Gap Year Escape – Gap Year Travel & Backpacking The World

This photo was taken at the Full Moon Party in Koh Phangan, Thailand. This is actually my back! A street vendor did this in five minutes using UV paint.

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After a painful trek in north Thailand, I finally reached the summit where a Lahu village stood. Had a lovely reception from this beautiful little girl who was extremely interested in my travel itinerary with a picture of an elephant on it. Adorable.

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This photo was taken Monkey Beach while I was on an island tour from Koh Phi Phi, Thailand. This grumpy old monkey was looking rather sorry for himself so I thought I would try and cheer him up!

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This picture was taken in the Kanchanaburi Memorial. A War Cemetery designed by Colin St Clair Oakes, it commemorates 5,000 Commonwealth and 1,800 Dutch casualties of war.

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Well it has been quite an adventure, seen some incredible sights and met some amazing people, but it’s on to the next step of my journey. Australia!

Before I leave just wanted to give you a little present. Asia really is incredible and here is just a glimpse of some of the beauty here. Enjoy!

There are some days that you will remember for the rest of your life. Like the best ice cream you ever had (Paris, on the Champs-Élysées) or the best birthday present you ever got (Duplo Lego for my 3^rd Birthday). I had another one of these days.

Having just achieved my PADI license on Koh Tao (east coast) I had heard about how amazing Koh Phi Phi was (west coast) and how I had to go there. Again it was one of those interesting journeys where I took an overnight boat. Imagine rows of small mats (smaller than a single mattress). Now imagine been squashed between two sweaty strangers all night and attempt to fall asleep. I had a very long shower when I arrived!

If you have ever seen the film ‘The Beach’ and thought wow that looks nice, well that’s where I have just been. It was truly amazing. Crystal clear blue water, white sand, limestone cliffs and beautiful multi-coloured fish to snorkel with, what more could you want? I spent the day touring round all the different islands and beaches, jumping off the boat, eating pineapple, having my picture taken with a wild monkey and watching the sunset on a beautiful backdrop of cliffs and ocean. Not something I will soon forget.

Perfect.

In the last few days I’ve had classes, done homework and had an exam. Granted the exam was on the beach and we were allowed to share answers but still I’m travelling!

Back in 2007, on a trip to Malta, I had my first taste of diving. It was only at a depth of a few metres and rather basic but still I loved every minute of it (apart from the bit when I got stung by a jelly fish). I always said that I would go diving again and become a certified PADI Open Water Diver. A great place for this, due to the cost and location, is Koh Tao in Thailand.

I went with Crystal Diving which in my opinion was a rather great choice. It’s a big dive school with great instructors. I think the other positive is that they are a very environmentally friendly dive school, which is always a good sign.

I love diving. Some people say that they can’t do it because they feel claustrophobic but I felt the complete opposite, I just feel free. You can turn your head slightly and completely lose sight everything and just end up seeing nothing but blue. Instead of feeling scared it just seems to fill me with tranquility. It’s just a nice calm feeling floating around with nothing but your own thoughts. Among the fish and coral was a six month old wreck of another dive ship (always comforting to see). It always amazes me how quickly nature will take hold of something and make it its own.

I think everyone should try diving at some stage in their lives. I will most definitely be doing it again. I’m looking at doing underwater photography or videography in Australia. Will have to see how the funds go, it’s an expensive hobby but certainly worth it.

Oh nearly forgot. Don’t panic people… I found Nemo.

P.S I thought it would be clever to climb a palm tree. Great photo opportunity right? Wrong. I cut my fingers and feet and by the time my friend had got out his camera I’d fallen out the damn tree. Glad sand is a soft landing!

As I write this everything is vibrating. My bed, the walls and most annoyingly, my head. This was clearly not the place to stay if you wanted any sleep!

It was an interesting two days of planes, trains and ferries getting to Koh Phangan. Sleeper trains are quite an experience especially if you are my height. I half expected to wake up in the morning and be on a submarine. Still it’s a rather good laugh and you meet some interesting people if you go on an adventure up and down the train. One thing worthy of note (purely for its comedic value) is the toilets. Imagine being on the runaway train at a theme park. Now imagine trying to pee in a straight line. Outstanding.

