao San then i'd dislike it as well Its glad to read that there still are some quiet island and coastlines in Thailand.. i've just commented on a post on another thread that they don't seem to exisit anymore. Hopefully the places you went won't be overrun with tourists anytime soon. We had 3 nights in Bangkok, went to the Grand Palace and weekend markets (as well as Khao San road). I didn't have anything against Bangkok, there was nothing that i particularly disliked, I just wouldn't chose to go there in lieu of some of the better places in the area. There are still a couple of reasonably untainted islands, Koh Mook only had 2 resorts on it, Koh Ngai only a couple more. There are also plenty of Islands which haven't been touched by tourism at all, as well as national parks such as Turatao. Koh Lipe on the other hand is a recent addition to the tourist brochure, thanks to one of the locals selling his land to a property developer, and that is an island that has been completely saturated with resorts etc. I hated bangkok to be honest. The major tourist attractions did nothing for me, lots of people trying to scam me and just didnt enjoy it at all. I was with my gf though. If I was with ny mates than I maybe would have had a better time. Chaing mai was much better. Loved the numerous markets, the people were much friendlier, the temples felt more authentic than bangkok, the food and drink was ridiculously cheap, not to mention the numerous activities such as treks and elephant rides. The perfect place for 2-3 days before hitting the beaches. Still preferred cambodia over thailand though. Edited May 27, 2014 by donnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donnie Posted May 27, 2014 Share Posted May 27, 2014 Would be fascinating to see your pictures...loved reading your review. Thanks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts