How to… Not get Travel Sick!

I was actually fine with travel for most of my life. As a kid I went on boat trips where on the way out, everyone was cheering and whooping. On the way back, everyone was puking over the side. My Mum and my sister were among them, but me and my Dad had stomachs of steel and were ok. On car journeys we would drive to the bottom of the road and my sister would be sick. I was “the normal one” (according to me anyway, don’t ask my family 😉 ).

All that changed after the Nazca bus trip – a horrifying 15-hour vomit-inducing bus journey full of hair-pin bends through the Andes in Peru. I have literally never been the same since. Luckily it hasn’t stopped me from doing anything but the subsequent trips, including flying over the Nazca Lines, going Whale Watching in New Zealand, and Sailing to Ang Thong in Thailand, have been particularly difficult.

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One Sunny Saturday in Bern

Our visit to Bern, Switzerland was a flying one. We were going on the train from Zermatt to Zurich, so we decided to stop in Bern for about 4 hours, with assurances from friends that we would be able to cover most of the centre in that time.

Bern is actually the capital of Switzerland (although it feels smaller than both Geneva and Zurich) so we were fascinated to get a small taste of this town. As we were stopping off on our train journey, we had our luggage with us and it was a hot day… but we have fabulous backpacks which are quite comfortable so it wasn’t too bad. We made our way down the main street from the train station to the river.

Food in Thailand, and Rats Falling from the Ceiling!!

It is difficult for me to write a blog about Thai Food, because as soon as I discovered Massaman Curry that was pretty much all I ate. So it is a wonder that the below photos aren’t just a repeat of the same curry dish 9 times over 😉

Before I discovered Massaman, Green Thai Curry was my jam. (I mean it was my fave, not that I used it as a breakfast conserve on toast. That would be weird).

Animals at Chatachuk Weekend Market

The Chatuchuk Weekend Market is an assault on the senses. It sells everything from T-shirts to crockery;  jewellery to pets.

The market is in north of Bangkok, and is held on weekends. Apparently it covers almost 30 acres, which gives you an idea of how vast this market really is.

Bangkok; Keep your elbows in on the Tuk Tuks!

After visiting the beautiful temples in Bangkok, of course we had to visit the Kao San Road – this is apparently described in The Beach as “the centre of the backpacking universe” or something like that.

The Kao San road is aimed at the backpacker market, with hostels, street food, and souvenir stalls mostly selling T-shirts advertising local beer brands (yes of course I got one, I am a cliche!).

Seeing the Beauty in Bangkok

Bangkok can seem like a frustrating city. It is hot, busy, the transport system leaves a lot to be desired, and some people are very ready to scam you. But there is also a lot of beauty in Bangkok.

Many of the beautiful temple sites are concentrated around the Chao Phraya river, namely the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and the Temple of Dawn. 

“Are we going to die?” : an Ang Thong boat trip

We were gutted when we read that the boat trip to Ang Thong National Marine Park was not running in November. It was in the crease of the page of my guidebook so I hadn’t seen it, and I was practically self-flagellating at the thought of such sloppy planning. Now what would we do?? How could we go to Ko Samui and miss Ang Thong? The Islands where The Beach was set…

We were totally relieved and excited therefore when we found out that tours were still running – yay!  We booked a tour at one of the many tour operators in Ko Samui, and on the morning of our tour we were picked up by a minibus already packed with young tourists that looked like they were on their Gap Yah.

Paradise Found in Ko Samui

Ko Samui, a small island on the east of Thailand, was my first “beachy” holiday ever in my life. We designed this as a relaxing break between visiting Singapore and Bangkok. It was pure relaxation and just wonderful.

We had the best of both worlds, with the beach on one side and the town on the other side. The town was a thin strip of touristy shops, restaurants, and travel agents, plus a rather grand shopping mall and a couple of night markets.

Perfection in Fira, Santorini

It is difficult to get much nearer to perfection than Santorini. I remember blue seas, dazzling white buildings, blue skies, and large white cruise ships loitering in the harbour. And every night we would sit on our balcony and watch in silent wonder as the sun made its way below the horizon.

Fira (or Thera) is the main town in Santorini. It has unique architecture – lots of domed whitewashed buildings. The small town is charming and we spent many a pleasant hour wandering around perusing gift shops and eating ice cream.

Bartering in the Grand Bazaar, Istanbul

We took great pleasure in visiting the Grand Bazaar (which is where the latest James Bond film Skyfall was set, although James Bond got more of a “brief overview” than we did. That’s what happens when you ride your motorcycle on the roof).

The Grand Bazaar was really quite big, stretching on for what seemed like miles, with main corridors and tiny alleyways to squeeze through. There were jewellery, bags, pashminas, trinkets, clothes – you name it, it was there. We spent a few hours just getting lost in there.