TROUBLE IN PARADISE // OBVS

WEEK ONE 

I arrived at Sydney Kingsford-Smith Airport (named after Sir Charles Kingsford Smith who was a pioneer in Australian aviation) on 30th November 2014. I arrived with anticipation, excitement, fear, anxiety, hope and an immense amount of pain (courtesy of Chiang Mai mountain biking). The flight was smooth and comfortable considering it was an Air Asia flight and up until recently I had only discovered they have one of the worst safety records in public aviation. I had paid about £270 for the one way flight from Bangkok to Sydney via Kuala Lumpur, and I had paid a bit extra for a quiet section of the plane. A very good price. Asia are pretty hot on low budget long haul flights, something that is coming over to the west with airlines like Norwegian Air. There were no screens, entertainment, or goody bags. Everything has a price, including all food and drinks. I prepaid and preordered my food when I booked my flight, speaking of which the food was pretty good. I had my iPad, my iPhone and a couple of magazines, I was pretty sorted on entertainment but if you don't have such items the airline allows you to rent iPads which are preloaded with TV shows, Movies, Music, and games on.

I arrived in the morning and made it through security and customs unscathed, no Border Control filming was going on, it turns out I would have to wait for my Australian television debut for Bondi Rescue no doubt (turns out that my television debut was not from Bondi Rescue but partially Eurovision and soon to be Food Safari - both SBS broadcasts). Whilst waiting for my baggage a member of airport staff was coming to check our completed immigration and Ebola forms. I had ticked a box about being in a remote area due to the jungle trekking. I was challenged on this, and you know that feeling where you know you've done nothing wrong but someone of some importance and power questions you and your heart basically falls out of your bum hole nevertheless, well yeah that was kind of it.  A bit ridiculous given that I am a man of some sort of power at home, not that I abuse it of course, but you know people do have this uncomfortable and nervous look about them when talking to you. The officer was asking me about my choice of footwear in the jungle and clothing and whether these had been washed etc... all formalities that they go through. Australia are concerned, rightly so I should say, about contamination of some sort crossing their borders. I made it through that encounter unscathed and collected my baggage, just about, I managed to drag it with one hand, baring in mind I am carrying about 30kgs of uneven distributed weight. Armed with a trolley, my baggage and my sense of trepidation I proceeded through the 'Nothing to Declare' corridor and made it out to a sea of welcoming faces. Somewhere out there was one special welcoming face, arms and voice, my dear friend Camilla. I've known Camilla for a number of years, we worked together when I first joined the Metropolitan Police as a PCSO about 9 years ago. I have remained in contact with her once she left for the Australian sunshine and I visited her 3 and half years ago when she lived in Canberra & I went to Australia on a holiday to see Leanne and Jo who were travelling for three months.

There Camilla was, so happy to see me and I her, armed with compassion and concern due to my injuries but not too much so as one of the first things she said to me was that she was going to keep me awake all day, just so I could be aided into the right time zone, not that there is anything that can prepare for that transition. I had had a night flight from SE Asia and it was about 11am when I met Camilla. I was down for whatever, I was just happy and relieved that I was finally here after months and months of dreaming and not quite believing I would actually make it here. I always said to people prior to going that I wouldn't believe I would be doing it until I stepped foot on Australian soil, as there was no going back at that point. I had prearranged with Camilla that I would be staying with her for 6 days to settle in before heading to the city (Sydney) and thankfully I did do that. Due to my injuries I would have really struggled on my own in a hostel, and I think we all can share that common feeling of when you are unwell or in my case injured, you crave support or the care of someone you're close to. Camilla had pretty much my first week planned loosely with a number of 'must dos'. Camilla was more than just the support I needed physically but also the support I needed for administration purposes. Things like the medicare card, driving licence, bank accounts, tax file number, and mobile phone set ups. Camilla had been through this process herself and has assisted others in the past also.

We had arrived in Kiama, NSW, where Camilla and her husband, Steve, live. I had been here the last time I came to Australia, prior to C & S moving here and at the time the town wasn't on their radar. Camilla had taken Leanne, Jo and I back to Sydney from Canberra several years ago and we stopped in Kiama to see the 'Blow Hole' - a bit more about that later. I settled myself into their beautiful renovated home and relaxed for the rest of the day, we took the boys (Hugo and Taco - the Dogs) out for a walk. I knew from previous experience that the jet lag would be hard to overcome, I suffer with it badly.  When I think of jet lag now I in turn think of Dorothy Wang (Realty TV star/LA socialite) and what she once said about it, she describes jet lag something that the poor or the lesser travelled person only suffers with. Always makes me chuckle a bit. My first week was relaxing with the exception of having to open up my dressings, cleaning them with the forsaken IODINE and then redressing. Camilla did this for me in the first week. I completed the administration jobs with Camilla with ease. I will write a further post in due course with handy tips for people who are coming to Australia and just don't know where to start when it comes to the admin side of things, it can be a tad daunting if you're doing a Jason Derulo (riding solo).

