KANCHANABURI

BRIDGE OVER RIVER KWAI (My understanding) Whilst everybody was busy trying to stop Hitler erase everyone without blue eyes and blonde hair, his allies, The Japs were busy reaking havoc on Asia. During the WWII the Japanese successively seized many countries and captured hundreds of thousands Prisoners Of War. They used some of these POW's as laborers to construct a railway line from Bangkok to Burma. The men were forced to work in very harsh conditions and a lot died from starvation, exhaustion and dehydration (90 000 Asians, 6318 Brits, 2815 Aussies, 2490 Dutch, 356 Yanks and many more) the line is now called "The Death Railway". Part of this railway is a bridge over the river kwai. Regarding the part of the River Kwai Bridge that was formed by iron, when the Japanese had successively attacked and seized Java, they demolished th eiron of the Java River bridge then shipped it to Thailand and reassembled it into the River Kwai Bridge. The construction involved purely human laborers and the work was done both day and night in rotating shifts throughout its period. It took one year to complete. It's an interesting day trip from Bangkok to see the war museum and the railway. After the depressing war chat you get to go for a ride on the train which the locals still use today as public transport.

PING PONG

Can't believe I forgot to mention the Ping Pong show! Think I'd just conveniently erased from my memory.

Moagly was adamant that we had to see a PingPongShow whilst we were in Bangkok. So the first guy that whispered "pingpong" to us in Pat Pong Market we followed, mind you it was only 6pm, personally I think thats a little early in the evening to watch ping pongs fly. We followed him off the market (stupid), down an alley (stupid), and up a dingy stairway (again...) into an empty bar. We were escorted to a table by an old, hard, hagered Thai lady. Then out trot on stage the entertainment- one I'm sure was male, another really didn't want to be there and the third I'd like to introduce to a little thing called a "Brazillian"! Not sexy in any stretch of the imagination.
Our beers came and the girls started stomping around, unceremoniously on the stage and tapping their TIP jar- we really wanted to leave at this point but we thought we'd at least attempt our beer (ROOKIE mistake!!! If you're uncomfortable in a situation, LEAVE!!!). They did a few tricks, which I don't have the stomach to re-live, involving ribbon, fizzy pop and not a single ping pong.
Checking out C and M's mortified faces I decided it was time to ask for the bill "cheque bin ca"! We didn't enjoy what followed...
The 2 bar men made themselves visible by our exit, one big lady pimp brought over a piece of paper that read 4000THB (80GBP)... for that...! I don't think so.... Over come 3 more lady pimps that start doing some kind of snarl/growl at us- well this is uncomfortable to say the least. I'm feeling really threatened, actually one of the few times in my life that actual fear griped me... not so much for me but more for C and M.
Thoughts went quickly through my head- "idontfinktheylkilusforfourthousandbattheycantjustbeatusupnletusgocoswelgotothepolice" etc
So what can they do really? Bring it! I got 500THB from my purse and my can of pepper spray. I chucked the money on the table, barged past them and made my way to the door, C n M were still trapped but were quickly encouraged to sod it n just follow me. As soon as we got through the door we bolted on to the market, headed straight for the english pub and didn't stop shaking until beer number 2. I learned from this that body doesn't deal with fear too well, pretty hard to stand n fight when ur shaking all over, so softy that I am I'll be avoiding any kind of war in the future and will definitely leave "sleazy thailand" to the fat, old foreigners! LESSON WELL N TRULY LEARNED!

Thailand with Caca and Moagly

Dossing around Samui as been great but as always after a few weeks I start to get a bit bored. There isn’t really much to do on the island and, with it being off season, there aren’t too many tourist around to go and mingle with. So I was eagerly awaiting the pair.
Aka Caca and Aka Moagly arrived on the first day of November. The weather prior to their arrival had been perfect, cloudy and rainy enough to keep you going for a kip in the chest freezer with the sun just coming out enough each day to keep the tan on top form, but on their first night here we received a cyclone warning and the whole island was told not to leave their homes, great, so night one consisted of us sat round the pool devouring Vodka. Caca and moagly hadn’t seen one another for years so there was plenty of good chat.
It rained constantly. We just got used to it. On day 3 we braved the outdoors, although the weather was worst we headed for the nearest food shack, encouraged by our rumbling tummies. It was the most extreme weather I have ever seen, the roads were like rivers. Wading out of the shack, after our feed, Caca screamed behind me- let me just say that since they arrived they have been screaming at everything that moved so I barley flinched- I looked down just in time to see the snake/eel/ thingy brushing past my leg whilst it was being swept down stream, it makes me shiver just reliving the experience.
We tried not to let the weather get us down. The girls used it as an excuse to lie in and be lazy which they loved. And I headed to the shop and bought ingredients for a weeks worth of Pina Coladas. After 4 days we were Pina Colada-ered out so we headed for the Capital.

