Kate Langan's Travel Journal - Thailand

I am currently in Phuket in Thailand, at Kata beach. It's lovely here. We have been on the beach all day playing Frisbee and swimming. We came here yesterday from Krabi at Railey beach. It was gorgeous there. We stayed in a wood hut up in the jungle with the monkeys and bats and cockroaches (there was one in my bag, ugh!). There was no proper toilet and a cold shower. I like the cold shower though as it's so hot here. At Railey people go rock climbing and caving.

On the last night there we went to a bar that had Thai boxing and a king cobra show. The bar was on the waters edge right at the end of Railey east beach (a small, quiet beach). We travelled from Railey at Krabi to Phuket by long tail boat and ferry. Then mini van to Kata beach. It's really nice but more commercial than Railey. Tomorrow we are meeting some friends from Hull who are on their way back from Oz. It'll be great to see them and hear all about Oz - I'm also hoping to jump on a jet ski I saw down at the beach!

Tonight we ate at a Thai Taverna, there was a baby elephant going by so Becky took my photo. We are staying in Phuket also as we have found a really nice basic room that's really cheap. It's clean and got 4 stone walls - not like the wood hut! I loved the wood hut but was bitten to death by the mozzies. No mozzies here - yey! And I'm not a huge fan of the cockroaches! After Phuket we're moving back north to Ko Samui or Ko Pha Ngan for a few days before heading to Ko Chang. We are hoping to rent motorbikes on an island soon to go exploring.

My brother is currently in Cambodia. We plan to meet up with him in Vietnam in a few weeks time. I can't wait for that - I've got chocolate coins for him for Christmas ... if they make it that far in the heat! In Bangkok we stayed at Khoa San Road. It was a bit like a hot version of Walton Street! With lots of stalls selling cheap stuff and the very tasty phad thai! Yum! My favourite dish out here. Over all we are having a fab time, enjoying exploring the country and eating lots of healthy food.

Comments System Prototype Version 1.0 by Mo

Places to Visit - The Three Peaks Of Yorkshire Challenge 10th June 2006 By Steve Rudd
	'Good morning gentlemen - rise and shine!' As I slowly came to my senses I couldn't help but glance at my watch. I'd been warned the previous night that we would be woken up at 4:15am sharp, and barely a second later. Unfortunately, that really was the case, and as exhausted as I was, there was a mammoth 25 mile walk ahead... It's a shame that I'd only managed Read more...

Places to Visit - A Weekend in Amsterdam By Dave F
	Amsterdam is a city of freedom which instantly appeals on a lot of levels. What's the point of a holiday if you don't have the freedom to go and do what you want, when you want? If, like me, you want to wander aimlessly from coffee shop to coffee shop getting as stoned as humanly possible whilst ogling half-naked women through dirty windows and snacking heavily along the way, Read more...

Places to Visit - Christmas in Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka By Dave F
	I hate Christmas for too many reasons to mention and the chance to get away from it all this year it was an opportunity too good to pass up. Knowing someone with a house in Sri Lanka which stands empty for 9 months every year definitely has its benefits. I'm travelling with a mate and his daughter who've been here several times before so I get some insight Read more...

Places to Visit - Skiing In Bulgaria - Part Two By Steve Rudd
	Giant Christmas trees loomed as far as the eye could see below, as I marvelled at the extraordinary engineering it must take to make a gondola a reality. After the thirty-minute ride to the top we were immediately greeted by a stunning panorama of the surrounding countryside which was beautiful beyond words. So pristine and so serene. Well, serene if you can discount the Read more...

Places to Visit - Skiing In Bulgaria - Part One By Steve Rudd
	I could have thought of worst places to be, seeing in the New Year, as the last second of 2005 ticked over into 2006. Happy New Year indeed. For the best part of the past ten years myself and my friends have contented ourselves with heading into the town centre of Driffield every December 31st for one of the few nights of the year when it genuinely hustles and bustles. To drink Read more...

Places to Visit - Walking The Pembrokeshire Coastal Path - Part One By Steve Rudd
	Get out of the city and into the country, sooner rather than later. A great many people genuinely have no idea how scenically diverse and breathtaking some swathes of countryside are in the UK, and such a fact is a great shame, because while they might be spending all their spare time in dirty and cramped urban environments, there's often fresh air and inspirational Read more...

Places to Visit - Thailand By Rich Mills
	Expressing the experience of being here in Thailand is difficult to put into words. The sensorial experience is so mind blowing that you begin to feel overloaded. However it is the smallest of things that grab your attention, and stick in the mind. We are waiting for a taxi to take us down to the ferry, so that we can go over to the small island of Koh Maak. This is where we will get the full Read more...