It was on my second day in Australia, 1st December 2014, that I logged on to www.cashpassport.com to reload my cash passport with my November's pay packet in my UK account. When I logged in it came to my notice that I was in a minus figure. I could not compute. It didn't make sense as I hadn't used it as I had been in Thailand and I had an entirely different cash passport for my Thailand trip.  As far as I was concerned I thought I couldn't use the Aussie one aside from in Australia. I had about $2,500AUD on this card and now it was minus. I looked at the transaction history and I saw that just two transactions had been made, both on 19th November 2014 and one transaction straight after the other. They were taken from a Chiang Mai hostel. A hostel which I had not booked or even heard of, the hostel I was due to stay in was completely different and besides for $2,500 you could own a bloody hostel in CM or rather live there for about 3 years. My heart sank, literally sank, it felt like it had not just sank but it had taken the rest of my organs on it's way down and just my sphincter was keeping it in my ass. Graphic I know but just imagine that feeling nevertheless. I was devastated, it was half of my savings. I wanted to not worry about looking for work immediately when I arrived, I wanted to relax a bit, do some experiences, tour the city and casually look for work. Everything I wanted to do was now officially on hold. Soon after devastation came the anger. I was enraged. 

Now, I don't know if you know anything about cash passports? Well, they are advertised as the safer way to take your currency abroad. It is a prepaid Mastercard with your chosen currency, so you can make use of a great exchange rate on credit card without incurring charges from your bank or even a poorer exchange rate. I have always experienced problems with them, for example; you can't withdraw every penny/cent if you use it to purchase items online or in store as there will come a time where you can't withdraw $20 or less. Also, most ATM's charge for withdrawal. The online registration process is not user friendly at all, even less so when you have two different cash passports.  Another thing is that when you purchase your cash passport, like I did from TRAVELEX, if the cashier doesn't enter the details correctly from your form on to the system then that brings another set of problems. I was soon to find out just how difficult the process was going to be when a cash passport had been used fraudulently. Even writing about the issues connected with CP's tires me.

I contacted TRAVELEX to dispute these transactions. I was concerned as these transactions occurred on 19th November and it was now 1st December. I had no reason to check my cash passport account online until I got to Australia, although whilst away in Thailand I got paid from work in the UK and I very nearly 'topped up' the CP and then I'd have had no money at all. TRAVELEX emailed me a dispute form and explained that I should also forward any evidence that would assist in their investigations. I challenged the person on the telephone to a few issuues;

1. How has someone got away with two large transactions to the same place one straight after the other?

2. How was it able to take me over the available funds? (after all it is not a credit card nor a debit card with an overdraft facility)

3. Why didn't this get flagged up as unusual activity? 

4. Why was the transactions authorised and funds removed?

The staff member on the phone wasn't able to clarify answers on all of these questions, they explained that it's not monitored like a bank card, it's our money basically to spend how we wish. So already I fail to see how the cash passport is any safer than taking your own bank card? So I completed the form, in it the basics of course are noted and they request a explanation as to how the card could have possibly been used fraudulently and where/what/who/how/when/why details. All this was fine. I knew that it had been used on the 19th November, I also knew I still had both cards in my possession. You loyal readers will already know that on said date I was traveling from Bangkok to Pai via Chiang Mai. What I recall from the journey is that I had my valuable personal effects on me in my rucksack.  I fell asleep on the bus, my rucksack was padlocked, I got off the bus for twenty minutes and the bus was locked, and when I got my iPad out of my bag at about 4am on 20th November the zip broke, I had thought that this was my doing due to over packing and I didn't think anything of it. So in my train of thought at the time of completing my form that this is when the card must have been used. I completed the form and scanned it, I sent three emails in the end to TRAVELEX, due to the evidence I was submitting. In my first email I attached the completed form and wrote that this was the first of three emails, the other two includes my evidence. Due to the time difference I would not hear back until the following day, at least, or so I thought. Just four hours later I received this reply;

"I regret to inform you that after careful consideration we were unable to refund the disputed charges on your account. Please refer to the contents of the attached letter." - The letter basically states that they didn't believe me, and that they were not satisfied with the validity of the claim. In the very same email the 'investigator' states;

"We didn't receive a second email with evidences and pictures as advised in your first email" - So instead of replying to me and stating that they did not receive such evidence and asking me to resend, they took it upon themselves to close the investigation at that point. Not even basic customer service skills covered here.

