Tuesday, September 10, 2013


Taiwan is a fair distance east, meaning two flights are needed to reach the Southern city of Kaohsiung. A changeover in Hong Kong was suggested by the agency and this got me thinking, how about extending this from a few hours to a few days on my return trip. After studying the world map I decided to take this idea a little further, the route looked to brush over Thailand, one phone call later and I had a flight via Bangkok with a two and a half week stopover.

I hear summer continues at home, so i hope I won't make you too envious when I mention that I am currently on a stunning Thai Island in the Gulf. I am sitting just a stones throw from the beach as I write, and ironically the internet here on this relatively undeveloped island is far stronger than that of ours in Merrivale. This has got me thinking, what business could I set up and run from here; well it's always nice to dream.

Planning has not been high on my agenda, I arrived in Bangkok and let my adventures begin. The little bit of research I managed did warn me about the current rainy season, I think the authors of these articles have never lived on Dartmoor. In nearly two weeks I have witnessed a handful of short warm showers, although I do hope I haven't jinxed the remainder of my stay. Not only am i here in the 'off season' I have also missed the infamous full moon party this month. There is no need to feel sorry for me as it is blissfully quiet and more importantly ridiculously good value.

Island life (TT column 09.09.13)


It never ceases to amaze me how small this world can be, and when travelling this is often exaggerated. Not being a city girl, one day in the hustle and bustle of Bangkok was enough for me so I headed south west to the Gulf islands. My first stop was the most developed island of the three, Koh Samui. I arrived with no prior knowledge of this island, just a few recommendations I'd picked up on my long journey there. As I previously mentioned the internet is impressively efficient so I logged on to share my location with friends; only an hour after arriving I had discovered that someone's brother lived on this island and was keen to show me the sights. You can never beat a bit of inside local knowledge, we were soon off to the eye opening food markets, the clearest beaches and the hippest bars.

As much as I was craving a relaxed beach holiday I also need an amount of adventure so I headed on to discover another two islands. After plenty of time to relax - even though I seem to have the ability to switch off automatically - it was time to make the most of what this part of the world can offer. As you probably know by now I'm always looking for a new challenge so the sport of Muay Thai seemed an obvious choice. I've never attempted any martial arts - the closest comparison I have would be fencing - so it was a completely new concept and one that I thoroughly enjoyed despite the consequential bruises. The other activity I enrolled on is more commonly associated with holidaying on a Thai island. I headed to the sea for the far more relaxing 'sport' of scuba diving and enjoyed the underwater wonders the Gulf has to offer.