Britgirl takes on Mankind

So, as many of you know I volunteer at a local no kill animal shelter.
I can't sing its praises high enough and the staff don't just work there..they live and breathe the animals that pass through.
It was here at Operation kindness that Mercy the dog caught the nations attention after being burnt alive by her owner.
Operation Kindness took Mercy in and worked all day and night trying to save that Dogs life to no avail.
I hope the scumbag that did that to this dog gets what he deserves.
Hopefully mercys death was not in vain and someone will sit up and take note at the way animals are being treated in this State/country/world
It confuses me to no end in a city which has more churches than I can count, and well attended churches at that (just try driving down midway road past the Prestonwood monstrosity on sunday and see how long it takes to get through traffic) ; In a city where I have been asked
"So, why did you get married if you don't want children?"
A city in which I am a minority...A non-believer who will undoubtedly go to hell and burn for eternity for my evil actions on this earth.
And yet...I go to my voluntary work and have to deal with the same people, day in day out.
The ones who bought a puppy for their darling daughter, but now the puppy is too big, too naughty,too old, too smelly, not cute enough and so in she comes to Operation kindness to begin life in the shelter while said family jaunt off to Canton market to pick up a newer, cuter, younger model (see its not just men that do that !!)
The amount of cats that come to us at 6, 7, 12 years old and the excuse for dropping of the beloved family pet? The new baby is allergic, the new husband doesn't get along with it, we have to move...
Come on folk. I long for the day someone brings their baby or husband to the shelter instead of the cat :)
Please just let it happen once in my lifetime- to see said husband in the cage with a note "He didn't get along with the cat"
...and the last I heard there was no law governing cats moving between states so guys just take your damn pet with you...you wouldn't leave your kid behind would you ??
If you take on the responsibility of a pet..its yours, for life.
Im sorry but you can't trade them in or get rid of them when the mood suits.
Remember the old saying "A dog is for life ..not just for Xmas"
Not everyone falls into this category and with the Iraq war (ugh...another blog needed for that rant) upon us I have been moved by the men coming in crying and gutted that they have been deployed and cannot take their pets along with them. It's really sad and though foster arrangements have been set up the demand is too high at the moment.
For these men I feel genuinely sorry.
My other pet peeve, whilst Im on this rant, is cat declawing.
Let me tell you first and foremost that this is ILLEGAL in England and actually last I heard California had followed suit; but for every other state in USA its legal and in fact very common.
Operation kindness will not do declawing but plenty of other money hungry vets will.
For the most part this procedure is not done out of evil but out of ignorance.
I cannot remember how many people have come to the shelter wanting to declaw a cat and have been shocked when I tell them the reasons for not doing it....there again I also can't count the number who say "Well thats what i want" regardless
Let me point out without going into Gory details that this is inhumane, cruel and unnecessary. You can cut a cats claw just like you can a fingernail with no fuss, especially if you do it from an early age and they get used to it.
Declawing is the equivalent of cutting ones finger off at the knuckle.
Its painful, a long healing process and can often cause more harm that good (a cat with sore feet often will not use its little box)..in general...just don't do it.
If the furniture is more important I suggest you save your pet $$$ until you have children..then maybe you can afford to have their arms surgically removed so they don't mess anything up either.
Finally with my fave Holiday fast approaching (yes...Halloween) what kind of place do we live in where we have to ban the adoptions of all black (and pure white) cats between the two weeks around Halloween.
Come on guys.....We have to hold the animals so you so can't take them home and use them as Costume props? Then bring them right back again after the season has passed. Im not kidding here, the ban was put in place for a reason !!
Wake up.
I may be one of the few non-religious folk in Dallas and I may spend eternity in hell...but if some of the people I meet are indicative of heaven...then bring on the flames :)
Of course i WANT people to adopt..good, honest, genuine people.
I don't want the latest Lasaoodle. Snickerdoodle, beagloodle ..whatever bought from the big designer pet shops (by the way, there is a terminology in the shelter for such mixed dogs...its called a MUTT and doesn't cost $600 !!!)
But when you adopt it really is for life. Your pet should be an extension of the family not an accessory.

Britgirl becomes PADIgirl

Yes yes...I travel.
I live it and breathe it.
Well, I started to realize that there was 75% of this world that was unavailable to my explorations.
Why ? I hear you ask.
Well, my dears, because its underwater; and as wonderful and amazing as I am I have not yet developed gills (well except in this dream I had once but that's another blog)
...and so, not to let something as menial as that get in my way, I decided to get certified in SCUBA.
BTW the fun pics from diver friends and my sudsequent jealousy also had a smidgen to do with it :)

And so- a new chapter in my blog begins

ONE WEEK BEFORE CLASS
I pick up my "scuba packet" and start by watching the really cheesy video in which the boy and girl smile a lot, look serene and beautiful both in and out of water, and wear all the latest cool gear.
Im hooked !!!
I read the book too but all that physics, water pressure, Boyles law, lung overexpansion, tooth squeeze (ouch), and dive tables put me off....so i go back to the video and watch that again a few times instead.
Next I just have to look the part; so its off to Scuba Toys to get my gear.
Some things I HAVE to get for the class like the mask and fins...but these are rather boring compared to the wetsuits and gadgets.
I leave the store with a super cool neon yellow shorty and an underwater writing pad . YAYYYYYY
Ok so it wasn't entirely successful and I had to go back the next day to get the essentials. By now the guys there are midly amused/annoyed at me.
Its hard to tell but as I was comparing the 20th mask alongside my previous purchase they said,
"Ma'am is more about the fit than the coordinating colours "
Hey, Im new to this..Im not meant to know everything
...Two hours later I have a mask, fins, booties, snorkel all in great colour combination and they even up graded my dive bag for free so it matched....Arrrrrrr, nice boys :)

