April 2015 Recap

Yin and Yang

Month 3 was a study in extremes. I spent the first few days finishing out my time in Australia by eating cheap microwaveable noodles and trying to bring my average daily spend down from the ridiculous $90 I had racked up in Oz. And then on the 6th, I was off to my second continent and third country of my journey, Singapore. As I mentioned in my post about Singapore, I hadn’t planned to travel to there, but I’m so glad I did. It was a welcome change to rural Queensland, Australia and ended up being a great precursor to Thailand. I got lost for the first time on my trip and I also proved to myself I could figure things out without a data plan on my phone. I also had amazing food with my friends at Indian, Thai, Singaporean, and Chinese restaurants. I was blown away by the variety and quality of food and unbeknownst to me, it would get even better in Thailand!

After being in relative seclusion in the far north of Australia, the two metropolises of Singapore and Bangkok, were a shock to my system. Singapore set the stage with its skyscrapers, 25 malls, and crowded streets. But Bangkok really blew my mind. My first 24 hours were a blur, navigating the city, dodging careening tuk-tuks, and finding my hotel in Chinatown. I wandered out into the street at 9pm looking for dinner to find Yaowarat Road (which means Chinatown in Thai – fitting as it is the main thoroughfare in the neighborhood) and stumbled into food carts jamming every square foot of sidewalk. People stepped out into the busy street to squeeze past metal tables where diners ate colorful soups and curries while waiters called out to entice these passersby with the daily specials.

I figured why the hell not and snagged a seat on a small red plastic chair at the fine establishment of R&L Seafood. This particular purveyor has a near identical twin across the street named T&K and the only discernible difference seems to be the employee uniform. R&L staff wear red and T&K wear green. The have near identical menus and near identical food, but locals and frequent Bangkok tourists are fiercely loyal to one or the other. I ordered Tom Yam Goong, which I later found out is a popular dish in Thailand consisting of a sour and spicy soup with prawns and other seafood, but I truthfully ordered it because the picture looked interesting! I sat back with a large Chang beer, ate my soup, and took the crazy, busy, Bangkok street scene in, happy with my decision to come to Thailand.

Super soakers everywhere

I had timed my trip to Bangkok to line up with the Songkran festival, a 3-day celebration of the Thai New Year. The festival’s origin is based on the practice of anointing your elders and monks by sprinkling water on their heads. This was seen as a sign of respect and thanks for the role they had on your life over the past year. In modern times, it has evolved into a massive water-throwing celebration filling every street and square in the major cities. Imagine every single man, woman, and child carrying a water gun or bucket and playfully dousing each other as they walk by. It was a blast!

At my favorite hostel in Bangkok, I met an amazing troupe of folks that I spent the whole week with. We formed a mini army organized at strengthening our chances out in the chaos of the city. Anytime one of our number was surrounded, one of us would let out our battlecry and the other 9 people would come running. We spent the entire three days of the festival soaked to the bone and we visited almost all of the major activity spots in the city. By the end of the festival, I’d had my share of water fights, impromptu ice baths, foam parties, and being scared of a water ambush around every corner. That said, it was hands down the most fun I’ve ever had at a festival and I firmly feel every city should celebrate this way. How about making this a new tradition for July 4th in the United States?

Island time

After Bangkok, I headed south to the island of Koh Tao, to become certified as a Rescue Diver. When planning my trip I had every intention to get back into diving in order to cross scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef off my bucket list and then possibly doing some additional dives in Southeast Asia. I had no idea that my experience and connections in Australia would get me addicted to diving for the first time in nearly a decade. I loved diving the Reef and met some amazing people who gave me great advice on where to travel to in Thailand and how to take my scuba skills to the next level. My new friends both lived and worked on the small Thai island of Koh Tao for a couple of years in the diving industry. One of them did his Rescue course at Goodtime Adventures and told me that they were the ones to learn from. They would ensure I was adequately trained while still having a great time.

I can happily report that is absolutely true. The fine folks at GTA are an amazing bunch and would happily recommend them to anyone getting into diving or someone already hooked. I found myself falling into a happy routine on Tao and making friends easily as everyone is super welcoming. I found a short term rental and found a couple restaurants I enjoyed spending my afternoons in. I still have plenty of things to explore on the island and plan to stay here for another week or two before heading north to Chiang Mai.