It’s a right of passage for those going to Thailand to attend a Full Moon party. Having rushed to get here we left our accommodation booking in the hands of some friends who were already here. I’d heard of Paradise Bungalows before but couldn’t quite put my finger on why. It was only when I arrived that it came back to me. This was the site of the original Full Moon Party back in the 80’s and still to this day is right in the thick of things.

I’ve attempted to give a glimpse of a Full Moon Party through another video I have put together but I can’t say my camera likes the dark. Lonely Planet describes it as the “ultimate party experience” which couldn’t be more accurate. 30,000 people on a beach, buckets galore, lots of fire, bars, UV body paint, dance podiums and DJ’s spinning anything from Techno to Dance, Hip Hop to Drum and Base.

This is a picture of my back. How cool?!

Can’t say I have slept much in the last three days. I am five metres from beach which also means I am five metres away from a rather larger sound system currently banging out a Kings of Leon remix. Still it’s been a great experience.

I hardly noticed dawn approaching. Even at 6am the party was still in full swing. Dotted around the beach were a few people curled into balls sleeping. Giant lanterns lazily floated off into the sky. As glimmers of soft light broke through the clouds I was being talked at by a rather drunk Irish girl who kept speaking to me in Arabic. She was surprised I didn’t speak the language. Why would I? It’s not even my parents’ native tongue! You have to love casual racism. Yup, he’s brown. He must be an Arab.

I wasn’t really listening though. Too busy watching the sunrise. Beautiful things, should stay up and watch them more often.

I write to you with a sore head. I can’t provide you with the statistical proof but I am pretty sure Thai people, on average, are short. Either that or the purposely build low beams and roofs for me to hit my head on. I’ve lost count how many times I have done it now. Ow!

I have been in Thailand now for nearly two weeks and I am starting to come to terms with the culture and the people. Browsing the stalls one day I came across some ‘bottoms’ which were apparently authentic dress. A backpacker had recommended them to me, really comfortable and practical, apparently. They looked something reminiscent of what a kung fu master would wear in the movies. They would wrap them round, tie it off and pow! Kick some bad guy’s ass.

I saw a pair with Chinese writing down one side, they just looked cool! Got them home, wrapped it round me, tied it off and then… I caught my reflection.

It may look cool in the movies but really, I was just a guy in a skirt. Ahem, moving on…

I’ve not met a single backpacker who has not raved about Pai. In the middle of nowhere in North West Thailand it’s a tiny town with massive character. I can see why international and domestic tourists make the trip to Pai.

Every day in Pai feels like a Sunday. Everyone is just really mellow. Even the dogs just chill out in the middle of the road, not even flinching when someone goes past. I would estimate that a third of the people here have dreadlocks and a lot more are high (on life or drugs, who knows). Even so it is a rather picturesque paradise where you can really relax, do yoga, collect your thoughts, listen to reggae or jazz or drink Chinese tea. You get the idea. People get trapped in Pai, they go for a day and stay for seven. I’m trying to avoid the same trap.

Today I rented a motorbike. £2 for the day and a £1 to fill the tank up. Outstanding!

‘Ever rode bike before?’ said the mechanic.
‘Nope.’
‘Here’s key, don’t crash.’

Things are just too easy in Thailand. I don’t know why I spent four years at university. You can buy a degree here for £6.

I can’t say I knew what I was doing or where I was going but sticking on my aviators, getting on that bike and just blasting through the countryside was just amazing. Wind in my hair (?), sun on my skin and a grin on my face I just ate up the tarmac. I found myself singing Blur – Song 2. Don’t know why it just felt appropriate somehow. The monsoon rain came about an hour into my ride but I didn’t care. I was wet, so what. I’m free and happy and the rain just felt like it was watering my soul.

By the time you read this I will be on my way to Laos. One day on a bus and two days on a boat. Sounds painful and it probably will be but even the ‘bad’ stuff here is still great.

The adventure continues…

I’ve just come back from a Thai massage… that got your attention didn’t it! I’m afraid to report that there was no happy ending however having my arse cheeks massaged was oddly satisfying. Nevertheless, a massage was just what I needed after the last few days I’ve had.

