Travel Diary | Thailand part 2

Before I completely move on from all things sun, sea and sand (sob) I'm here with the second half of my Thailand travel diary.

For week two of our trip we headed south towards the island of Koh Phi Phi. It's difficult to put into words how incredible this place is although one thing I will say is that from my travels back in 2008 this is honestly the only island I can remember clearly, and I think that says something.  

We stayed at PP Charlie Beach Resort which was located on the opposite side of the island from the dock and boasts an awesome infinity pool. The beach views from there were simply breathtaking with curved limestone walls that enclosed the water from the wider sea - stunning. Laying on the beach, stumbling across random tree swings, getting lost on a view point hike, exploring the shops and enjoying the infamous 'buckets' were just a few things we got up to on the island. If you love a good beach party then this is your island. At night, the beach completely comes alive with bars blaring their music and fire throwers showing off their skills. I could've happily stayed on this island for weeks. For anyone that is planning a trip to Thailand with just a few stops I highly recommend you include this on your itinerary.

 

On our final full day we headed out on a booze cruise to visit top spots including the famous Maya Bay (as seen in the movie The Beach ft. Leonardo DiCaprio) and Monkey Beach. One thing I would say is that the boat we were taken out on was very small and quite crammed. Definitely not your typical 'booze cruise' as there's not enough room to even muster a dance move but after getting over our initial disappointment we had the most amazing day. A personal highlight was the spot we visited to enjoy the sunset. I'm a self-confessed sunset addict and crave a few sunsets on any given holiday and it has to be said that this was the best I've ever experienced. After docking up in an enclosed cove that was surrounded by limestone walls, we squeezed onto canoes and sailed out to sea to watch the sun disappear for another day.  At that moment I was in my version of heaven and it's a memory I'll never forget. Cheesy. But true.

Phuket was the last stop of our trip and where we spent our three final days before the mammoth trip home. We stayed at the Baan Laimai Beach Resort which was drop dead gorgeous. We were completely stunned at how pretty and classy the hotel was - especially when you compare it with some of our other hotels that were the same price. 

I was really sick the entire time we were on the island which unfortunately spoiled our time there. We did however manage to enjoy a few things with a 20 minute stint on one of the jet skis and an hours horse ride along one of the beaches - something I've always wanted to do. We never managed to make it out to any bars or clubs but did have a walk through the strip one night and all I can say is WAOW. This really was something to be seen. Wild bars, ping pong shows being offered at every turn and ladyboys showing off their goods in the windows of clubs are just a few of the things I remember seeing. I'm sure it would have been such a laugh and if I ever go back I for sure will be experiencing a Patong night out. 

 

With no holiday on the horizon I'm getting some serious sun withdrawals. Glasgow, you better provide a cracking summer this year....

XoXo

A day in the Dubai dessert

Today marks two weeks to the date that I returned from what can only be described as the perfect winter getaway. Suffering from a little bug, a whole lotta jet-lag and coping with the beach life to work life transition, I think I'm finally recovered and ready to re-live those two magical weeks.

Like any holiday, there was plenty a picture taking so, while I have whittled it down there is still quite a mountain full to get through so I'm going to split this into a few posts. And well pretty much drag out the holiday reminiscing process as best as I can! First up, and our first destination of the trip: Dubai. With only a day and a half ahead of us we opted to get a real taste of Dubai with a desert safari - you know, just your typical Sunday afternoon activities...

Picked up by a 4WD (we booked this trip with Get Your Guide) we headed away from the concrete skyscrapers of the city and out into the wilderness, where there was nothing but sand for miles. I've never been in the desert before so this was an experience on its own but little did I know what was ahead of us. After letting the air out of our Jeep tyres we were ready to hit the sand dunes. In the blink of an eye, around 15 Jeeps sped off out onto the dunes in all directions. Clinging onto the side handle we thrashed our way through the sand with nothing short of a small scream from me and my bestie at every turn. No word of a lie, my heart was in my throat this entire journey. The Jeep was inches from tipping over, on multiple occasions. Definitely not for the faint hearted! But if you can handle those 30 minutes you'll laugh more than you can last remember. After an obligatory stop for pictures we headed to The Desert Gate for the second half of our evening.  We enjoyed a mix of belly dancing, henna tattoos, a shisha corner, camels and even the chance to dress in the traditional Arabic dressing. I loved every moment of this day and spending the evening in somewhere that looked straight out of the Aladdin movie gets 10 stars from me,

 

 

To finish off our Dubai visit we checked out the Dubai Mall and headed to the beach for a lazy afternoon watching a few surfers catch some waves. After a stressful taxi situation leaving us 90 minutes behind schedule we made it just in the nick of time for final check-in, ready for the second leg of our trip.

Get ready to be transported to a tropical Thai-paradise in the next post.

XoXo