Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Have you seen those ferry disaster news stories from developing countries and wonder how hundreds of people die? I’m sitting on one of those boats now with every seat filled and every inch of available deck space filled upstairs. I can’t stand in the sun without sunblock for three hours as we travel from Ko Phi Phi to Phuket so I am sitting on a piece of hard side luggage in the back of the cabin sniffing mad diesel fumes.

Although shitty, this pretty much sums up Thailand. Contrary to my expectations that Thailand would be the modern, efficient, service-oriented jewel of Southeast Asia, instead it has been a glaring contradiction to the friendly and organized people of …

Generally, in this blog we’ve talked about the great places we’ve seen, the wonderful people we’ve met, and the delicious food we’ve eaten. Those are the good parts of traveling. But it’s not all fun and games. Let me tell you about the less glamorous side of travel.

We decided to take a holiday from traveling and spend most of our time in Thailand relaxing on the beautiful beaches and swimming in the clear warm water. After consulting our trusty Lonely Planet, we headed to Ko Lipe in the very south of Thailand, searching for paradise.

We’re going to the beach, we’re going to the beach, we’re going to the beach…The trip began with a very hot …