Koh Yao Noi, Thailand

I was tipped off about Koh Yao Noi by fellow travel blogger Leslie aka Chic Adventurer and I'm so glad we built it into our plans. The Yao Islands (Koh Yao Noi & Koh Yao Yai) are situated between Phuket and Krabi. It's about 30 minutes via speedboat from either location. We caught the speedboat from Ao Nang, Krabi and planned on a few nights in Yao Noi and then in Yao Yai. They islands are accessible yet feel very remote. We stayed at Tabeak View Point and were pleased to find budget lodging done right! The bungalows are perched on a hill with a fantastic view and each has a large balcony to take it in. It's simple and rustic but more importantly, it's clean and it was so hot that we didn't mind the cold showers. For a double with fan it will set you back 700 baht/night ($21-22).

As we walked around we found rubber tree plantations and peace and quiet!!! The roads were empty and we were loving the lush landscape.

Beware falling cashews! I never knew that cashews were actually part of a fruit, the cashew apple! Moreover I didn't realize that they aren't technically nuts, but instead a seed, and at this raw stage the seed shell is filled with anacardic acid and can create a skin rash on contact. Cashews become edible upon roasting to neutralize the acid. (Cashew apples below)We eventually spilled out onto a beach in serious low tide. It was like a beautiful ocean desert.

The tide was so low that it was a long walk out until you could properly dunk. What a view!

Most people explore Yao Noi via scooter, but we were aching for some exercise and decided to explore on bikes. It's a hilly island so parts were quite rigorous but 20+ kilometers later, we had pretty much seen the perimeter of the island and tired out our muscles. The east side of the island has most of the accommodations and the west side was really quiet and we enjoyed riding through the local villages. (Biking photos taken with my small digital camera)

So we've finally found an idyllic Thai Island. It is beautiful. The beaches are not fantastic for laying out and swimming which is maybe how it has escaped mass tourism, but it is the place for fantastic views and peace and quiet. (Photos below taken with an iphone)

Yao Noi is fantastic but it was time to head to Yao Yai where we we celebrated my 30th birthday in style.

KRABI, THAILAND

We didn't have Krabi on our list at all, but our next island destination only had ferries running from Phuket or Krabi. We figured since we already had plans to visit Phuket later, we'd stay a few nights in Krabi before catching the ferry to the Yao Islands. So in our attempt to escape Phi Phi, we hopped over to Ao Nang, Krabi. The map to the right shows the ground (and water) we've been covering since Bangkok.

So we took the short ferry over to Ao Nang and since we had learned our lesson twice over about showing up without accommodation booked, we had booked something in advance and were pleased to spend 4 nights in a big room with hot water.

As we walked the streets I realized that Ao Nang should really be called Little Finland.  I have never seen or heard so many Finns in one place outside of Finland. I was feeling at home and missing the motherland. Restaurant menus were in Finnish, Finnish flags were strewn about and I no longer felt like I was in Thailand.

While the beach itself was not that impressive (we didn't even go in the water) we were happy to roam around and sleep in a comfy bed.

We've been averaging one day trip per island and this was no different. On this day trip we visited Tup Island, Poda Island, Chicken Island, and Railay Beach. The rock formations are fantastic in every locale and Railay Beach proved to be most impressive. Here you can't miss Phra Nang Cave where people leave quite phallic offerings for a princess of the past. Read more about it here.

Please enjoy the pics from my digital underwater camera.

So there you have it. Another day trip under our belt. Next we head to the Yao Islands where we celebrated my 30th birthday and the fact that we found some quiet, undeveloped land.

Phi Phi, Thailand | Part 2

So now that you've seen how Phi Phi has been destroyed by spring break behavior, let's see what is around the island. We took a day trip that brought us to other nearby islands. The first stop felt more like a Universal Studios tour. We were off to Maya Bay which is famous for being the backdrop for the movie The Beach staring Leonardo DiCaprio. This apparent secret beach is now an obvious tourist trap. (All photos on this post are from my digital underwater camera) We anchor and swim to the ladder as seen in the below picture to access the beach. As you will see, the secluded beach is now engulfed by tourists and boats. For shame!

Next stop? Monkey beach!

We head to another island and swim to shore. It is also FULL of tourists but we quickly round the island to find some quiet.

Lastly, we head to an area called shark point.

