Adventure Awaits…

We were sad to leave our mini paradise in Koh Samui as we knew it was back to bad WiFi and bunkbeds. We took the ferry from Koh Samui over to Koh Phangan and jumped in a taxi to our hostel.

As we approached the hostel it was a real ‘Inbetweeners moment’, everyone in the taxi looking at each other thinking ‘is this us?’ And it was.. we had arrived at our hostel and it was definitely a step down from Koh Samui, however we definitely felt like proper travellers!

Unfortunately, we didn’t actually get to see a lot of Koh Phangan as we partied the whole time we were there. On our first night we went to the jungle party which was our full moon party warm up. The full moon party was crazy to say the least, thousands of travellers on 1 beach doing what we do best .. partying and drinking (from buckets obviously!!) The next day we seriously felt it but it was definitely worth it.

We left Koh Phangan on Saturday morning and definitely had a few less brain cells then we came with. We were excited to head to the beautiful island of Koh Tao for a good detox, relax and explore!

Next stop … Koh Tao!

So after a long journey from Bangkok we arrived in Koh Samui. We left our hostel at 6 in the morning and arrived in Koh Samui at 5 at night (after getting a flight, 2 buses and a ferry). Unfortunately, as we left the ferry port the rain began to come down … so out came the rain macs and bag rain covers for our rucksacks.

We arrived at our hotel and despite the rain we knew we were had landed in paradise. Our hotel was lovely and definitely a step up from Bangkok! We headed into the town for the first night where we discovered lady boy cabarets, monkeys on leads and huge chameleon which Thai men were literally chucking on tourists…

On our first day we relaxed on the beach and then had a pool party in the afternoon (day drinking and sun never ends well). We booked onto a tour for the second day where we visited pig island, snorkelled in the sea and visited a beautiful island just off Koh Samui. This day was really fun and the Thai lunch on the beach was the icing on the cake!

For the rest of our time in Koh Samui we spent a lot of it on the beach, having a Thai massage and eating lots of Thai food. We visited the Fishermen’s village on my birthday which is a really cute little town and not as crazy as the Koh Samui strip.

We had a great time in Koh Samui, we both found it a little touristy however we had fun relaxing and were both excited to head to our next destination…

Next stop… Koh Phangan!

We took off on Sunday afternoon from Heathrow after a hard goodbye and then we were finally on our way to begin our travels. After a very cold 11 hour flight we landed in Bangkok on Monday morning feeling a little jet lagged but very excited.

We walked off the aeroplane into the terminal feeling like lost puppy dogs. After picking up our rucksacks from the luggage belt we headed out of the terminal towards the train station. The train journey into the city was around 40 minutes and we were already feeling the heat. Outside of Phaya Thai station we got in our first tuk tuk Yeah which was an experience and a half; with our rucksacks hanging over the edge and zooming through Bangkok we were feeling like proper travellers already! We finally arrived at Mad Monkey hostel after getting lost for 20 minutes with our rucksacks on our backs and absolutely boiling hot.

Our first night out in Bangkok was one we probably won’t ever forget… we experienced Koh San Road for the first time, ate a scorpion and partied till 3 in the morning. We met some great people who made us feel really welcomed with obviously the help of lots of alcohol..

Day 2 in Bangkok and we were definitely feeling the hangover and jet lag. However that didn’t stop us. We found a tuk tuk driver who drove us around Bangkok to 2 different temples with stop offs in between for only 40 Thai baht (£1!!!) The temples were beautiful and we were amazed at how peaceful they were even in the busy city of Bangkok. When we got back to the hostel that evening we were feeling very tired so we decided to have a quiet night with minstrels and inbetweeners in our room (the perfect night!!!)

The next day we woke up at 6.30 and headed to the old city Ayutthaya. We travelled for 2 hours in a hot van and finally arrived. The old city was beautiful with lots of old ruins and fascinating temples. We got a taste of a traditional Thai lunch which was really yummy. After visiting 5 temples we headed back into Bangkok.

After an exciting day we headed to China town for a Chinese (and it definitely lived up to the expectations!) We ate Chinese street food, drunk Chang beers and watched the world go by.

