Bali
We arrived late to the island of Bali so it was great that my auntie Maggie and her boyfriend Danny were there to pick us up at the airport! Ah the luxury, they also turned out to be our tour guides for the time we were there.
We stayed in the centre of the island in a village called Ubud. What struck me most as we traveled to Ubud were the arts and crafts displayed in the villages. The area is known for stone carvings which are sold on the side of the road. Villages also had paintings, wooden carvings and other beautiful colourful pieces on display.
Ubud village is big by village standards and there is plenty to do. There are tons of shops with everything from jewellery to clothes and crafts. The village seems to attract artistic people. Spanish artist Antonio Blanco has an amazing museum in Ubud. I spent an afternoon there, a great way to relax and get away from the heat. We also met artists, jewellery makers, writers and film makers from all over the world that have settled in Ubud.
At the bottom of the village is Monkey Forest. A great place to stroll the afternoon away but the monkeys can be over friendly and if you sit down at all they jump onto your shoulders. I also saw them trying to take a girls camera!! There is a great market at the top of the village, it is a maze of stalls selling everything from clothes to ornaments. Again Bali is place you have to bargain in - good thing I got all that practice in Thailand!
Every few years they have a massive cremation in Ubud, it almost like a festival for all those who have died in recent years. Families of the deceased spend weeks working on floats and colourful banners ready for the ceremony. They then march through the village before the bodies are cremated. Very different to what funerals are like in Ireland, this felt more like a celebration of life rather than a sad occasion.
There are so many beautiful beaches to visit in Bali. Sanur beach is perfect to watch the sunset.
We also visited the Jimbaran Fish shacks which is an amazing fish market where you walk through the fish shacks pick the fish you want and take a seat on the beach where your fish will be brought to you. We ordered a selection of fish and we were not disappointed! This place is definitely worth a visit especially if you’re a fish lover.
If you’re feeling adventurous, as I was during my time in Bali, you can head to Kuta beach (one of the main tourist resorts on the island) for a surfing lesson! It was tough work. After two hours in the sea, some cut hands and knees, I managed to stay up on the board for about three seconds!! What an achievement!!
A rented scooter is a great way to go up into the mountains to see the amazing terraces of paddy fields – they really would take your breath away. The farmers use methods dating back thousands of years to keep the fields irrigated. Some restaurants even have small areas in their restaurants to grow rice. I thought that was amazing. Seeing the paddy fields was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.
Also up in the mountains is an Elephant Safari park. Definitely worth a visit if you’re an elephant lover. Strangely, they sold ivory in the gift shop - I didn’t expect to see that!!
Kintamani a village up in the hills has breathtaking views. It is a fabulous spot to visit once you get past all the locals trying to sell souvenirs.
Reasons to visit Bali: It has something to suit everyone. Kuta the main tourist resort is busy and has all the shops and amenities you need while on your holiers.
But if you want to get away from the madness you can travel up north to the more rural areas to where people still bath in the streams on the side of the street and life is a lot more relaxed.
Kuala Lumper and Singapore
As we headed to Singapore we decided to stop off at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia which involved a long day of traveling. Being from Ireland you’re not familiar with spending 13 hours on a bus but thankfully the buses are really comfy and you can get some shut eye on them. [I will admit I had to pay a fine for overstaying my visa in Thailand by one day! I’m a brat!]
First stop in the city was The Petronas Towers (at 452 metres high the 3rd highest buildings in the world) which are iconic in Kuala Lumpur.
When we visited the nearby Kuala Lumpur Tower people were base jumping off the top of the tower. Most of them landed in the green space below although I did see one guy tangled in a tree. Scary stuff! Around the tower there’s a forest and a massive shopping centre so you could easily spend a day or more in this part of the city.
A great way to see the city is by the monorail. For great places to eat and shop visit Chinatown and Little India.
After two days in Malaysia, we traveled to Singapore – a cool but compact city where high-rise is the order of the day. We took a bus tour around the city where you can hop on and off. We enjoyed a quiet walk through the Botanic Gardens, a great resource to have in such a busy city.