By this time the sun was going down and we decided to skip getting back into the water.

The sun goes down and we are back to the amusement park of Phi Phi Don. Time to get out of here! We leave Phi Phi and head to Ao Nang, Krabi!

Oribe

I was thrilled when Oribe contacted me to do an interview. Oribe has some amazing hair products to tame your mane and they've just launched some great travel size products that my fried island hair is lusting for.

What local hair products have I found while traveling? Find out in the interview...

THANK YOU ORIBE !

Phi Phi, Thailand | Part 1

I am sad to say that the island of Phi Phi Don is the love child of college spring break and Disneyland. While the landscape is seductive, the tourists have turned the island into one big frat party. The island has dramatic mountains and cliffs which place it on all 'must see in Thailand' lists, but what they fail to mention is the island is also packed with ill-fitted booty shorts and men who refuse to walk around with a shirt on. For a Muslim island, I can only imagine the horror when tourists started showing up with their culturally insensitive swagger, going topless at the beach and showing off their thongs. We also tried to wing it here and showed up without booking anything in advance and once again our wings were clipped. Everything was booked or overpriced. We eventually found a place for one night and then had to move the following day to another which did not have water for the last two days. We were used to gross water or brown water, but hadn't encountered no water thus far. The good news was since we didn't book anything in advance, we ended up leaving earlier than planned.

Once night rolls around, the streets fill up with twenty-somethings all ready to get wasted. Buckets of alcohol mixers are sold on the street and the classy kids are all over it. Take for example exhibit A below, what is this chick wearing? Or not wearing for that matter? I don't know what's worse, the fact that she thinks neon orange booty shorts are a good idea, or that her butt is hanging out of them. You can't see the outfit from the front, but by the looks of the Thai woman on the right, it must be just as appealing.

We decided that one night we had to experience the fire shows on the beach, which actually did prove to be somewhat entertaining and also made for some interesting shots with colored strobes lighting up the beach.

So overall, Phi Phi is in a word, gross.

Check out Rick's video he took of our walk home...

His description is spot on...

"I'm certain that Koh Phi Phi island in Thailand was once a beautiful domain. But witness it as it is now. Follow the wreckage of the migratory hordes of cheesy/gaudy Euro-trash tourists as they lay waste to the tiny walking street(s). Make a game of it — spot the Thai if you can...!!"

the PHI PHI theme park from Rick Onorato on Vimeo.

We did however end up taking a day trip around the island which was decent enough. That post is coming up next!

Koh Lanta, Thailand

After departing the clear waters of Koh Lipe, we decided to head to Koh Lanta. We could've taken a 3 hour express boat there, but we decided to save a few bucks and take the local 6 hour ferry instead. Poor judgement. We were all piled into a claustrophobic boat along with our luggage. We made several stops before getting to Koh Lanta, which meant at every stop, people had to rummage through this maddening pile of luggage to find theirs before disembarking. Genius. I would've gladly paid the extra ten bucks we saved by taking the local to avoid such a headache. Lesson learned. We were both tired of taking drip/bucket showers of cold to lukewarm brown water so I booked a proper hotel for Valentine's Day with all the amenities we had been missing—air conditioning & hot water. Hallelujah. We spent 2 nights in a lofty king bed and then moved to another budget hotel. The beaches in this area aren't nearly as pristine as Koh Lipe, but there are tons of cute restaurants on stilts by the water. We also found a really cute coffee shop, Not A Toy, which we visited every day for legit espresso coffee.

We took a day trip to visit 4 neighboring islands where we learned there are just too many tourists in Thailand. I'm not sure while snorkeling if there were more fish or more tourists in the water. The following photos are all taken with my dinky underwater camera so the quality is not so great.

The highlight of the trip was visiting Emerald Cave or known locally as Morakot Cave on Koh Mook. It is a cave that leads to a secret beach within the island that can only be accessed during low tide, and apparently can only be traversed while a ton of tourists in life jackets are holding each other in a line and being pulled by a young Thai boy through the cave. The orange line of life jackets is almost comical. I feel like I am on a Disneyland ride. There is however light at the end of the tunnel, literally. Once pulled through the dark cave, the other end boasts an amazing secret beach where Pirates used to stash treasure. The beach is completely surrounded by soaring cliffs so they only entry is through the cave. What a treat. It would be even more impressive if it wasn't engulfed by a parade of tourists.

