July Archive

Explaining the Name

For those who may wonder "Why choose Wellies are Like Bikes?" here is your answer...

When down in Cork taking pictures for the berries website, Ian was placing some wellies on some random steps with great excitement. He was so happy to be taking photos of wellies that he turned to me and Jonny and said...

"Wellies are like bikes, they are both easy to take pictures of"!!

So thats where the name came from. If you are thinking, "thats sad", then piss off and read someone else's blog, it was funny at the time.

In the near future this blog will keep you informed of my travelling exploits... Thats right, I's a travallah. There is a gallery to come soon. Don't be afraid to leave comments either and tell me how you are getting on, in the wet and miserable home land :)

Keeping it country,

Brian

Travel Route

Just as a general idea of where we might be in the next 2 months...

Arrive in Bangkok for a couple of days
Fly to Chang Mai
Head to Hanoi through Laos
Travel through Vietnam to Saigon (or whatever its called now)
Into Cambodia
Back to Bangkok where hopefully we'll meet the Leprechauns
Down to the islands, Ko Tao and Ko Phangang for a beach party and some scuba
A little bit of time in Malaysia before flying out from Singapore

The above may or may not happen. It depends on how me and Jonny feel about the whole thing

The Wedding

Thought I'd stick in a great post before I leave about Jonathan and Shirley's wedding. It was a great day despite the weather. Even the church was nice. Although I don't agree with this singing lark that Protestants like to do :) To be honest, I don't agree with the religion thing at all and a couple of things the priest said really annoyed me. I don't understand why you can't look at a garden and think its a beautiful garden without needing to think that there are fairies living at the bottom of it!

Overall a brilliant day and I couldn't be happier for the two of them. I think they'll be great together. The reception itself was savage. There was plenty of drinking and the food was amazing. The band after was great too, although I do regret dancing to the macarena. I blame Jonathan's sister Joy for that though. I told her that if she saw me going out to dance to pull me back and tell me to cop on to myself.

Even the speaches, the most dreaded part of the evening were great. Short and funny. I am told they lasted only 31 minutes which is great going. Was great to see some old faces too. Some of Jonathan's college friends were over from Scotland and they are a gas bunch. Was worried about going on my own incase I'd have nobody to talk to but the crowd at my table were lots of fun and the evening flew by.

Going to finish this post by saying that I hope Jonathan and Shirely have a great life together, and enjoy their honeymoon. It was some feat by Shirley to get Jonathan away from work for so long. Hopefully too their house will be in a fit state to move into by the time they come back.

Going away night

Just a quick post on the last night out in Dublin. Thanks to everyone for coming out. Was a great drunken night, despite ending up in Coppers. Was good to see Team Beard so drunk too :) A good way to end six years in Dubliin anyway. First time and hopefully the last time in Eamonn Doran's too. Everbody can blame Graham Leeson for us going there.

Thankfully too, nobody had a camera. And to all the pirate hookers... YYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR

Farewell

This is the last chance I will have to post before I go. Was thinking it would be a great time to say goodbye to the rain but apparently I'll be seeing more of it in South East Asia!! So much for chasing the summer!

Anyway, I hope all of you will keep on eye on my blog to see how we are getting on. And leave loads of comments, except for Ketch, I will be sensoring yours!!

Anywho, the next post will be from a land far far away and hopefully I'll have some pictures up soon too... and maybe some travel insurance :-o

Adios, au revoir, auf wiedersehen, arriba derchi, slan leat agus goodbye...

Brian

Arrived in Bangkok

Got into to Thailand today at around 3:30 and you can only imagine my disgust when I looked out the window and saw the exact same conditions that I left behind in Dublin! Not impressed. The only difference is though that here when you walk out side you just get smashed by a wall o heat. There are some funky smells here too. Some bad some good.

Bangkok is at times the exact same as Dublin or any other Western place and then at other times exactly like you see it in films with guys on bikes flying every where and just a mass of foot traffic. We got driven around in a tuk tuk earlier too. Those things can move. They are great fun. Its just a pitty I don't have a charger for my camera yet. When I do I'll get some pics together fairly fast I'd say.

Anyway we went down to TAT, although didn't ask for Gap. They pretty much just sorted out the next 2 weeks of our lives. First we head from Bangkok in 2 days and head north to Changmai. There we are doing a 3 day trek with elephant ride! Sounds like alot of fun. The we get a bus to a town on the border with Laos to stay a night. From there we are getting a slow boat into Laos. After that we are on our own again. They sorted out our Vietnam visas too as well as the hotel in Bangkok. All for about 250 and that includes most of our meals too.

Going to go now and try to get some food and some drink and a lady-boy... :)

Later

Brian

Bangkok Day 2

Day 2 in Bangkok is over and a lot has happened since arriving. I finally got a charger for my camera so I should have some pics in a while.

We went to an Irish bar on Khaosan road last night. Although I normally hate doing that when you go traveling but it was recommended to us by a friend of Jonny's who he randomly met. We stayed there drinking and playing pool (well I didn't play, didn't want to make a show of myself) until about 7 this morning. Met a few Irish, English, Dutch, German, Algerian etc. Was good craic. Especially when me and Jonny invested in a tower of Heineken. The girls we met then bought a tower of vodka and 7up and kindly shared with us. Was a fairly hectic night including a sing-along at the end.