So naturally I resent everything. This time I got automated responses for each email I sent ensuring that they had been received. I received nothing back. Not a thing. My next step was to take to twitter, I sent tweets to TRAVELEX, about ten in total. Someone from the social media team responded and the issue was relayed. I received an email from someone else explaining that a decision had been made by the disputes team and that if I had not been notified of this then they would resend the letter. This was literally like smashing my money maker against brick wall. This came after two days of not hearing anything from them. The investigation was then eventually passed on to the disputes of disputes team, basically the team that deals with challenges of the decision that the first dispute team made. I continued to resend all my evidence as well as extra bits that I had left out the first time around. At this point I made a point of explaining that I am a Police Officer, and that I had investigated various Fraud offences and I know what is involved, and not only that but if I was committing fraud would I have really valued my career at the amount stolen? No. I wanted to avoid playing this card because it is a bit douchey however given their treatment towards me thus far, I was raring to play the whole deck, I wanted them to know that they will not be able to palm me off.

This money REALLY mattered. This whole experience with TRAVELEX has caused a ridiculous amount of stress, loss of sleep, worry, tears, fear, my anxiety issues raised it's ugly head more than usual. It turned out over the coming weeks and months JUST how much that money mattered, due to the lack of work, the expense of living in Sydney etc etc.

The new investigation was commenced on 4th December 2014. It was due to conclude on 24th February 2015. So I knew I had quite some time without the money at least, besides early on I talked myself into the fact I would not see it again. Thankfully I had money in my UK account to get me by, and I had prepaid for my 5 weeks accommodation in my Sydney hostel. The issue I had using my UK account was that the bank charges you a fee for withdrawals and usage, but you also don't get the best exchange rate, which does matter when it's large amounts of money. Nevertheless I had no choice and it was light relief that I had some sort of funds. I contacted the chap from TRAVELEX who was investigating early January, after a no reply, I tried again and he replied, he explained that he had not heard from the merchant that took the money and that a charge back process was being conducted. 24th February arrived and I sent a polite email checking in. It was explained that the merchant did eventually reply and provided further details of the transactions and that it would take a further 10 working days to look into, 9th March 2015. On 4th March it was requested I sent a copy of my drivers licence and passport for verification, which I did, it would take another 48 hours. This time had elapsed to the 9th March where I was asked to view a document which had two receipts on it, I was asked if they were my signatures, I explained that they weren't. I asked the investigator to call me, which he did. It was actually a relief to finally speak to the person handling the situation. I was able to clear up, hopefully, any confusion. Turns out that both my cash passport cards were used, but not the PIN numbers. He confirmed that the actual cards had been used, as in the chips had been read on both of them. We couldn't understand how that was when I wasn't in Chiang Mai at the time yet I have the cards on me. Still don't understand this. Anyway, he believed me and the funds have been returned to me. I received them on 16th March 2015. Actual factual relief. 

My point here is NEVER use a Cash Passport. It is much safer to use your credit card or bank card. The banks and financial institutions know your spending pattern, they recognise unusual activity and if fraud is committed you are likely to get the money back within hours, not months. I still fail to see how a cash passport is safer. I am continuing to escalate the issue with TRAVELEX and complain regarding their initial handling of my situation.

The saga continues, slightly, when they card was fraudulently used it actually took me over the available amount on the card, because of this the company sent the details of my account to a debt collecting agency who were making demands via letter to my UK home address to pay. This has had a negative impact on my credit rating in the UK and I was only aware of this when Mum sent me all my mail from the UK over to Australia.

I appreciate the above makes for pretty boring reading however it is important to highlight the negative side of using cash passports and also the incompetency of a major company who runs them.  

My first week into Australian life involved a fair amount of recuperation and relaxation after the eventful times in Thailand. It was definitely much needed. Camilla & I walked the dogs every day, usually in different places; Minnamurra, Bombo, Jervis Bay, and Kiama of course. Bombo is a place near to Kiama where dogs are allowed on the beach. Taco is hilarious, he has no qualms about getting into the sea a bit and chases the waves and tries to eat them. Hugo is an old boy (15yrs) so he is not so adolescent but he does what he bloody well wants to, if he wants to go into the sea he will do it in his own time. It is such a beautiful beach, yellow sand, and the sea has some big waves and whenever I have gone past on the train it has always got several people just waiting to catch the next big surf. Unbeknownst to me at this stage I would find myself back in Kiama...

Here are some photos of my first week in Australia;

Camilla & I in Minnamurra. Really beautiful part of the South Coast.

Kiama Lighthouse - very near to the Kiama 'Blow Hole' - a hit with tourists and No! I'm not the new Blow Hole, you filthy buggers.

Minnamurra.

 An injured me in front of Kiama's Lighthouse with Taco & Hugo.

I actually took more photos than this in my first week, other than the Lighthouse and Minnamurra but not sure what I've actually done with them.