Here we are going through the cave...

Here is what is only the other end...

The Emerald Cave was absolutely worth the entire tour and the last island we visited we just sat around enjoying the view...

Fernweh/o/sophy

Berlin based travel blog Fernweh/o/sophy published my adventure in India!

Really excited to be part of an international community of talented artists.

Here is Part 1 of 2!

THANK YOU FERNWEH/O/SOPHY!

SNORKELING | Koh Lipe, Thailand

So now you've seen that Koh Lipe is ridiculously beautiful. But what is it like just below the surface? While in Bangkok, I bought a cheap waterproof camera that could afford to get tossed around in the waves. We went on a snorkeling day trip to neighboring islands where I got to test out the camera.

Snorkeling was fun, but the highlight in Koh Lipe was my first scuba dive! Rick is certified and he took me on a discover dive where I got a taste for sea life. Unfortunately, my camera does not work in such depths but Rick took this shot of me as we were suiting up! Once underwater my inner Pisces took hold and I felt like I was in my element. It won't be my last dive.

Thanks Koh Lipe.

Koh Lipe | Thailand

Bangkok was bangin' and I really enjoyed my intro to Thailand and after a week in Bangkok, it was time to go island hopping. First stop was Koh Lipe. We flew down to Hat Yai and spent a night there before catching the ferry the next day to Koh Lipe. Koh Lipe is, or should I say was one of Thailand's best kept secrets. Apparently the secret is out. For most of this trip we have booked accommodations ahead of time and we decided for the islands to just wing it. Rick was here 3 years ago and didn't have any problems with just showing up and finding accommodations so we decided to throw caution to the wind.

Oops. Caution slapped us in the face. We arrived to find most places booked solid. We did end up getting lucky and found a room at Koh Lipe Backpackers Hostel, but we were back to no A/C and no hot water. Koh Lipe is quickly being developed into a luxury resort island so accommodations for a backpacker budget are slim.

The island was originally inhabited by sea gypsies (Chao Ley) and their small village is now encircled by resorts. By the looks of the village, it does not appear that the locals are gaining from the increased tourism.

The juxtaposition between the village and what is just steps away is incredible. I wouldn't blame them if they wished tourists never set foot on their island as their beaches and view are breathtaking.

Next up? A snorkeling trip!

Floating Market | Bangkok, Thailand

We couldn't leave Bangkok without visiting the the famous floating market, Damnoen Saduak. It's about two hours outside of Bangkok, and while it's 100% touristy, it's also 100% photogenic if you can get shots without several tourists in the background.

Lake Baikal Swim | Nomad-Chic

It is a pleasure to share my Siberian swim in Lake Baikal on Nomad-Chic's swim segment.

Nomad-Chic is quickly becoming a favorite resource for style, travel, and all things chic.

Thank you to the founder Diana Oberlander. xx

read the whole story here.

FISH SPA | Bangkok, Thailand

When I think of going to a spa, I usually think of getting a relaxing massage or calming treatment that has me lingering in a state of nirvana. The fish spa is not my gateway to nirvana. Not at all. This coming from a Pisces.

The fish are supposed to eat your dead skin skills as to clean your feet, but I am not into being fish food. Read about the history of the fish spa here.

Rick goes first as he has done this before and I use the 15 minutes to work up the courage to stick my feet into an aquarium of hungry fish.

Now these fish have a foot fetish.

It's my turn and the evidence of discomfort is all over my face. Countless fish gnawing at my dead skin cells does not feel good. Beauty is pain? Has it been 15 minutes yet? Help! This is like tickle torture!

The good news is I survived without peeing myself.

And now, enjoy 1 minute at a fish spa near Khao San Road in Bangkok...

FISH SPA from Nomadic-Habit on Vimeo.

The Grand Palace | Bangkok, Thailand

The last post was an intro to Bangkok through the eyes of the i-phone and now here is The Grand Palace and Wat Pho (temple of the reclining Buddha) through the lens of my digital SLR. Everything is ornate and beautiful.

I'm feeling golden.

Bangkok is hip(stamatic)

When we bought our tickets to Bangkok, we had no idea that the city would be in a state of emergency or that there would be mass protests leading up to the election. Leaving out of Colombo Airport was swift and painless (we were used to Indian airports that are painfully slow and inefficient) and my belly was eager to get to Bangkok.

