Koh Phi Phi Don

by Gay Mitra - August 26, 2010August 13, 20140

Koh Phi Phi Don is the largest of the Phi Phi Islands. It is almost separated into two islands, but a strand of flat land (each side has a beach suitable for swimming) connects them. When we arrived at the Ton Sai Pier, Shervin led the way through the jungle straight to Long Beach. We…

Surat Thani-Krabi: Ferry From Hell

by Gay Mitra - August 24, 2010August 13, 20142

I was traumatized by the ferry ride from Koh Tao to Surat Thani. Though the ticket was a well-haggled 800 THB inclusive of ferry from Koh Tao to Surat Thani, bus from Surat Thani to Krabi, and ferry from Krabi to Koh Phi Phi Don. We weren’t given seats but beds since it was a…

Koh Tao

by Gay Mitra - August 21, 2010August 13, 20140

Koh Tao (Turtle Island), lies 45km north of Koh Phangan. It’s known for diving and snorkeling because of its water visibility and abundant coral and marine life. Poch, Shervin and I headed to Koh Tao the day after the Full Moon Party in Koh Phangan. Our Couchsurfing host Sameer (who’s from El Salvador and was…

Full Moon Party

by Gay Mitra - August 17, 2010August 13, 20147

We found out about the Full Moon Party when we were in Koh Samui. Travel agents were promoting it because they offer speed boats to and fro Koh Phangan. Since Shervin and I wanted the trip to be as cheap as possible, we didn’t hang out in bars and clubs. We would buy beer from…

Koh Phangan

by Gay Mitra - August 15, 2010August 13, 20142

Getting off an overloaded ferry was hell, but such big relief we docked Koh Phangan alive. Koh Phangan is 15km north of Koh Samui and is considered as the hammock haven of Thailand. Our overcrowded ferry to Koh Phangan.We immediately contacted via SMS a fellow Pinoy Couchsurfer Poch who was already in Haad Rin looking…

Topless at Lamai Beach!

by Gay Mitra - August 13, 2010August 13, 20148

Chaweng Beach is the most popular one in Koh Samui. Its long stretch of beach has lots of posh bungalows and pumping bars. That means, majority of the tourists flock here. But if you’re content to just lay on the beach and have low-key, quiet nights, then Lamai Beach is for you. It is for…

Koh Samui

by Gay Mitra - August 9, 2010August 13, 20144

Koh Samui is located in the Gulf of Thailand (bordering the South China Sea in the Pacific Ocean). It is part of the Surat Thani province, and is only a two-hour express boat ride from Surat Thani’s Ban Don Pier. One of Koh Samui’s sights, the Grandfather Rock.It is one of Thailand’s largest islands and…

Hat Yai-Surat Thani

by Gay Mitra - August 5, 2010August 13, 20140

Hat Yai (Haad Yai/Had Yai) is a city in Southern Thailand near the border of Malaysia. From Kuala Lumpur it is an eight-hour bus ride (50 RM) to its city center. We arrived at around 5:00 PM and bought tickets for an overnight bus straight away. It costs 500 THB including ferry and transfer from…

South East Asia in Six Weeks

by Gay Mitra - April 29, 2010August 13, 201412

Despite storm signal no. 2 and the Swine Flu frenzy (it was not called AH1N1 yet), we set off 7th of May last year for our first Southeast Asia backpacking trip together (Shervin and I). A trip that took us to six countries (in order): Malaysia, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia….

9 Countries for 2009: ‘Best Of’ Snippets

by Gay Mitra - January 3, 2010August 13, 20149

If you can’t play the video, it may have been removed because of its soundtrack. You can view it here instead.Part 1 of Pinay Travel Junkie’s Best Of 2009 video. ‘Best Of’ may not pertain to the best choices in town, but they’re the most unforgettable for me. Places I have been to and experiences…