10 Ways To Improve Your Life

Luckies Stratch Map

What better way to record your travelling adventures than on a scratch map? There's always something satisfying when you cross off a list and this is the perfect way to record your travelling adventures. Each time you visit a new place you can scratch off the place on your map to revel a new colour. Mine looks a bit feeble with only a few countries scratched off? The ideal way to plan where you want to go next. Get it on urban outfitters here, or off ebay here.

You can find a the scratch map here [on ebay] for half the price you can find it on Urban Outfitters.

Silver Jewellery: Moonstone Rings

Three years ago I'd never really cared about jewellery, I had a pair of gold stud earrings and a ring that belonged to my nan but that was about it. So when I started working with Jewellery I was forced into caring, loving and eventually buying a horrendously expensive ring. Here are some of my favourite pieces, two rings I picked up at the hippy market in Ibiza, a vintage filigree ring and a pandora leaf ring. 

WHEN IN ROME // NICKY PELLEGRINO REVIEW

A few weeks ago I realised something pretty important, I'd lost my love for books and reading in general. As a child I would sit down with a good book and I'd have read it within a few days, now I read very little, if I do it's only on a plane or a train and honestly I miss being curled up with a good book and getting lost in a story. I picked up this book again the other day and re read it, remembering how much I'd loved it the first time round. Here is why it's such a good book and why you should read it too:

When In Rome Book Review 

Orion Books £7.99

I remember the first time I came across this book on a scroll through my kindle recommendations, I read the synopsis and thought it looked like a really interesting premise, It was the kind of story I wanted to read from a book and not off a screen, I have absolutely no logic behind that choice other than I love actual books. 

I'm not about to start a debate on why books are better than kindles, because I don't think they are. The fact is you have to battle with the pages, especially if you read in bed it will probably fall on your face and then you still have to find a light source. Kindles don't do that, there's no awkward page turning, you don't even need to use both hands and they emit their own light. They're great for holidays and travelling and you have literally thousands of books at your fingertips. This is starting to sound like an advert isn't it? It's not; like I said, there is no logic. I just really like books.

It's 1950's Rome, at the heart of the city Serafina lives with her mother and sisters in a cramped apartment in the city. She and her sisters spend their days singing at the local piazza busking for spare change. Mario Lanza, the famous American Tenor causes a stir when he comes to the city Serafina is given the chance of a lifetime, a perfect story of love, food and music and passion.

One of the reasons I loved this books so much was the originality of the storyline, once I started reading I couldn't put it down. The book is based around the real life of the American Hollywood star Mario Lanza, a popular actor and singer during his short career in the late 1940's and the early 50's. Serafina's perspective on life changes when she lands a job as the assistant to Lanza's Wife, Betty. When she has to choose the life she has always dreamed of, and leave her old one behind, the decisions isn't as easy as she'd hoped. Although the story is told from Serafina's view the story of Lanza and his family is woven throughout the book, I'll be honest and say I found this more interesting than that of Serafina's story and felt as though her's became more of a secondary story in the book. Even if you've never heard of Mario Lanza, you'll be researching him after reading this book. A brilliant story of love, passion music and food set in one of the most exciting cities in the world.

A Week In Ibiza

Punta Arabí Hippy Market

Wednesday is the day of the Punta Arabí Hippy Market. It's a market filled with colours and people and clothes, the smell of indian musk gets stronger the further you wonder into the maze of market stalls and the steady beats of drums and percussion ring from the bar in the centre of the maze. The sun is unbelievably hot here, even with the shade the midday sun beats down. Ice cream vans and food stalls are dotted around, the choice of a 'hippy market' ice cool beer or organic ice cream aren't hard to come by.

Jewellery is everywhere here, trays full of pendants and rings, mostly crosses and symbols, moonstones and turquoise. Every other stall seems to be clothes or artwork and jewellery. You'll find it just outside Es Canar, a place easy to reach by bus from most parts of the island. Hire a moped and explore the island yourself for the the day and take a trip here where parking is easy enough. It's on from 10am to 6pm, there's an abundance of good food for not too bad a price [in Ibiza standards] and you can even have your hair done or get a henna, if that's your thing. I'd definitely recommend a visit here if you're in Ibiza and looking for something to do on a wednesday, Hippy Markets run all week but this is the biggest and best one!

www.josepsolerfotografia.wordpress.com

THE CIRCLE // DAVE EGGERS REVIEW

A Review of The Circle by Dave Eggers

It's taken me about four months to finish this book, that's not a reflection on the book, more so on my lack of attention span over the last few months. I bought this book at Bangkok Airport while waiting for a flight home,  having become more and more intrigued with the power of social media I loved the premise of this book;

Exploring Formentera

I haven't driven a quad since I was about 10 on my nan's farm, I'n now sat on a small red one with the responsibility of getting myself and my friend around the island. The spanish rental guy who is trying to explain how to use it doesn't know any english, and I don't know the spanish for brake...

