Why is the Giant Rafflesia so special?

The Giant Rafflesia, which weighs up to 7 kg, boasts the biggest bloom in the world (the world record is 107 cm in diameter, and the average is around 1 m). What makes the flower even more special is that it takes 8-9 months to grow from bud to bloom, and the dark red petals are alive for a few days to a week only. Afterwards they decay to a black mass and you have to wait another year to see the magical spectacle. The Rafflesia is a parasite with no stem, leaves or roots, growing instead on a tropical vine.

Bud

Almost ready

In bloom

Rotten

When does the Rafflesia bloom?

Nobody knows when the flower will bloom, as the season changes from year to year depending on conditions. It’s a good idea to contact a local agency a few days prior to arriving – they can tell you if it’s the right time to see the Rafflesia. December and January seem to be the most likely months, but the bloom could happen any time.

Can you reach the Rafflesia in Khao Sok National Park without a guide?

The trails leading to the Rafflesia are in a way well marked, but the starting points are small, innocuous-looking paths by the roadside, which are kind of hidden on purpose. If you don’t know the starting point, you can’t get any farther.

At first, I was kind of annoyed that you must hire a guide (500-1500 baht for two hours depending on the agency and how big the group is) instead of getting there yourself. I initially thought they arranged it like this as a way of making money from foreigners, but I was proven wrong. The park rangers from Khao Sok take good care of the rare flowers – every bud is numbered and monitored through the year, and your guide makes sure you behave responsibly around the flower. You are not allowed to touch or, god forbid, pick the Rafflesia. If everyone could find the flowers on their own, the beautiful Rafflesia would undoubtedly suffer more damage.

How does the Rafflesia smell?

Before I visited the Rafflesia, I had read on the internet about how dreadful, life-endangering and dead-corpse-like the stench of the rotten flower was. Eager to try this lethal weapon on my own nose, I almost screamed out of excitement when I saw a dead Rafflesia on the way. But what a disappointment! There was nothing! I couldn’t understand why, as our guide spoke only Japanese (which I don’t speak), but after reading many blogs on the topic, I think I might be the first person in the world who has been spared the rotten-meat smell of this incredible plant.

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Here’s the essence of Thailand in a few heart-warming, honest quotes that explain why foreigners adore this country in Southeast Asia.

1. In essence, the Thai people are not materialistic at all. They’re not in the least driven by the kind of ambition that drives us. The more I got to know them, and the more time I spent with them, the more I understood that this was a totally legitimate attitude to life, and why not? – John Burdett

2. Bangkok, like Las Vegas, sounds like a place where you make bad decisions. – Todd Phillips

3. How I love Bangkok! It’s so teeming with everything that should be forbidden. I’m not just talking about the sex trade. I also mean the ways of driving, the ways of putting up buildings, environmental management arrangements, the continual attention of con artists and snatch-thieves, and the quaint local custom of peeing in side-streets. – John Dolan

Read more: 5 best Bangkok temples to visit if you are short of time

4. Bangkok is also safe. If you see anybody wearing camouflage holding a machete, don’t be scared. They sell coconuts. – Bobby Lee

5. Just studying Buddhism, then meditating and going to Buddhist monasteries, talking to Buddhist monks, combined with the Thai people themselves, changed the way I look at the world. – John Burdett

Read more: 10+ best Krabi Town attractions and fun activities (+map)

6. I landed in 1980 in Bangkok, and I stopped to eat ten times between the airport and the hotel. It was all lemongrass and ginger and chilies. – Jean-Georges Vongerichten

7. Bangkok, though, is a rejuvenating tonic; the people seem to have found the magic elixir. Life, a visitor feels, has not been wasted on the Thais. – Bernard Kalb 

Read more: Monk chats: How to find a friendly Buddhist monk to talk to in Thailand

>>> Discover more thematic collections of travel quotes.

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Not all Cambodians, however, see you as a walking bag of dollar bills. You will meet many friendly, smiling people who are genuinely interested in you and your story. If you want to make friends with everyday Cambodians, here are three suggestions that helped me during my last trip to Cambodia.

©Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Return for a second meal at a good restaurant

There are so many places to eat in Cambodia’s tourist areas that you might want to try a new one every time. Return to a place you liked, though, and you’ll experience true Cambodian hospitality.

