Days 29 - 37 - Koh Pha Ngang, Bangkok and Japan

More photos now added... 25-02-08

Day 29 – Koh Pha Ngang
Today we tried to avoid the sun as we were both burnt! Another lazy day during which we decided we’re not really cut out for being lazy so were looking forward to continuing with our journeys.

Run in the evening which was lovely! (said in a sarcastic tone of voice). Dave decided that after weeks of not running, he’d head off on the hilliest run I’ve ever been on. I turned round at the top of the second hill and continued the run on my own on flatter ground. The joys of exercise!

Met back at the room for a sunset dip in the sea and dinner at a new restaurant a little further up the beach. We both decided that we’d try the fish as we were by the sea. Big mistake! Whilst it tasted OK, you first had to get through the layers of charcoal and the crunchiest skin ever. Dave’s was no larger than a pringle and didn’t tatste that great! Back at our usual restaurant we had a delicious ice cream sundae before heading back to the room for packing and bed.

M x

Day 30 – Koh Pha Ngang to Surat Thani
Up and showered then off for our final breakfast at the resort. Also bought take away baguettes for lunch before being picked up by a taxi at 11:30. Short journey to the ferry terminal where we were given our tickets for the boat and bus and set off on our return journey to Surat Thani.

We deicded to upgrade to the VIP suite on the ferry (40 Baht each, about 80p) and got comfy chairs and air con for the privelage! Also a film was showing – resident evil, not the most appropriate or light hearted film for midday!

Bus to Surat Thani – Dave got to sit with the driver as there weren’t enough seats for everyone. He was very excited about it – sad!
Supplies bought from 7-11 (chocolate!) then on to the train.

Having still got pot noodles that we'd bought a week earlier with the intention of having them on the first train to Chiang Mai, we decided not to buy dinner but just to get boiling water on the train. We asked the 'maid' for some hot water but were told that boiling water was only available between the hours of 7 to 9 am! I was not happy about this and protested by refusing to buy anything from the buffet car. We both went to bed hungry!! (thank goodness we’d bought the chocolate) and left the pot noodles on the train.

M x

Day 31 – Bangkok
Arrived at Hua Lamphong station in Bangkok to await our pick up. It didn’t arrive. We waited for an hour then gave up, leaving our bags at the station and making our own way to Silom for Starbucks. A lovely start to Valentines Day! Dave had ‘bought’ me a flower from Koh Pha Ngang!

Off to Siam for internet and shopping (D bought a new rucksack – thank you mummy & daddy for the money for Christmas!)

Then on to Silom for a massage. Dave decided that he’d go for the back and shoulder massage rather than a Thai massage after the pummeling we’d received the last time. I think he thought it was going to be softer and not hurt so much. Oh how wrong he was! I think the guy decided that he’d try and bruise all of Dave’s back, using his elbows and all his body weight and strength to cause excruciating pain. D commented to me afterwards that he was almost sick on the guy’s shoes!!!
My massage was lovely with no feelings of nausea.

Noodles for lunch from a street vendor – yummy – then off to the start of the river cruise.
Saw lots of old and new Bangkok, the cruise lasted for about 40 minutes and cost about 30p. Bargain! Made us realise quite how much we would have been ripped off by the guy wanting to charge us 800 Baht (12 GBP) the first day we arrived at the river!

At the ferry landing stage we saw men feeding what looked like thousands of huge catfish, all fighting over each other to get at the food.

Off to the TAT to find out what had happened to our pick up from the station first thing and also to check that we would be taken to the airport later on in the day.
It would seem that our pick up had arrived 24 hours early (whilst we were lying n a beach) and had waited around for 3 hours before deciding we weren’t coming – poor thing! Fortunately our taxi to the airport was still OK.

Finally made it to the Koh San Road where all the backpacker hostels are and where it’s supposed to be a bit crazy! It wasn’t. Not that impressed really but maybe we need to go at night.
Anyway, left there and went to see our friendly tailor for our final suit fitting. Turns out it wouldn’t be as Dave’s coat seemed to have lapels rather than collars. It looked a little silly to say the least but was quickly marked up to be modified. We return again next week for the final fitting.
Both the suits were great!

Back at the TAT we were taken to the airport where we checked in then hunted around for showers having not had one for over 36 hours – yuk!
Luckily we were able to find some and then Dave treated me to Burger King – it was Valentines Day after all!!

On to the flight at around 11:30 pm where we both promptly fell asleep – emergency exit seats were great for Dave and we both fell asleep excited at the thought of arriving in Japan and seeing Mark & Em.

M x

Day 32 – Wakayama & Osaka
Arrived in Osaka at 7:00am ish. I’d slept all night and Dave had for a few hours. It was cold. Very cold. 4 degrees!
Got some details from the Tourist Information of things to do and decided on Wakayama City.

