Thoughts: Inspiration

We stumbled upon this awesome video of Neil Unger the other evening. As cliché as it sounds, I found it such a great reminder that it's never too late to pursue your interests and passions, and that your mindset is the true determinant of 'age'. I hope I'm as adventurous in my 60s, 70s, and onwards, and that the desire to chase that which makes me feel alive, only grows stronger.

The Beach Life of Khao Lak

Disclaimer: this particular post is alarmingly photo heavy - be forewarned!

I've abandoned the blog the last little while as our days have fallen into a blissfully lazy pattern in a sunny, beachside town. After returning from Similan, we were given a ride to nearby Khao Lak, a beach town about 10km from the pier in Tablamu. 

Khao Lak is small, but bustling with life. There are several resorts here, and like us, many others have found a haven in this vibrant little beach town. The locals are so incredibly welcoming and the overall laid back vibe makes the hoards of tourists feel far less suffocating. 

When we first got to Khao Lak - dropped off at the centre of town on the side of the road - we spent a good 30 minutes walking up and down the street looking for a room to stay. The only hostel in town was fully booked...as was the inn...and the hotel. Little did we know at the time- sweaty, weary, and weighed down by our packs - that this would be to our absolute advantage; a few steps up the road we found an absolutely lovely, family run inn (To Zleep) that quickly became home to us.

We booked one night, unsure where next in Thailand our adventures would take us, and three days later, we have yet to leave after having been made to feel a part of the family, with a Mom who speaks some Mandarin and a Nanna who sneaks us Thai treats during breakfast (my kind of people!). If our future adventures should find us back in Khao Lak one day, we'll most definitely stay with our Zleep family again.

Anyways, having found a place to stay, we spent the subsequent days exploring the area by motorbike (well, scooter bike, but motorbike sounds so much cooler), arriving home each evening encrusted with sea salt, sweat, and sand, and sticky from gorging ourselves on fresh fruit, but thoroughly content.

On our first morning in Khao Lak, we rented our little scooter bike from the rental shop next door, which proved an invaluable investment. At 300 Baht ($12) a day, our bike was easily affordable and a great way to get around without relying on taxis. 

Similan Day 2

A few snaps from our last morning on the Similan Islands. We were scheduled to hitch a ride back to the mainland with the same tour boat that had dropped us off the previous day. After checking out in the morning, we had a few hours to kill before the boat arrived and decided on one last dip in the sea. On our way to the beach, we stumbled past a small unassuming sign for a lookout point. Of course we followed the path into the trees, where it soon became evident that the ever-steepening pathway was indeed more of a climb/hike than a gentle meander. Luckily for us - clad in sandals and beach ware - the hike, although steep, was fairly short, and the view was well worth it.  A few photos below, if you'd like to see.

 We don't always go hiking, but when we do, we make sure to bring our snorkels.

From Bangkok to the Similan

What a crazy 24h! We started off in Bangkok and ended up where we are right now, sleeping in a Bungalow on one of the Similan Islands in the south of Thailand. But, I'll start from the beginning...

Yesterday, our second day in Bangkok and feeling well enough to stay at a hostel [instead of hotel], we caught a tuk tuk (a motorbike-rickshaw-taxi hybrid that seems to be equally popular amongst locals and tourists, alike) and booked a room at a nice looking hostel. 

Bangkok

Bangkok! Day 2 in Bangkok and what a hectic few days its been. After arriving in Bangkok late yesterday afternoon, we checked into our hotel, showered our exhausted bodies, and promptly fell asleep for the next 15 or so hours. Our travels and a nasty stomach virus finally caught up with us in Hong Kong [our landing point before Thailand] and needless to say, it was a long night, marked by the ejection of projectile bodily fluids, and no sleep - welcome to the less glamorous side of traveling. Neither of us has ever been this sick while traveling, but luckily, the worst was over within the first 24h, and while we're not quite 100%, we were able to make it to Thailand in one piece.

Houses on stilts - the view from our hotel room, which made for a really cool contrast

Shenzhen & HK

I didn't have a real post written up about our travels from Guangzhou to Shenzhen and HK, but wanted to include a few photos we took along the way.

En route to Shenzhen

We stopped at an ancient village on the way to Shenzhen and stopped to take a look around

Guangzhou Part III

The rest of our days in Gunagzhou have been lazy and fruit-filled! Strolling around the community, admiring the beautiful (gigantic) houses, peeking through gates to see the size of the Koi fish in neighbours' ponds, kicking the soccer ball around, counting the many different fruit trees (so far: mango, starfruit, papaya, Mandarin), knocking down mangoes in our own backyard, and of course gorging ourselves on tropical fruit (perfection).