Finally woke up this afternoon and all I could here was rain and the loudest thunder storm I've ever heard in my life. So we stayed around for a bit in the hotel room watching crap sports on tv. Then we got up and got a tuk tuk around for the day. The tuk tuk then brought us to a suit maker to get him some commission. I didn't mind though, no skin off my nose. When we got in there they tried to sell me 2 suits for about 450 euro. I laughed at him. He didn't like that. Got him down to about 200 euro but it was still way too expensive. He was an awful prick though. He started getting thick then so we just walked out.

Went down and got some food then and here we are in an internet cafe. Much cheaper here than in the hotel. We have a 10 hour bus journey ahead of us tomorrow so we are going to take it easy for tonight. Looking forward to sleeping actually. It'll be the first decent nights sleep in since the weekend.

Have fun and talk soon

Brian

Last Day in Bangkok

Finally today we get to leave Bangkok. The longer we stay here, the more I really don't like this city. Today though we saw the sun for the first time. Man is it hot. So we are hiding from it now.

Had my first red curry too, it was hot and probably a mistake on a day like today. Pad Thai is great though. Hopefully I still think that in a few hours. The curry was so strange. Basically it comes to you in a massive soup bowl. I fished out most of the meat then and left a huge amount of curry sauce behind. No way was I drinking that.

We took a few videos of a tuk tuk ride last night...

http://www.jealousofjonny.com/site_me...

The vidoes don't give you the whole experience though. You have to be able to hear it too. Plus the part of the Tuk Tuk ride we shot was not the best part. Its when you build up speed that it gets good. Not sure if I mentioned before about the tuk tuk drive who started doing wheelies with us in the back. Was great fun.

Anyway, will talk more later.

Brian

Chang Mai

What a savage last 4 days I've had. So much to say so will start from the beginning....

First we went from Bangkok to Chang Mai on a massive pimped out dubble decker bus. We were sitting at the very front and had loads of leg room. Good thing too coz the journey was 10 hours.

We got to Chang Mai at around 4 in the morning and went to our hotel/hostel place called BMP (Backpackers Meeting Place). Our room was ok but a come down from Bangkok. The place does have a swimming pool though so plus points there. I couldn't sleep when we got in so when it was light I walked around. Saw a few temples and got barings a bit.

Later in the morning me and Jonny went for a walk. Ended up in the scorching heat at midday so legged it back to BMP and had a nap. I like siestas. We had a meeting then to go to at 6 for the trek the next day. After that, we went to the night market with a dutch couple on their honey moon and a couple of an Irish guy and a kiwi girl. They are really nice and lots of fun. On the trek with us too. Had a few beers then and had an early night. Up for the trek in the morning then for 3 days. That was soo goog though it deserves its own post....

A wim bo wa a wim bo wa... in the jungle

Trekking in the jungle north of Chan Mai for 3 days and it was unbelievable.

DAY 1:

The first day we got a bus that dropped us off somewhere in the jungle. There were 12 of us I think and 2 guides (Tarzan and Promise). We trekked through fields, rivers and jungle pathways to some huts about an hour or 2 in where we stopped for lunch. The heat was incredible but the walk was flat so we were ok... for a while. After lunch we trekked again for hours through the jungle again but this time for hours. It was much harder. With many hills (we were on a mountain!!) Our destination was a tribal village of the White Karin people. Sweating was not the word. Although it was never too hard or hellish it was tough. The last part of the trek was up a very steep muddy slope to the village and of course the heavens opened!!!! I've never seen rain like it. Rivers flowing down as we tried to slip our way up. Saturated by the time we reached the top. We then settled into our hut, all 12 of us in the one place. There was only little running water and electricity was from a government supplied solar panel. Not to be wasted on us :)

After getting into dry clothes we sat down for food and drink by candle light. The craic was mighty. All laughing and joking. The 4 Irish girls brought a bottle of vodka with them and kindly shared. The tribes people sold us beer at a fairly high price, but it was still only 1 euro. It gets so dark so early up there that at half 9 we thought it was about 12! It was nice and cool there though so that when we got to bed air con wasn't missed. (When I saw bed... bamboo with a sleeping bag. Very hard to sleep in maybe rocks would be as comfortable :) )

DAY 2:

Because of 2 English girls who thought a trek would be more like a stroll we didn't walk too far on day two. The people only staying one night left before us and then 4 of us started off towards the waterfall where we were staying the second night.

The water fall was unreal. We swam and had a shower under the water fall, just generally relaxed and took it handy. So easy going. Not much I can say about that place though. Have plenty of pics, they speak for themselves. Main point is though that I cannot speak highly enough of it.

DAY 3:

Today we left the waterfall and headed to the elephants. After a short walk we got into the back of a pick-up truck when again the heavens opened. I was wearing a poncho which was useless. I was still soaked so just took the thing off. When we got to the elephants it was still lashing. They took one look at me and called in the biggest elephant they had. It was huge. We got on that then and went for a ride. I tell you, the knackers should ditch the horses, these things rule. Not very comfortable but these things were going up and down mad steep slopes, no bother. Me and Jonny holding on for dear life.

After that it was back into the truck for some bamboo rafting. That was so much fun. We didn't go terriblely fast but we nearly fell off a couple of times. We then started throwing what looked like crab apples at each other. What a laugh.

When we got back to BMP we had a hot shower. Its amazing how much we take them for granted. Was nice to be clean again. Alhtough if I could have had a shower in the waterfall again I'd take that any day.

So we are all heading out now tonight and off to the Laos border tomorrow. Bring on the good times.