Avoiding The Scams December 10, 2009
Posted by Martin in : Thailand, Travel Tips , add a commentTik and I feel quite embarrassed when travelers spend time in Thailand and end up getting cheated here.
Thailand as a whole, and especially Bangkok, are in my experience, the safest places to travel in the world.
Unless you’re really unlucky you’ll never find yourself under any physical threat here – regardless of where you venture or what time of the day or night it is. Pretty much the only crime you might experience here might be confidence crime or possibly minor theft or pickpockets.
For those of you nervous about traveling to a country where police don’t command much respect, I’ve put together some known scams you might experience here and some advice about how to avoid them.
The Start of Our Day Trip : Pimai Temple, Korat December 6, 2009
Posted by Martin in : Thailand, travel , add a commentAfter picking up Careys friend Craig from the airport we began our Issan Road Trip.
After a predictable stop at ChockChai Farm for our routine burger we arrived at Pimai temple in Korat.
The temple itself is derelict, it is still a hub of tourism and seems to be used for festivals. We were all impressed by how much the ruins looked like Ankor Wat in Cambodia.
Tik’s real motivation for taking us here was to take photos. My personal favorite was her “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” shot, modeled by Craig and Carey.
Not as Unfit as I Thought November 21, 2009
Posted by Martin in : Health & Sport, Thailand , add a commentToday I ran 10km in Suan Rot Fai (park).
This time last year I was in peak condition having spent three months training for the Bangkok 10k fun run. I’d lost a load of weight and was full of energy.
One year on I’ve never been heavier so I’ve been getting back into running for the past 2 weeks. As a benchmark today I decided to run in the park to see how my time compared to my adequate 75 minutes last year.
Flight of the Gibbon, Chonburi November 14, 2009
Posted by Martin in : Thailand , add a commentTik, Carey and I drove to Chonburi for the day to try out Thailand’s most publicized new tourist attraction.
‘Flight of the Gibbon’ is a series of zip-lines fixed high into the forest canopy which one swings between for both the adrenaline rush and for the incredible views of the forest.
There are three Flight of the Gibbon branches now in Thailand; Chonburi (the largest and newest), one in Chiang Mai and there will soon be one in Koh Pangnan. Carey also said there was a similar (but smaller) service in Koh Samui running under a different name.
We were lucky that there was just the three of us and one other gentleman called Aly so that we were not waiting around too long between lines. We were aided by two staff members who did an excellent job of keeping us safe and confident at all times.
At about 1,200 baht for Thais and around 2,000 baht for foreigners this wasn’t a cheap day out but considering the ziplines lasted nearly three hours and the price included full access to Kow Kiew Zoo and a reasonable lunch it was actually very good value.
To learn more about Flight of the Gibbon, click here.
A Perfect Sunday in Bangkok November 8, 2009
Posted by Martin in : Friends, Health & Sport, Leisure, Thailand , add a comment
We currently get so little free time these days that I’ve begun planning our only day of leisure to make sure we are still getting some fresh air, some exercise , doing something new and meeting friends.
Carey has returned to stay with us this week and after an early morning swim we headed to Chatuchak weekend market to explore the artwork and puppies there.
Alika, Chris and Ingrid Come To Stay October 25, 2009
Posted by Martin in : Friends , add a comment
We had a fantastic week with Alika, Chris and Ingrid when they came to stay.
I’ve seen Alika three times now. The first time she came to stay with us in Bangkok Garden when she was about 1 year old. I’m not usually so impressed with children but she was, without doubt, the most well-behaved and fun child I’d ever laid eyes on.
We met up again for about half a day last year when Chris’s family stopped in Bangkok for some dental work before flying to Europe. Alika was 3 at the time and, although she wasn’t talking, she was very giggly and was as fun as I remembered her.
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Weekend in Pattaya September 20, 2009
Posted by Martin in : Friends, Thailand , add a commentWith Tik studying so hard it’s very rare we get a free weekend to get away. On the verge of burning out we managed to get out to Pattaya though for two days and met up with our friends Wayne and Lorraine.