We visited the same restaurant in Angkor Wat two days in a row and on our second day we got two free bottles of water when we were leaving. We couldn’t believe that the owners remembered us from the previous day, as there were literally hundreds of people eating there both times we visited. This heartwarming gesture was even better appreciated as it was a scorching day and I had been feeling a bit ill.

Smile at people

Every time we smiled at random people on the street they gave us a genuine smile in return. In tourist areas like Siem Reap, even toddlers would smile back and shout a sweet “hello” in English. I always smile at unknown people when I want to take a photo of them – in most cases, a broad smile makes them feel at ease and happy to be photographed.

©Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Learn some phrases in the Khmer language

At one of the hostels we stayed at in Cambodia there were some useful phrases in Khmer written on the walls, but once I’d learned them, I started asking the receptionist for more. As this was a family business, soon the whole family gathered to give me a language class in Khmer, including their four-year-old twins who spoke perfect English due to the constant flow of tourists through the hostel. Even the little ones were happy to teach us some words in their native language.

©Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Bonus tip: take it easy!

Being nervous, hasty or creating a feeling of urgency is useless in Cambodia, where nobody wears a watch and the phrase “take your time” is perceived as a rule. The best approach is to absorb the timelessness and stop trying to impose your concept of punctuality upon people if you want them to be your friends.

Read more: Angkor Wat: Sunrise or sunset (+useful tips)

How to beat the crowds at Angkor Wat

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Floating bungalows: hear the sounds of the jungle at night

Kayaking to our floating bungalows in Khao Sok National Park, Thaialand | ©Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

A night in a floating bungalow will easily turn into a highlight of your trip to Thailand. There are popular 2 day/1 night tours in Khao Sok National Park in Southern Thailand, where you’ll explore Cheow Lan Lake and sleep more than an hour by boat from the nearest shore. The bungalows are very basic: essentially just a floating box containing a mattress with a mosquito net over it. During our stay the raft house gently swayed, while the whole jungle orchestra performed a lullaby for us, including monkey calls, insect mating cries, and the roars of indistinguishable beasts. The views at sunset are magical and the night sky makes you believe it’s the first time you’ve really seen the stars.

Tree houses: see how monkeys live

What better place to live like a monkey than in jungle-rich Thailand? In a recent collaboration post, Alexandra Black Paulick from the Positive Impact Journey blog told the story of her stay at Pai Treehouse Resort.

Night trains: watch the sunrise out the window

The night train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai | ©Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

If you’re traveling on a budget (although you don’t really need a lot of money to travel in Thailand) and you’re struggling to find cheap flights to the far-flung destinations on your list, you’re sure to experience Thai night trains at some point. During the high season, tickets for long-haul trains on popular routes such as Bangkok – Chiang Mai and Bangkok – Suratthani sell out very fast, and you’ll have to book your seat/bunk bed a week or two in advance.

The sleeping cars in Thailand come in two varieties – with AC and with fan (cheaper). The fan option was quite bearable despite all the bad reviews we had read about it (and we also met Santa Claus from Australia in that car, but that’s another story to be told some other time). When the sun sets, the attendant unfolds the seats into beds and gives you linen and pillows. When the sun rises, make sure you wake up to see the majestic light and mist show out the window.

Sleep in a riverside hostel tent for as little as €2.50 ($3)

The view from this hostel says it all | ©Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Our $3 riverside camping spot in Mapping Hostel, Chiang Mai felt so much like home that every day we woke up with the irresistible urge to stay for another night, and in the end we prolonged our stay four times. The hot weather in Thailand makes it pleasant to sleep outside at night – a mosquito net is all you need and it’s crazy cheap.

Become part of the family at a family-owned hostel

Family is important in Thailand | ©Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

I got the impression that most hostels in Thailand are family-owned, which means that from day one you are considered a family member and treated as such.

True story: Our first night in Bangkok was a nightmare with a happy ending (not that kind!). We arrived from the airport late in the evening and took a tuk-tuk, handing the address of our booked hostel (Love Hostel) to the driver. But what a sense of adventure overwhelmed me when, already at the desired address, we discovered there was no such hostel here. After 10 minutes of wandering around, we were sure this supposed hostel did not exist anywhere within a radius of 10 streets. I called the hostel’s telephone number and nobody answered. We continued searching in the hope that we’d notice a hidden tiny sign to our hostel, and in the process we accidentally entered a Buddhist monastery, which was fun but not really helpful. In my despair, I called again and this time the owner answered. After 20 minutes of discussions and zigzagging the streets, he finally found us and took us to our refuge for the night.

