Gold Coast Australia

Karen was feeling somewhat better, so we hopped in the car with her parents & drove down to the Gold Coast to stay a few days at their condo. The area reminds me of Ocean City, MD, where we went to the beach when I was growing up. There are lots of high rises & it's a broad beach with decent waves. I had been there briefly with my cousin, Kelli, on our trip 2 years ago.
We got there in the late evening, so Karen & I took a walk to Tedder Avenue & got some dinner at an Italian restaurant. This is a classy area with a strip of bars & restaurants, it was a quiet night. The next morning we walked to Surfers Paradise, a happening area with lots of shops & restaurants. Our first stop, unfortunately, was to the medical clinic to get a script to get rid of our colds. We then had a nice Indian lunch, shopped, & had a lovely walk down the beach. The soft sand actually squeaks when you walk on it. That evening we went to get fresh fish & prawns from a local market & brought back to the condo. Karen's dad, Brian, is an expert prawn peeler & very patiently tried to teach me the proper way to do it.
Afterward, Karen, her mom - Robin, & I went to a bar on Teddar Ave for a girls' night out with some wine & watched a local band. The next morn they took me for a short tour & brekkie before dropping me at the airport.

Arrival in Brisbane

After a redeye flight, I arrived in Brisbane, where Karen & her dad picked me up at the airport. We headed straight to the mall for some errands & brekkie (Australian slang for breakfast).  Although I was very tired from the overnight flight, I was super excited to be back in Australia, this time with my Aussie mate. I enjoyed meeting Karen's family & staying at her sister's house. Her sister Kylie is a doll just like Karen, as I would've guessed.  We went into town & walked a bit in the city, then met her mom. 
Back at Kylie's the whole family gathered, as well as Rod, Karen's long time pal, for a true Aussie BBQ. They made a great dinner & we all enjoyed probably too much wine.  The girls put on a fashion show for us, trying on all their dresses from high school dances & weddings. Would you believe they still fit into them?  I am so envious!  It was quite entertaining & we all got a good laugh out of it as they reminisced.  

The next day I was glad to relax & just have some down time at Kylie's.  I also got some exercise playing with the kids: she has a beautiful daughter & a rambunctious but sweet son. Kylie made lamb for dinner, & although hesitant at first, I was pleasantly surprised to realize I liked it immensely.  Her husband, Andrew, explained that there is no substitute for Australian lamb, & the reason I haven't liked it when I've tried it in the U.S. is because we only get mutton.
Unfortunately Karen was ill, so the next day I met up with Paul, from the Northern part of the Thailand trip. He lives in the suburb next to Kylie, & our friend Allison from the tour happened to be visiting & staying with him for a few days.  They picked me up & we went for sushi at cool little place in the city, then Allison & I toured around. We found a market with organic foods, then walked across the bridge to catch the City Cat down the river. I was impressed by the expansive homes along the water, many with their own dock & boat. We thoroughly enjoyed the views, but being winter now down under, it actually got chilly out on the boat. Afterwards we found the "beach" area along the river & walked along the South bank area. We met Paul for coffee & dessert, wandered some more & found dinner. I was astonished at the prices for food and drink; it's much more expensive than the U.S.  After being in Thailand, where everything is relatively cheap, it seemed even more so. A small piece of tiramisu was $14.50.  Now I understand why Karen was bringing so much stuff over from the U.S for her family.   
We had a decent dinner, then went to a local bar to watch the big rugby game, called State of Origin. From there we went across the street for pitchers of sangria & watched the locals dance the night away.

Day 27 Thailand

Diving was awesome! Probably the best I've seen yet, although I had a really disturbing problem with my sinuses bleeding on all 3 dives. I was stoked to see seahorses for the first time diving- white & yellow ones, quite a bit larger than what I had expected. A leopard shark rested peacefully in the sand while a remorah - cleaner fish dined on him. There were plentiful anemones with clown fish or nemos protecting them, eels, crabs, brightly colored & uniquely shaped corals, as well as a vast variety of fish.

