Kanchanaburi

Good evening,

Well good evening from us anyway and good afternoon to you. We are writing this part of our blog from the small town of Kanchanaburi in western Thailand, while sipping on a fruit smoothie overlooking yet another thunderstorm happening in the distance over the River Kwai. This a much more relaxed setting compared to the non stop hustle and bustle of Bangkok.

So since we last spoke we have moved on from Bangkok for 3 nights in the lovely VN Guesthouse. We have rented a floating river raft room which literally means we are sleeping on the river. The accommodation is basic compared to our last hostel as there is no flushing toilet (The bucket supplied has been useful), you can also see the river flowing through a hole under our sink while you sit on the toilet........but the view from the balcony that we now have more than makes up for it. As im sure you will agree when you see the pictures.

Kanchanaburi has its place set firmly in the history books, well know for the Death Railway during the WW2 and is home to the famous bridge over the river kwai. Over the last few days we have learnt so much about this piece of history that we could write a book.

Firstly we visited the Thailand - Burma Railway Centre which was a fascinating place where we learnt all about the Death Railway and how the Prisoners of War were treated during there capture under the Japanese. This is located just opposite the Kanchanaburi Allied War Cemetery. This is a touching gift from the Thai people to remember the POW's mainly from Britain and Holland that died on their soil. Having learnt so much it made the visit to the bridge so much more meaningful.

Today we choose to visit some of the further out attractions including another war cemetery and a temple that has been built within limestone caves. Now we have finished our day out and are back safely, (not wanting to scare parents) we feel it appropriate to mention that we had to rent a scooter which was most fun and we enjoyed seeing some of the Thai countryside.

 

Having visited all the major sights in Kanchanaburi we are heading back to Bangkok for the night before we will be catching a 15 hour sleeper train to Chiang Mai in the North of Thailand, which is something that we are both very much looking forward to.

To truly understand the importance that Kanchanaburi has in British history, we feel that a visit is 100% necessary. A visit to Thailand would just not be complete without visiting this very special little town.

Bangkok attractions - The Grand Palace, The Emerald Buddha and Wat Arun

Today we decided to do some of the necessary tourist things in Bangkok which meant a rather early start to avoid the crowds. We walked the 40 mins from our hotel to The Grand Palace and The Temple of Emerald Buddha We arrived at The Grand Palace to find that the price had gone up again, it was now costing 400 BAHT (£8) which does not seem a lot but it is about 3 times the price of most other entrances fees in Thailand. Because of this maybe our expectations were too high? The Emerald Buddha was gorgeous as it sparkled in beautiful gold colours and observing so many people bowing, worshiping and praying was quite touching. The palace was a lovely building but we both felt disappointed we were not allowed to enter due to no tours taking place.

As we left the palace as we headed to the river in search of Wat Arun. This is a temple that i had read offers fantastic views of downtown Bangkok. We arrived at the water pier to cross the river by boat, a little old thai lady was sat collecting the 3 bhatt (6p) per person to cross. As we stepped on the rocking boat it seemed fitting that we were sat next to two monks, we could see the anciient temple in the distance and we knew we were in for a treat. Getting closer to the temple we noticed all the stairs we had to climb to get to the viewing point. . . . .

The first flight of stairs we had to climb were steep. It felt like we could actually crawl up them using our hands and knees. Then we saw the next set of stairs, not only very steep but shallow as well. It was probably no more than 15 to 20 steps but they seemed to keep going all the way into the skies. Jonny's vertigo had kicked in just looking at the stairs so i reassured him that the trek would be worth it when we reached the top. I read that the journey up could give you butterflies; this was very true. Sweaty palms, butterflies, holding the railing so tight and all I could think is DON'T LOOK DOWN. I don't suffer from heights but i still felt shaky as i pulled myself up so i was extra proud of Jonny!!! The view from the top made it all worth while, as we walked round the top level of the temple. It was here that Bangkok can be summed up. On one side there was the very urban skyline in the far ground, with fascinating old boats weaving their way through the busy river bellow. The other side you can see the chaotic markets in front of The Grand Palace and temples, it was such a mix of cultures and classes making the city seem so unique.

We can safely say no trip to Bangkok is complete without a visit to Wat Arun.

Next up were going to see a whole different side to Bangkok, were going for our first thai message then were going for a few drinks on the famous Koah San Road. . . .

Sàwàddee x

We Haave Arrived - Bangkok

So less than 24 hours into our world tour and it seems we really have just set out on one big amazing adventure.

Since we last spoke hours of packing and re packing have taken place as we decided that we had far to much in the bags, last minute shopping grabbing the odds and sods that we needed to make the journey a good one and quite a few teary goodbyes to family.

Tuesday evening came all to quick and before we new it we were off to Terminal 3 to catch the first of 2 flights that would get us here to Bangkok. At check in we were promptly told that we would be flying Business Class and this we owe a massive thank you to Dad who managed to pull a few strings.

We have decided that this really is the only way to travel and i think we will be in for quite a culture shock when we go back into economy (where we belong) for our flight to Brisbane. You should have seen Amber face light up when she was given a cocktail menu and wine list before we had even taken off. An hour into the flight and we had the first meal of many. A nice three course meal consisting of soup, fillet of beef and tart for desert. Having stuffed ourselves full it was time to recline the chair into a fully flat bed and catch some sleep. What seemed like only 10 minutes has passed before we were being woken up and presented with a three course breakfast before landing in Dubai.

Upon disembarking the plane at Dubai we were met with temperatures of 34 degrees. Isn't that regular for Dubai i hear you say?!? Well yes i guess it is, but not at 7 o'clock in the morning.

