Holiday Snaps

When we first arrived in Thailand just before Christmas we spent two days in busy Bangkok before heading on to beautiful and tranquil Koh Lanta. 

The capital pit stop was probably more for my teenage niece, so that she could do a bit of hardcore shopping in the insanely huge malls over there. 

Living in London for fifteen years has made me develop a severe dislike for big cities and I actually think I'm allergic to super malls or as I like to call them 'bastard bastions of capitalism' cause I can't spend more than ten minutes in one before starting to feel decidedly queasy.

Despite the fact that only 4% of the people in Thailand are Christians, you could have been forgiven for thinking otherwise, the sheer amount of  gaudy Christmas glitz on display and tiresome tacky tunes abusing your eardrums was quite astounding in some areas.

The upmarket super malls had obviously been taking style notes from Oxford Street et al, with more Christmas lights than you can shake a stick at.

My favourite was the bright red faced Santa with Bono sunnies...DUDE!

We went walkabouts and took in the amazing flower market and Chinatown...

Then we jumped on a boat to get a view of the city from its Chao Phraya river and ended up at the Wat Pho temple, home of  Thailand's biggest reclining Buddha statue...

There are so many amazing temples to see in Bangkok but on our second day there we decided to seek refuge in Chatuchak Park instead.

I was thrilled to escape the city the following day, a short flight took us to Krabi and then onward with taxi to Koh Lanta.

Twelve wonderful days of lolling around on stunning beaches, swimming in the sea, snorkelling, going for long walks on the island, popping off for a couple of days amazing scuba diving, visiting Lanta Animal Welfare, cuddling with cats and walking some adorable dogs, spending a precious Christmas with the people that I love and meeting some awesome new people too :)

Klong Khong Beach on Koh Lanta.

A beautiful sunset is like food for the soul.

Scuba diving, snorkelling and fishing boats on Koh Lanta.

More stunning sunsets and a pic from an early morning walk with the locals bringing in their nets.

Fresh fruit shakes and fabulous grub.

I was tempted to try the Geek Salad but sadly I didn't, I did have a delicious Veggie Spattie though ;)

New Years Eve celebrations on the beach on Koh Lanta were a hoot and a half, the entire islands population seeminlgy had made their way onto the beaches. Fire works galore and literally thousands of Chinese lanterns lit up the sky. There were an abundance of fire shows and a scattering of local bands performing for free.

On New Years Day we left Koh Lanta to head for Langkawi...

We visited three waterfalls, namely Telaga Tujuh (Seven Wells), Air Terjun Temurun & Durian Perangin. 

Hired a car and explored the island, hung out on the beaches, went snorkelling and eat with the locals. 

I ordered veggie fried rice and found little sprat heads in it, I did enjoy the gorgeous ice tea though.

Trust me to find a car boot sale half way around the world :)

We went jungle trekking, saw the sunset from the top of the Langkawi cable car and enjoyed some general mucking about on the hotel beach and in the grounds.

All holidays come to an end too soon I think and before you now it it is time to leave paradise behind.

We had a day and a half in KL before we flew back home.

More shopping for my niece who also turned eighteen that day and more culture & city impressions for us...

We went to the amazing Sri Mahamariamman Temple which is the oldest Hindu temple in Kuala Lumpur.

Last time we were in KL we only managed to see it from the outside at night but this time we were able to delight in its interior. 

We also came across the Kuan Ti which is a Taoist temple but unfortunately it was closed.

The last thing we did before going to the airport was meeting up with our cousin who lives in KL.

He works on the 52nd floor of Petronas Tower 2 and was able to get us a couple of visitor passes to come and have a look...

The lift was amazing, you could hardly feel it moving, it was so smooth yet tremendously fast and you had to pop your ears ;)

Pretty amazing views and the building itself is pretty stunning too...

KL from above; they do seem to like their tall buildings...

...and that was that!

Then we jumped on a plane back to 'Ol Blighty.

I've just a few more holiday posts to do and then I'm back on normal Frocktasia duties again :)

Lot's of love,

Jennie

xXx

Monkey business, manta ray, moray eels, poolside lizard and a flying lemur

After spending a few weeks basking in the tropical sun being back in Balticus Horribilis is a bit like an Arctic Enema. 

To think that only a few short days ago I was strolling along a stunning palm fringed beach with silky hot sand underfoot and throwing myself into the salty swell of the Andaman Sea when the mood took me.

Now I sit here in our freezing draught riddled flat feeling as if I've been dipped in dry-ice with rigid fingers and a cold wee nose.

I'm more convinced than ever that I want to emigrate to a country that doesn't do cold winters.

Thailand ticks all the boxes for me but I would like to learn to speak Thai first ;)

Even though Koh Lanta (the island that we went to) is virtually a Swedish tourist colony, I would still want to be able to speak Thai if I was to go and live there on a more permanent basis.

Once we've done our rescue diver qualification and clocked up another ten dives we can crack on with the PADI Divemaster course and once that is completed we will be able to seek employment with dive shops all around the world, I'm very excited!

2012 was a pivotal year for us and I am very hopeful that we will continue moving forward in a positive direction in 2013.

Mark & I have found a new life passion in scuba diving and all of a sudden the door of opportunity that seemed jammed shut before has swung open. 

In one short year the scope has widened and more things seem possible and totally doable.

I promised more holiday pics in my last post and I wouldn't like to disappoint anyone ;)

I usually average around two hundred pics per day on holiday, mostly cause I like taking pictures of animals and they tend to move around a lot so you have to take a whole load of pics to get one that's good.

I have a Canon 1100D which is the Canon entry level DSLR camera.