On our final day in Bangkok we woke up at 6:30 and jumped on a tour bus that was heading to Damnoen Saduak Floating market. After having 2 early mornings and still feeling a little jet lagged we both fell asleep in the van on the way to the market.

An hour into our journey we were woken up with our tour guide rushing us off the bus in a huge hurry (we had no idea what was going on or where we were). He hurried us through a small alley way and onto a market street with a train track. We soon then realised why he had rushed us off. 5 minutes later a train came through the tracks and hundreds of us were pushed up against a wall in this tiny street with a train driving past. It was an amazing experience. The train went past and then everything went back to normal – the markets were put back up and everyone carried on as normal.

We soon arrived at the floating market and we went on a long-tail boat heading down the river. We had both seen lots of pictures of people at the floating market on social media so we were very excited for the relaxing experience we were about to have. However, this was most definitely not a relaxing experience. It was absolute mayhem. Boats were crashing into each other, exhausts fumes blowing into our faces and the drivers of the boats going crazy with each other. It took us 45 minutes to travel about 100m. We both found it so so funny (and a bit scary) but there were absolutely no regrets!

We then headed back into the city of Bangkok and got ready for our flight the following day.

Bangkok was a great way to start off our adventure and we have made so many funny memories already. We have got a taste of the Thai culture, seen some amazing sights and tried some really delicious Thai dishes. Thank you also to our hostel Mad Monkey for making our first hostel experience a great one (would highly recommend!)

Next stop… Koh Samui!!

Hey everyone! We are George and Hettie, two young recent graduates who are passionate backpackers about to start an exciting adventure. We set off on the 4th August where we will begin our travels in Bangkok. Keep an eye on this blog for updates on the fun and silly things we get up to throughout the year!

Keep reading this first blog to find out a little more about the couple we are.

Hettie

For as long as I can remember I have always had a bug for adventure, whether that was riding my bike, making dens when younger, camping in tents with my family or jetting off to different countries throughout my teens. I can always remember the stories my mum would tell me about her adventures when she was my age and here I am about to make the same.

I grew up in a town in Essex, just outside London where I went to Primary and Secondary school. Just as any young person I enjoyed socialising with friends, going out and making memories.

From a young age I have always been interested in Drama and Performing Arts and have carried this hobby on throughout into my adult years. I have performed in numerous performances and even directed my own musical when at university.

In 2015 I got my A Level qualifications and received a place at Reading University to study Philosophy. University (as most graduates seem to say) was ‘the best three years of my life’, it enabled me to make life long friends, great memories, achieve a great degree and of course get myself into £50 grands worth of debt!

Throughout university my love for travelling and meeting new people became more apparent to me. I therefore decided to apply for Camp America. From June – August in 2016 and 2017 I worked at a children’s summer camp in Pennsylvania as a camp counsellor. I had the time of my life and even got to travel around America visiting lots of different states at the end of camp. This experience gave me the urge to want to explore different cultures and countries even more.

After completing my undergraduate degree and spending two summers in America, I decided that working with children was what I loved, so I decided to apply for the Primary PGCE course in 2018 which would enable me to become a primary school teacher. The course was very demanding and full on, however I absolutely loved it and in 2019 I became a qualified primary school teacher.

The small tastes of travelling I have had in my life so far have opened my eyes up to so many different cultures and history and ultimately has allowed me to meet so many amazing people on the way. The prospect of my gap year excites me so much and I can’t wait to see even more of this amazing world!

George

I’m not the most confident traveller in the world and if I were to look back 4 years ago, this probably wouldn’t be something I would have ever thought of doing. Nevertheless, I am very experienced in carrying a heavy rucksack due to the fact that I have completed my gold Duke of Edinburgh awhard.

This is the first time I have ever lived away from home. The first time I tried, I lasted 4 days of freshers week at university before dropping out. I am venturing into the unknown and am looking forward to learning how to look after myself and even learn how to do my own washing!!!

When I was younger I was always spending time outside in my garden, climbing trees, making dens and shooting my mates with BB guns. I know this is a lot different but I feel like I have matured into this world, having recently completed my university degree with my second attempt, working for a year in the fraud insurance industry and also working part-time at my brothers self storage company.

I look forward to you seeing how I am getting on and I hope to provide an insight into what it is like to travel as someone who is completely out of their comfort zone.