Bookworm: I Come Alone by Michelle J. Coote

Lately I seem to be reading a lot of books about people going travelling – I’ve gone from fiction through to real life. Whether this is through a new love for this genre of books, or just me still trying to hang on desperately to my Thai trip, who knows.

The latest offering I’ve worked through is I Come Alone by Michelle J. Coote. On reading the blurb about this true travelling tale, we’re promised to hear about a lone female traveller who quits her ‘soul-destroying’ desk job and embarks on an adventure across Thailand and India.

Ah great, I thought, I can read about people’s views of Thailand again and hopefully find common experiences mentioned which I can relate to. The issue I had with the last book ‘The Backpacker’ was that I took a dislike to the author and his general views and morals in life.

Since this latest read was by a female, perhaps I might have more in common with her? And everyone dreams of ditching the desk job and running away to another country for sun and new sights. I was looking forward to enjoying an inspiring book.

Once I'd got a little way into the book, I started to wish the blurb hadn't pulled me in so much. Michelle has been travelling before she wrote this book and so it wasn't as if she went travelling for the first time when she decided to leave her job. Something which I was expecting so that things would be more dramatic and unknown for her.

Aside from this issue I began the book and really enjoyed relating to so many things she saw and experienced in Thailand. I was pleased with the love she felt for the country and how she described how welcoming the people were. Exactly what I'd thought!

The book then goes on to describe her experiences in India as well.

Although the descriptions were great and it was interesting to hear what happened and what Cootes thought of these places, food and people, it did feel like reading someone's travel journal.

Not in a voyeuristic and exciting way though, almost like reading through an itinerary of somebody's trip.

I guess this is the issue when reading 'real life' travel stories. Although people may have good experiences, they may not be natural or gripping writers.

Good points
Some interesting tales
Good descriptions
Liked how I could relate to mentions of Thailand
Gained some insight into India

Not so great
Wasn't what I expected
Quite a 'plodding along' sort of book, nothing too dramatic happens
Constant references to travels before and after the time of the book, which you don't know about
Quite a bland ending

Looking back the book was easy to read and expanded my knowledge of both Thailand and India and even perhaps gave me ideas for my return to Thailand (whenever that may be, but I'd say it's pretty inevitable). However, for how it's described, I found myself disappointed with what I Come Alone had to offer.

I'm taking a break from travel tales for now, with a fictional, traumatic story about lost love and am hoping for a PS I Love You alternative (or at least that's what the blurb suggests!)

Top Thailand Tips

I certainly don’t profess to be some sort of expert on the subject - far from it in fact - but I thought it might be good to share some of my experiences in Thailand and what I found worked for us (and what didn’t). Being a first time visitor to Thailand I found the advice of those who’d been before extremely useful and having holidayed in this beautiful location myself now, I thought I’d share any words of wisdom I may have to offer too.

Safety/people
One of my first concerns on visiting Thailand, and in fact something that had put me off before, was safety. This is not an issue. Providing you use some common sense – the same as you would when travelling anywhere you’re not familiar with – you’ll be fine. In beach locations there are people selling the usual tourist tat (although to be honest I loved a lot of it!) but if you simply smile and say no thank you they WILL leave you alone. Thai people are not pushy.
When you’re on the beach and want to go in the sea and leave your valuables – again it’s fine – wherever I go I just secure my beach bag and put it under my beach towel. This seemed to work fine in Thailand too.
Everywhere you go you are made to feel welcome and safe, obviously if you decide to venture to the more ‘trashy’ areas keep your belongings close and avoid eye contact if you don’t want to be pulled into any dodgy strip bars or clubs. Try and work out costs and what’s involved before you just walk on into a venue.
As you probably know Thailand is very popular with tourists so you won’t struggle with language at all, the majority of Thai people where you’re likely to visit can speak great English and often signs are in Thai and English. Often hotels will give you a card which has their address on in Thai, when we landed in Bangkok one of the desk staff wrote out our hotel address out for us in Thai to give to the cab driver just in case their English wasn’t so strong.
People say Thailand is the land of smiles and they are not wrong – nothing is too much trouble and you will always be met with a bow and a greeting (typically ‘Sawadee’)
As a mark of respect Thai people will take their shoes off a lot, even when showing you round your room or cleaning it you’ll find shoes outside the door before entering. In some restaurants and shops you’ll find this is the way too, so make sure you keep an eye out for signs, so as not to offend.