Managed to get two buses to the castle and wandered up the steps to the entrance. Half way up we found some people feeding squirrels!! So, we stopped and were given a few nuts by a little old lady and were soon feeding them too (the squirrels, not the old ladies!).

The castle was very typical of Japan but had been re-built in the 1950’s so a little disappointing. Great views from the top and a nice garden which we wandered through on our walk back to the station.

Back at Osaka Airport, we waited for a little while for Mark to arrive. I amused myself by guessing when he would come through the doors and when I announced that he had, Dave didn’t believe me. I think I’d cried wolf too many times!

With Mark in tow we made our way over to Nagahoribashi station in Osaka to check in to the hotel and await Em’s arrival. So excited!
Lunch then a few hours much needed kip (for Dave at least) and Em was soon there. So great to see both her and Mark and also Crabbers (Em’s friend from work).

Quick change then off for what was planned to be a quiet night, in search of a Yaki Niku (barbeque) restaurant that Em had been to before. We didn’t find it but did go to a lovely restaurant after a quick beer at the Cactus Bar.

Left the restaurant around 11:30pm and decided to try and find another bar. Hidden away on the 5th floor on a back street, we found Piembo - room for about 8 customers so our arrival filled the place.
Beers to start then we each decided (I think Dave was the driving force) to choose a random short to try.
I definitely came off best with apple schnapps (Boscop) whilst others had rum, tequilla and whisky. Yuk!
Crabbers also tried a few of the local whiskies and we all left feeling jolly at around 3:00am. So much for the quiet night!

M x

Day 33 – Osaka & Himeji
Up to meet around 10:00am for a Starbucks breakfast then train to Himeji. All feeling a little jaded but looking forward to seeing the castle – the best in Japan according to Lonely Planet!

We arrived and went straight for an early lunch – kebabs at an Iranian restaurant, a bit strange but tasty all the same.

At the castle we had to remove our shoes and wear slippers. It was freezing, even colder inside the castle than outside. It was a beautiful castle though and I tend to agree with Lonely Planet that it’s probably the best in Japan – although I still have a soft spot for Crow Castle in Matsumoto!

A quick Starbucks for a cup of tea before making our way back to the hotel to ready ourselves for the evening.

Crabbers had asked at the hotel for a good yaki niku restaurant and they didn’t disappoint. We had a lovely meal with a few drinks then walked down to Yellow Bar in Shinbsaibashi. A few drinks later we decided it was time for karaoke – finally!

We chose the fishbone room which was oval in shape and the singing started straight away. We’d also chosen ‘all you can drink’ and the first hour was up much too quickly! We decided to stay on for another hour, and another, and another!
4 hours later after us all having a superb evening with lots of great singing and laughing, we decided it was time to call it a night.

Em and I thought it would be a good idea to climb a small class pyramid just outside the karaoke bar before we headed for the hotel and bed. Another early one – about 5:00am!!

M x

Day 34 – Osaka & Nara
Dave and I were woken by a knock at the door. It was 11:00am and Mark & Em had checked out of their room as Em was returning to Nagoya that night.
An hour later and we were all up, dressed and ready for Starbucks! Dave and Mark seeming to be the worse for the previous night’s antics.

Walking past the karaoke bar, we noticed streak marks down two sides of a small glass pyramid. You can’t take us anywhere!

Soon we were walking past areas that were much more familiar to me from my stays with Sam and Jase when they lived in Osaka. The dancing crab and the Glico man. Such great times!

We left Crabbers to get a train back to Nagoya and the rest of us headed to Namba to get our train to Nara.
Convinced that I’d never been to Nara, I realised pretty much as soon as we got there that I had with Leah when we were both in Japan.
There were lots of deer roaming around and wanting to be fed and lots of groups of Japanese tourists being shouted at through megaphones. So peaceful!

Once inside the temple (Tadaiji) we found it to be a lot quieter as we stood with others to look at the huge wooden Buddha. Housed in the largest wooden structure in the world it was all very impressive.

Back outside, we realised that Mark and Em weren’t with us. We stood and waited for a few minutes when they both appeared grinning from ear to ear. Em proudly walked up to us, removed her glove and there was a beautiful diamond ring on her finger!! Mark had asked her to marry him and she obviously said yes! So exciting and all a bit emotional. Hugs all round and Dave and I were asked to be best man and chief bridesmaid respectively. We immediately both said yes!

Walk back to the station filled with thoughts and converstaions of weddings where we stopped for dinner before getting the train back to the hotel.

Quick turn around and we walked down to Shinsaibashi and had a delicious yaki-tori meal (skewered chicken, meat, veg) and a celebratory beer.

All too soon, we had to say bye to Em who was travelling back to Nagoya for work tomorrow. Back at the hotel, Mark & Dave played cards whilst I updated my diary.

A really, really great weekend with Mark & Em, made all the more special by Mark’s proposal. Thanks guys for letting us be a part of it. We’re both so, so happy for you and can’t wait for the planning to start!