A Day Round Khao Sarn Road August 16, 2009
Posted by Martin in : Leisure, Thailand , add a commentIt’s been a very long time since Tik and I took a trip to Khao sarn road area which is recognized worldwide for its cheap amenities for backpackers.
Most people we known prefer now to stay in the road behind Khao Sarn which is called ‘Thannon Rambutree’. Rambutree has similar amenities for backpackers such as guesthouses, cheap cafes, travel agents and bookstores but it’s a lot quieter than Khao sarn and we much prefer it.
We had no real aim for the day but I really do love eating at ‘Oh My Cod’ restaurant as their large cooked breakfast is a real treat.
Malta Photos Online August 5, 2009
Posted by Martin in : Family, malta, travel , add a comment
Sorry for the long delay and the lack of blog updates for what was truly a lovely holiday.
Since returning I’ve been snowed under with work and only just had time recently to upload and organize everything.
The remaining photos from the week are online here.
Can You Spot My (White) Family? August 1, 2009
Posted by Martin in : Family, malta , add a commentLook for a bunch of people who really don’t look like they fit in 
You can click on it to zoom in.
Malta – Day 2 July 27, 2009
Posted by Martin in : malta, travel , add a commentAfter breakfast a group of us decided to walk round Juliana Bay.
Sadly, with the supermarket closed half-day on sunday, and as all the dcent cafes had closed their kitchen when we wanted to eat we resorted to a Mcdonalds for lunch 
Malta – Day 1 July 26, 2009
Posted by Martin in : malta, travel , 1 comment so farAfter a midnight flight from Bangkok I arrived at Frankfurt airport with three and a half hours to kill before my connecting flight.
This holiday I’m flying alone a Tik has work and study commitments and killing time at Frankfurt was quite an effort. Frankfurt must be one of the world’s most expensive airports and I really resented paying 10 euros for a sandwich and drink. I’d already used up the 40 minutes of battery on my laptop and as much as I wanted to get some work done I wasn’t happy to pay 20 euros for a 2 euro plug adaptor that I’d only need for a few hours.
I find the German accent so hard sounding that I felt that everybody at the airport was somehow shouting at me. I boarded the connecting flight to Malta feeling like a naughty schoolboy who was being disciplined by his teacher. Wow those Lufthansa air hostesses are big. Compared to the petite frames of the Thai airways staff these women scared the crap of me.
I found Mum, Dad and Lisa waiting for their bags at Malta airport. They had arrived just a few minutes earlier from Manchester so it was practical for us all to share the hotel taxi together.
We are here during a heatwave. It was 38 degrees outside – significantly hotter than Thailand!
We are staying at the Hotel Juliani. This is a lovely hotel that usually caters to business guests. The rooms are clean, each having large TVs, DVD players and a large bath. The staff are very friendly, very professional and I’d highly recommend staying here.
Our family had arrived first so we headed to the rooftop pool to await the rest of the group.
Sam and Orna Stay July 24, 2009
Posted by Martin in : CouchSurfing, Friends , add a commentWe just hosted Sam and Orna for four nights.
Sam is Australian and Orna is Irish. They are traveling the world together and are heading to Koh Tao and then to Vietnam where they plan to teach English for 6 month.
Tik and I were both busy working this week but got the opportunity to take them for dinner at Fah Sai restaurant and, today to Crepes and Co for brunch.
Protected: Lonely Planet Online July 23, 2009
Posted by Martin in : Thailand, Travel Tips , Enter your password to view commentsRunPee – The Best Times To Pee During A Movie July 8, 2009
Posted by Martin in : Creative / Humour, Websites , add a commentI found this fun website today which solves my complaint about cinemas not offering toilet breaks despite the fact that the drinks they sell to you are usually huge and movies seem to be getting longer over time.
RunPee is a database of current movies with a listing of when in the movie you’d be best running to the toilet without missing anything important.
RunPee also tells you what you’ll have missed too and also if there’s anything displayed after the final credits roll.