Food
It obviously depends what sort of trip you’re on, and this advice is purely focussed on a similar type of experience as I had (not staying in hostels/backpacking, but by the same token not staying in the fanciest, luxurious of locations). We found food portions were very big. You often don’t need a starter or if you do get one to share.
Most Thai dishes are very spicy. A lot of restaurants will ask you if you want your dish milder or not. I would recommend you say yes. I like a bit of spice in my food, but so I can enjoy it and it flavours the dish. On our first meal in Bangkok I ordered a speciality of the restaurant but it was described as a coconut curry, it brought tears to my eyes and sweat on my face – it was hot! You will also find as your holiday moves on you’ll adapt to the spice.

Money
We took around £300 each spending money in Thai baht with us and then took our credit and debit cards with to pay for trips/draw out cash when needed. There are lots of ATMs about, although you may find they often limit the number of notes you’re allowed – we found it best to select the tourist ATMs which had pre-defined amounts on them and were easier to get cash from.
Eating out is great value, particularly if you opt for traditional Thai food, you will get super cheap food.
Drinks wise - A bottle of beer you can normally get for around £1, a large bottle for £1.50-£2, cocktails are normally in happy hours and are about £3 or so. Wine is a tad dearer at about £4.50-£5 a glass. You can get coconut milk out of a fresh coconut for really cheap on the beaches, or buy big bottles of water from supermarkets for like 30p. Most hotels give you complimentary bottles of water each day anyway.
It is not standard to tip and you’ll find if you do you’ll be met with such gratefulness and shock. We’re not typically huge tippers and I only like to do so when I feel service has been really great, I hate customary tipping for the sake of it. On a few occasions we gave a (very small) tip to various hotel staff or cab drivers and they were so surprised and really pleased.

Accommodation
Again this varies hugely depending on what you’re after. For what we were after – a mix of relaxation, visiting places and being first timers to Thailand we wanted a bit of a mixture but somewhere we wouldn’t feel overwhelmed.
In Bangkok we stayed in the financial district which meant we were in pleasant surroundings, but were also in a good position to visit the more tourist sightseeing areas. We stayed in the Park Plaza Sukhumvit hotel and could not fault it, check out my review ‘Cannot recommend this hotel enough!’
On Koh Samui we wanted to be on one of the best beaches but not be surrounded with tourists or anything too ‘English’, we stayed in the Kandaburi Resort & Spa which was situated at the very far Northern end area of Chaweng Beach, it was beautiful. Have a look at my review ‘Lovely hotel’
This was in a good location if you wanted to go into Chaweng for more nightlife and it was close to well-known temples such as Big Buddha and areas where you can go on ‘safari’ (visit waterfalls, ride an elephant and so on).
Then finally on Koh Phangan, we wanted to have total relaxation at the end of our trip and so we stayed in the Salad Beach area – highly recommended by a friend of mine. We stayed at Salad Beach Resort – a more basic hotel compared to the other two, but still lovely. Read about it on my review ‘A more basic option but very nice’ If you’re into diving this is a very good place to stay as it is near one of the best diving areas there apparently.

