Home

Well I've been home now for 2 days, and am still a little bit on edge. After doing something new almost everyday, never staying in the same place for more than 2 nights (usually) and constantly meeting new people, London has already put me back into my old routines. It feels good to be home, to drink safe water, shower in your own shower, and sleep in your old bed. But I do miss everyone I've met along the way, I hope you're all doing well and for those that are still traveling, staying safe. I uploaded the last of photos, unpacked all my bags, and life resumes the way I left it, thanks for reading!

The end is near, unfortunately

Well today was the last free day of my long vacation. Tomorrow I take the overnight train back Bangkok, then fly out that night. Today we went snorkelling around Koh Tao and it was amazing, crystal clear waters, lots of fish and coral, even some sharks. Anyways this is my last post, thanks for reading, and I'll be home on the night of March 24th. See you all soon!

Koh Samui

Well it's been a hot few days, still haven't had a day of rain yet. We just came from a beautiful national park called Khao Sok, which was a "man-made" river. They flooded this mountainous area and created a 90m deep river that has clear water, and great scenery. We went rock jumping, kayaking, swimming, had a slack-line contest on bamboo, and so on. Our home for the evening was covered in geckos and praying mantis' which made for some interesting dinner guests. We then left this morning and arrived by ferry to an island called Koh Samui. It's fairly large and we're only here for one night, so we can't see much, just some beach bumming and relaxing. I uploaded more photo's so I hope you get a chance to check them out and see some of the things we've been up to. Theres hundreds of more photos, I just quickly selected a few!

See you all soon and happy belated St. Patricks Day. (it's not big in Thailand)

Thailand - full of surprises

Well I'm finally back on a computer after 8 days. The keyboard doesn't work, it's 35 degrees, and there are army men patrolling the streets to protect against riots. That's the bad news, the good news is that Thailand is freaking awesome and more than I expected! The first big news is that my roommate is some weird blond girl who surprised me at 2:00am on the first night. Turns out she's from Canada too! She even claims to be my girlfriend named Carling Doubt! Phew I thought it was a crazy dream from my Malaria pills perhaps, but nope, she came to Thailand and didn't even tell me. So it started off really well, we had a great group of 13 people, a family from Australia, a few UK, one Scot, one American, one Denmark and one from Belgium. We went to the tiger kingdom, which for 9 dollars you got to go into the tiger cage with 3 full grown tigers who aren't chained or anything and pet them. I was pretty nervous because as soon as you touch them it looks at you and could easily take an arm off in a second if it wanted to. However the guide was a thai man who had a bamboo stick for his and my safety... Anyways it all worked out, I even lied down on the tigers back. Next we went to an Elephant camp, and watched them play around in a big yard, kick soccer balls, play the harmonica, and play with tourists. That night we went to Chiang Mai on the sleeper train, which was kinda nice actually. In Chiang Mai we had a 3 day trek through the jungle, stopping at a waterfall and for water breaks occasionally. The two tribes we stayed with had nothing but cattle and bamboo. No electricity, no fresh water, no stores, nothing but farms and motor bikes. You washed in this bamboo shower they made, and slept on a thin mattress. We traveled from one village to another by elephant, an experience I'll never forget. We got to eat lunch with them before hand, and there was a baby who wanted to play but it was too strong and was dangerously running into people. Carling and I hopped on this 19 year old elephant named Samboo, and tiptoed through this hillside track and was literally only 2 feet wide at points. It was an amazing experience, we even ended it with a 4 hour bamboo rafting trip. Back in Chiang Mai I took a Thai cooking class, made 4 dishes and got a cookbook to take home (in english). Carling and I went to the spa after, I had an authentic thai massage, and she had an aroma therapy oil massage.I felt an inch taller after all that stretching and back cracking that went on, and she came out smelling like lavender and with soft skin. We're back in Bangkok now, the riot isn't too extreme, there are just a few changes. Our train couldn't come back to Bangkok because of the riot, so we hopped off early and took a cab. Barb wire was put up around a few places, a few streets are closed, and there are packs of 8 or 10 army men constantly patrolling the streets or standing guard. When we got back into Bangkok they told us to be careful, don't walk to certain areas, and that protesters are all wearing red. Of course I just happended to have my bright red shirt on that day....