Upon arriving, we found little disruption or signs of a city in turmoil, though we were staying in backpacker central near Khao San Road. We arrived at New Siam III Guest House to find consistent hot water, air conditioning, wifi that worked, and 1 double bed instead of my pet peeve of 2 twins pushed together. I can't even remember when we had all these amenities in one place. So we started to feel a bit more civilized and hit the streets so we could promptly eat our faces off. Yum Yum Tom Yum.

You also know you've been backing for quite some time when two people who hate malls are not only excited to go to one, but spend all day there. By this time we needed to chuck some clothes that were starting to look like sad, discolored, tattered things and we went to the mall for a little wardrobe update. I sent everything I bought from India home, so clearly my backpack needed some replenishing.

Here is an introduction to Bangkok via our shots from the hipstamatic i-phone app.

What's to come? The Grand Palace, The Floating Market, and a fish foot massage?

Jungle Leaves | Sri Lanka

'Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.'

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Picked a few leaves on a walk in Sri Lanka.

Loving the colors + shapes that hide in the jungle.

Sri Lanka

So after the pigeon attack in our hotel room we were so eager to get out of India. The night before we left we had arranged with reception for a taxi to pick us up the following morning for the airport. When we got downstairs and saw no taxi, we inquired and were told, “It’s not coming.” What? We had arranged for this. “Yeah, it’s not coming.” They said this with little ambition to do anything and since they were useless, we were on our own. We ended up tuk-tuking it to the airport and saying good riddance to India. We didn’t know what to expect from Sri Lanka. Was it going to just be a smaller version of India? Was it just going to feel like India Part II? Will there be pigeons in the room?

We got to Colombo and found immediately that things were a bit different. For one, we had hot(ish) water and fast internet (for about 2 days before it stopped working) but the streets were much cleaner and people were for the most part friendly. No ass grabs to count either which is more than I can say for Delhi. We found a proper supermarket (OMG!) and celebrated with wine and cheese. We had to stay in Colombo for just under a week to deal with our Thai visas and we spent the time recuperating.

We decided to take a weekend trip to Kandy to see the famed sacred tooth of Buddha. We took the 2.5-hour scenic train trip into the interior and stayed two nights. Kandy is in all the tourist books but we were both quite underwhelmed by it. I barely snapped any photos. And as for Buddha’s tooth, we found out it’s so sacred that you can’t even see it! We just paid to be in the presence of a fabled tooth? What?! It’s housed in a temple that you can go in and you are to have faith that it exists there. We even paid a visit to the museum to see if we could see a photo of this famous tooth, but not even that existed. This is bananas. We left Kandy with our tooth dreams decayed.

Time to get back to the beach.

We took the train down to Hikkaduwa where it’s all supposed to be “happening.”

Eh.

This area was ravaged by the Tsunami back in 2004 and erosion continues to be a problem. The beach disappears in sections depending on the tides. We liked their many cabanas they have set up on the beach and we did have some mighty good seafood here. We spent 5 nights here as we upped our calamari intake.

Further south we went to Unawatuna, also a beach town, also hit by the Tsunami. Unawatuna feels slightly more intimate and cute and I prefer it to Hikkaduwa.

Nearby in Mirissa, we went on a Blue Whale Watching tour. We got up at 5am and were hoping the whales were up too.

The Indian Ocean can be quite rough and there are numerous boats loaded with tourists all hoping for a glimpse. By the end, you either saw people throwing up, heard people throwing up, or you yourself were throwing up. All aboard!

First we saw several dolphins and eventually a few blue whales. They are magnificent. Unfortunately, I did not get any photos of them because I was:

1. Too mesmerized to focus on composition

2. I too had succumbed to seasickness and was focused on not hurling everywhere.

So my apologies, no photos, just tales of tourists throwing up.

We allotted just 2.5 weeks in Sri Lanka and we leave on Friday to Bangkok where a state of emergency has been declared. With our impeccable timing, we are flying right into the eye of the storm. Oh my. Until then.

Fathom Favorite

I am so happy to announce Nomadic-Habit made Fathom's Best Travel Blogs and Websites : 2014 Edition

We are in such good company. Thanks Fathom!

