Trips and Travel

[Brian]

Fantastic pics
I loved my time in Thailand many many years ago
I even spent my last night walking barefoot around Bangkok as the thongs (sandles flip flops etc) broke
And the street food was some of the best food I’ve ever had

[endo]

We've been on Koh Phayam for a week now. Or is it forever? Hard to say. The days blend into one another. The beach is huge and the sea is always warm. Almost too warm.

Anyone who knows the Thais knows how welcoming they are. The food is fantastic, of course, and the cocktails and the weed are great too.

Tomorrow we're off to the neighboring island. Same same but (even) quieter. Another week at the beach, who can stand that?

[Aetas]

@endo Every picture has this “A life in peace and freedom” vibe!
Enjoy and keep us updated, what the smaller island provides for you.

[ROman]

@endo Great shots. Thanks for sharing.

[Chap]

Brillant @endo looks like it couldn’t get any better

[Karol]

@endo thank You for the story and the photos!!

[endo]

Koh Chang Ranong (or Koh Chang Noi, the small Koh Chang in the Andaman Sea, not the one off the coast of Cambodia) – I'd say it's still like island life in Thailand in the 90s, just as I remember Koh Tao back then. While neighboring Koh Phayam might be like a 90s Koh Phangan, only without Haad Rin, but with a multitude of cafes, restaurants, and shops, here there are practically no shops, just a few restaurants, and also no cars. Along the beautiful, west-facing beaches, you'll find all kinds of bungalows and huts, generally quite basic, without air conditioning, and often without electricity. But you stay with friendly families who offer wonderful food, lots of fresh fish and seafood, and – thankfully – all kinds of alcohol. Plus, smoking weed is welcome everywhere. Simply paradise, if you can stand it. We're enjoying our last day now. Tomorrow we head home.

[endo]

[Chap]

@endo said in Trips and Travel:

Tomorrow we head home.

You sure? Sounds like you found paradise

[endo]

Yes. I can't stand to see any more damn sunsets.

[Giles]

Sounds like my sort of place. You allowed to use German and Englsih words when you play scrabble?

[weftyarn]

Beautiful @endo

And greets from Hachioji.

I’m very happy I took the trip here. Not only because of the obvious IH, but because I truly had the feeling of „being in Japan“, seeing only locals on the bus and in the restaurant I went to.

This was different in Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo and even Kii-Katsuura, which is a bit more remote, but still has some tourism.

Katsudon and Soba, just as recommended by Toranori, one of the newest store employees.

[Giles]

Such a shame. @Alex and I were due there the whole of this week. But were flying via Doha, so that got cancelled. Would have been a blast to catch up....

[Denimhead 0]

@endo amazing trip

[Alex]

@weftyarn this is an appropiate Japanese serving of carbs

[weftyarn]

@Giles Oh man, that for sure would have been a pleasant surprise! If only the humans in power would come to their senses.

@Alex The real question now is how the heck I can find carbs in this form once I’m out of Japan.

[Giles]

@weftyarn said in Trips and Travel:

If only the arseholes in power would come to their senses.

Oh, and there is an implication in that statement that they some to start with

[Alex]

@weftyarn said in Trips and Travel:

@Alex The real question now is how the heck I can find carbs in this form once I’m out of Japan.

I get them shipped in boxes of jeans to the London office

[endo]

@weftyarn greetings back. Little envious, I absolutely have to go to Japan sometime.

@Giles we can try. Have played it with Del (you met him in Dec) a few times. He had to do german words and I english. Was fun but you need to be quite pissed.

@Denimhead-0 totally recommended if you‘re up to tropical beach life.

[Giles]

So, P and I are on our way to a diving trip in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Raja Ampat is effectively in every "best 10 places to dive in the world" list, and we have wanted to dive it for years. A Filipino friend who we met diving in The Philippines in 2017 and then dived with again in The Socorro Islands in 2019, contacted us at the beginning of the year and asked if we wanted to do a Live Aboard in Raja. We jumped at the chance for lots of reasons, not least because we will meet up with lots of dive buddies including our special diving chum Jasmine from San Jose.

It is a bastard to get to, compounded by Mr Trumps decision to start a war. We originally booked to go there and back via Doha. Well, that was suddenly not possible, so after a number of long and painful calls we got BA to change our flight. Via Kuala Lumpur on the way out, and Hong Kong on the way back.

So far, we are 2 flights in, and in Jakarta. We have another flight tonight at midnight (It's 11am local atm), which takes us 4 hours further east. Then we have another hotel room to hang around in for a few hours, then a ferry ride to The Papua Paradise Eco Resort.

Because the travel takes a long time and is expensive, we added 10 days at that resort before we join the live aboard....