FIRST CLASS
Why we had to start at 8am I have no idea.
Don't scuba folk have a social life ??!!
Anyway, today's class started not in the water, as Id hoped, but in a classroom for most of the day going over that book (the one I hardly read)
Why oh why hadn't I studied it harder.
I quickly became the class dunce.
Not only that, but although no one else had their dive certification I was the only one that had NO experience diving.
Kerri...well she worked at a dive resort and had taken about 15 resort dives before.
Another girl...she was a marine biologist
Snorkeling with the kids in a 15x8 pool just didn't seem as impressive
And that book I hadn't read.....Not only were we supposed to know it but we were to be tested on it. We had to solve math problems relating to the dive tables, remember the theory names and know the pressure and volume in a beach ball under water !!??? (come on guys..is this really necessary !)
Oh crap.
I will tell you I passed the test !!
All I can say is the "diving buddy" system works above ground too. Thanks Kerri :)

IN THE WATER
Finally we hit the water...Granted its a swimming pool and not the ocean but Im ready.
It takes about forever to get all the gear on and learn what all the knobs and tubes do.
Which one do I breathe through again ??!!!
I wasn't nervous until now and suddenly that 6 feet of water seems daunting
..such a lot to remember before even entering the water and how do the instructors make putting fins on look so easy.
Its like a delicate ballet...turn this way ..do that...turn that way...do that and Ta daaaaaa....fully dressed and geared up.
I was not quite so glamorous, with a lot of half stumbles,grabbing my dive buddy, some "oh shits"... the damn tanks are so bloody heavy it feels like an elephant on my back.
Once in the water at least the weight on my back was eased....and under we go.

..and up I come again.
Is it meant to feel like this?
Is it meant to sound like that?
Are these bubbles normal?
Lets just say I didn't quite take to it like the duck to water I had thought.
Being a water baby all my life I thought this shit would just naturally but breathing under the water is a whole new ball game
...and who knew I was a "nose breather " ??!!!
That was before we even started all the tasks we had to learn.
"you mean already"
"Yes now"
"but..Im not ready to learn new stuff. I still mastering this breathing shit"

So here is where I learn that im crap at mask clearing. I mean REALLY crap. I mean panic the water hits my nose and head for the surface crap. Ho hum
With all the wonderful technology in the world why the hell do we have to learn to take a mask off underwater, put it back on underwater and empty the water from it UNDERWATER !!???
Come on...it would be so much easier just to have a button to do that job.
For Gods sake we have a machine down here to let us BREATHE under water ...you're telling me its too difficult to invent some button, drainer, plughole thingy for retards like me that can't do it !!
Well, by days end I was at least at a "no panic" "no head for the surface" stage so all was well. It still took me approx 12 snorts through my nose to empty the damn mask, but I considered the day a mild success.

DAY TWO
All day today was in the pool and though I learnt to see pretty good through a half water-full mask (too scared to clear it).
I managed all the other tasks..buddy breathing, Buoyancy control, and learning how to tell when the air ran out (ie can no longer breathe !!)
Huge lightening storms moved in and cut the class short but at least by now I was feeling fairly confident with the whole underwater thing.

OPEN DIVE WEEKEND

I passed !!!!!!!!!!!! Yayyyyyyy.
We spent the holiday weekend at lake Athens and somehow between the 4 open dives I managed to con Ted into letting me pass :)
I won't lie, it was quite tough but mainly it was tough because I was nervous. I had the worst cotton mouth as though Id smoked pot all weekend. (Not that I know the feeling of course..poetic license)

The worst thing was my hair. It turned green. Lovely lime green. Something to do with the chemicals or clay or other crap that we were floating in all day.Nice.

"Honeeeey yooouurrrr hayyyrrrr is briiiite greeeen" (they speak country out there)

Im not high maintenance but green hair I could do without. Luckily a few rinses with Lemon juice and I was back to the dirty blonde I am

But I did it..got though all the tasks and even managed to enjoy the diving by the end of it.
As karl wasn't diving he took in the "sights of Athens" ( !!??) by day; and joined us in the evening for campsite food and drinking. I know ...drinking. I had been so good before thinking I was sticking to the diving rules and them the dive master plies us with alcohol. Probably hoping I would pass out and stop going on about my green hair !

Britgirls ASIAN adventure

Good for the SEOUL



The check-in from Dallas at Korean air started badly with the Korean lady not being too happy that my passport was my maiden name
" Ohhh...very bad. You will have much trouble...much trouble"
Then on hearing we were heading on the Cambodia..
"Nooooo...no that very very dangerous place. You not go there. Not a good place for vacation "
too late now lady....it got more positive from there on

Kinda interesting flying Korean air-Karl was in heaven at the movie choices (all of the crouching tiger theme!)
They are very accommodating with FREE (hear that AA...you tight bastards) free alcohol !!
The food was great if not a little bizarre with seaweed soup, noodles, pickles etc.
It was a bloody long flight but between the movies, food and my Ipod "in flight Thai lesson" it went quicker than we had feared.
The lovely Korean air hostesses were totally charming
"more wine ?"
"more food ?"
"snack ?"
"face wipes ?"
Certainly puts the miserable biatches at AA to shame....we even got peanuts taking me to a time long ago before allergy law suits were present !!
The few hours in Seoul Airport were well spent stuffing yet more weird and wonderful foods into our bellies:)
I think I might explode before the end of the trip.
Got in at midnight to Bangkok and in amazing race style we ran though the airport to the immigration desk to beat out all the other arrivals and hoping to save ourselves a good hour.
unfortunately (woulda made good viewing) we got the wronf line so had to wait after all behind everyone else.....boo hoo.
Made our hotel by 2am.
Its in awell dodgy area (few blocks from the backpacker ghetto that in Koh san road) and we have a view of corrugated iron homes from our window with chickens, cats and dogs roaming the alley.
Still the hotel (Swana) could be described as a "diamond in the rough"
Once indoors it looks like something more fitting to south beach with its Art deco style. I love it. ....and theres AC, very very important as its unbelievably hot here.
The humidity is unbearable even at 2am
fyi...ignore any typos as its really hard on this key board with thai and english letters