Camilla was concerned about me moving into a hostel in Sydney. When you think of hostels you clearly don't think of boutique guest houses, you do think; grotty, disgusting, repugnant and smelly, maybe thats a bit of an ancient view point to take.... Given my inability to be able to look after myself without something going wrong, concern really wasn't a far fetched feeling to have. I assured Camilla I would be OK and that if I wasn't I would come back. I had stayed at the hostel before and from previous experience, it wasn't any of the words I used above to describe the common thoughts of hostels. Obviously that was near on four years ago, a lot can change in that time. Camilla drove me into the city and dropped me to the hostel door which was very kind of her, but that's C through and through. 

I met C again later that day at the hairdressers she uses on Oxford Street. Those that know me well will know that my hair is probably the most important part of my 'look'. When you find an amazing barber/hairdresser you stay loyal. Mine at home was Pall Mall Barbers (@pallmallbarbers on Insta and Twitter // Pall Mall Barbers on FB) - they are sensational. I used to travel into central London especially for my cut and my last one before arriving to Australia was 5 weeks ago and it was the day before I left. So naturally I was in dire need for a fresh cut and there was no way on Godney's green Earth I was going to have on in Thailand ( ed - tattoo yes, haircut no!? Dafuq). Anyways I've digressed yet again. I met C and the owner gave me a great cut actually, I'm not usually a fan of hairdressers as they cut and style differently to a barber. New hair, new me....right?! 

I remember parting with C at the hairdressers, and I remember too well that feeling of 'Fuck my life' it's just Steve vs Sydney. Thoughts took me to back to the days where I was stuck in my office at work in London, in a job I had lost my purpose in, in a team who didn't know what my purpose was either, dreaming of what was to come and life on the other side of the world. It really hit me at this point that I was actually where I was and that I achieved the very first thing I denied myself 3 years prior. 

So armed with my fresh look, a weak bank balance, and various ailments that would get me a blue badge for my car in the UK I took to Sydney's streets as a lone wolf searching for his pack...

BANGKOK: Part Two

BANGKOK: Part Two

You are all aware I am some what behind in keeping you up to date in my blog, yet there is so much to write about.  I do have a substantial amount of free time so you'd have thunk that I  would be all over it, some how I have got stuck in a bit of a cycle.  Birthday and Christmas has happened and New Year is very quickly approaching.  It is currently the 29th December 2014 and I am sat in the glorious sunshine after several hours at 'work' (definitely not WERK!), with a black coffee in hand, outside the coffee shop attached to my Sydney Hostel.  I am clearly describing a budget version of Carrie Bradshaw, don't expect any sordid tales of man trouble in this instalment, or shoe talk for that matter.

 Serving budget Carrie Bradshaw realness.

Anyways, as usual I have digressed. I am here to complete the Bangkok Story, the second and final chapter of BKK...

The KTK had gone and I, in true dramatic style, thought 'what on God's green earth am I going to do now?'. It was time to go it alone. Although I have had a very long drawn out process of integrating and commencing this Solo Travelling malarky. I woke up on the morning of the 17th November wondering what to do next. I already established I wasn't a fan of Bangkok and going out into the city in the heat, and to be honest I really don't think there was much more of the place left for me to see.  I was also slightly hungover from indulging in the cocktails the previous night, and on top of that I was in full mourning mode (loss of the KTK). I realised I needed to sort out transport to Pai, in Northern Thailand, this was a priority as I had finally decided that would be my 'spontaneous' destination.  I had three/four days that I could play with and I didn't really know what to do with them but Caz and Ange both had met various people who had either been or were going to Pai and nothing but praise had been uttered about it.  Seemed an obvious choice to me, and kind of what this travelling thing is about, right?

The previous day (16th) I had met a new roomie, Damien, a young Aussie guy who was also starting out his travels, his were specifically South East Asia/Asia. I saw Damien when I woke/got up from my mourning slumber and we chatted briefly about what he and I had been up to. We arranged that we would go out for drinks in the evening.  I left the hostel and decided to walk to Khao San Road,  thought this would be the perfect place to book bus tickets. Damien had already bought his ticket to Chiang Mai, and leaving the same day as I and he had told me it was in this area that he had booked his. It was a really nice day, weather was beautiful, it actually wasn't too humid and it was nice to walk and see some other sites. I took some photos of a collection of more Temples en route, this was called ROYAL PAVILION, situated along the Ratchadamnoen Klang Road.  Rather annoyingly though, and I have probably mentioned this in my previous post, but there is little to no English descriptions of these temples and the significance of the Buddha in which lies. I personally find Buddhism quite interesting and unusually, for me, I wanted to take an interest in the temples/buddha's and it's significance but was unable too, but at the same time, I have now seen A LOT of temple's and to the uneducated, like me, they look the same, covered in pure, and in some instances, grotesque wealth, given it's surroundings. To me, it seems more apparent in Thailand than it does say; the Catholic Church and England. The difference between rich and poor in Thailand is huge, and I imagine that is the same for the rest of SE Asia, there really is no middle ground, from what I saw anyway.  