M x

Day 35 – Osaka, Kyoto & Nagoya
Mark, Dave and I headed for Starbucks (surprised?) then the train to Kyoto. Managed to end up on a subway train instead of the correct one so had to break our way through the barriers on arrival. No-one saw us!

Walked to the first temple (we'll add the name when we've got the info. with us!) and then on to Ni-jo castle. It has a nightingale floor whch squeaks when you walk on it - to alert the residents of the castle that there was someone approaching. It was great to start with but the continuous squeaking would have got on my nerves if I'd have lived there!

We each decided that we were really hungry so set off in search of a tempura restaurant (lightly battered fish & veg) that Em, Mark & Crabbers had been to before and had the most delicious tempura in the world!
We arrived. It was shut. Gutted!
So, we walked across the river and had a tempura set lunch which was delicious and set us up for more walking...

Into the older part of Kyoto (Gion / Ginza) and we made our way to a temple on the hill. It's supported by massive timber stilts and overlooks beautiful valleys and in the background you can see the newer, high rise side of Kyoto.

Time was getting on so we jumped in a taxi to take us to the Heian shrine where we hot footed it round the Japanese gardens before returning to the station to get a shinkansen (bullet train) to Nagoya to meet with Em.
The shinkansen whisked us along at around 200 mph, delivering us to Nagoya within 30 minutes. A subway to Fushima and we found Em in a.... Starbucks!

A much needed cup of tea for us all before we made our way to the 28th floor of the Hilton hotel for a few drinks before dinner. The view was great at night with so many high rise buildings with flashing lights.

On to Hard Rock Cafe for a delicious dinner and for a few more drinks. Final stop off at Sega World to have some photographs taken!
You can go into a booth and have silly photos taken and then edit them with funny ears, hats etc. and write on them. We had great fun and I think I pulled a muscle in my back trying to hang upside down on the rails!

All too soon it was time to say goodbye to Em. I was so sad to be saying goodbye so can only imagine how Mark must have been feeling.

Shinkansen back to Osaka and a short subway drive before a brief walk home via a 7-11 to get a few supplies.

Back at the hotel Mark packed whilst we found some things for him to take back with him to lighten our load!
Final goodbyes and then to bed.

A really, really great few days and so much fun being with Mark & Em. So good to be back in Japan and surprised at how much Japanese I could remember!

Dave & I have decided that we need to come back with a rail pass and do Japan properly. Maybe next year....

M x

Day 36 - Osaka
Finally, a lie in! We woke up at around 11:30 feeling much refreshed and ready for the rest of the day. Mark had left early to catch his flight back to the UK so it was just Dave and I set off exploring.
Wandering through the shops to try and find an internet cafe proved fruitless so we gave up and went for lunch.
A yummy set meal again - Dave finally getting some sashimi (raw fish).

A bit more wandering and a visit to Bic Camera to buy a new memory stick & compact flash before we decided to head back to the hotel for a bit of research about Australia and Thailand. Dave had a bath then we went for dinner.

A restaurant attached to the hotel served lots of different Japanese dishes (the place we'd tried to go to on Sunday night Em & Mark).
We ordered those that looked good and had a great feast. More sashimi (including horse meat), noodles, salad, cheese and wasabi croquettes etc.etc.

Back to the room to pick up the camera, we made our way back to the dancing crab & glico man for some night shots. Photo now uploaded! I has taken almost as much effort to upload it as it took Dave to take it!

Soon it was time to head back to the hotel for packing and bed. I tried to plan what we were going to do in Australia - finally deciding that we do have enough time to drive to Uluru and still do the drive from Adelaide to Melbourne. All that to come in just over a week!

M x

Day 37 - Osaka to Bangkok
Up early (6:30) for a quick shower then the return journey to Kansai airport.
Arrived with a few hours to spare so headed to Starbucks for breakfast then for a quick session on the internet.

With a few coins spare, we decided to make use of the massage chairs and felt fully relaxed for our flight.
Boarded and left on time - I started to watch a film and was very annoyed when they decided to switch it to another one half way through. Oh well!
Lunch was good if a little fatty and the ice cream before we landed was a welcome treat.

Having learnt from our queueing experience the last time we arrived in Bangkok, we rushed to immigration and were rewarded with no queues. We then waited for our luggage to arrive and made our way to the taxi stand.

Taxi back to Ban Sabai hostel (where we'd stayed the first few nights in Bangkok) and upgraded for an extra 1GBP to a superior room. It's lovely!
Up to the pool to see the sun set and to make plans for our next few days in Thailand then a walk down the main street for dinner.

We found a lovely little street cafe where we had a soup with wontons, vegetables and fish balls for less then 1 GBP for us both!
A short stroll to Tesco to get breakfast supplies and we were both ready for bed.

On our way back to the hostel, we saw a man riding an elephant down the street. Not something you would normally see on your way home from Tesco!!

M x