Places to Visit - Ostend Weekend By John Allbones
	I needed a break. Well, you just do sometimes don't you? The constant day to day drudge of the nine to five erodes your spirit until a change of scene is all you crave. Nothing fancy, just a few days will do. Preferably abroad, it just seems more of a break when you're on foreign soil. I managed to grab a late deal on a long weekend in Ostend. So desperate was I to get away, Read more...

Places to Visit - Eight Feet and Two Weeks On Crete Part 2 by Steve Rudd
	One of the best ways of exploring the huge island of Crete is by car: in your own time, at your own speed and in your own style. Without the stress and cost of embarking on guided tours. Head into any of Crete's major cities such as Hania, Rethymno or Iraklion and you'll be bombarded by rent-a-vehicle establishments, all of which are fiercely trying to Read more...

Places to Visit - Eight Feet and Two Weeks On Crete Part One by Steve Rudd
	While I might be a massive fan of Michael Palin's epic travels, and while I do aspire to follow him in many of his footsteps, up until now I've only ever been abroad three times. The first time was in 2000, when I was lucky enough to accompany a work colleague for a month in Nepal. The second time was for a holiday with some friends, last year, to the gorgeous Read more...

Places to Visit - Greetings From Amsterdam Part One By Steve Rudd
	As the blazing red sunset slowly but surely cast Hull into shadow, the P&O ferry was ready, and so were the passengers. I'd never travelled by ferry across to the Netherlands, and thus was naturally overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the ferry and the wealth of entertainment on board, what with two cinemas, a kids play area, a restaurant and casino Read more...

Places to Visit - On The Pennine Way Part Two By Steve Rudd
	After surviving the nightmare of Kinder Scout's mountainous bulk and getting back on track, the next 'hill' of worth en-route along the Pennine Way is called Bleaklow. Just like its predecessor, it could quite potentially be the death of you if you're not careful in negotiating the peaty wastes as you go up and over and onwards towards the tiny hamlet of Read more...

Places to Visit - On The Pennine Way Part One By Steve Rudd
	Why on earth would anyone want to go walking on their week off work? That's the question that most people would routinely ask anybody who would do exactly that, as though walking - and long distance walking in particular - is something simply not to be indulged in. I always argue that there is very little more Read more...

Places to Visit - Down South By Steve Rudd
	Brighton has always been one hell of a popular place, but until one freezing cold day in February of this year I had never before spent anytime whatsoever there in my twenty-four years in this forever-overwhelming world. I thought it was high time I paid the place a visit, and seeing as though I was down in London anyway - and a return National Express coach ticket down Read more...

Places to Visit - Up North By Steve Rudd
	So, you look forward all week - at work - to your one or two days off... right? And what do you do on such days off? Housework, no doubt. Do you ever think you should do something more worthwhile with your sacred time off? Like travel, for instance. County Durham isn't that far a trip from East Yorkshire, and if Read more...

Places to Visit - To Hampstead Heath and Beyond ... By Steve Rudd
	So, you live in London and wish to escape the hustle and bustle of the inner city scene. Where can you turn to? Why, the plethora of beautiful parks of course - and there are few places nicer than Hampstead Heath, in North London, for some quality peace and quiet. Read more...

Places to Visit - On the Moors By Steve Rudd
	So much for me confiding to people that I thought we were collectively out of the woods and that Spring was just around the corner. Clearly I spoke too soon and paid for such a misdemeanour yesterday (13th February 2005) when I ventured up onto the Read more...

Places to Visit - Dinostar - THIS IS HISTORY By Daniel Laney
	In the last two months Hull has welcomed a new addition to its ever growing tourist trade. Dinostar, which opened on Easter Sunday of this year, should hopefully be welcomed with open arms by families and budding historians alike and with it being a quick Read more...

Places to Visit - Our Samhain Visit to Avebury by Janie Spencer
	Before we start on our journey, let me give you a bit of background on Avebury. It is a beautiful stone circle, so big that you can in fact fit a village inside it, as you can see from this overhead map! As well as being a tourist spot, it is both a home and a gathering Read more...

Places to Visit - Burton Constable Hall.
	Burton Constable Hall has collected several ghosts and stories from its 450 year history, the most frequently seen ghost being that of Nurse Dowdall, a much loved nanny to the children of the household during the 19th century. Read more...

Places to Visit - A day by the beach - Bridlington Harbour.
	This Sunday I was spoilt for choice - either to visit a Buddhist centre in "Kilham" or attend a strawberries and cream party. Opted to go and find Zen so duly arrived with my offspring (Katie and Oliver) at my friend's house (Cilla) punctually (for a change) at 11.30. Read more...

Places to Visit - This is Hull
	The East Yorkshire city of Kingston Upon Hull has it's fair share of bad press. That's OK, the people who live here know why so many come and stay! Visit the City and sample the eclectic mix of entertainment on offer, from the laid-back coffee shops and cosmopolitan bars of the Avenues Read more...