At first, we thought he and his wife didn’t speak English, but a day later we realized they spoke English with Thai pronunciation, i.e. not pronouncing a single consonant (or so it seemed). Just try to speak this way and get the message across that there’s a leak in the upper-floor bathroom… Anyway, once we started understanding them, we also came to understand that they were constantly joking about us, themselves and everything else around. We loved these people and prolonged our stay with them by two additional days.

Then, two weeks later, we had to stay another night in Bangkok and chose the same hostel. Not only did the owners give us a huge discount on the already cheap room, but they also supplied us with free bananas for our night train ride the next day. From time to time, they still send us photos of their family and cats on Facebook.

With this oversized story, I’m putting an end to this post and wishing you a homey and adventurous stay in Thailand!

Read more: 7 quotes that explain why everyone loves Thailand

See more information about Thailand tours.

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Tips when visiting Buddhist temples in Thailand

In all Buddhist temples, shorts and sleeveless tops are forbidden, dress appropriately by covering your shoulders and knees. You must take off your shoes before entering a temple, although you can wear them in the yard. Women are not allowed to touch monks or novices but can freely speak with them. Most Buddhist temples in Bangkok have a small admission fee for foreigners (usually 40 baht unless there’s a museum or an important relic inside).

Wat Pho – the Temple of the Reclining Buddha

Wat Pho in Bangkok

This huge Buddha statue (46 m/150 feet long) needs a huge complex to house it. Wat Pho is one of the main Bangkok attractions and it’s first on the list of first-rank royal temples in Thailand (only six temples are on the list). It comprises 91 small and 4 large chedis (Thai stupas), a central shrine, and many other buildings. The biggest collection of images of the Buddha in Thailand, more than 1000, is kept here. The Reclining Buddha statue itself is squeezed in one of the smaller temples. We recommend you get a guide or download some history about Wat Pho as there is so much to decipher.

A Thai massage school is situated in Wat Pho, which means that if the day has been too long and tiring, you can spend a little more time in the temple area and spoil yourself with a Thai massage (30 minutes – 260 baht). It’s worth it as Wat Pho temple is considered the birthplace of Thai massage. More information here.

Plan at least an hour to see the complex, 2 hours if you are into Buddhism and Buddhist architecture.

Wat Pho temple opening hours: every day 8:00 – 17:00

Wat Pho temple entrance ticket: 100 baht (the ticket includes 2 free bottles of water)

Wat Pho temple address: 2 Sanamchai Road, Grand Palace, Pranakorn, Bangkok

Wat Phra Kaew – the Temple of the Emerald Buddha

Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok

The Emerald Buddha is a statue that has been around Asia for more than 2000 years and is considered the protective image of Thailand and Thai people. You might be surprised that such an important figurine is only 66 cm (2 feet) tall. It’s made of semi-precious green stone (jasper or jade rather than emerald) and wears gold clothes. Fun fact: the king of Thailand changes the clothes of the Emerald Buddha three times a year (March, August and November).

Legend has it that the Emerald Buddha was crafted in 43 BC in India and moved through the centuries from Sri Lanka to Laos and Thailand. Wat Phra Kaew temple, where the statue can be seen today, is the most sacred and important temple in Thailand.

Wat Phra Kaew temple opening hours: 8:30 – 15:30

Wat Phra Kaew temple entrance ticket: 500 baht (there’s no separate ticket for Wat Phra Kaew, this is a general price to enter the Grand Palace).

Wat Phra Kaew temple address: Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok

Wat Arun – the Temple of Dawn

Wat Arun – the Temple of Dawn, Bangkok | © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Although Wat Arun means the Temple of Dawn, for the most amazing views you’d better see it at sunset… and from the other side of the river. Wat Arun is located on the west bank of Chao Phraya river and usually you have to take a boat to get there. Just go to the nearest river pier and take a look at the public boat transportation maps to see what boat number you need to hop on.