I’m currently in north Thailand, Chiang Mai to be precise. After a 12 hour bus journey I was eager to get stuck in so signed myself up for a two day ‘trek’ in the jungle. The clue was in the name.

After a spot of shopping at a local market for supplies I was naive to think that the following hour of sitting on an elephants back was as hard as it was going to get. After lunch, the fun really began. We started our 8km ascent to the summit through the slippery jungle paths. The downside of going to Thailand in off-peak season is the monsoon rain which doesn’t stop it from being hot! The sun beat through the canopy and after a few falls I was just caked in mud and sweat. I don’t think I have ever looked or felt so bad and any sense of decorum was quickly abandoned.

I’m sure that there would be some who would have found this mild but for me this was one hell of a challenge. As I turned every corner I would hope for some flat ground but there would be nothing but more steep climbs. Brilliant.

Through laboured breaths and gritted teeth I dragged myself to the top where just out of relief I collapsed on some bamboo. I closed my eyes and just wished that I could no longer feel my legs. I could hear children laughing and playing. Was I dead?

I pulled myself together to take in the sight. At an altitude of 1400m was the tribal village of the Lahu. So far out of the way they have preserved much of their way of life. The village was very basic and missing some ‘fundamentals’ as I would see them, namely electricity. I learnt about this one the hard way when I had to stumble down bamboo steps to find the ‘toilet’.

The descent was also challenging but broken up with a swim in a waterfall, bamboo rafting and white water rafting, it was somewhat more manageable.

It was just so rewarding. Our tour guide called ‘Good’, who was actually pretty great, said that I should do a seven day trek next time. I’ll think long and hard about that one…

Despite being one of the hardest things I have ever done it was totally worth it. It was such an incredible experience.

You would think after getting back a long shower and bed would be in order but not quite. Instead I decided to have a rather crazy night, which finished just shy of 6am, with a group of Kiwi’s and Irish folk. Just imagine some deleted scene from Snatch that was too crass to make the director’s cut and you get the idea. Madness.

You never see an unhappy backpacker. Why? Because they are all too damn busy having an awesome time!

So far I have walked a tiger, upset a palace guard, kissed an iguana, befriended a lonely pug, seen a girl get peed on, climbed a waterfall, missed a tour bus and got followed by a lady boy. I’ve only been here a few days! Let’s start at the beginning shall we?

I’m sitting on the plane and it still hasn’t quite dawned on me that I am actually going to another country. Even when I get off and get a taxi I am still in denial. However, when you walk up the Khao San Road for the first time ever that is when you really know you are somewhere foreign!

The short tourist road houses anything a backpacker could surely want and is an ideal starting point for any visitor to Bangkok. The touts become somewhat of a cliché fast. The regular shouts include “suit!”, “fish massage” and “ping pong show”. My all time favourite has to be “happy ending boom boom taxi ride”. Lovely.

I must admit that it’s not all fun and games being a solo backpacker. Initially, it is quite difficult to get your head round the idea that you make best friends for the day and then never seem them again. Still it’s a valuable skill to develop, building instant rapport with someone. It is getting much easier. You learn fast when you’re on your own in the big bad world.

The highlight so far has to be the day just gone. A day tour in Kanchanaburi to see, among other things, the Tiger Temple. As a tourist attraction the tiger temple is morally dubious as the tigers are chained up and allegedly drugged to make them docile. Nevertheless, the fact remains that this is still a great ‘Kodak moment’.

A tiger did have the last laugh today though. One unsuspecting member of our party was walking behind a tiger when it decided to raise its tail and urinate straight into her face, open mouthed and up her nose. Outstanding.

I’ve just come back from a rather great night out. Went to the rooftop bar on the Khao San Road, which I would highly recommend. There is a live acoustic set which is one of the best I have ever seen. Spent the evening singing along to the likes of Oasis and Jason Mraz with people who are ultimately strangers but also your best friends at the very same time.

It’s just all rather strange, right mixed bag of emotions. Still through it all I can say that I am really happy.

So I will simply end with this…