Day 26 Thailand

Day 25 Thailand

So happy to wake up in a comfy bed & have my own room!  I needed some exercise so I went for a walk through town & then all the way to the end of the beach & back. It is a huge, wide, beautiful beach.  I went back to get quickly changed into my suit for a swim, the water's great here! What a great way to start the day.  There weren't many people out in the morning, & I was able to walk the streets without getting hassled too badly by the locals who constantly try to sell you something & even try to pull you into their stores - literally. They are very aggressive. 
Carly wanted to get a pedi so I went with her & got a massage, full body for $7. Only problem: it was a lady boy who gave me the massage. It was very obviously a man - Adams apple & all. She had a really long black wig & her hair kept brushing me - ugh. Although I couldn't fully relax, it was a good massage, but probably my last in Thailand.
Carly & I then met up with Will for lunch: pineapple shake, Thai iced tea, spring rolls & glass noodles. Afterwards I went to check out some dive shops. I found a big one that looked reputable & booked a 3 dive all day boat trip on Friday - can't wait. Most of the others from the group will be gone by then & I hopefully won't have this cold any longer. The entire group woke up a few days ago & everyone had identical complaints of a cold we apparently all picked up.
I walked back down the beach & saw Allison & went for a swim. We ran into Tahn, who's staying at another hotel, & we all went to dinner at an authentic Italian restaurant. Later we walked along the beach - still lots going on even at night. People were setting off fireworks & lanterns. I decided to light a lantern, they light a fire inside & when its just right they let you raise it & make a wish.  The lanterns drift up like mini hot air balloons & you can see them float high into the night sky. A little further down the beach we saw some restaurants right on the sand, & one of them had taro balls listed for dessert - my favorite! So of course we stopped & everyone got some kind of Thai dessert. I ordered a mango sticky rice take away for breakfast. I am now content.  Except that when I got back to my room I had a visitor in my bathroom - a cockroach. They are apparently very common & huge here - yuck. The guy at the desk of the hotel came to take care of it for me right away thankfully. 

Day 24 Thailand

The tour ended officially & we said goodbye to our leader Nan - she was sweet & fun. I did a little shopping near our hotel in the city & Tahn & I grabbed a quick lunch, which was delicious- fried rice with chicken, shrimp & cashews in a pineapple.  
Several others were staying on a few more days & had also booked the same hotel as me, so we took a van & were very happy to be going to the beach. The Phuttasa was a great little boutique hotel, in a great area & just a block from the beach, clean & modern with all the basics for only $20 per night - I would definitely recommend it.  I found a relatively cheap laundry service across the street - I wish we could get this so cheap at home!  Allison & I did a bit of shopping & then I went to get a $10 Mani/pedi.  I walked down the beach & then met up with the group for dinner at a place with a band. 

Day 23 Thailand

Everyone is really eager to get to the beach in Phuket. We had breakfast then hopped into another longboat back to the mainland. Then we had a scenic hour & 1/2 ride to Phuket. After getting checked into our hotel in Phuket city, some of us took a tour of the area. The first stop was Patong beach, where I would be staying for the next week. We had lunch at a cafe on the sand & watched all the activity on the beach. It looks really fun & exciting with lots going on. I am excited to have a week here & time to relax. The tour has been great but very busy & lots of travel.  There were people approaching & trying to sell us stuff as we ate, & those of us staying wondered how annoying they would get after several days. 
Our day tour then drove along the coast & we got out at Kata beach, where we spent a couple hours swimming. The water is a perfect temperature & this beach has good waves- big enough but not too rough. I really enjoyed the swim. We also took a walk down the beach & watched the surfers.  The sand is so soft & white. Kata beach seems a lot quieter & a little more upscale, but I'm glad I'll be staying by all the action in Patong.
Our tour took us next to the end of the island for a great sunset view & more shopping. Our last dinner as a group with the tour was at a nice place called the cottage. I had yummy crab with asparagus.  Some of the gals were going out, but I was absolutely exhausted & went straight to bed.  

James Bond Island & Muslim Village

If you can't tell, the sign upon entering the Muslim Village says"NO alcohol or you'll be fined 1 GOAT & 5,000 Baht.

After a quick breakfast we had another morning of travel: longboat, 2 hour songthaew ride, then another longboat. We went out through several islands & stopped at the island where the James Bond movie, "the Man with the Golden Gun" was filmed. It's actually called James Bond Island now. We walked around, snapped some pictures & did a bit of shopping. I was very disappointed to find out that we wouldn't be going to he island for the beach camping, they were worried it would rain. Instead we went to a Muslim fishing village to stay the night. The village is on stilts and backs up to a mountain. We had a tour of the town, then did the only thing there was to do there: more shopping & bartering with the locals. They had many stalls set up, most outside of their homes, selling souvenirs & crafts.  We had tiny cabins over the water & were made dinner by the lady who owned the lodge. It seemed even more hot & humid than ever, & we couldn't swim to cool off because the water was brown & muddy.  Luckily in the evening it cooled off, we all sat on our porch made of sticks & read while the mozzies (mosquitos) dined on any part not fully covered in repellent.