BANGKOK BABY


So here we are after our first full day in Bangkok.
What a place !!
I love it- but its crazy, wild and dirty (maybe that's why!)
Despite being in the middle of monsoon season( awful flooding north of here) there has not yet been a lick of rain. It might actually be nice to get some as the humidity is stifling.
The news today was a lot about the earthquake in Indonessia and worries about a tsunami coming back this way; but I think it woulda happened by now if that was the case (and we are not on the coast yet anyways)
Our only danger to avoid so far has been to escape the relentless scam men that walk the streets.
Its very safe here day or night and I don't fear anyone robbing us in the true sense of the word but, man, they sure try and charm the $$$ out of you at every move.
Its quite funny and very clever in fact; I have the lonely planet guide book to thank for all the tips on avoiding them
Everyone is your friend and EVERYONE has some advice on where you should and shouldn't be sightseeing......mainly not wherever you were heading and instead to someplace else which just happens to be on route to his fathers/brothers/friends tailors/gem store
....it goes something like this
"Ãh friends...you from Us of A?
...I used to work/live/visit there often."
"I am a teacher/lawyer" (anything that sounds trustworthy)
"Where you got today? "
"Oh Grand palace.......its closed...kings birthday. Will be open all day tomorrow and free tomorroww. Best go then..not now."
"Maybe now you want to see big budda. I can get you a taxi to take you right there !!!!"
and so on and so on
It varies slightly each time but basically the theme remains the same and they are so well dressed and so charming it would be easy for a (non lonely planet book) person to fall for
Its all harmless enough. But all lies
The tuk tuks are the same...you ask to go one place and they take youwherever they want (again...a store of some relative) and tell you just to go in to look ..which of course is when the hard sell starts.
So...the Grand place WAS open and we did get there and sightsee all day around the Palace, the Wats (temples) and such.
I am kinda Budda'ed out by now after seeing the golden budda (who was very golden) the Emerald budda (little and green) and the reclining budda who was HUGE and, you guessed it.Reclining.
We saw plenty of others too but they blurred into one by the end of the day
It was actually very beautiful and the gold and the glitz was AMAZING
After a good nap we hit Koh San road which is where all the street nightlife is.
All the bars playing competing techno really really loud. Street vendors, animals, crazy folk
....my favourite was the local gas station became a bar after dark. The gas pumps were covered in blankets; tables with candles (??!!!) were set out for diners ..Seriouslyly I kid you not !!! can anyone say explosion risk !!????

It was quite an experience. I had a Green curry which blew my non existant socks off ....so friggin' spicy !!!
Then in true "Amazing race" fashion I ate some fried locusts. Ok I ate half of one and it actually wasn't too bad as they shake salt and crisco all over them.
I didn't brink my camera cord so the pics will only be available on my return, and believe me I took MANY

Tomorrow its up north of bangkok to Kancaburi just for the day and a chance to see the traditional floating markets as well as the Tiger Temple where local monks have rescued tiger cubs and brough them up within the temple quarry
apparently you get to walk with them and pet them but the monks warn you not to wear bright clothing as this could alarm trelativelyvly tame tiger.
Tdisclaimermer said only one tourist in the last 5 years has been mauled but few have damaged their fingers !!! Ohhhkkkaaaaaayyyyyyy

EYE OF THE TIGER

So i forgot yesterday to mention the shopping which of course shouldn't ever be forgot...
We did the famous weekend market early in the morning which was packed and crazy; they sold everything under the sun from plants, furniture, plastic Budda's, food, knock off clothing and animals.
Of course the animals was my favourite part with puppies and kittens, squirrels, chip monks, rabbits, chickens and fighting cocks.
Probably not the best with bird fly around but that's what we saw.

Now on to today which was about the best day ever.
We gave in and did a tour as we wanted to see the Tiger temple and this was the only way to get there without renting a car which neither of us wanted to do as the drivers are CRAZY here !!!
It was just a small group of 6 of us in a small van and we had to get about 2 hours north of Bangkok.
The driver was a maniac and my nails got bitten to the quick. It was mental how he weaved in and out of traffic....really fast and really close to the car/bike/truck in front.
Most of you guys know how Karl drives so you will know Im not easily shaken but this was very scary.
No wonder the blokes have mini shrines and good luck charms hanging from their mirrors.
I was about to kiss the ground when I got out.
We had no seat belts and the motorbikes around us held a family of 3,4 or even 5 with the youngest baby jammed in the middle of the older kids...no helmets on anyone !!!!
...Im thinking britney Spears would have less trouble here :)

The drive through the countryside goes something like this.......Poverty, poverty,poverty....glitz gold temple, poverty, poverty,poverty...glitz gold temple...you get the idea.
The one constant is the hundreds upon hundreds of huge glamorous billboards of the king EVERYWHERE. That guy sure likes to have his photos on display.