If Wat Arun looks familiar to you even before you’ve visited it, that’s because it’s on the back of the 10-baht coin. However, the coin can’t capture the delicate tiny Chinese ceramic pieces that cover the towers of the temple named after the Hindu god Aruna.

Wat Arun opening hours: 8:00 – 17:00

Wat Arun temple entrance ticket: 50 baht

Wat Arun temple address: 34 Arun Amarin Road, Kwang Wat Arun, Khet Bangkok Yai. If you are on the other side of the river, the easiest way to get there is to get a cross-river boat from Tha Thien Pier).

Wat Saket – The Temple of the Golden Mount

Wat Saket – The Temple of the Golden Mount, Bangkok

This glittering temple on top of an artificial hill is one of the best spots to see Bangkok from above without having to pay for expensive beer and cocktails in high-end bars in skyscrapers. Its peculiar story starts in the 18^th century where the first attempt to build a temple was made by king Rama III. The marshy ground couldn’t support a heavy structure, though, and it collapsed before it was finished. Several stories like this were repeated over the years with new attempts to solidify the mound. Today it has a concrete cap on top but the base still consists of bricks. You have 300 spiraling steps to climb but it’s not a strenuous walk and part of it is under the shade of trees. The view from the top is worth it. Wat Saket, also known as Phu Khao Thong or the Golden Mount, is quite far from other attractions in Bangkok and far from convenient public transportation, so you might need to take a taxi. There’s a large temple fair every year in November.

Wat Saket temple opening hours: 9:00 – 17:00

Wat Saket temple entrance ticket: 20 baht

Wat Saket temple address: Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Bangkok, Thailand

Wat Traimit – the Temple of the Golden Buddha

Wat Traimit – the Temple of the Golden Buddha in Bangkok

If you have always dreamed of seeing the biggest solid gold seated Buddha statue in the world, today is your lucky day. Head for Bangkok’s Chinatown to meet the 15-foot/5-meter, 5.5-ton figure and hear its amazing story. The Golden Buddha was crafted in the 13^th century and, at some point later, it was covered in plaster, probably to hide it from thieves. Centuries passed and obviously, everyone forgot what was inside the cover until 1955 when the statue was moved to Wat Traimit temple. The workers accidentally dropped it and part of the plaster cracked and revealed the precious content.

Wat Traimit temple opening hours: 8:00 – 17:00

Wat Traimit temple entrance ticket: 40 baht

Wat Traimit temple address: Traimit Road, Bangkok

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To help decide which one to choose – sunrise or sunset – consider the following pros and cons based on my personal experience:

Sunrise at Angkor Wat 

Pros:

1. The sun shows up right behind the ruins of Angkor Wat and the sight is magical.

2. Waking up early will give you more time to explore the ruins before the heat sets in.

Cons:

1. In photos the sunrise usually looks like this:

Angkor Wat, Cambodia © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

But what you can’t imagine from the photos is that the reflection is seen in a rather small pond (not in a huge lake as it looks like) and if you turn back, you will see this:

Sunrise at Angkor Wat | ©Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Hundreds of people flock around the shores of the pond (there are two ponds but the one on the right if you face the temple doesn’t reflect the buildings well) and fight with elbows and tripods for good shooting spots. Some latecomers even venture into the mud:

Sunrise at Angkor Wat | ©Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

But that’s what we do for art! If you don’t like crowds, you might feel overwhelmed. But that’s the overall vibe of Angkor Wat, so it won’t surprise you so much after a few hours.

2. Balloon flight – flying over the temples at sunrise is definitely the most spectacular way to feel the magic, but I have some ethical qualms about it. When we were in Siem Reap (spring 2017), we found only one company offering flights and they all ended with throwing candy to kids in a nearby village. I found this practice humiliating for the locals and skipped the balloon flight (that’s a personal opinion: if you are okay with it, go ahead!).

Tips:

1. To get to Angkor Wat for the sunrise, you can get a tuk-tuk or rent a bicycle or a motorbike. The price for a sunrise tuk-tuk tour (and then a whole day around the temples) is more or less the same all over Siem Reap ($20 per person) and there’s not much space to haggle. Renting a bike will cost you around $2 a day, and scooters can be as cheap as $7 a day.