Approximately 20% of land in Singapore is reclaimed from the sea; this is due to the high demand for land. Most of the population live in flats that are partially funded by the government. However, you must be a Singaporean to get one and you must be married or else over 35 to qualify for one. And if you buy a flat near your parents you get a discount because they like to encourage family bonding.
Like a lot of big cities, Singapore is separated into different areas based on nationality, which was first implemented by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles who is credited with founding the modern city of Singapore.
Off the coast of Singapore is an island called Sentosa Island where Singaporeans go to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. This is also where you can stand on the most southern point of continental Asia.
Next stop – Bali. Can’t wait!!!!!
Ko Samui
We decided to stay in one of the busier beaches on the island of Ko Samui called Chaweng. The beach is beautiful but developed. However, hotels and restaurants are not allowed to build higher than the coconut trees that line the beach so the buildings are quite discreet.
The local merchants crowd the beach at night selling fireworks, lanterns, and other trinkets. It seems like harmless fun letting these off, but in the morning the beach is littered with exploded fireworks and the remnants of the plastic lanterns. It’s such a shame to see such a gorgeous beach being polluted like this.
We took a day trip to the nearby National Marine Park called Ang Thong which is a chain of hundreds of small islands. On one of the larger islands you can climb up steps to a magnificent green lagoon which apparently inspired the book ‘The Beach’. The views are spectacular. We also kayaked around the island to see some of the caves and rock formations.
The island of Ko Tao, which lies above Ko Samui, is supposedly to be one of the best islands to snorkel or dive off. We did a full day of snorkeling to see a few different spots off the island and it was great fun. The fish were amazing, though I nearly choked when I saw some seven foot black-tipped-reef sharks! Our guide Philip was very informative. He explained how some species of fish are no longer around the island as people are feeding them bread, which actually kills the fish as they cannot digest starch.
We snorkeled off a place called 
, a group of three tiny islands joined together by a causeway of sand. It was one of the most picturesque places I have ever been.
After Ko Tao it was onto the famous island of Ko Phi Phi Don. After seeing devastating pictures of the Tsunami in 2004, I wasn’t sure what to expect but arriving there you would never think that this was the same place. Phi Phi is thriving with tourists and has been completely rebuilt.
We went on a boat cruise on our last day to Phi Phi’s sister island Phi Phi Leh. We paid a visit to the beach (Maya beach) used in the film ‘The Beach’. It is fabulous, surrounded by amazing cliffs, but is overrun with tourists due to the success of the film. On the trip we also visited Monkey Island where monkeys rule the roost and are especially affectionate to those tourists who bring then food!
After a week in Phi Phi, Ko Lanta further south was our next stop.
It rained non stop when we were there but braved the weather to visit the caves Tham Khao Maikaeo. I was thinking of the Aillwee caves in Clare, a nice leisurely stroll.
I was wrong!! We had to walk through a rainforest for an hour to get to the entrance. There had been landslides because of the rain so about five minutes into the journey I was knee deep in mud! Finally we reached the entrance which was actually a hole no more than three foot wide! Love it!
We had to climb up and down rope ladders, and crawl through narrow holes that were always nice and muddy! Of course I didn’t have the best of shoes on so slipped twice- had some quality bruises after! It was an amazing experience but I was glad to see light again!! After that I decided I deserved a Thai massage. They are absolutely amazing and just what you need if you’ve been exploring caves for a few hours!
Our time in Thailand had come to an end and it was time to move on….
10 things I love about Thailand:
- The food (especially the fried rice and Pad Thai dishes)
- The people (they are so friendly and generous)
- The amazing beaches, crystal blue waters and white sand!
- The markets where you can buy anything!!
- The fact that you have to bargain for everything- you become a real haggler after a few weeks!
- The weather when it’s not raining, though when it does rain it does it in style!
- The snorkeling - the coral reefs are straight out of “Finding Nemo”!!!
- You can live like royalty for 20 Euro a day!!
- Tuk Tuk drivers in Bangkok- crazy but an experience!
- The most relaxing month of my life!