Looking forward to what's to come in 2014

INDIA STYLE

Remember back in Mongolia when I was feeling the fashion pains of backpacking? I was missing my closet, feeling as unglamorous as possible, and felt as frumpy as my clothes were fitting me. Luckily, India was our next destination and I was hopeful to revamp my nomadic closet. India has been a lot of things (amazing, exhausting, awful), and it’s also been a shopping gold mine. If you are like me and like bold prints, colorful textiles, chunky jewelry, and a good bargain, India is heaven. My backpack got heavier in every city and I was continually leaving behind old clothes to make way for new threads.

Want to know what gems I found? How much I paid? And where I found them?

Rick and I put together a look book of my favorite frocks and fashion finds in India.

* shot at our beloved Agonda Beach in Goa, India *

View the spreads below or download the pdf here.

Thank you India for the fashion revamp!

Varkala + Kovalam | Kerala, India

We've covered some serious land in India. In total we've hit around 3000 miles. Our last two weeks of our Indian adventure we spent at the beaches of Varkala and Kovalam in the state of Kerala. Check out our path... Before we got to the beaches of India, Rick and I hypothesized about which beach would be our favorite. We both guessed Varkala in the state of Kerala. Varkala is a known pilgrimage site for Hindus and from google images, the beach lived at the bottom of rusted colored cliffs. We took our last Indian train (phew) from Kochi to Varkala and were eager to see if we had guessed right.

Well. We were wrong. We both agreed that Agonda Beach deserves the best Indian beach prize.

Varkala is decent enough though a bit crowded. We were also there during peak time, which could account for the crowds and price gouging. Restaurants and shops line the top of the cliff and there are black sand beaches just to the north of the main beach along with some small fishing enclaves.

Here’s a look at the quieter beaches just north of the main beach in Varkala.

The main beach was always abuzz. There also seemed to be a clear tourist section at the north end of the beach, while the south end was primarily packed with locals…

So Varkala didn’t live up to our expectations, but it was enjoyable enough and we rung in 2014 here and celebrated Rick's birthday with some ayurvedic massages.

Sadly, Kovalam wasn't any better. In fact, it was worse.

Wiki travel described Kovalam as "famous for its beaches, among the most pristine in India."

Lie.

Kovalam is a resort town of the past. It's overpriced, over-crowded, and we were over it. Not to mention dirty. Piles of smoldering trash released picturesque smoke at both ends of the beach. The food left something to desire and we both agreed it was the worst beach in India, not the best. I was less than inspired by it so here are the few shots I took...

So, a bit of an anticlimactic end to India, but by the end of 3000 some miles, we were a bit tired and anxious to move on to Sri Lanka. The last three nights we spent at a jail-like hotel near the airport where the first night we turned out the lights and a pigeon wiggled through an opening in our window (because the window wouldn't close properly) and was stuck flying around in our room. Did I mention I hate birds? After cowering under the covers, I ran to the bathroom until Rick shooed it out after it pooped all over the floor. Conclusion? Room change at midnight and we were over India. Don't get me started.

But what did I love about India??? It will all be in the next post.

Munnar | Kerala, India

I hope everyone had nice holiday season. We spent x-mas in Fort Kochi and spent New Year's in Varkala where we are now. But let's back it up...

While we were in Kochi, we took an overnight trip to the Munnar tea plantations high up in the mountains. The drive is a good four hours and on the way up we stopped at an elephant training center. I was hoping this would be some sort of an elephant sanctuary where they are lovingly cared for, but sadly this was not really the case. It seemed this was a center to train elephants for forestry work. We watched them get bathed, chained at the feet, as they absorbed much yelling.

Once we got to Munnar, we had lunch at our homestay for the night, which had quite a view, then got back in the car for some ‘sightseeing.’

The plantations fill the mountainside and it’s really an incredible sight. The pictures don’t do it justice. I was hoping we’d stop and get lost in the mazes of the plantations but instead we ended up at a tea museum which was lackluster and underwhelming. You receive complimentary tea which I was hoping was a tea from the area, but in fact it was a milk tea out of a cappuccino-like machine. What??? We are surrounded by tea at a tea museum and they are serving mass produced tea that I wouldn’t be surprised if it was from some mix/powder. Disappointing.

The following day we stopped by some other tourist spots (aka shop stalls ready to haggle you) and then headed back to Kochi. Overall I’d say the tour itself was a bit disappointing, but the tea plantations are quite impressive and wished the tour included a more intimate look at the plantations.