2. Arrive long before sunrise (at least 40 minutes) to find a good viewing spot and to witness the amazing play of light in the sky behind the temple before the sun peeks above the horizon.

3. If it’s your first day at Angkor Wat, don’t forget that you have to go to the ticket office and buy a ticket to gain access to the temples. The ticket office has been moved to a new location, 10 km away from the official entrance of the temple area.

Sunset at Angkor Wat – pros and cons

Sunset at Angkor Wat, Cambodia © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Pros:

1. Fewer people make a special effort to visit Angkor Wat for the sunset, so it’s much less crowded.

2. The sun sets facing the facade of Angkor Wat and there is a special magic here. With the last minutes of daylight you will see the walls changing color several times – from orange to pinkish and then brown. It’s the perfect way to end the day at Angkor Wat.

Cons:

1. It’s not as spectacular as the sunrise.

Tips:

1. The Angkor complex closes at sunset, so make sure you are there early enough to find a good spot and take photos. As soon as the sun gets below the horizon, you will be asked to leave the temple.

2. If there are clouds in the sky, you should definitely go for the sunset as it’s even more beautiful.

The verdict: craft your route so that you can see both sunrise and sunset. 

Read more: How to beat the crowds at Angkor Wat

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3 reasons to visit gorgeous Krabi:

1. Krabi Province still manages to preserve its nature and beaches, keeping them as unsullied by human influence as possible (especially compared to other locations like Koh Samui or Pattaya). Most of the Thai people here live a normal life unaffected by the tourism industry, and this is your chance to delve into that Thai lifestyle in its most traditional form.

2. There are some surreal, almost unbelievably beautiful beaches in the area (see below).

3. The nearby bay is home to a species of flying fish. Flying fish!

One thing you may not expect in Krabi

Krabi and the south of Thailand as a whole is home to a large Muslim community that has been living peacefully with the Buddhist majority for more than five centuries. You will see many girls and women with their hair covered by scarves, and you might even hear the muezzin call of local mosques. It may be a bit hard to find pork, too.

BEST ATTRACTIONS IN KRABI TOWN

1. The night market

Like many Thai towns, Krabi has a night market with street food stalls, cheap clothes and plenty of trinkets. With every step, a new whiff tickles your nose and invites you to taste this, and this, and this… Everything is prepared in front of your eyes. In the high season (December–February) you can come across live performances and traditional local festivals. Open: Friday–Sunday.

Special tip: Search for the Krabi fried ice-cream stall, where the very preparation of your dessert is a show in itself.

Thai street food © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

2. Exchange a book

There are a few second-hand bookshops in Krabi Town, although you can also exchange a book at fairly unexpected places, including fast food venues. Just look for a pile of dusty books in the corner of the restaurant; as well as feeding your body, you can feed your treasure hunt spirit as you search for a book in a language you speak.

3. Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea)

The Tiger Temple is the historical highlight of Krabi, with its legend of a tiger living in the cave where Buddhist hermits sheltered for years, and the amazing view from its top. Climb the 1000+ steps, try your best to avoid the cheeky monkeys (don’t leave anything on the ground – anything!) and enjoy the fresh wind and the landscape at the top.

How to get to the Tiger Temple: The cave is located a bit out of the city, but it’s easy to get to. You can either take a taxi (500 baht return and the driver will wait for you) or use public transport. Look for the red pick-up vans – songthaew in Thai – that serve as a public shuttle, and take one to get to the temple. Just go to the riverside road, wave one of them down and say you’re going to the Tiger Temple. The rate is 50 baht for foreigners, although locals only pay 20 baht. There’s no need to argue or haggle over the price, as every driver will charge you this amount. Once you get there, the driver might ask you when you plan to return in order to be there and take you back, but you shouldn’t really rely on this promise, as they usually don’t come back. Just take another songthaew home.