 The Royal Pavilion.

Whilst taking snaps of the temples in the Royal Pavilion, en route to Khao San Road, a male approached me, he could see I was taking pictures, showing an interest in the statues etc. He started to talk to me and immediately I thought to myself 'What is he trying to sell me?' - given my experience thus far in Bangkok its not surprising. He opened with the usual questions of where I was from? How long had I been here? etc... I remained polite, after all a stranger is a friend we've yet to make, besides I am not a rude person and will always acknowledge a fellow man/woman. The male started to tell me about other temples that were in the locality and asked if I had been to any of them and if not he would tell me which ones I should go to.  He started to write down a list of places that I 'must' visit. I thought 'How kind is this?'....briefly! He was either a Tuk Tuk driver or he was the organiser of such transportation in order for a Tuk Tuk to take you to all these wondrous places listed on his piece of paper, all for a large fee.  Obvs when I turned him down he scrunched up this list of must see places and walked off. This sort of thing is so ridiculous in Bangkok, it's too much, all of the time - I must stress though this is my experience of Bangkok, I have actually spoken to people who have had much better experiences in this city.  I made my way to Khao San Road, where I passed DEMOCRACY MONUMENT which is situated on a roundabout, kind of ironic given the recent and historic political unrest in the country. I stopped at a McD's, natch, free wifi (and a large Big Mac meal - I've a hangover to nurse!!). 

 Democracy Monument.

I made my way to Khao San Road where I went to Fifty Five Travel, where I booked a bus from Bangkok to Pai, via Chiang Mai with them for 11 quid.  This was two separate bus journeys with a small layover in Chiang Mai.  Most people would go to Chiang Mai for a few days first then on to Pai, but as I was flying from Chiang Mai to Sydney, it was more appropriate to end in CM. The journey was going to be long, somewhere in the region of 18 hours. I opted for the VIP bus again, armed with hope and faith that it would be better than the journey from Koh Tao to Bangkok.

I made my way back to the hostel, a slightly different route. The royals of Thailand are plastered everywhere, there are murals and banners across roads, and on buildings of the royal couple. Could you imagine that in England or even in London? Very strange, but also quite arrogant I guess. The people of Thailand generally have a respect for the Royals, but interestingly they are not allowed to speak ill of them, it's illegal so when I asked various Thai people they are very diplomatic, I would love to have an open and free discussion with a Thai about this but no one was willing or able to, I tried though.

 Extravagant displays of the Monarchy.

The walk was about 6 miles in total, it was nice actually, and allowed me to just think about the rest of my trip doing a Jason Derulo (Ridin' Solo). I got back to the hostel and met with Damien again and we arranged that we would go out to Khao San Road that night, in true backpacker form.

It is quite tricky remembering the night, I did take lot's of photos of us pretty wasted, espesh, Damien. We started the night in a bar I had previously been in with the KTK which was good, it had a guy strumming his guitar covering classics such as Wonderwall, and other indie type music. Obvs we started with buckets, which is pretty much how we ended too. Buckets are equally amazing and dreadful, as is Thai's version of Red Bull, M150, I think it's called. We watched the street below us, and specifically; the people looking to sample the street food, the one minute they're there and the next they're not bars (bizarre), and the local delicacies such as cockroaches, scorpions and other delightful insects that Timone and Pumba would devour. Speaking of which both Damien and I did indulge in a spot of scorpion.  Pictures and videos (once I work out how to upload a video to follow), it tasted burnt but not horrific, I took it well, but I think in these cases it is very much mind over matter. The night continued with further buckets of Vodka and Red Bull and I am sure amongst other alcoholic beverages. We ended in a club just off Khao San Road, called The Cliff. From what I remember it was very good. I met a lovely girl from Amsterdam who was the perfect dancing partner, so many laughs, Selma Maroufi is her name - I hear you ask, 'How do you remember her name?' Well she wrote in the notes app on my iPhone followed by 'The awesome girl in Bangkok' - My type of girl right there! Hahaha! I will be sure to look you up when I finally get a visit to Amsterdam Selma!

We danced a lot. I remember hearing several Pitbull tracks, notably 'Timber' which followed me throughout Thailand, and for me the song of Thailand. Pitbull is incredibly popular it seems there. Anyways, here are just some of the photos from the night...

 Pre Scorpion feasting.

 Various shots of Damien, Selma & I.

 'The awesome girl in Bangkok'

 The mighty three.

Damien is a top lad, he is just 18, seems older, no bad thing, and a complete pleasure to be around and a total credit to his parents/fam. It is also nice to know I can keep up with the 'younger' ones still haha. The following day we were obvs hanging, poor Damien locked himself out of the hostel room, he did knock but I was obvs out of it myself and thus he had to sleep in the communal area. I think Damien needed some recovery time, as did I. I didn't venture out until the afternoon where I went for a Thai massage, I shan't go into too much information but put it this way, I got a brochure and a reward card. I left feeling rather rejuvenated. 