Life Decisions

I love visiting art galleries if I feel like I'm having a life crisis. Even if some of the art is mind numbingly boring it's a quiet, peaceful space and great for either thinking a lot or not at all.

A Few New Buys

With IBIZA looming around the corner, I've been buying a few new wardrobe additions, although they're not overly summery I wanted to be able to wear them throughout autumn. They are all current season and available in stores now!

Topshop - £38

Ways to Become More Motivated

This photo serves no other purpose than to be here and that I quite Like it.

My Make Up Bag

Rikka Inn

Rikka Inn, Khao San Road, Bangkok

Low season: £20 AC

Stayed: July 2014

Rikka Inn is infamous on Khao San Road, the first time we came earlier in the month we couldn’t get near the reception desk and there were signs everywhere stating it was fully booked. 

WHERE TO STAY: The Ploy Guest House Kanchanaburi

When you are in the infinity pool, this is your view. In person it is amazing and at night if you sit in the pool after dark you'll be able to see the fireflies hovering above the water.

WHERE TO STAY: The Dream Garden, Ao Nang Krabi Review

See the photos on trip advisor here:

Low season twin or double: 600bht AC (special rates if you stay longer)

Stayed: July 2014

The atmosphere at dream garden Guest house was made by the lady on reception, (who I forgot to get the name of) throughout the whole stay she was helpful, booked trips and was one of the friendliest hotel staff we met.

We changed our plans a little at the end of the trip and after a nightmare stay in one of the other guest houses we tried this one. After looking at the room it didn't take long to decide, and I booked 5 nights, at 500bht each. One thing about this place is they are always willing to give discounts! We stayed in a twin, which came with TV, rain shower, fridge, free wi-fi and a safety deposit box which was never used. The room was cleaned every day, the cleaners almost too eager to get into the room and you’ll get 2 free bottles of water per day. We did have the issue of one of the ceiling tiles int he bathroom being missing, yet nothing seemed to come through it, although you could hear everything the people next door were doing, I chose to see the funny side. It’s convenient for the town and for the beach being right where all the main shops are in the town and close enough to easily walk down to the beach. (5 min walk) It’s opposite a McDonalds and a Starbucks and near to a great indian called Taj Palace. I Will definitely be staying again if I ever need to stop over in Ao Nang, although I wasn't to impressed with actual Ao Nang, the immediate surrounding areas are stunning and it's worth staying here for your base.

WHERE TO STAY: Ao Nang Easy Rooms KRABI

Low Season: 500bht High Season: 1700bht

Stayed: July 2014

This was probably the worst place I stayed in a month in Thailand. We’d headed back to Ao Nang on a whim and ended up with nowhere to stay. We came across this place and at 500bht we couldn't say no. It’s only when you’ve been in the room a while you’ll notice the musty mould smell and immediately want to leave, I’m still blaming it for the fact I had a horrid cold for the rest of the trip. The rooms are like apartments with an all glass front with curtains for privacy. This is something I’ve noticed a lot in Thailand, this seems like a place that may have been great when it was first opened but no upkeep or maintenance had been taken out, therefore mould had set it and the air con barely worked. The rooms looked as though they hadn't been cleaned for months and smelt like it too, I thanked my lucky stars I'd brought my sleeping bag liner with me. Overall, I wouldn’t stay here ever again, there are MUCH better places to stay in the area and you’ll get a lot friendlier service. We stayed for one night before moving onto another Guest House a few doors down.

Sleeper Trains, Delays & Kanchanburi

The next few days were spent full of travelling, we left Chiang Mai at 5.30pm on Saturday 26th, and after 16 hours arrived the next morning at 10.30am in Bangkok, it had been delayed two hours. 

REVIEW: Dante Elephant Mahout Chiang Mai

Finding an Elephant trek/experience in Chiang Mai should be easy, with literally hundreds of options and everyone selling the elephant experience it's difficult to know which one to go with.