The Tiger Temple in Krabi Town

BEST ATTRACTIONS AROUND KRABI TOWN

4. Kayaking among flying fish in a mangrove forest

Tha Lane Bay is an amazing slice of nature that buzzes with life, and there’s no better way to explore it than to grab a kayak and paddle out into the blue. Your camera is another essential piece of equipment, as you’ll want to photograph the many lovely creatures frolicking about in their unspoiled, natural home. Flying fish are hard to capture in a photo, but simply seeing them leap out of the water with fill your heart with joy (as if you’re in a real-life Super Mario game). If you come at sunset, the tide is low and sand islands emerge from the water, leaving the walking fish and starfish exposed and posing for your camera. Monkeys searching for food also join the party, together with monitor lizards and hundreds of birds. The sunset at Tha Lane Bay is one of the most beautiful in Thailand (trust me, I’ve seen many). Kayaking tours are offered at every hotel in Krabi and always include a transfer to the starting point.

Kayaking in Tha Lane Bay near Krabi © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

5. Railay Beach

Now this is a beach that looks perfect even without Photoshop. Come here to admire the cliffs, which look as if they’ve been thrown into the water by a giant, then laze on the white sand and glide through the turquoise water. The beach is quite small and tends to get overcrowded during high season.

How to get to Railay Beach: It’s accessible only by boat due to the towering cliffs that surround it. Take a longtail boat from Krabi (Khong Kha pier) or Ao Nang, around 150 baht one direction. This service is available a few times a day between 9 am and 5 pm.

Railay Beach, Thailand © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

6. Rock climbing at Railay

You can begin your ascent of the coastal cliffs by taking a rock climbing course for beginners (there are several climbing schools, just follow the signs). However, if you’re a bit more experienced, you can embark on an unguided climb that is definitely not for the fainthearted; while at the beach, just look for the miniature red dots that mark out the climbing trails along the cliffs. Bring your own gear or rent some equipment for the day.

7. Ao Nang

Ao Nang is a beach close to Krabi (with a regular bus and songthaew connection between the two towns). It’s a tourist area, full of resorts and bars. The beach is average – nothing like what you’ve seen on Pinterest photos of Thailand – but the area is well-connected as a base for day tours into the surrounding nature.

Kayaking in Tha Lane Bay near Krabi © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

8. Phi Phi Islands

It takes 45 minutes to get to the six Phi Phi Islands by boat. The scenery made famous by the 2000 movie The Beach is truly amazing and protected as part of a marine national park.

Special tip: The beach gets overcrowded, so the only chance you have to see it without scores of tourists is to arrive very early in the morning. Alternatively, you can spend the night there and wake up before the hordes of day-trippers arrive.

9. Hot springs and the Emerald Pool

These natural hot tubs in the rainforest have been carved into soft rocks and are directly fueled by a thermal spring. Enjoy the ~86ºF (30ºC) salt-rich water and finish with a refreshing dip into the nearby cool stream. The hot springs are located 43 mi (70 km) from Krabi Town. The nearby Emerald Pool is another natural spa where you can swim in warm mineral water and enjoy the serenity of the forest.

10. Khao Sok National Park

Khao Sok National Park is a piece of wild jungle with the amazing Cheow Lan Lake – where you can spend the night in a floating bungalow – within its borders. Enough said. Oh, and it’s also home to the Rafflesia – the biggest flower in the world.

How to get to Khao Sok National Park: There are several minibuses every day from Krabi and Ao Nang to Khao Sok. The cost is 300 baht and it takes two hours.

© Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

Here is a map of all the activities and destinations mentioned above to give you an idea of scale:

11. What NOT to do: don’t ride the elephants

Riding elephants is a widespread attraction all over Thailand, but the only reason for its existence is the fact that tourists pay for it. Elephant riding was recently forbidden in India for a good reason – the conditions the animals are kept in are often awful and the seats used to make tourists more comfortable hurt their backs. Don’t ride elephants and don’t let your friends do it either; as fewer people become interested in elephant riding, Thai people will switch to other business ideas.

>> Read more: 7 Thailand quotes that explain why everyone loves it

Where to see Rafflesia in Thailand – the biggest flower in the world

Where to find a friendly Buddhist monk to talk to in Thailand

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In India we watched lots of our friends grabbing bikes in Goa to visit tricky to get to beaches and to go to remote party locations. We also saw some of them come back with (thankfully) minor injuries after crashing their bikes, followed by forgoing their deposits leaving a financial dent for the rest of the trip. Once we knew they were okay, we had a slight sense of smugness knowing that we had avoided temptation and been sensible. You only live once: either this means to live every day like it is your last and enjoy it, or try and avoid every day being your last by not partaking in activities which are too reckless!