First we stopped Dameon Sudak for the Floating market which was quite touristy but really cool to see.
It was hectic yet serene at the same time. Tons of long boats selling wares as you went by them in your long boat....gifts, souvenirs,fruit,spices, food even being cooked on them.
We spent a while at the market and them drove on to Kanchuburi to see the bridge over the river Kwai and a small museum there.
Next was what today's trip was all about (for me anyways) and that was the Tiger temple.
It was another hour north in an old quarry with forestland that had been donated all around.
At three every day the tigers that have been rescued by the monks get to leave the forest environment and enter the quarry.........That's where we got to go in and visit them...And I mean visit !!
This was Karls anniversary gift to me (think he might be trying to get rid of me!!??)
Its a long way off the beaten track and doesn't get too many visitors but is well worth making the effort to get to.
On arrival we were told not to wear bright clothing as this can irritate the cats and no one wants that. The bizarre thing is; the monks who raised them wear dayglo orange so thats really odd but I wasn't about the argue the rules in this case
We were told to be careful and not to make sudden movements. To move "as nature" as the monks do...very serene and calm
Im not so sure about calm but I tried.
It was unbelievable
The monks take you one at a time into the quarry.
Some Tigers are on long chains and some not at all. There were a couple of babies but the majority are big full grown Tigers....huge. It's truly awe inspiring to see the monks with them and the respect from one to another.
Anyways I digress. The monks took me up to each tiger and sat with me so I could hug,pet,stroke,tickle the big cat.
Their volunteer took the photos to ensure no flash or anything which may scare the cats.
I was in heaven and coulda stayed there all day. I even have one photo with me resting my head on the tigers neck.
It was wonderful.
There were a couple of scary moments witht he tiger getting freaked out by something and two male tigers got into a fight whilst we were in the quarry...it wasn't too bad but the roars echoed and sounded really frightening.
One monk in particular took a liking to me and got some great photos. He also let me do things we weren't really meant to do like touching their huge feet...ok that part was scary......long, sharp claws on my fingers. WILD !!!!!
I had read a few reports that tourists who had done this before and questioned whether the Tigers had been drugged but Im pretty sure that wasn't the case.
They did get a bit wound up every once in a while and the monks did do alot of distraction techniques.
If they growled or showed teeth at me the monk would pour water on their noses and then distract them with toys and food
All in all it was one of the best things I have ever done and the temple project there is great with donations they are building another 12 acres for the cats to live and play.
All the cats there have been brought up as cubs and can never be released to the wild as they have lost any hunting ability; but the next generation of cubs they are hoping to be able to release to live as true wild tigers. This will be easier once the next stage of their project is complete.
I loved it :)
Check out www.walkingwithtigers.org for more info

CAMBODIA

Here we are now in Cambodia.
We had to get up at 5am for the flight so our last night in Bangkok was a bit more mellow...we just hit the bars and got a semi early night (midnight is REALLY early for me)
I had one of my fave drinks in the Koa San road area which was the "buckets"; which are literally buckets with coke, thai whisky and thai max (really really stong red bull). They are crazy drinks and get you wasted soooo quick.
Even though there was no clubbing to be done it was a night in itself just to sit with a drink, a potent red curry and watch the crazies on Koa san road go by.
.....Lady boys, mashed up english blokes, thai club kids, baby elephants (really...I have the pic to prove it!!!)
You name it and you will see it down there.
The nice thing that IS missing from Koa san road is the fat, old western man who buy the young thai chick for the night. Its not really too prevalent in that area which was a nice change as its sickening to see really. Some gorgeous', really young ( and Im talking teenager) walking hand in hand with a pot bellied 40 yrs old sweaty westerner
UGH

So, now we are in Cambodia and its still hot hot hot (hence the time being spent in the internetcafe.) Theres only one in town though and so this will be my one and only blog from here Im guessing.
Tomorrow is karl';s idea of heaven.
A whole day to see the Ankor Wat temples. I hear they are quite amazing so I am excited too.
Siem Reap is an odd place and at the moment at least very few tourists.
Coming in from the airport were some really big glitzy hotels but once in town its just dusty roads and poverty like I have never experienced before.
Lots beggers all over; most kids and many with missing limbs from landmine accidents. Its really sad and hard to see them and have them approach you as aggressively as they do. They grab at you and follow you for ever but theres too many to start giving too so what the hell do you do!!???
Well karl wasn't too impressed when I suggested just running for it as they couldn't catch us with one leg.....
Ok ok I was just joking but what do you do or say in this situation......Its pretty awful.
On the whole though I am quite amazed by the happy smiling faces I am seeing despite the poverty and despite the awful history the cambodians have endured (pretty much everyone and their dog has had a go at them at some time or another !)
The town itself looks like a bombed out zone....all dusty and broken buildings though I hear this is from construction not any war.
Though the Khmer rule was so new history that its kinda scary in itself. The last Khmer shooting spree was only as far back as 1996
Little too close for comfort there Im thinking.....
The bad part is the road we will be taking back is in bad shape right now and the normal 7-8 hours is estimated to be more like 11.
You can imagine karl is not too happy with that situation but the flight is $120 each whereas the road trip will be less than $20 each.
We may get our first rain of the trip tonight which hopefully will cool the air down a little before tomorrows sightseeing bonanza.

P.S. Oh a little deet info for anyone that has followed previous (Guatemala and Belize) blogs.
The 100% deet that robbed me of lower leg hairs and an eyebrow last year has struck again and blistered up my ankles. Yet still the mozzies bite :(
P.P.S Bangkok airways rocks.....our flight was only 30 minutes and we got free snacks at the check in gate as well as a full breakfast on board, wet towels to clean up with and a newspaper to enjoy...all served with a smile.

ANGKOR WAT ??!!!


Last night we went to see the sunset at one of the temples.
It was beautiful and we rode up the trail by elephant !!!!! Was quite scary at first but soon got used to it. We were on a seat strapped to the back but fat bastard karl was heavier than me so I ended up being way higher that him. Too funny.
Loved the sunset and it was quite a cool atmosphere being up there with the monks and other travelers.
We went out that night to Pub Street which is an area of Siem reap popular with tourists. It was just so so. We met a bloke from Uk -Ty who had been on the road for 2 1/2 years....man was I jealous !!!!
Shared a few beers and a few stories but to be honest I didn't like the atmosphere. It was a really nice street with really nice bars but the locals were not allowed in !!! Seemed weird.
Once 11 o'clock came there were the locals...man with no legs, lady with dead-looking baby, kids, kids with no arms, all wandering close by staring in; looking sad.
Was not conducive to a fun night. Though the gigantic Ankor beers (a bottle of beer is about the size of a bottle of wine !!) were conducive to fun :)
Next day and we spent the whole day at Ankor seeing all the temples...Terrace of Elephants, Banyon, Angkor Wat(karls fave...stunning) and my favourite Ta Phrom (think Lara croft in tombraider)....all overgrown and huge tree roots. It felt like the most adventurous to me
Outside each temple...there were the kids again...all sellling crap but so damn cute.
So aggressive with their sales pitch that I have a feeling they have a budding career in used car sales
"buy buy...one dollar"
"one dollar"
"where you from? Ah capitol london. Labour government"
After a while we broke and did buy a couple of trinkets which went steadily from one dollar each to 20 for one dollar
That didn't help ease the sales patter
""why so no buy from me. I sad. You buy from her but not me. I cry "
IMPOSSIBLE
And the don't take no for an answer but follow you for miles and miles.
My favourite part about Angkor Wat was the random monks scattered around who all seems to have a liking for me and would look serious and then just start giggling when I talked to them
...I got some great pics though...I think karl is concerned that I might run of with a monk as I have a bit of a photo fetish for them now.
It was an exhausting day and that night we went back out into the town for dinner but with pretty much the same results and it just felt bad to be sat eating with starving people all around :(
The food here is pretty cheap though not as cheap as Bangkok.
In Bangkok we were eating a full meal and drinks for $2 each and here a full meal and beer was closer to $4 (ok...not exactly expensive I know !!!!)