Day Trip to Koh Phi Phi & snorkeling

I was up early & went for a walk to the quieter beach. I saw lots of monkeys on the way & had a swim across to one of the small islands & back. I had noticed a shrine in a cavern off to the side, so I wandered over to check it out. As I did, a local man came up & motioned for me to kneel to pray, so I obliged. As I looked up at the shrine, for a second I thought it looked strange, then burst out laughing when I realized it was a bunch of penises!  They were all sizes & painted all different colors. The man pointed out a placard for me to read, which explained that it was a fertility shrine. So I prayed for my sister, Jandi; I expect to get word any day now that she & Kevin will be having their first as I'm confident praying to the penises must work.  Unfortunately I hadn't brought my camera to get a photo. What an interesting start to my day.
 
The entire group went on the optional tour by boat to Koh Phi Phi, the island where the movie "The Beach" was filmed with Leonardo Di Caprio. It was a gorgeous day with 4 snorkeling stops. I saw giant clams & dove down to them. As I approached them they would close up. Carly had never snorkeled before, & she really seemed to enjoy it. We saw many colorful fish as well as blue coral, fluorescent yellow coral, clownfish, & many other colorful coral & fish throughout the day. 
Back at Railey, some of us swam for a bit, than went to get pancake roti - like crepes filled with our choice of yummy sauces or fruit. I was glad to see they had peanut butter & ordered one with it & banana. After getting cleaned up, we had a group meeting, then dinner on the beach. Unfortunately, the restaurant advertising mango sticky rice had run out, so it wasn't one of the best dinners.

Day 20 Thailand

I woke up to the sounds of the jungle, & had a pineapple shake before we hopped into vans for the ride to Krabi on the West coast. We had to stop alongside the road for a few minutes, because one of the girls thought she forgot her camera & wanted to check for it; meanwhile I spotted another monkey - of a different type -in a nearby tree. Some of us went over to check him out & were able to get quite close for a photo.
We got to Krabi & piled all our gear into a long tail boat to Railey Beach. It was a short ride with gorgeous scenery. This is really how I had pictured Thailand, beautiful colored water & lots of green mountains jutting out. We arrived at the Yaya resort, right on the water, where we would stay 2 nights. This area is lovely & a bit cooler with ocean breezes from beach on both sides. We stowed our stuff in our cute rooms, although they still have the typical bathroom: a vanity with sink, toilet, & detachable shower head that is not in a any way separated, so the whole bathroom gets wet when you shower.
Some of us walked around the area & to the caves before hitting the beach. The caves were neat with some impressive formations. We found our way to the main beach- a huge, wide beach with soft sand. It looks like paradise, it's breathtaking with tall green mountains on each end & small islands out in the distance. I spent the afternoon swimming, then some of us got lunch at an open, beach-side restaurant. I had chicken satay & some of the best mango sticky rice I've had yet. We wandered the shops & I bought 2 dresses for 550 baht=$16.
By the time we walked back out to the beach, after less than an hour in the shops, the tide had gone out; it was amazing to see the rate at which the beach had receded. I had planned on snorkeling by some rocks at the far end of the beach, however this was no longer an option, so I walked the beach scouting for shells & watching crabs make beautiful patterns in the sand. As they dig their holes, they toss the sand out making interestingly artistic & symmetrical patterns.
Allison & I decided to walk to the other side of the island to see the other beach. On our way, we saw lots of small brown monkeys playing in the trees & crossing on the electrical wires right over our heads. We were able to get quite close to watch them. As we walked to the other side, we had to follow the coast, then hug the walls of the mountain & walk under rock walls. The beach on this side is also lovely, & it started raining as we got in the water. It was only a drizzle, & the first real rain we've had. We were content to swim in the warm water & enjoyed the rain.
We had dinner at the resort, then all went to the Last Bar for drinks. We sat on mats on the deck & ordered buckets of cocktails to share - they looked like sand pails. The flamethrowers put on a great show; although this was something that never would've happened in a bar in the US. Several guys took turns showing us tricks with fire lit balls, sticks, etc that they juggled. They were right in front of us & it seemed rather dangerous, as they dropped them a few times & nearly burnt people. At one point I got sprayed with kerosene coming off the sticks; this is when I decided it was time to move back. It was a very impressive show, & I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Everyone had been wanting to dance, so Janelle started it off by running out to the dance floor. Several of us quickly followed & had a blast dancing the night away. As the evening advanced, the dance floor got more crowded & we ended up sweaty & eager for a swim. Penny, Allison & I found our way to the main beach, where we were pleasantly surprised to find the water filled with bioluminescent plankton that lit up & sparkled when we stirred up the water. I've seen this only a couple other times, & it always amazes me. We had fun playing in the water before heading to bed.