Doi Suthep & A View Over Chiang Mai

We found ourselves wandering what to do on a slow day in Chiang Mai, it had been raining for most of the morning and there was little to do. After a while in the hotel lobby we decided to take one of the red taxis up to Doi Suthep, a temple that overlooks the city. It’s about a 20minute drive up to the top from the centre of the city, we paid 300bht for the taxi there and back, after a little bit of haggling. The temple itself isn’t the most impressive I had seen, but the views from the top were spectacular. You literally had a view over the whole city and you could see everything. The temple itself was covered in more gold than you could imagine and you’ll have to pay a 30bht entrance fee if you’re not a Thailand resident. As with all temples in Thailand you have to wear a robe if you’re not in appropriate clothing and you’ll have to leave you’re shoes outside.

WHERE TO STAY: Sacha's Guest House Koh Phi Phi

Low season : 700bht AC / 400bht Fan

Stayed: July 2014

The blurry photo from inside our messy room. There's even a ladder next to the window that doesn't open or close...

Overall we stayed here for 7 nights, we’d been walking for a while and the ferry came in midday so the heat was intense. This would begin my love affair with Koh Phi Phi. The girl on reception was again, lovely and showed us the room before we booked it. As we were playing by ear we were able to go down and pay each morning before 11am for another night if we wanted so we didn’t have to pay everything in one go. The first thing you’l notice is the signs everywhere noting to keep your doors locked AT ALL TIMES, even if you’re in the room. Pretty bog standard right? Then I read this [http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g303908-i9943-k5487208-WARNING_do_not_stay_at_the_Sacha_Guesthouse-Ko_Phi_Phi_Don_Krabi_Province.html] review from a couple of years ago and it was safe to say the first night I didn’t respond well to the knocks and crashes all through the night. It was also that night i realised the window was broken and the lock on the door probably wasn’t the most stable. The room is cleaned after your third day, although we got so much sand everywhere on the first day it would have benefited from a clean then. The room was clean, the AC worked fine and there was a fan too. Simple, basic and just what we wanted. This was low season and Im told the prices go up quite a bit, but in future I’d not bother with AC, the fan was enough. This GH is opposite the rock and right in the centre of everything, so if you’re a light sleeper probably not the best place considering the window doesn’t close and remember you’re on a party island. We had people come in at 5am, throw up outside our room, shout ‘PIERRE, BEBE!’ over and over. The bathroom was clean, the toilet was in the funniest position and fairly hard to manoeuvre around, especially if you’re drunk. Overall I did enjoy staying here although I’m optimistic there are better places to stay, and might try somewhere else next time I go.

DON'T DATE A GIRL WHO TRAVELS

She’s the one with the messy unkempt hair colored by the sun. Her skin is now far from fair like it once was. Not even sun kissed. It’s burnt with multiple tan lines, wounds and bites here and there.  But for every flaw on her skin, she has an interesting story to tell.