That evening Damien and I went on a boat cruise at night and then attended ASIATIQUE which was along the river. It was really nice there, very clean and it did not feel like I was in grubby BKK. It was a purpose built place with bars, restaurants, stalls, attractions and Christmas trees. Perfect way to spend the last night in BKK, for me. 

We headed back to the hostel where I drifted off to sleep ready for the final day. We needed to check out by midday, we had breakfast and got our shit together. By this point I am completely over repacking my already filled to the brim belongings, I packed far too much, it's ridiculous, but at the same time I still felt I needed it all in my life. On my final day in Bangkok I really didn't want to walk around a hot and humid city, getting my sweat on and being gross on my mammoth bus journey. Damien and I both had buses at similar times so we decided to go to Siam Shopping Centre and Central World, with the idea that we would be able to remain cool in an air con environment and not be too ratchet for our bus journeys. I checked out at about 1130hrs and needed to be back to collect my backpack at about 1700hrs. What I didn't consider was spending 5 or so hours in two shopping malls. It was arduous to say the least, it would have been OK had I been shopping, but even then I do not like shopping, I am a in and out type of guy, not a typical gay in that sense either! The shopping malls were huge. I think the last hour or two we just stayed in Starbucks, at least I was in good company! After spending near on 5 hours in two shopping centres and having nothing but a KFC, Chatime (MUST TRY Englanders - Bubble Tea, I was introduced to this phenomenon by my Brother, Shane and Lianna on our last night together before I left. Can be found in Chinatown, London. Also available all over Sydney as I have found!), and a Starbucks - so basically a full stomach and bladder - I went back to collect my big backpack from the Hostel. Both Damien and I got a taxi to Khao San Road where we parted. I have followed his journey since parting on Facebook and Insta. When I get to Brisbane I shall be shouting him up, he lives a bit out of the city but never the less it'll be awesome to meet up. Likewise when he comes over to the UK, assuming I am back by then.

I got to the Fifty Five Travel agency and waited to be collected. When I got to the bus I ensured I had my belongings on me as I had heard of various horror stories about these journeys. Unlike my first experience with a VIP bus this one wasn't too bad. The chairs reclined to almost flat, the journey was relatively smooth. There was about 9 backpackers and 3 Thai (presumably) people on the bus so there was plenty of room. We left Bangkok at about 1830hrs on 19th November and we got to watch one movie, which was at the start of the journey, 'Need For Speed' which stars whatshisface from Breaking Bad. Not a terrible movie actually, I quite enjoyed it. I fell asleep as most of, if not all did. We stopped at about 0100hrs on 20th November at a service station type place, for a 20 minute leg stretch and refreshments then back on the bus. I fell back to sleep. Sleeping on public transport is not something I do well but I was pretty comfortable and tired and slept pretty much most of the journey. I did get my iPad out of my bag which was locked. When I unlocked the bag the zip broke, I didn't think much of it, I thought I had broken the bag due to over-stuffing thus far on my trip, I was later to find out that it was probably not me that broke the zip but some filthy thief - more about that in a later post. At about 0530hrs we stopped in Chiang Mai, I was the only person going further, I was taken to a tiny back street and left outside an abandoned travel shop that was open, but no one was there. I was told I would be collected in two hours. I sat waiting, and found a toilet, which was vile. A feeling of dread was going through me during this time. I just thought that there was no way anyone was coming for me. Someone did though at 0730hrs and I was taken to yet another bus. I met a lovely couple from Belgium on this one, and after an issue over over-booking, 4 of us got our own mini bus and off we went to Pai, through the mountains, long and very windy roads, the scenery was stunning, I was playing nodding dog as at this point I had already been travelling for 14 hours. I arrived in Pai town centre, having passed my hotel and the driver not wanting to drop anyone off at their final destinations at about 1130hrs. Finally after 17/18 hours of buses I made it. It probably feels that long for you readers I imagine too. Apols for that.

My Pai update is to come, stay tuned loyal readers, for you will be rewarded...

BANGKOK: Part One

15/11/2014 - 17/11/2014 KOH TAO >>>> BANGKOK

I left The Simple Life Resort in the morning, 0900hrs to get the most to the mainland. The boat was proper chops, all the way, I was feeling a tad delicate too which obvs didn't help. It was just under a 2hr journey from Koh Tao to Chumphon on the mainland. It was there I met a lovely Thai lady who gave me a cold towel, she had been travelling for a bit around the country as she was visiting from New Zealand. She was heading to Pai as there is a beautiful flower blooming there at the time of the year, she did tell me what it was but I natch can't remember, after investigation it's called Bua Tong Flower. Our paths did not cross again, sadly but I did find that flower she was going to see;

Bua Tong Flower

The VIP bus was interesting, it wasn't at all VIP. I was not allowed to sit in my allocated seat, I find that sort of thing irritating. I was sat next to a leaking window. After about 3hrs I was told to get off the bus and was moved on to another one. I had no one to talk to the whole journey, it was pretty dire. I booked through Lomprayah who run the boat from Koh Tao, it was their bus, that reminds me, I must trip advisor this. Despite all this I did find myself arriving in Bangkok somewhat frustrated but excited to see the KTK once more.