Off to Khao Sok National park and the islands for a beach paradise! Hope you're all doing well at home! oh I started uploading photo's but it takes forever so I could only get 5 photo's up unfortunately. But as soon as I have more time I'll upload more.

Thailand!

Well I arrived safe and sound. Barely safe though, the driving in Bangkok is absolutely innnnnsane. There are no rules, no lanes, just cars and bikes jamming into wherever they can get. I'd hate to drive here, even walking is a little scary because cars have the right of way, and don't stop even when the walk sign is on for pedestrians (instead they honk and swerve around you going 60km still). But it's a much different world over here. I went out to dinner with about 10 other people, walked down a main shopping road called Ko San rd. People come up to you all the time selling stuff, or telling you you need a suit or to come to a ping pong show. I had a big dinner and drink for less than $3, and am thinking about doing some shopping tomorrow, everythings about $3 - $4 and is nice. Tomorrow I head to Chiang Mai in the evening on the overnight train, then do a 3 day trek in the jungle. I don't think I'll be on a computer for a few days, so this is it for a while. I'll let you know how everything goes, sounds like I have a lot on my agenda. Playing with elephants and tigers, cooking classes, bamboo rafting, trekking. Hope everyone in Canada is doing well and staying warm! It's 34 degrees here, so I think I've sweat enough for everyone.

the long wait

I'm just waiting around killing time before heading to the airport. My flight is at 5:05am from Auckland airport, then I land in Brunei for a transfer, then from Brunei to Bangkok. I walked around Auckland tonight, checked out a festival at the park with live bands and carnival rides, much like the concerts put on in Harris park (for those in London). I am now heading to the bus stop to go to the airport. Hope everyones okay, and next time I write I'll be in Thailand!

Oh and I almost forgot! I wanted to write a fun fact about New Zealand everytime I did an entery, but forgot the first one, then ran out of time the second chance, so I decided I would just wait until the end and put up a few. So here are a few NZ facts I thought were interesting:

1) New Zealanders drive on the other side of the road. As well, their bicycle brakes are opposite (I found out the hard way)

2) New Zealanders say "sweet as", and "choice," just as North Americans say "sweet" and "cool." Everything is in "heaps" as well, heaps of energy, heaps of rainfall, heaps of fun, etc.

3) There is no tax, so the price you see is the price you pay. Also, the lowest coin denomination is 10 cents, so they round your purchase up or down to the nearest .10th. You also don't tip. (this fact had 3 facts in 1)

4) It's legal to drink on the streets unless otherwise posted. Also, passengers in cars can drink legally. There were many people not obeying the no drinking signs, and very few policemen on the streets.

5) New Zealanders take any chance they can to make fun of Australians, and wish to not be associated with them in any way.

6) Most New Zealanders say that New Zealand does not belong to any continent, especially one associated with Australia

7) Their breakfast cereals are the same, with the same boxes, but with slightly different names. Frosted Flakes are Frosties, Rice Krispies are Rice Bubbles, and so on.

8) New Zealanders are usually always in a good mood and joke around a lot. Especially the ones dealing with tourists. ex: The bungee guys dangling you over the edge, then pulling you back, or the skydive guy you're attached to telling you it's his first day on the job right before you jump. 

9) New Zealand loves their pies and kebabs. I now also love their pies, whether its mince, or steak, they're always delicious. However I had a bad experience with my kebab (it was from a store called abraKEBABra)

10) The total population for New Zealand is over 4 million people. There are over 40 million sheep, which is why New Zealand is known for sheep farms. However, there are over 70 million possums, they are a pest that are destroying the forests  (believed to be brought over by Australians)

11) There is a lot of different slang used. For example, before leaving the bus our driver told us to "put on heaps of cream, wear our sunnies, and beware of mozzies, alright? sweet as." sun cream - sun screen, mozzies - mosquitoes, sunnies - sunglasses

Wellington

I just arrived back on the North island and am staying in Wellington for 3 nights before heading to Auckland and flying to Bangkok. My trip in New Zealand is coming to a quick end, and it has been an absolutely amazing time. These past 3 weeks I have been the most jammed packed 3 weeks of my life. I've been caving, surfing, boating, skydiving, bungee jumping, climbed mountains and the list goes on! See you all soon