A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE

Today was a nightmare day. It started with a cold and flu that wouldn't go away, a half eight start. Believe me ut was a killer after not getting up before 12 fir the past month. The bus to the pier was a cattle like truck, but for people with wooden seats. The driver didn't understand there were people sat on wooden planks in the back that could feel everything. The cold gets worse and then the rain starts, but at least were allowed to dash for cover, by this time the waves were hitting us from the ground as they were crashing over the breakers. Perhaps a foreshadow it wasn't going to be the best day to go out to sea.
The boat was parked, but in the middle of the water, we had to wade, through the water that was becoming increasingly deep and board a wonky boat that was to become the worst journey id ever been on.
The tide was choppy, if you've ever had the experience of a long boat in Thailand you'll know they aren't the most stable wooden creations yet in a storm it was something else. They are long, hence the name but also very very narrow. By this time our tour guide, lets call him spiky because i forgot his name in the commotion was yelling to the asians about balance, do not move, stay there FOR BALANCE he yelled. The asians agreed among them ot was the best thing to listen to spiky. After about ten minutes of rocking, to ab extent i genuinely thought the boat would capsize, and everyone's earlier amusement at the rocking rollercoaster ride had turned to worry and a few oh my god im about to be sick everywhere faces, spiky appeared from his perch on the end of the boat if we were happy to cancel todays and try it again tomorrow. We wouldn't be able to land the boat on the shore anyway. I nodded eagerly, By this time id made my mind up i would do anything tk get back to land and never step foot on the boat again, i would tell my travel buddy that later, i think she wanted to di the trip more than i did anyway. The engine revved again, but in a straight line, after about five minutes spiky appeared from his perch to tell us, hong island is calm. We land. We land. So trip was commencing, the island might have been calm but the sea wasn't. It was the next ten minutes i genuinely started to fear for my well being. The boat leaned against the waves at such a high angle any more and it would have tipped. No good, no giid. Says spiky. He grabs his little Nokia again and starts yelling into it. I actually became quite fond of spiky. He was just a funny person to watch, he had a little duck waddle when he walked and being very short became even more amusing. His spiky hair got even funnier when it was wet. Just imagine in your head a short Thai punk rocker. Or google it, whatever. This time he announced the trip had to be cancelled, he was expencting q more dissapointed tone than he received i think, while everyone was like okay okay. Get me back to land. The boat journey back was as hellish as the one there. To add to the storm on the seq, it had started to rain torrentially and thus is the part where everyone just threw up.
I don't think ive ever been so glad to not be on a boat before, long tails are not my favourite and if you have the option. Take a speed boat, they're faster, and if you get caught in a storm a bit less hairy. Spiky apologised, some Europeans complained about the fact we didn't go back when he first said, because they had children waiting for then at home and we had a little laugh and a joke with some Indians who were actually very lovely.
But stop and think, if that boat had tipped, where would we be. Was i sure i could have swum from under it, in the chaos and not banged my head and knocked my self out. In general i do t really think like that, or id never do anything. But when you go on an organised tour like that, you don't expect to be put in a boat you genuinely think will capsize you.
And so begins the cattle ride of a journey back to the hotel, this is where spiky left us to deal with the other half of the group. The driver seemed to have realised his earlier mistake in driving like a maniac and it was actually quite gentle for a cattle like carrier. We got back to town. It wasn't until we were in our room i noticed the power was out, unsurprisingly. The wires here are mostly bear and at any time of day and night you can hear them sparking when you walk by them, if you're lucky you get to see the blue sparks! Hence every time in rains the power goes out, and i was starving. My stomach felt like an acid bowl, i hadn't eating for a while and the boat  hadn't helped. This town turns to a ghost town when the power goes out. Everyone just stand around doing nothing, no shops, no food and no wifi, my god the horrors.

Falling in Love With Koh Phi Phi

At first glance Phi Phi is the picture of paradise, at second glance its a bit like Thailand's answer to Magaluf. When we arrived in the south we hadn't a clue where we were going and having flown to Krabi, Phi Phi was the easiest and closest option. I'd seen a couple of friends from home a few days earlier in Bangkok who'd told me I couldn't miss the island, before which I wasn't really bothered about going although I'm not sure why.

Phi Phi is truly unique, it's one of the party islands so there's always something going on, I loved the constant flow of people, by the third day I'd started to feel at home and knew when the 12.30 influx of tourists would be coming and when the boats would drop of a new load of backpackers. The island is so small you'll start to recognise people, especially those who were on the same boat as you on the way.

Going from day to night the beach clears out about 6pm  from all the sunbathers and the space transforms, the bars spill out onto the beach and the platforms for the fire shows are put in place. This was my favourite time on the island and the most relaxing, the beach became almost empty and we watched the sunset while drinking the best and the most expensive (but definitely worth it) cocktails we'd found so far in Thailand at CIAO BELLA, it's in front of the BAIA BAIA Bungalows and has a cool reggae vibe with the best soundtrack - head there if you're looking for the authentic experience. :)

Tiger Kingdom - The Good And The Bad

 Seeing animals in captivity had never bothered me before, I'd been to the zoo more than a few times and always loved seeing the animals but when I came to this place, more so because everyone else in my group was and not necessarily because I wanted to something hit a nerve. It has never bothered me to see animals caged up and I think it was mostly to do with the fact that there was no human interaction. They were able to do their own thing even if it was a restricted space. But it was the idea that they were being poked and prodded as they lay there not considering how they were lying so still and patient. Well trained?  When you get to the entrance you're faced with a few options, run in the opposite direction (I joke I joke)

Waking up in Chiang Mai

June 21st

Sleeper trains are my new favourite mode of transport and in Thailand it will only cost you around £15 for the privilege of a 15 hour journey. The train arrived at 9.55, we were awake by 8, having hardly slept all night due to the ice cold temperatures of the air-con and the noisy train but fell asleep again for the nex two hours, missing the wake up call and only realising we needed to be out of the train within 5 minutes. Ive never gotten up so fast in my life, and by the time we were off the train after being shouted at by more than one guard for being late we were in beautiful Chiang Mai. 
As with everywhere else in Thailand the person who was suppoed to be our transfer never turned up, so we someohow managed to hitch a free lift with a tuk-tuk. It looked a bit like this:

BANGKOK AND NOISY SLEEPER TRAINS

20th June

We slept in until check out, which meant the day started at 12pm. Which became the case for the rest of the trip apart from when we had an organised trip where we had to get up super early. It's hard to describe what it's like walking through the streets of Bangkok, because you can go to two diffrent parts of the city and it feels as though you're in a completely different place entirely. Sukhumvit, where we were staying was home to the famous nana plaza, the red light distric and we would soon find out why. 