I arrived a bit earlier than the KTK to BKK. As soon as I stepped off the bus a pack of taxi drivers descended on me wanting my fare. It was a bit much. They all claimed not to be metered taxis and I had previously read to avoid non-metered cabs. After about 5 minutes of being lost and confused I got a taxi with an apparent non metered cab, which turned out he did have a meter, but this was conveniently not working. He charged me 400baht (£8) to go what I now know is a 3 mile journey on a meter this would have cost no more than 50baht (£1).  I was just relieved to get to my hostel if I'm honest. So my initial introduction to BKK was not brilliant.

HOSTEL: I stayed at Boxpackers Hostel. This has a great concept, where you share with others, however the beds are in holes in the wall therefore creating the privacy people need. There were mostly Asian people staying here and they seemed to know each other. There was literally no atmosphere or socialising going on in the social areas. I was sharing with a female who appeared horrified that I was in the room, she stared and then ran out hahaha. My second day I met Damien who is an 18yo Aussie lad more about him a bit later. I wouldn't stay here again, it's not particularly near the main tourist hubs or anywhere of particular note. 

My first night involved meeting up with the KTK, we did this at their hotel, the Millennium Hilton Hotel which is along the river, about 6 miles from where I was staying. My journey there was incredibly frustrating, six taxis and two tuk tuk's later and I arrived. The cabbies refused to turn their meter on, or claimed to say it was too far away or that they didn't know where it was. One taxi driver even agreed a price with me and off we went, only to find a mile into the journey he had changed his price and the direction in which we were going. Needless to say I got the right hump and had a few choice words, politely of course, before getting dropped off God knows where.The tuk tuks were effectively saying the same thing and wanted no less than 400baht for the journey. I finally got in a taxi and it cost me 300baht (£6). It was such a relief and delight to see the KTK and we had only been apart for about 12 hours!!! We went out in Khao San Road, if you don't know, this road is full of backpackers, tourists. Cheap drinks, a bar to suit everyone, clubs, and these bizarre bars that just pop up on second and disappear the next, there was various other treats along the street, by treats I mean cooked food/insects. We didn't get out til quite late, we went to quite a good but grubby bar, where there was a one man band who was singing indie hits and playing his guitar, quite good actually, surprised Nichols didn't take over on the sight of a guitar!! We stayed their until closing, about 0200hrs, and the big finale was all the backpackers singing a song appaz called 'In The Morning'. Something I've yet to learn or here anyone sing in Australia, or any other part of Thailand for that matter, must've been a BKK thing.

We left the bar and it appeared everywhere was closing, I annoyingly forgot to bring out my lonely planet guide offering advice as to what is open later in the city. The only thing that sprung to our minds was a ping pong show. Yep. So with obvs not enough alcohol in our system we walked along Khao San Road until we were approached by a tuk tuk driver asking us if we wanted to see a Ping Pong Show, we went with it, that's what you do in Bangkok, right? 500baht (£10) for a tuk tuk to the venue, entrance fee and free drink. Nichols and I were in one tuk tuk, the driver was hilarious, and totes cray cray on the roads! It was exciting fosho. We ended up in this back alley where other tuk tuks were parked up and we waited for the others, who had left before us. We were told to keep our voices down, I also took a photo of Nichols outside a 'THAILAND' door, then got told that photos are not allowed. Something was clearly not right with this situ, but you roll with it, WE'RE IN BANGKOK! 

The only photo I got away with taking outside the PingPong Show venue.

Without going into too much detail about the ping pong show, what you think takes place, does take place, oh...and then some. A picture, balloon popping, banana exiting, candle blowing outing, a never ending ribbon, liquid exchange, ping pong balls flying (at me) and a stingy free drink later and it was the end. Kenickie and I were pretty shafted by the others, we sat in the front row whilst the other three sat behind us. The first night in Bangkok came to a very disturbing end, but totally hilare.