THE ROAD FROM HELL AND BACK

Today after breakfast the staff in Siem reap (the Two Dragons guesthouse) all came to see us off :) .....the girls that worked reception...the cook (even though we only had breakfast) and Mr Bunny the tuk tuk driver who drove us around Angkor.
It was really touching.
......and then ....da da da daaaaaa......there we were on the infamous "Siem reap to Bangkok" road
It is about 100 miles to the cambodia/thai border and took us 3 hours. The road is not pathed and has pot holes the size of craters all along it.
Its a good job I wasn't X-rayed at the end as Im sure my liver, stomach, intestine, and bladder would have been all in the wrong place by journeys end.
Me and Karl were like a pin-ball machine being bounced around like crazy in the back of the vehicle.
My back, butt, boobs were in agony by the end but it was ssssoooooo worth it
We drove through all the dusty local villages where markets were going on.
Bikes with chickens, piglets, dead pigs...Strung onto a bike with their feet bouncing along , ox and cart etc were all along the road as well as tons of carts, bikes and mopeds full of whole families heading to market buy their supplies
It was quite a hair raising ride as the cars had the correct side to drive on; but really because of the pot holes no one stuck to the correct side at all... It was like playing chicken with the buses and carts that were coming towards us and more than once a small squeal escaped me out of pure fear!!!!!!
Once we arrived in the poo-hole border town that is Poipet (it really is awful...NEVER stay here).....we found our way through cambodian immigration...(a shed) walked to thai side (another shed) went through customs (a joke) got a tuk tuk....and then got the thai government (local) bus to Bangkok.
After boarding the first vehicle at 8am we finally reach our destination in bangkok at 7pm !!!!
A great road this time but still 5 hours of travel ...ugh.
We were lucky as the road could have been 11 hours and sometimes if the weather is bad up to 20 hours !!!
I heard that the thai government slip money to the Cambodians to not fix the road as only Bangkok airways fly from bangkok to Siem reap and they can charge whatever they want as no one wants to use the only other option...the road !!!! What a Con
That will come to an end soon when Siem reap open their new international Airport !!!

Also (you don't have to read this part) but my least fave thing about the trip that I have to mention so far has been the traditional style toilets !!!
They are just of the squat variety but worse than that; they have no paper and no sinks !! Just a trough by the "hole".
Somehow you are meant to squat and hold your balance then use the trough to scoop out water to wet your hands..........wipe with said hand !!!!!! then shake dry......get up (without dragging pants on the ground which is always wet and gross)
.....them remember not to use that said hand to eat, etc.
However thanks for forward thinking we brough lots of alcohol wipes, lotions, baby wipes etc ....so our typical thai/cambodian toilet experience has been a bit more pleasent than it could have been

ONE (MORE) NIGHT IN BANGKOK

Sawadee Ka !!!!!
So here we are back in bangkok only this time we are not in the backpacker ghetto but instead we stayed in a different area closer to the Patpong area, so that we could check out the infamous red light district.
Our first rain storm of the trip made walking around the streets quite crazy; as when it rains here it REALLY rains and my flip flops became water born vessels and there I was practically walking on water though it was more like slip-sliding on water along the streets of Patpong
They have a great night market where all the british tourists were getting their bargains but the red light district itself was very depressing.
At every stop some one would hand us a "menu"
"pussy pingpong show"
"pussy banana"
"pussy flags"
"pussy fire darts"
...and most scary of all
"pussy and razor blades" !!! OUCH
From a safe distance (outside the doors) we could see girls on stage. Some were really young and some were most certainly lady boys (they look very feminine and pretty here) dancing but not really dancing...hardly moving. Just swaying in a bored way in a bikini and a number attatched to their chest :(
Them the fat western blokes would come out the bars with girl in hand and vanish into the dark streets. I bet some of them got a shock when they awoke that morning hungover and realized their hot Thai chicka had boy parts. Ha ha ha
I wanted to just go and buy them all so they could sleep safely in my room for the night and not have to do whatever these blokes wanted them for :( :(

Well...on a lighter note....here we are at the airport again. free food....free internet and awaiting the flight to the islands :)
YAYYYYYYYY
Look out beach...here I come :)