Countries Visited: 3

Australia, Singapore, Thailand

Cities Visited: 5

Byron Bay, Gold Coast, Singapore, Bangkok, Koh Tao

Budgeting

Accommodation:

$354.64 or $11.82 per day After finishing out the last few days in Australia, I was on to greener and cheaper pastures in Asia. My six days in Singapore, I spent with friends in exchange for some photo lessons and IT help. Thanks guys! If I had needed to front my own lodging in Singapore it would have added about $90 to this category as Singapore housing is marginally cheaper than Australia. Upon arriving in Bangkok I stayed in my favorite hostel so far for about $13 a day. Then off to island time in Koh Tao where it got even cheaper! After a crappy hostel when I first landed, I found a short term apartment rental for a killer $9.80 a day – the cheapest of my trip so far. Only downside was the 20 minute walk each way from my dive school.

Food:

$284.28 or $9.48 per day I spent almost $100 less for the month of April on food than the preceding month. Food is so much cheaper in Asia and yet so rich, filling, and available in such an immense variety of styles. In Singapore I spent $10-15 daily on food from hawker centres and the occasional restaurant. But much like housing, the real savings came in Bangkok. For 8 days, the single most expensive day saw me spend $8 total on food for all three meals! Eight dollars! I love Asia. 🙂 Koh Tao has been a teeny bit higher, with the average lunch costing around $3 and dinner about $6.

Transport:

$96.17 or $3.21 per day In April I took 2 planes, 7 buses, 1 private van, 6 boats, 3 trains, 3 mopeds, 2 taxis in Singapore, untold number of tuk-tuk and taxi rides in Bangkok, and many subway rides around Singapore. In Singapore, I did a fair amount of walking even considering the heat. I found that there are underground tunnels connecting most parts of the city that allow her citizens to escape the 95 degree weather. In Bangkok, walking is impractical except for in the old town. Everywhere else, the city is a serpentine maze of alleyways and crammed boulevards. Taxis and tuk-tuks vie for space as city buses ferry workers to far reaches of the sprawling urban center. I found taxis to be significantly cheaper as long as you find one that will actually use the meter. The city supposedly requires them but few tourists know this, so many drivers will just state a price after you say where you are going. Insist on using the meter before getting in and if they refuse, flag down the next taxi and repeat as necessary until you find an honest cabbie. I took one overnight train from Bangkok to the south and found it an intriguing experience. I opted for the cheap sleeper bed in second class and while it would never rival the sleek trains of Europe, it was a fine enough trip. Since arriving on the island, I have found little need for transit other than my own two feet. I’ve taken a few taxi boats to explore an island off the coast and then of course a couple different dive boats.

Entertainment:

$288.04 or $9.60 per day Haha so much cheaper than last month. And this is still on the high side. I expect May to be even lower. Unlike Australia, Thailand doesn’t do the large organized tours nearly as much. Most of this bill is alcohol related. Sorry liver. Other notable expenses were an all day tour out to the countryside temples and markets near Bangkok for $14; a water gun for the 3-day water festival in Bangkok for $9; and an entrance fee for the Grand Balance in Bangkok for $15. I also spent $47 dollars for two dives upon arriving in Koh Tao to get to know the crew and staff at the dive school that I had chosen.

Miscellaneous:

$133.62 or $4.54 per day My three biggest expenses for this category were my Thai visa, a SIM card for the month in Thailand, and a doctor’s visit on Koh Tao. While in Singapore, I visited the Thai embassy and secured a 60-day tourist visa for $36. The standard visa on arrival is only good for a month and I knew I planned on being in country for closer to 50. I think the expense was worth the avoidance of complications in extending a regular visa. For the SIM card, I opted for a 30-day tourist plan that provided 9gigs of data over the month. That’s more than double my old AT&T cap in the States! I, so far, haven’t gotten close to using that amount. And then lastly, I came down with an ear infection after my dive course and had to visit the doctor to have it flushed out and have antibiotics prescribed.

*Diving Course* I visited Koh Tao for the express purpose to become certified as a Rescue Diver. As such, I had additional expenses related to this and the prerequisite Emergency First Responder/CPR course I had to complete. The cost for these two courses and their materials was $367.30. So if you add this to the above total I still come out at $50.80 a day, right on target.

Total

$1,156.75 or $38.56 per day Can you say nearly $2000 less spent in April versus March?! Booyah! And it would have been even lower had I not gone diving or drunk quite as much, but that’s not as much fun. I am very happy with how the month turned out and it has me thinking of changing many of my upcoming plans, but for more details on that you’ll have to wait! 

Next Month

My plans have changed recently as my dad has now met me here on Koh Tao and we will spend the next couple of days diving here before heading north to Chiang Mai. After about 7 days there, we’ll head back to Bangkok where I will show him around before he flies back to the US. From there I’ll head to Cambodia, my fifth country of the trip. I plan to visit the Angkor Wat complex in Siem Reap before ending the month in the capitol of Phnom Penh.