Fast forward to Vietnam, one of the party capitals of South East Asia, where you don’t have to plan your journey, instead you just go where the party takes you, or at least that was what we were told. This is advice which holds up for just about the entire year. Unless you are travelling during the Lunar New Year, or Tet as it is called in Vietnam. If you are travelling within Tet you need to organise, otherwise, you can end up stranded in a small town, with no accommodation, no food, and most importantly to a number of backpackers: no alcohol or parties. We realised at the 11th hour that we were hoping to just let our free will guide us over Tet and were heading for disaster, so we quickly started locking down accommodation and travel which meant we’d be able to see Vietnam and not just be stuck in Hanoi for a couple of weeks. Part of these plans meant working out how to travel between Hue and Hoi An. We were keen to get to Hoi An for Tet as it is a big, beautiful, city which we knew would have enough activities (and generally places open) to sustain us through Tet. The buses (to which we already had an open bus ticket for) were fully booked, so we opted to pay extra to do an open top jeep excursion over the Hai Van Pass which famously connects Hue to Hoi An, with its hairpin bends, sheer drops, and, providing you survive, breathtaking views. The travel rep at the hostel we were staying at busily booked in our various hostels, buses and activities and we breathed a sigh of relief that we wouldn’t struggle over Tet. The last thing he booked or attempted to book, was the open top jeep tour – whilst he talked on the phone we saw his face change from a big smile to a look of shock and horror. Of course, it turns out the open top jeep tour was no longer available – the only option left was to do the journey ourselves on a scooter/motorbike.

In a moment of madness, we agreed, we had heard enough of the horror stories of being stuck in a small town like Hue over Tet, and desperately wanted, or perhaps needed, to get to Hoi An. We hoped we’d receive some half decent motorbike training, how to ride, how to handle emergency situations, a few hours of tutored riding with an expert. What we got was a set of keys with a registration number on, and a wave of good luck. Never did we expect to be learning how to ride a scooter, for the first time, on the crazy roads of Vietnam, with no guidance of tuition. Two friends showed us how to start the bike, and make it go forwards and backwards, beyond that it was down to us to wobble up and down the road outside the hostel a couple of times, before attempting a couple of laps around the block. With this amount of training, we were ready to take on the 160KM journey between Hue and Hoi An.

We hadn’t bargained for how much riding we’d have to do to get to and from the Hai Van Pass, through the middle of city centres where there are simply no rules, bikes go on whichever side of the road they fancy, they go on the pavements, some traffic lights seem to be vaguely obeyed whereas a lot are just completely ignored. At a roundabout, 90% of the traffic will go around counter-clockwise, and the remaining 10% just go round the other way, no one indicates, and instead everyone plays a sort of game of chicken, where you just have to look at the other motorists and try to negotiate how you’ll avoid colliding with each other. To say it was an experience would be an understatement. Yet there we were, barely able to start and stop without wobbling over, tackling the scenario as best as we could.

Did we make it? Thanks to survivors bias, yes we did. Not only did we make it, but we were awestruck by the views from the Hai Van Pass, but not just that, but also by the off the beaten track places we could visit on the way, including Elephant Springs and the coast of Lang Co Bay. The experience was scary yet exhilarating, irrational yet sensational. We didn’t check our insurance documents before starting, not due to carelessness, but due to not wanting to find out we weren’t covered to add even more pressure. We arrived about four hours later than the experienced riders, but we arrived in one piece, with nothing but numb bottoms and hands.

We were forced into this journey due to lack of other options, but for someone who is more competent on a motorbike/scooter it is definitely a journey worth doing and is somewhat famous after being featured on the hugely popular TV Show, Top Gear. Top tips would be to start early, take lots of sun cream and keep covered up, any skin left uncovered will be red and burnt unless you are used to be under the beating sun all day long.

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Steven and Gemma quit their full-time jobs, packed up their house, cancelled all their bills, declared their car off the road, rented out their house, and set off on a year adventure to travel around the world, exploring no less than 18 countries, including: India, Russia, China, Japan, SE Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Hawaii, North and South America. They started a travel blog called Our Big Planet. They are currently 10 weeks into their adventure but their dream is to be able to travel full time.

Follow Our Big Planet’s adventure on Facebook and Instagram too.

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