BANGKOK
To save a few bob we got the bus up to Bangkok. We booked the Ferry and the bus with a local travel company so that everything would be taken care of and we could just show up and be took straight to an hotel in Bangkok, easy peasy- yeah right! (The best laid plans of mice and men and all that).
An organised taxi picked us up an hour late and took us to our ferry. We didn’t know what ferry or where to pick our tickets up and the driver spoke no English. He dropped us at a travel agent near the ferry terminal, off loaded our bags and drove off. The agent was the wrong one, she pointed us to a shop on the next block. Of which the woman behind the desk informed us we had missed our ferry. After much umming and arring, lot’s of phone calls and attempting to charge us again (I don’t fall Thais ripping me off anymore) they told us to come back in an hour.
Long story slightly shortened- 3 buses, 1 boat, 3 dirty toilets, 1 plate of rice and 18 hours later we were booted off a bus at 6am somewhere in Bangkok. We wandered around and asked directions til we found khaosan Road (the place to be) and stayed there a couple of nights.

SAMUI RING ROAD MAP

BIKING- SAMUI RING ROAD

DATE: 24/10/10

DISTANCE: 31miles/50K

TIME: 3hours

TERRAIN: Samui Main Road

ELEVATION: min 0ft

max 308ft

ascent 607ft

decent -607ft

I met Ilse, Janik and Luca at 6 am on the main road outside Kingfisher restaurant. We headed around the island anti-clockwise. The first major hill you get to the boys shot off ahead, Ilse stopped and walked and I peddled on. About half way up it was getting hard so I went to take the cog down and my chain flicked off. I waited for Ilse and we walked to the top together where the boys were waiting for us. They fixed my "very well oiled' chain and set off again- not the grandest start. Mental note- learn how to change gears less aggressively.

It was a national holiday in Thailand (Buddha day) there were lots of floats, Buddhas and people to dodge on the roads. I started the bike ride with out breakfast , by the time we were in Nathon, 10 miles in, I was starving so I nipped into the market for a banana, apparently you can't buy a single banana so I ended up emerging with a bunch, we had 2 each then I put 2 in my bag for later.

The night before I'd put my camel back in the freezer but it never defrosted in time so I did half the ride with a frozen slab on my back and no water to drink- another mental note, don't freeze your water for a 3hour ride!

We stopped again in between Lamai and Chewang, 25miles in, for toilet break and another banana.

The whole ride was 6am till 09:10am including all the stops.

I got home and had muesli fruit and yogurt and then went to watch the F1 in the bar, came home did 30 length's, back out to the bar to watch the Celtic- Rangers Derby and pray for Stoke to beat ManU, then bed! All in all a full sports day so to counter act it today I'll be having a massage, painting my nails, exfoliating and doing Yoga.

NO PHOTOS

I can't get any photos on here at the minute because my computer is jam packed and needs backing up then emptying, which is taking me forever!

NIGHT ON KOH PANGNAN

On Friday I got my dad to run me over to Koh Pangnan on the jet ski. A guy I just did the course with was over there traveling with his mates. Ended up staying on this little beach that you can only get to by boat or a two hour trek (forgot the name). Spent the day supping shakes, smoking and swimming. At some point we headed off to a club that was a pretty drastic trek through the jungle- and I forgot my shoes- This place was mad fully of the local xpat hippies that more than likely have been stranded there since the 80's. We danced all night- the sun came up at 6ish and that's when it got a little more freaky with all the shroomed-up hippies worshiping and chanting to the sun. I hung around for a few hours then the fear that they were going to commence on some mad cult came and I trekked back to the beach, put my head on the pillow at 9am... The rest of the Dutchies came back an hour later, I woke with a start suddenly sober and very worried about where my camera was, I went for breakfast and found out it was in someones bungalow down the beach, safe and sound, pheww!

Saturday i got a long tail boat back to Samui and crashed out on the couch at about 3pm. Again I just couldn't get to sleep because the dogs kept licking my face so I gave up on the idea of trying to sleep. Ilse called and said they were meeting at six in the morning for a bike ride around the island so I missed the Bolton game, sorted out the bike and went to bed.

Back in Thailand!

So I've arrived in Thailand after 3 weeks in Warsash completing my Officer Nav and Radar course. The course and exam was pretty hard, I was so sure that it was going to be bad news, I had an agonising week there waiting for the results but clever little me, PASSES!!!

It's been 18 months since the last time I visited mum and dad in Samui and in the time that I've been away they have let my pet tortoise escape and have acquired 2, rather large, puppy German Shepards (which, luckily for me, don't seem to mind me staying here). The pair of them are the most spoiled dog's you'll ever come across, I don't remember my dad looking after me n my bro that well when we were kids- he's going soft I reckon! They live on fresh fish, prime steak n chicken breasts, they go for a swim in the sea every morning with 5 walks a day and even went for a jet ski ride yesterday while my mum sat waiting in the scalding sun, with no water, on a rock- classic Ian Greenhalgh Stylee!