All these pics were taken with the standard 18-55mm zoom lens that came with the original camera package cause I couldn't be bothered bringing my macro lens with me this time, you really need to mount the camera on a tripod to get the best picture quality with that lens and it's just too much stuff to cart half way around the world. 

I'm not a photographer, I just love taking photos and with subjects like these anyone can make a half decent capture...

When we went to Langkawi two years ago I was desperate to catch a Great Hornbill but they were elusive to say the least, I did see one high up a tree in Kuah town but the cheeky begger flew off as soon as I pointed my lens at him. This time they were literally everywhere. Feasting on red berries in the trees around the resort. They were still a bit camera/people shy and would jump higher up in the trees as soon as they clocked you.

We stayed at Mutiara Burau Bay beach resort two years ago and absolutely fell in love with its stunning surroundings and outdoorsy vibe so we decided to go back there this time.

Monkeys & lizards just wandering around in the resort area and accessible jungle trails within walking distance...I mean what more can you possibly want?!

There was even a poolside lizard that would go for a swim every now and again.

The Macaque monkeys have a bit of a bad reputation on Langkawi, there are stories about tourist being "robbed" of their bags etc. It is of course because the tourists have been feeding the monkeys, who now equate tourists with getting food, so some of the macaques can get a bit aggressive if you don't bring on the buffet or will snatch things out of your hands if they think it's edible. I try to maintain a respectful distance to any animal and only ever move in close if I feel that I've established a certain connection with an individual.

The other type of monkey in Langkawi is the slightly more timid Dusky Leaf Monkey and we were lucky enough to get a visit by a troop with adorable babies... 

Besides the daily encounters with monkeys we were treated to pretty rare chance meeting with an amazing Sunda Flying Lemur as well. 

Whilst sitting on the beach loungers enjoying an early evening drink we spotted a Macaque climbing up the palm tree just behind us, seconds later a ruckus broke out at the top of the tree and what we thought to be a leaf came tumbling down onto my lounger only to rapidly propel itself onto the palm tree directly next to me.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing and I was gutted that I for once did not have my camera with me.

Thankfully Mark had brought his, so we got a few pics.

The poor thing must have been in shock cause it sat like frozen on the trunk for a good few minutes before continuing its skillful climb up to the top of the tree.

These animals are strictly arboreal (they are pretty hard to spot cause they like to hide away in the canopy)  and they are also nocturnal so had it not been for Mr Macaque disturbing its peace we would have never have seen this amazing creature...

 There are also loads of  gorgeous cats and dogs lounging around everywhere both on Koh Lanta and in Langkawi.

I'm doing a separate post about our two visits to Lanta Animal Welfare mainly cause I think this brilliant organisation deserves a post all to itself but also cause I went a bit snap-happy those two days ;)

Here are a few non-LAW pics of Thai & Malay dogs and cats that I petted on my travels...

Gorgeous creatures!

My next post will probably be a random pics post. 

We stayed in Bangkok when we arrived in Thailand and in Kuala Lumpur for a day before we flew back home so we managed to squeeze in a bit of  capital culture too ;)

I will blog about "the near death experience" boat trip to Langkawi but we haven't started editing the video footage from that trip, so bear with me.
In the meantime here's a little clip of lizards that hubby put together:

Here's another little clip that hubby put together with footage from our two diving trips to Koh Ha, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang...

I was absolutely thrilled to see several moray eels but the highlight of our diving trips was definitely the manta ray, what an amazing creature.

Lot's of love,

Jennie

xXx

Excitement and Adventure and Really Wild Things!

Hope you are all doing grand :)

I've just returned from a three week magical mystery tour to Awesome Asia, namely Thailand and Malaysia.

This was my first ever Xmas in the sun but I don't think it will be the last. 

I was mega excited about rolling up my wetsuit and packing the regs knowing that rather than waking up to a bunch of tiresome traditions on Christmas morning, I'd be taking a giant stride into the Andaman Sea;

an unbeatable way to spend Crimbo in my opinion!

Besides scuba diving with Lanta Divers we managed to squeeze in two visits the wonderful Lanta Animal Welfare, several long walks along the many lush beaches of Koh Lanta & loads of dips in the sea...naturally!

We celebrated NYE on the beach together with just about everyone else on the island, dodging fireworks and drinking fresh coconut.

On New Years Day we took a (near death experience) boat trip to Langkawi where we stayed at the brilliantly located Mutiara Burau Bay Beach Resort for five days.

We hired a car and explored the islands many wonderful waterfalls and beaches and we went jungle trekking, saw loads of macaque & dusky leaf monkeys, monitor lizards, hornbills, eagles and we were even lucky enough to have a close encounter with a flying lemur.

Excitement, adventure and really wild things...

just the way I like it ;)

My holiday wardrobe had to be significantly slimmed down compared to the huge amount that I brought with me to Egypt last year, mainly cause we were travelling with a lot of our own scuba kit this time around and we weren't just staying in one place. 

So I only brought a couple of dressy frocks and some more (for me) "casual" gear.

Surely I am not the only one who goes hiking up a hill dressed in a sequin top ;)

I have an excuse though all my other garb had been drenched in saltwater after the horrid boat trip from Koh Lanta and was absolutely sodden...

needs must and all that jazz!

Here follows a pic-medley of my holiday outfits with a few other photos thrown in...

much more to come :)

After our first dive day hubby made this little greeting/trailer for our chums at Dive Wimbledon...

On our second dive day we went to Hin Daeng and Hin Muang where we saw a Manta ray....

I almost wet my wetsuit, so Frigging AMAZING!

Hubby caught it on camera, so hopefully I'll be able to share it with you soon :)

Lot's of love,

Jennie

xXx