ISLAND FEVER


Here we are on Koh samui
....so tropical and really stunning. Even the airport resembled a holiday resort with Palapa style roofs :)
Karl hated the flight as it was one of those propellor planes...poor boy.
At the moment we are in the north in a quiet fishing village called Bophut (fishermans village).
Theres not much action here at all...in fact the bars/restaurants are all shut by 10pm.
Right now thats ok with us as we need the rest and relaxation after the hectic pace we have been keeping.
Our guesthouse is gorgeous.
Its an old chinese Tea house and the rooms are big with 4 poster beds and decorated so over the top with Chinese artifacts. From our bed it looks out onto our own terrace which hangs out over the beach and ocean. Really a little slice of heaven.
A room like this would be hundreds of dollars in USA or Europe but we paid just $40 (still quite expensive for here !!!!!)
The beach here is not very popular as its a quieter town and also as its more course yellow sand rather than the powder white on Chewang or Koh Phangan. In fact we pretty much have had the town and beach to ourselves which is wild.
I think the beach is really pretty though with the jungle as a back drop and hardly any resorts of hotels to mar the view
The restaurants are really quaint and again a little more expensive than we have been used to (but at $5 a meal inc drinks...still not bad)
We ate out last night at a place called Starfish and Coffee and enjoyed the sunset.
The food so far on this trip has been wonderful.....so much great thai food (which I prefer from the Cambodian grub which isn't as spicy).
We have not had any "western" meals so far. The Thai food is delicious. Spicy and full of flavour...jungle curry, red curry, yellow, green, different seafoods and pastes that I forget the name of but all GREAT......and cheap as chips !!!!
Later today we move to Koh Phangan island and from there its back to Koh samui but this time to the party resort for a little club action which has been sadly lacking so far !!!! Well, ok not really "sadly lacking"...... all the backpacking places have a bar scene and beach party scene more than official clubbing which has been a fun experience too.

Island fever part 2


Later.....
After a ferry ride we are now on Koh Phangan.
This island is the hippy isle I think and Im slowly leaving my Dallas ways behind me.
Gone are the shorts and Cargo's instead a tie died wrap and flip flops are about my only clothing for now.
Everyone here looks like they have been living here for years and its mainly Europeans with a real backpacker feel to it....dreadlocks, braids, head scarfs...cheap cheap food, clothes, drinks.
The bars all play pirate movies and during lunch today we saw half of "dick and Jane"!!!!
Karl was pissed as the bar further down had da Vinci code on :)
They are hard to follow though with subtitles and you can hear people laughing in the non existant audience form when it was secretly taped.
The beaches are GORGEOUS. Powdery sand. Clear waters but more of a silky green colour than blue; and the jungle hills behind.
Breathtaking. I know I won't want to leave this island for sure...
There are tons of small bars and beachside "clubs" here with jugglers and fire eater type entertainment.
We are supposed to be going to a thai boxing match back in Chewang tonight if we can figure out how to get there. Certainly more Karls scene than mine !

FIGHT CLUB


I don't understand the need for two men in a civilized nation to want to beat the crap out of each other....not boxing...not wrestling and especially not Muay Thai Boxing where pretty much anything goes !
We went to the Stadium to see this bizarre event of testosterone last night.
I didn't want to go and Karl did so I said I would; just to experience it.
I was both appauled and excited at the same time.
Im sure they have rules in the match but as the commentary was in Thai I had no clue as to what they could and couldn't do.
It seemed to me that other than head butting or biting pretty much anything goes....kicking in the groin, kicks to the stomach, chin butts, punching, kicks to the face.....very gruesome.
We were really close so could hear the impact of each kick and see the sweat (and blood) fly.
5 rounds of three minutes each and high impact fighting. These guys are tough.
Before the beginning the fighters performed some graceful dance that wouldn't have been out of place in a female ballet !!!!
......then they proceded to kick the shit out of each other.
The crowd was rowdy and I have to say by fights end I was even getting into it a little.

Other than that; last night we enjoyed the beach bars and restaurants.
At night they pull out short tables to the beach and triangle cushions which you lounge on on the beach and enjoy your dinner by the lapping waves...its great.
Managed (yet another) curry and a few to many Chang beers for ridiculously cheap. The competing bars all play Techno and House music so you can pretty much pick your tunes as you wander between them.
Then at 1 am I had my first "western food" of the trip when I spotted a fish and chip shop owned by a Scottish bloke who gave up in England and moved here 8 years ago :)
The party beach calls when we move tonight to Chewang beach !!!.....think Faliraki (or jersey shores)...fast food, english breakfasts, clubs, markets full of souvenirs, neon and glitz.
It has to be done :)

Finally some clubs that don't include razor blades and naked birds


So.....now we are in the party town on Koh Samui called Chewang Beach and its a totally different pace from both Bo Phut and Koh Phangan.
Nothing sleepy or even hippy about this town. Lots of bars, clubs, restaurants serving full English breakfasts, US newspapers, LOTS of build up to the world cup with bars playing the warm up games...you get the idea.