Got nothing major to report apart from the gym having to be put on hold for a couple of days due to the fact that I couldn't get my trainer on over the golf ball sized lump that sprung up on my foot after a water skiing mishap...

So at the minute I 'm just prepping myself and my stuff for my bike ride, which commences on 1st December in Auckland and will continue until the money runs low. Hopefully it will see me back in Thailand by mid April but not got a set plan... I would like to cycle all the way home but will have to keep on stopping to build up the funds... not saying that's what I'm going to do though, will just have to see what life brings or what I make life bring!!!

For now I'm looking forward to a worry free holiday. I'm going to be hitting the gym and the chillies hard because they are the two things I've missed most these last 18 months.

I'll get some more pics on shortly.

Photos

Recap Last 15 months........

Here is a slightly depressing, very neglected looking blog page, time to rectify!

So after my 2 week job hunt in France last year I found work on a 52mt Motor Yacht with a world wide cruising itinerary, perfection! But after 15 months onboard I have handed in my notice to begin another adventure. I leave with some memories of the best time of my life so far (been too busy having fun to update this blog lol).

I started off my time onboard with the mandatory, tedious med season with a slight twist- instead on the South of France we cruised and abused Turkey. The Turkey season was two months of back to back "guest's on" made sweet at the end by a very generous tip (usually unheard of on a Private Yacht).

My first holiday away from the boat was in October last year and I planned a road trip around Scotland (my favourite country). I commandeered my Brothers Vito, Mothers bike, Grandads TomTom and whoever elses stuff that I could grab and headed North with the intention of making the boot my bed for the next week. I spent the first two nights in Berwick- Upon- Tweed, Yes I know that's not Scotland but I visited a mate and surprised another friends parents. Then I cruised up the East coast to Betty Hill, my goal was Betty Hill as my dad had seen a farm house up there that need doing up and would have been perfect for my future plans of running an extreme sports B&B (I still think that the place is perfect- the fact that it's a 3 hour drive to the nearest Tesco doesn't matter too much as my plan is to be as self sufficient as possible). Also I believe there's great surf up there as well...

I did the return trip to Bolton down the West coast Via Fort William and Isle of Skye. After my run up the Nevis Range I decided it was time for a shower so I booked into a campsite for the night and cycled into town for some pub grub and a few cheeky Ciders. Anyway this Road Trip kind of started a new obsession with roadys and many more where to come in the next year.

Back onboard and bound for Galapagos with refueling stops in Sint Maarten and Panama. After going threw the Panama Canal we arrived in Panama on Christmas Eve just in time to get the glad rags on and jump into a taxi. The taxi driver informed us that there was nowhere open apart from a strip joint- I didn't believe him but strip joint it was. Our 12 crew rocked up there, after 4 weeks at sea, to find out that it was all you can drink for 30 dollars, long story short, by 1am they changed their minds and asked us to leave (don't think the crew trying to have dance offs with the strippers helped our cause very much). Christmas day is just a blur of Champagne and laughing......

On boxing day we headed to Galapagos to pick up charter. I'd love to say that Galapagos is beautiful but I can't. Unless you dive, if you go to Galapagos all you will see is rocks and birds and lots of them but if you're a diver- unique!

Before Galapagos all of diving experience was in Tropical seas with multi coloured reefs and a n abundance on small marine life, diving Galapagos is completely different- it's all about spotting the big stuff! Sharks, Whales, Dolphins and yet some more Sharks can almost be guaranteed on any given dive. On one dive site you can actually see scholes of about 300 Hammer Heads! Do I sound like I experienced it? Well I didn't- gutted! We don't dive on charter, it's all about making sure the guest see it all- obviously- But we were planning to stay behind 4 days after they left to experience it ourselves. On my first dive there i descended to 20meters and then passed out....... I came round, clung to a rock feeling very dizzy and finally plucked up the courage to surface. I did surface threw a schole of White Tip Sharks though. Needless to say the Captain banned me from all future dives until I'd seen a Dive Physician. I still saw some stuff from the surface though including Hammer Heads, Galapagos Sharks, Whale Sharks, more spinning dolphins than you can imagine, blue footed Boobies and enough Sea Lions to make you hate the smelly things.

Then we did Costa Rica and America for a few months- obviously a lot of stories from the months there but I'll remains on them some other time.

Anyway, the revival of my blog is all in anticipation for the up and coming months ahead. I am leaving the boat in a few days and, after a stop in Samui to see the folks, I'll be heading to New Zealand to start a bike ride that, Pennies Permitting, will see me to Scotland, I'll keep you posted each step of the way, very EXCITED!!!!!!