Places to visit
There are so many places you can go, but here are some of my favourites/recommendations:

Bangkok (so many more places you can see but we only had 2 full days)
Khao San Road – well known backpacking area, great for cheap drinks and a fun night out
Soi Cowboy – offers evening fun of a more ‘trashy’ kind, however this is said to be a tamer area and so good if you want a nose at what this side of Thailand is like but don’t really want to get involved
Jim Thompson’s House – great museum showing traditional Thai architecture and history/information on Thai silk
The Grand Palace – unfortunately we never got in here but we saw some great temples in the surrounding areas
Damnoen Saduak floating market – long way out and an early start, but well worth it to see the floating market ‘stalls’, ride a longtail down the canals and experience the food, drink and trinkets they have on offer, experience being pulled in to the ‘stalls’ by their big hooked poles and see some traditional Thai homes on the riverbank
Benjakiti Park – this is a big park built in the middle of the financial district, built around a huge lake – beautiful

Koh Samui
Big Buddha – huge golden standing Buddha statue, surrounded by temple bells which you can walk round and hit for luck, stunning scenery around it and a little market and shops nearby selling all sorts
Wat Plai Laem – this temple is home to the huge 18-armed Buddha (also referred to by some as the Lady Monk), there are lots of temples in the nearby surroundings which all offer beautiful ornate decorations and statues, there are huge fish in the lakes there too which are a sight to see!
Island Safari – I would really recommend the trip we went on a half day trip with Island Safari tours. This was due to be 5 hours, but were out for over 6 hours, great value, you experience: elephant trekking, elephant show, monkey show, Thai boxing demo, rubber plantation, rice fields and ox and cart ride, Thai cooking demo, Namuang Waterfall, photo with a tiger (extra cost), fish spa and they also give you lots of free bottled water and a refreshing plate of watermelon, then once you are at the waterfall you get a yummy Thai lunch (drinks not included). Pick up and drop off direct from your hotel and all for approx. £30 pp.
Where we stayed on the beach I’d recommend Your Place for great food and the best place for after dinner drinks and a fire show on the beach.

Koh Pha Ngan
To be honest all we did here was relax and chill! But if you’re not staying there you must go visit, it is beautiful and so peaceful and quiet!
On our last night we did go to a Thai boxing match which was great – all the family can go and all the locals turn up and place bets, it was great fun. We went to the Thong Sala ‘stadium’.
I’d really recommend Salad Hut for lunch or dinner – great food and drink, huge portions and good prices and super friendly service.
The tuk tuk massage hut on the beach was very good value and very friendly too, I felt like I was floating after my 60mins Thai massage
Sunset Bar is a super chilled out bar at the end of Salad Beach, but then most bars there are – relaxing lights, hammocks, relaxing padded pillow seats to lie on…

Relax
Everywhere is so laid back you don’t need to be super organised to stay here…
You can pre-organise hotel pick-ups from the airport or ferry ports, but I would recommend just sorting it when you get there, there are always plenty of taxis wherever you are
I booked our ferry trips before we went, again in popular times I guess it’s best to have booked your ferry before BUT I am sure you can book it when you are out there and be sure you know exactly how far you are from the ports – we had about 3 hours to kill at Bang Rak Pier when travelling from Koh Samui to Koh Pha Ngan!
All trips you can definitely sort when in Thailand and try and look for the best deal – also remember some places you can visit yourself and likely don’t need to be through an organised trip
Whenever we asked how much a taxi ride would cost we were told 500 baht (about £10), they never ever seemed to be this much and there are various ways to get around – tuk tuks are great and the cheapest option (if a little hairy at times!), on a lot of the islands their versions of taxis you have to climb into and they have no back (again a fun way to get around if a little daunting at first if you’re a worrier like me!)

Weather
We stayed in August and on looking at the weather in Thailand we saw it was within ‘monsoon’ season. If you do the same do not worry, the east side of the islands (Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Koh Tao) are the driest during this time. We had minimal rain when were there – about 10 minutes one afternoon on Koh Pha Ngan and about 15-20 mins one evening there. Similarly for Bangkok we experienced a little rain when we were out and about one day and then one day whilst we were eating breakfast. It rains quickly and dries up quickly and at most places – as with the sea – the rain is warm! You’ll never feel cold!

Wherever you go you’re bound to have a great time. I panic a lot and am overly organised and even I found I totally unwound, took things as they came and just generally chilled out. You’ll soon find yourself bowing and smiling continuously like the locals and just remember to be patient if at times some people struggle to understand what you mean. And once you see the stunning scenery and relax in that heat all your worries and real life will melt away and be quickly forgotten…

Does paradise really exist?