After a short stop over at Dubai we were on our way again to Bangkok. Yet again we were met with several courses of food before watching a few movies on a 22 inch screen and getting some more sleep. Five and a half hours flew round and before we knew it we were all being prepared for landing.

Anyone that has ever flown on Emirates will know, they have cameras on the place which are viewable to the passengers. One of these is called Pilot cam which does exactly what it says on the tin and is a camera that gives the view that the pilot has. It was while watching this we noticed there were a few flashes of lightening in the sky. Ten minutes went buy and the sky was almost constantly lit up with lightening bolts. Sure enough it was a large enough storm that we had to circle for roughly 30 minutes before being allowed to land. As we were landing we could still see the lightneing, this time very close to the plane. Now i know that while were in Bangkok we were hoping that we might experience an Asia thunderstorm, but i think i can speak for the both of us to say that was not how we wished to experience one and were both very glad to be on land again. We will be up loading the video of our lightening landing onto facebook shortly.

With our bags first off the plane we were soon in a taxi and heading towards our hotel. It was here we first experienced just how cheap this leg our journey is going to be. A one hour taxi ride including all tolls (which the customer has to pay for) and tip cam to a massive 500bht or £10 for those of you that aren't following the currency rates.

Our hotel is basic, but very clean and has plenty of hot water for a shower. Not bad at all for only £7 a night. Once we arrived we decided to go and walk around the local area. Sure enough the storm had not finished and our first experience of monsoon weather totally soaked us through. We have also visited the roof top terrace of the hotel we are staying in and i think you will agree the view is not half bad. (See photo below).

Today we have walked all around Bangkok, visited a traditional thai house and of course the mandatory shopping mall. Seen wealth like you cant believe in gold shops and seen adverse poverty in shanty towns that have been built under the highways. We have had a scary ride on a tuk tuk which almost ended in disaster but at risk of boring you all to death we will tell you more about this in a few days time when we have experienced more of the culture and have more to write back on.

So to conclude on our first twenty four hours we have experienced luxury at its finest and experienced the basic living accommodation that we need to get use to. We have experienced fresh food being cooked in the streets with sweet odours and also the general stink of the city. The hustle and bustle of yet another major city that never seems to sleep.

My god Thailand and Bangkok I think you have us hooked.

Our "see you later" drinks

Just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone that made such an effort and came down to Brighton to say goodbye to us last night. We had the most amazing night but it has made it harder for us to leave as were going to miss you all so much.

We have realised how important our blog, facebook and skype are going to be to keep up to date with everything going on back home . . . .and we can make you all jealous when your working the 9 to 5 while were on the beach.

Our skype account is "jonnyandamber" please add us so we can have a gossip.

We have a few more goodbyes and no doubt there will be a few more tears (from amber) before we depart to Bangkok a week on Tuesday. And although all these farewells are sad we are still unbelievably excited that our adventure is so close to beginning.

Three Weeks To Go

Firstly we would like to apologise for how long it has taken us to update. Im sure though when you read what we have been up to and what we have had to plan you will forgive us. So if you are interested in what we have been up to probably best to grab your self a cup of tea now as you could be here a while.

So the leaving date is coming round very quickly and what seems like yesterday when we had months to go till departure date all of a sudden is three weeks time on Tuesday.

The Route

A few things have had to change with the proposed route that we wanted to complete. Having carried out in depth research we have now decided that we are sadly going to give Laos a miss on our once of a life time journey. This is due to border crossings into Vietnam being very unpredictable in terms of opening times and also the time restraints we find ourselves carrying within the Asia leg of our journey. Instead we are now going to be returning to Bangkok after visiting the north of Thailand. From here we have then decided to catch a flight up to Hanoi (North Vietnam) where we will work our way down the country before entering Cambodia and then back into Thailand. From here the plan is head down to the south of Thailand visiting some of the many islands to soak up the sunshine, enjoy some white beaches and turquoise seas.  After a relaxing period we will head even further south through Malaysia and into Singapore where we are planning to spend a few days with Dad (Lara) who coincidently will be in Singapore on business.

From here the plan is still pretty much the same as we plan to travel to Australia where we will be spending Christmas and most probably New Year in Brisbane. After a planned 6 months touring and working across Australia we will be leaving the sunny climates and heading for the cooler weather of New Zealand.

After a month of touring New Zealand we will be on the move again for some well deserved relaxation on the gorgeous beaches of Fiji.

Fully refreshed and ready to move on, if time and money allow we will be planning on landing in LA and taking in some of the scenes that the west coast of America has to offer before returning back home approximately two weeks later.

Shopping

Sometimes trying to save money for the trip of a life time can seem extremely hard when at weekends all we seem to be doing is going shopping for the essentials that we will require while travelling. Needless to say Amber has been in her element.

Insurance, clothes, mosquitoes nets, rucksacks, day bags, money belts, waterproofs, toiletries, sun cream, walking shoes and a Netbook Laptop are just to name a few of the many items on the list.

Injections

I think that it is fair to say that we both want to stay fit and healthy while away and to make sure that this is the case we have had to have a few injections including Typhoid, Diphtheria, Hepatitis A & B, Tetanus.

I think it is fair to say that our arms are beginning to feel like pin cushions.

Staying In Touch

At least now having a Netbook (mini laptop) we will be able to stay in touch with all of you that are following us. If you would like to stay in touch with us we have set up a skype account and a round the world email address which we will be giving out in a future blog . We really want to stay in touch with you all and would love to receive any emails and chat to you over skype should the time difference allows us to.

You can be guaranteed that hundreds and thousands of photos will be taken and either put onto Facebook or this blog. If we are visiting a place that you may have been and believe is worth a trip please let us know and we will add it to the many places already on the list that we wish to visit.

Finally

So for now the packing continues and the Goodbyes have to start being handed out to close friends and family.