The next day we went completed the tourist things in the city. It was the groups last full day together and that evening would be our last night too. We met up at The Millenium Hilton where we got a boat over to the main pier. We first visited Wat Pho Temple with the famous Big Reclining Buddah. Oh my Buddah it was huge. The temples within Wat Pho were very impressive, and dripping in wealth. Go out into the streets and poverty is everywhere though. Is it any wonder the people of Thailand and the government are at odds? The thing about Thailand temples I have found is that all the information about them is in Thai, doesn't appear to allow for the vast majority of English/English speakers to learn about what each Buddah represents. We left Wat Pho and we got a taxi to the famous Chatuchak Weekend Market. It's said to be the worlds largest market. It's not what I had thought at all. I was thinking there would be a lot of tatt but actually some of the units were really very good, great clothing, I was natch tempted to indulge but of course I packed 28kgs of luggage, I think I could do without anymore. Great juices, food and other items were available. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around and taking in the atmosphere. Nichols and I remained when the other left and we indulged in a spot of having our feet massaged, kinda painful, I can't lie but felt reinvigorated afterwards. We parted so we could get ready for our last night together. 

King Rama I ashes are buried within this Buddah. King Rama I is Thailand's first King.

I have no idea what this means.

Interesting gargoyle type statues.

Huge temples within Wat Pho's grounds.

Us boys keeping it real outside another temple.

Chatuchak Weekend Market. Must see in Bangkok.

We wanted a nice meal to end our KTK trip together. We met up, back at The Hilton, Nichols had to leave a bit earlier as he had an earlier flight so the gang had decided where we would have dinner. The tuk tuk's we spoke to had no idea where the restaurant was so we asked them to take us to a nice restaurant with good food. Off we went. We spent about 25 minutes in the tuk tuk which costed us 100baht per tuk which is very cheap, probably should have rung some kind of alarm bell. We had a tuk tuk crash en route too, made us laugh a bit. Unfortunately where they took us was so far away it meant less time with Nichols at the restaurant. The place we ended up was called SOMBOONDEE - Seafood Market. Inside it looks a bit like a cafeteria, it didn't look particularly great. Still we had very little time to waste so we cracked on with ordering. Caz and I ordered a bottle of white wine and we all ordered a few starters to share. Kenickie got to pick his seabass that he ordered, alive. I had a tiger prawn dish in sesame sauce. The food was quite nice actually. The KTK surprised with me an awesome postcard with a message for me for my onward travels, the postcard was from Koh Tao, and I was genuinely surprised and touched by the gesture!! Kenickie got me a phone case 'If I had a British accent I'd never shut up' hahaha it was fitting, thanks DD! 😉

LOVE THIS.

We had our final group photo taken and said goodbye to Nichols, it was said, the bloke is genuinely one of the nicest and funniest people a person can meet! Nichols left, and then there was four... 

We got our bill, which is pretty big, we couldn't get over or at least wrap our heads round the size of it. It basically came to £70 each. The wine itself was £40 for the bottle, and Caz didn't even like it. It turns out that when we ordered our starters they made enough for 5 to share instead of just their usual serving, in doing so they upped the price of them. In terms of the mains the price was agreed prior as it was worked out with the weight of the fish. The wine was a surprise as it was certainly not a £40 bottle of white, I'm obvs a bit of a wino these days, thanks to Tras and Roly, so I know a £40 bottle when I taste one, this was nothing better than a house. We grinned we bared it and we moved on.

The remaining four of us went to DOME Bar which is located at LEBUA HOTEL. You'll know this as the Hangover pt 2 Bar. It featured prominently in the movie. It was stunning. Cocktails were about £15 a pop which is reasonable given the location and certainly no more than you would pay in London. I had the best Long Island Iced Tea of my entire life here. It was stunning. We enjoyed the views and each other's company at one side of the bar, then moved over to the most iconic part which was incredible. The big dome and the wide and long steps leading to the glass barriers to take in the view of Bangkok at night. Bangkok looked great from 60 something floors up. After a few cocktails we bided each other a good night. 

Iconic Dome.

Ange, Nicky, and Caz.

Kenickie & I.

Amazing views - the best way to see Bangkok.

I got a taxi from the hotel to my hostel, this was the first and only time I got in a metered taxi in Bangkok, and the 5 mile journey cost 67baht (£1.20) - that's when I realised they take tourists as proper mugs in Bangkok.

We said our goodbyes in the foyer of the Lebua Hotel. It was sad. I felt very sad when I got in the taxi. I had made some incredible friendships with these guys, and it has elevated Caz & I's friendship. I've known Caz for years now and although we don't see each other regularly I've always known she is great company, and a lot of laughs so I had no doubts that our time together would be anything but great. I've made a true friend in Ange, Nicky, and Rich on this trip too. As a group it's a funny match, we were all brought together thanks to Keely & Ross' wedding and we leave having a bond with each other. Not once in my time with any of them did I get annoyed or frustrated or miserable. I genuinely enjoyed their company so much. I've natch remained in contact with them since we parted, which is now approaching a month later. I actually factually still miss the KTK. 

OBVS, a reunion is on the cards.

The KTK's final photograph of the trip.