Before I went on holiday I was a bit worried I’ll admit – I was panicking about turning 30 on my birthday and I was nervous that my trip wasn’t going to live up to all it was being described to be. People had told me how amazing the two weeks would be, how beautiful the location, and I kept wanting them to stop. What if they’d beefed up the whole experience and the scenery? What if I didn’t have the greatest time and the whole thing turned out to be a bit of a let-down as a result?

Now I’m back and my holiday is slowly becoming a distant memory, my tan is fading and my clothes feel tighter I’m dreaming of another place.

My head is filled with images of perfectly clear blue skies, soft powdery white sand so bright it hurts your eyes, calm waters lapping the shore, completely transparent sun-warmed seas and a peaceful quiet occasionally interrupted by the sound of waves or tropical birds tweeting.

My head is filled with Thailand.

Still nearly two weeks after landing back in the UK, I can’t quite believe what a great place it was - the kindness of the people, the customs, all the things we experienced and overall the beauty before you.

At times when we were lying in the sun on the islands, I found myself stopping reading my Kindle and just looking up and trying to take in the view before me. I started to annoy my boyfriend as at regular intervals I would let out a contented sigh – I just was so relaxed and happy. I also tend to listen to music when I’m abroad and relaxing by the pool and on the beach. Not here. I just didn’t want to miss any of the peace and quiet.

I’ve always thought where I live is a relatively quiet area and although there is a road nearby it has never disturbed me, nor have I ever really noticed it. Since getting back from Thailand (particularly ending on the tiny remote idyll that is Salad Beach on Koh Phangan), I feel surrounded by noise – sirens, buses pulling up, cars sounding their horns.

Don’t get me wrong, there were of course other people in the locations we visited and it wasn’t silent the entire time, yet there seemed to be such a relaxed atmosphere around you that it wasn’t unpleasant or disturbing.

I’d been a little concerned before leaving as I’d read that Thailand has been spoilt and it’s overrun with tourists now. I can totally understand if you’d travelled here before and then returned after it became such a popular location for backpackers and holidaymakers it must seem so spoilt and built up. Yet to a first timer like me, I just cannot even comprehend how amazing it must have been before, if it’s this stunning and tranquil in the present day.

Years ago I’d thought about visiting Thailand, but I’ll be honest I was unsure. I – wrongly – assumed it was going to be a bit of an unsafe place to be and I was hesitant even just before we went concerned I might get there and feel constantly uncomfortable.

I couldn’t have been more wrong – no matter where we were – on a serene perfect beach, walking down unknown dirty streets, on a trip to visit sights, buying items to remember our stay, trying to cross the buzzing Bangkok traffic – I felt safe and moreso I felt extremely welcome.

We saw such a magical mixture of sights in just two weeks, I took an epic 1200 photos in my attempts to try and capture it all! Although photos alone simply can’t showcase the colours, sounds and smells we experienced.

Where else can you go and encounter all this? Temples, tuk tuks, elephant trekking, holding a baby monkey with its arm looped round your neck, lying under an elephant’s gigantic foot with its trunk on your back, being twisted to unbelievable proportions in a traditional massage. Walking barefoot around historical buildings, quietly contemplating as you stand in temples in front of a huge Buddha and ornate decorations, sampling all the spices and new flavours of the cuisine, quenching your thirst with an ice cold local beer, shopping from a wooden boat on a floating market, getting handmade coconut leaf jewellery on the back of an elephant, being bowed down to and seeing smiles everywhere you go, encountering stunning sunsets and all sorts of new creatures. I can’t even list it all here and already I want to jump on a plane back right now remembering.

And this is why I have the post-holiday blues. Big time. I’m also concerned unless we keep going back to Thailand, are other holidays ever going to compare?