Fun and tacky..yet with a gorgeous beach on one side of the party street and a tropical jungle the other. MAD.
Though the street is madness the beach is not too hectic at all. There are plenty of beach vendors though selling odd, random stuff like neon lighters, Nemo hats, flashing things....sometimes they even move their whacky wares to one side and show you what they really want you to buy.....Ghanja or black tar Heroin !!!
Yeh right like Im gonna risk going to the "Bangkok Hilton" for a few drugs of a beach bum.
They don't really bother you though and the beach is way more peaceful than the street side.
Last night we decided to hit the town so; despite not having any clean clothes we went out to find some partying.
After yet another great Thai dinner...Pad Kea mow; we ventured into the party zone which is a couple of blocks long and full of club kids, lady boys, bars and clubs.
Its low season but the streets were still busy (not too bad though.)
Lots and Lots of dodgy massage parlor's
"sirrrr......you want masssaaaaagggge.
massagggeeeee"
Just watch out if they offer you a happy ending with that !!!!???? (use your imagination !!!!!)
It doesn't have nearly the same amount of girlie bars as Patpong but did seem to have a lots of "hostess bars"
No one strips or even dances just lots of cute girls(and boys) that will happily come and sit with you hoping that you will pick them up for the rest of your vacation.
...and plenty do. we sat in a "regular" bar opposite the hostess bar for a while just watching the action.
Early in the night there will be as many as 20 girls or ladyboys working the tables and its just business as normal if you are a girl or a couple but once a single guy goes in its like flies round shit and they really pamper to him......lots of giggling, smiling, touching his shoulder, mopping his brow (no lie...we witnessed this) until he somehow negotiates a price and leaves with someone for who knows how long.
Anyway...the night was fun though I made the mistake of getting the dreaded Sangsom whisky bucket again and was well gone !!!!
Made it to one of the more popular clubs here called Green mango where we found ourselves bopping to Eminems "shake that ass" !!!!! What were we thinking ???
Well Im glad to say as the night wore on the tunes got better and some great house tunes later we stumbled home drunk and feeling regretful that an early start had been planned
Needless to say the 6 am start was not much fun for either of us
We had booked a tour on a ferry out to Ang Thong (marine park) for a Kayaking trek.
It was a great time though Im in agony from it now. Lots of Kayaking around the islands. There are 40 in all (we only did a few !!)
This was the inspiration for Alex Garland novel "the beach". Most of the filming was actually done on Koh Phi Phi but some here too . Limestone cliffs, clear waters, white sand.
On the way back we stopped off at an Elephant camp where the retired and rescued Elephants go.
We didn't have time to do the full trek but got to ride them up into the hills and back which was cool (second elephant ride of the trip now !!)
Nice too that its a protected place for them and I have to say they have great living areas amongst the jungle there.
Tomorrow is our last (full) day.
Very sad :(
For the first time this vacation we will spend the day around the town/guesthouse and actually rest up and enjoy the beach :)
Our place here is really nice. We have a garden bungalow which should really be called the jungle bungalow as its surrounded by vegetation (and bugs...huge) but its lovely inside and just down a path from the beach too.
Ok them well...I doubt Ill log back on tomorrow. A day of rest probably on't make for interesting blogging . Tonight we are back out to the bars and with no early start the night is ours for the making....

Then its onto Bangkok for yet another visit (and shop :)) Finally the flight home which is doing my head in thinking about as somehow we land in Dallas before we even took off from Bangkok....I can't get my head around that !!
Im in full fledges backpacker mode..... Dirty hair, smelly clothes, I stopped shaving legs or wearing shoes. Nice eh
Not sure Im ready to get back to leave the islands and get back to real life just yet............... Though the rest will be much needed
I think we will both need a holiday !!!

Final days


Our last day on the island was indeed spent relaxing, enjoying the beach and taking tons of photos. We even waded out to a deserted island to explore some which was tough going through all the coral but worth the effort to ahve the place to ourselves.
The final night was really really sad and we went into town and had our final beach meal at Ark bar with mattresses thrown on the sand, house music and spicy food.
Finally it was back to Bangkok for a whole day and most of the night. We flew in...left our bags at the airport and got a taxi to the Sukhumvit area (more american hotels and ex pat feeling)
We did our last minute shopping at the market stalls and MBK mall then went to dinner in that area to "Cabbages and Condoms" - a restaurant set up to promote knowledge and fund reaserch into Aids (kinda ironic that its in Sukumvit area which is the leading place for Sex tourists !!)
Had a wonderful meal, wine and even got a free condom with the check :)
A few (too many) drinkies around the bars there...saw Bed supperclub. Until it was time to return to the airport and the long flight home
This was without a doubt one if the roughest flights ever.
Im not a nervous flyer but when mid flight after awful turbulance the crew all run to space seat and buckle down its enough to make anyone sweat.
I had visions of my seaweed soup and pickels being my last ever meal :(
Turned out ok though and MANY hours later we land back in Dallas. exhasted and just a little sad.
It was good to see the kitties on our return and later I will show them the photos of their big cousin Tigers !!!!!!
S. E asai is a great place for holiday and travels. It has its fair share of issues and corruption for sure ( I spent the 24 hour flight reading some very interesting books about the prison system, sex trade, child prostitution etc) but as a place for adventure its top notch and I would highly reccomend it to anyone wanted something a little different

Players In Playa

.....What started out as a small group blossomed into a party crew of over 30 going to Playa Del Carmen (sorry Mark!)
Great fun was had by all. From DFW on the funjet plane(which we almost filled) the fun began.

Our days were spent exploring that area of Mexico otherwise untouched (well by us)
...and our nights were all about the good food, even better Margaritas and partying til the wee hours.
Ok...ok... my "wee hours" were in the 3-4am range and not the 6-7am range like some of our hardcore buddies but with a hubby instant on waking me at 8am sharp I had my own curfew this trip.
The beach at Playa is beautiful and we posed like..well...erm Posey people at Mamitas beach club; which woulda seemed more at place in South beach that here on the Mexican coastline.

With its Urber-cool Mexico Cityites shaking their butts to the Dj, and the four poster sun loungers we felt like Way Cool.




One of the day trips involved the local ferry to Wilma stricken Cozumel. Not a bad day out and cheap as chips to do.

Only problem was some of our crew had no sea legs and weak land lubbing stomachs ( Ana and Karl!) and they paid the price later.
I have to say I was more likely to get ill from the dodgy Mariachi band on board....and why was a Ronald Mc Donald look alike part of a band anyways???
With childhood vacations spent crossing the English channel on a P&O ferry I have a stomach of steel !

The second days adventure proved to be a little taxing. I had promised Karl we would hit some ruins and Coba beckoned. Ruins you can climb on and further off the beaten track?... we had to get there.
Unfortunately we made it as far as Tulum and then hit a problem. All the buses had stopped running for the day, All the rental cars were gone gone gone, the taxis were a rip-off and Karl refused to let us hitchhike.
We were stuck. Plan A,B,C and D had been exhausted...
Luckily we met a local girl at lunch who made some quick calls and got us a bargain cab fare. All five of us had to squeeze in and duck if we passed a police car but we made it in one piece and it was so worth it just to see karls happy shiny face!
The ruins weren't too bad. I thought after Tikal I woulda been too spoilt to enjoy then but the climb up the big pyramid was quite tough and worth doing
Pallins observation "well, where's the jungle" did have a ring of truth in it as the "jungle was remarkable scrubby and not too jungely but still...