I’ve been to Egypt, South Africa, America, Greek islands, Australia, Turkey, the Caribbean, to name a few destinations. Thailand and its people have beaten them all and completely won me over.

Bookworm: Catching the Sun by Tony Parsons

On purchasing the e-book version of this fictional tale I’d already seen on review sites it wasn’t too popular and there weren’t many fans.

However, it featured Thailand and seemed a nice easy beach read so I decided to go ahead.

Well the book blurb explains the story revolves around the Finn family and features a former taxi driver in the UK moving with his family to Thailand to live, but it’s not quite the paradise they thought.

There are a lot of descriptions of Thailand – some I could identify with as I holidayed in this amazing location. However, many seemed a bit odd or far-fetched. I can’t really comment too much on them as the story is based in Phuket – somewhere I haven’t been.

Unfortunately the story itself is a little dull and it switches so many times between the family’s life in the UK and Thailand and even the start of the book seems to be in an odd place. Although the story itself is an easy read and not very taxing, it’s not necessarily the most enjoyable book ever as you kind of end up feeling a bit like you don’t really care.

The characters are okay, but I didn’t particularly warm to anyone in particular.

Good points
Some nice descriptions of Thailand
Easy to read on the beach when relaxing – not taxing at all

Not so great
Story not that interesting
Characters quite dull
Some events are quite far-fetched

Overall, the book is good if you want something that isn’t hard to read and doesn’t require much effort. If you want to learn about Thailand, reminisce about your holiday or get your teeth into a meaty read – don’t choose this book.

Bookworm: The Beach by Alex Garland

So I don’t really know anyone who hasn’t seen the film The Beach – you know Leonardo DiCaprio discovers an island paradise, they all go a bit mad… I’d imagine I’ve seen it at least 3 or 4 times now.

However, on booking my trip to Thailand and thinking of books to take (I went for a Thai inspired theme), I realised I’ve never actually read the book. And as we all know nine times out of ten, the book is always the better option.

I downloaded said book onto my Kindle and after leaving Bangkok and arriving on Koh Samui I decided to get stuck in and start reading.

On a side note this is the first holiday I’ve actually taken my Kindle with me, rather than paperbacks. I have been on holidays before since owning my e-reader, but have always worried too much about sand, sun tan lotion and losing it to take it away. Never again will I make this mistake.

It was so much easier taking a lightweight e-book device, rather than 3 or 4 chunky paperbacks, which not only weigh down your bag and take up precious luggage allowance, but tend to get loose pages, are a pain to hold and at times block out the sun.

I loved having my Kindle to read and the battery lasts so long, I didn’t even have to charge it that often either.

Anyway, I digress.

So The Beach. What did I think?

Well I loved it. I really like the film and as I’d hoped, the book keeps you hooked. You just don’t want to put it down. Interestingly the book is a lot darker as well and at the end there are real mind-messing events, not featured on the big screen.

As you’d expect, the film had created some variations compared to the book and certain things I’d been expecting to happen in the book didn’t occur. However, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing at all.

Good points
Addictive reading
Good descriptions
Accurate information on Thailand and visitors to Thailand will identify with situations and scenery referenced

Not so great
Ended too soon – I wanted to keep reading!

Overall I would definitely recommend The Beach, if you liked the film you will love the book!

Time for a break

Next time I write this blog I'll be 30. I'll have also been on what (I hope) will have been one of my best holidays ever.

I am so excited today, in five hours my parents will pick me and my boyfriend up and take us to the airport.

I'm also pleased because for once in my life I seem to have actually learnt to pack light and my case seems well under weight!

Moreover I started my day with a big smile as I weighed myself one final time before our holiday. I've managed to lose just under three pounds in weight.

This figure now means I'm one stone and nine pounds lower in weight than I was when 2012 began.

In typical female fashion I'm still not satisfied and wish I could have got down to a lower weight. However I can't deny I'm really pleased with what I've achieved and feel I can hit that beach with a bit more confidence.