The nightlife was good and we hit a different club each night. My favorite evening being At Club Bali.
It wasn't your typical beach club but had air-con. Yay!!!
The music ranged from Deep House to Black eyed peas...at which point Chris (ever the DJ) made "I-will-slit-your-throat-if-you-don't-put-the-techno-back-on" signs.
The Dj refusing be told what to do by this gringo then proceeded to play YMCA and I Will Survive...much to Chris' outrage and our amusement !!!
By 4am we were the only non locals in the joint and everyone know the music but us as they sang along drunkenly to what I can only assume to be mexicos answer to Back street boys.
Ah, a fun night
VIVA MEXICO !!

Ps And as for the rumours floating around...Something about a make-out game with "tough" challenges !???....hmmmmmm....what about the story of some chicas skinny dipping....being kidnapped...hitchhiking in just a towel ??!!!! Whats the story of the "noomyenoh"...the mysterious WWF masks??...and why did one of our crew show up on the return flight in a wheelchair ???

Well I guess you just had to be there....sorry my lips are sealed. "What happens in Mexico stays in Mexico!!"

Britgirl in Amsterdam-new yrs eve

December 30th
So after some time in Uk it was on to Amsterdam for some fun. meeting us there was 7 of the dallas party crew as well as a couple of Karens friends. (Chris, Karen,Anita,Aliza,Kevin,James and Brett.
We arrived in a blizzard...couldn't even see in front of us as we battled with the backpacks to find our hotel. Got there with 30 minutes to spare as Chris had booked us in for dinner at the "Supperclub cruise". Cruise didn't really cruise too much thanks to the snowstorm going on outside (which was fine with Karl) but it was busy and the whole floor was one giant bed all in whites and chrome.
There was a Dj spinning house and 5 courses came out...all out of this world !! Inbetween courses we danced...on the deck, on the bed,,,everywhere. Great vibe.
We drank bottles of wine and Aliza (who hates techno) was the biggest dancer of us all !!!!!???
The meal lasted hours and we were all pretty trashed by the end of it. I don't even know what time we left the boat but it was still snowing and really late...still we went on a search for another club to carry on the dancing.............
We walked and stumble through the snow trying to find someplace cool. Eventually came to "eleven" which was in a disused warehouse and really bizarre location in the middle of a construction site. One single door led the way to graffiti corridors and then a guy appeared and let us into a lift which took us to the top floor and there was the club. Not busy like we had hoped but decent music so we settled in to enjoy the night
....until minutes late some dodgy guy came on the stage and started singing along to old style techno...Ugh...pretty awful so we decided to call it a night and back out into the storm to find our hotels !!!!!

New yrs eve.
After a day of sightseeing...wandering the canals, eating great Indonesian food and getting our culture fix at the Rijks museum we prepared for the news yrs eve night at Dam square !!!!!
filled our pockets and bags with bottles of alcohol and smokes and headed to the square to find a good spot. Already fireworks had started and the Djs and beer tents had set up. Was an awesome atmosphere with 30 000 people all set to party. As midnight approached the fireworks got louder and more frequent til it felt more like a war zone. They weren't just going up in the air but along the square, into the crowd...everywhere !!!! It was a bit hairy but added to the excitement. Midnight was madness...yelling and fireworks, singing and kissing.....
Me and the girls ended up on a lion statue with a great view all around and spent the rest of the time dancing whilst clinging onto the lion at the same time !!!!!! Quite an experience !!!
January 1st 2006 !!!
Started the day nursing hangovers at a pancake bakery...what a great start to the new yr !!!
More sightseeing afterwards and lots of photo ops as we took a canal boat tour.
That night we wandered the back street checking out the infamous red light district. Some dodgy characters wandering around there(not including us). The girls are sat in the windows at eye level either stroking their bodies to entice men or more often looking very bored reading a book or on the phone !!!!!!!!!!!! heres how it works...browse all windows looking for girl...knock on window...girl lets you in...curtains close and ...bobs your uncle ...instant sex!!!...short time passes...guys come out...curtains open and ready for the next customer....NICE ?!!
Girls had either of two looks
a: sweet and innocent blond russian type
b: fat ugly and possible transvestite
Im assuming there was a price difference between the two but obviously never got to find that out !!
Dinner was an expensive but traditional dutch restaurant with lots of meats and potato type foods
We had already partook in a few coffee shops at this point but decided tonight was the night to sample the infamous space cakes.
BIG Mistake !!!
Effects didn't hit me til ages later when we were in a club called Escape (ironically enough !!)
First I just felt a bit weird...like a little disconnected from my body. The slowly it got worse. I grabbed Karen and said lets go get some air and we ended up sitting on the stairs for ai don't know how long !!! It was very strange and very trippy. At first kinda fun and spacey but then gradually got to where I was feeling really bad and just wanted it to stop. tried to make myself sick but that seemed only be make it worse....eventually Karl came to take me back to the hotel. The walk home was odd. I was not even in my own body and it was like I was trying to control my movements with a joystick. I wasn't falling all over like when Im drunk just wanlking very placid but all the time my mid was racing and I was scared not knowing how I was moving or walking.
Even back at the hotel and in bed the feelings kept getting worse..my heart was racing and I had "sliding vision" like I would say something to karl and then not realize and say it again.
I couldn't keep in reality and spent hours trying to focus on one thing to keep myself from drifting off again.......It lasted hours and scared the crap out of me.

Next morning it was as though nothing had ever happened.
I had survived an Amsterdam Space Cake !!!!!!

January 2nd. 2006
the group is now down to 4 of us and we spent the day wandering the canals, the flower market, Jewish quarter and ate both lunch and dinner at cheap brown cafes both of which had a really dive feel to them...warm and cozy though.
One final walk though the narrow street and late night food from the Diiirrrtyyy kebab shops.
Our last night...no one wanted to leave and head back to Dallas.
We had a flight back to UK...one more night there and then another flight to Dallas..........

Another britgirl adventure closes its doors