Whether my body rebels once the dieting stops and the spinning subsides who knows. Though I have been assured by people who've been to Thailand before that I'll likely stay in shape what with the humidity-induced sweating and the sorts of foods we'll be consuming.

It's odd, I always find I get a bit emotional near my birthday. One of my Granddad's birthdays was the same day as mine so I do often think of that. I always seem to think about things a lot more.

Embarrassingly it's already started and I've found myself overly emotional over a number of things. A kind gesture by work friends, feeling worried about my parents whilst I'm away and - I cannot believe I'm admitting this - I saw a clip of Eastenders last night and seeing even flipping Ian Beale homeless and helpless made me sad.

Thank goodness I am off for sun, new sights and relaxation before I turn into a complete sap!

So this will be my last blog for a little while and as with other holidays I hope to have a complete relaxing break - no phone, no blog, no social media (Facebook friends and Twitter followers will be relieved of the break I'm sure!)

I'll see you when I'm back!!

Turning 30 in Thailand

I feel like a child the night before Christmas, I keep making myself feel sick I am getting so excited and I can’t stop looking at various photos and reviews. My holiday for my 30th birthday is booked!

To be honest until I get all the paperwork in the post I don’t think I’m going to fully believe it, after all the drama with the travel company we used and suspicions over their situation and the service received from our contact. Although I’ve got to give it to the guy he’s found us some lovely places to stay.

I decided quite a while back I wanted to do something different to celebrate my 30th and not follow the crowd with a party. Once you get to this age there seem to be so many issues within your various friendship groups that quite frankly I couldn’t be bothered with all the dramas and I can go out and get drunk and dance any time. No, I wanted to have memories to treasure (and perhaps also to distract me from the fact of how old I am getting!)

After talking for months about going away and wanting to ride an elephant for my 30th I am relieved it is now arranged and I can look forward and count down to it! 7 weeks and 1 day in case you wondered…

So what do I have planned? Well, after getting my east and west muddled up (don’t ask!) I realised the east side of the islands was going to be the best place to go as August is in monsoon season in Thailand. I also knew I wanted a mixture of a bit of a culture and some good old fashioned relaxation.

The result? A few nights in buzzing Bangkok where we are booked into a pretty smart hotel close to transport links and not far from places we want to visit. We plan to visit a floating market, some temples, traditional Thai buildings/museums , ride on the old canals and have a trip in a Tuk Tuk. And if my boyfriend has anything to do with it we’ll also check out a ‘ping pong’ show and some Thai boxing. Next up is a luxurious stay in a spa resort at the end of Chaweng Beach on Koh Samui for relaxing, maybe some treatments (although I feel local Thai massage people on the beach etc will be better value!) and a chance to go on an elephant ride. Finally we arrive at Salad Beach, for a cosy but slightly less pampered stay where we will just unwind, relax, sunbathe and eat dinners on the beach – and where I will actually turn 30.

I. Can’t. Wait

I’ll be going to somewhere I’ve never been –it’s going to be completely different and I’m going to be spending it with my boyfriend so if at times things might panic me I know he’ll look after me!

Of course – as per with me – I am now starting a slight panic – primarily at present regarding my weight. I have 7 weeks effectively to somehow transform into a body worthy of the beach and summer clothes. This is going to be hard work! And of course I don’t want to miss out on Summer (whenever it decides to arrive in the UK!) and be a bore and not eat or drink for the whole of July and the rest of June. I have three family birthdays during that time too.

I’m also conscious of being away from my family for my birthday, as a small family we make a big fuss of birthdays and tend to spend them together, so I feel almost mean going away for my 30th like this. However, rest assured I will make sure I celebrate with them and in turn with my friends when I return. Plus 2 days after we get back me and my boyfriend will have been together 7 years so we need to celebrate that somehow too!

For now I’ll continue to daydream of white sand, beautiful waters, hot sun, gorgeous food and lots more. Well, until I get home and then start my manic list-writing of all the things to sort – ferries, vaccinations, travel insurance, currency, packing, transport to and from the airport, getting into shape. Hm maybe I better get writing that list now…