The heat and humidity hits you as soon as you walk outside, so does the sour smell constantly present on the streets of the city and the noise from the endless queue of traffic. I'm not complaining though, this is the sort of thing I love, lots of things all going on at once, busy fast environments. Headed away from our hostel with little more than a camera and some money we decided to wonder. I had a map of Bangkok, I just didn't bother using it. We stumbled, somehow upon the Nana district and it became clear immediately. Every bar we walked past followed the same pattern, a white westeren looking guy with one or two pretty young thai girls sat around them. The bars were pretty much full, this was in the middle of the day and the same sight could be seen for the entire strip. 

We fed our western hearts with a starbucks, we'd been walking for ages and just wanted the coldest drink possible [a Mango and Passion Fruit Frappucino]and we were treated to some free samples, I have no idea if it was a promo day or the staff were feeling nice, we had these little Frappucinos and two lots of cakes and pastries. 

Deciding we'd done too much exploring and it was too hot we headed to pick up our bags and make our way to the main station in Bangkok. We decided to brave the metro, which is probably the best way to travel, its fast, cheap and the one to the Train station literally stopped right outside it! The little tokens they use are in the photo below. London, take note...

That night we would experience our first Thai sleeper train complete with smelly hole in the floor toilets, a crazy guy from Iceland and 

We took the 19.35 train to Chiang Mai, which was a special express train meaning its a little bit better than the other sleeper train options. You'll get a little cabin room with four beds, two upper and two lower. The upside of this is if you're travelling in a group of four you can stay together but we were split up. The beds are also already made, meaning you can just go straight into them rather than waiting for them to be made up. If you plan on travelling around Thailand, you have to take a sleeper train, actually I really enjoyed them. Probably the only one out of my group that did, but if spending 15 hours on a train isn't for you take a plane, it's about £5 dearer if you can get a good deal on a flight and will take an hour for the same journey.

If i had the choice now I'd just take the Express train. It is cheaper and the beds are just as comfy. The beds face out into a corridor and it's a lot more social, we met a lot more people travelling on the way back compared to the zero we did on the way there.

Next: Waking up in a jungle in Chiang Mai...
Laura :)

FLYING AND BANGKOK

18th June

A Month ago I got on the plane and headed to Bangkok for a month of travelling, eating, getting lost and chucked in a river by an elephant.

So wednesday 18th July started at 6am with a 4 hour car journey to Heathrow. We arrived, got lost and finally got through into the airport. I ran straight for the perfume counters and saturated my clothes in perfume, I wasn't going to be able to have perfume for a month and I really love perfume. Before we knew it we were on the plane and heading to Bangkok. The journey started well with the most amazing spicy chicken, it was better than most things I'd ever eaten, so that was saying something and ended with myself getting stuck in the airplane toilet just before the plane landed because a woman had fainted outside the door, I think she got away okay but I did start to panic that id be in the toilet for landing. Ha!

19th June

We landed in Bangkok the next morning, fresh faced and no idea what we were doing. I'd booked a hostel but had no idea where it was or how we would get there. First stop was to find some flights for our trip down south half way through. 

Tip: if you book tickets at the airport in Bangkok, when you arrive there are a lot of people who will give you information if you ask for it, BUT they'll lead you to the "travel agents".  They will add commission onto anything you book, so for flights go to the top level of the airport and you'll see the Bangkok Airways and Thai Airways which is the best place to book. For hotels and trips, book a hotel in advance and you'll be able to organise trips through the hotel or other travel agents away from the airport. 

Once we had the tickets and I had one more thing in my bag I had to not loose we headed for the taxis, we did try the skytrain and the metro but realised we didn't have a clue where the train station was so it was hopeless. 300Baht later and we were buying our tickets for the next day to Chiang Mai. We didnt know how quickly the train would book up so we bought them a day ahead, however you could probably turn up on the day and get a train, we took the special express, which is the nicest one and that had booked up by the next day. However the express trains are just as nice and if travelling in a group they're a bit more social and exciting. 

Next step: get a taxi to the hostel, for our first night we stayed in Sukhumvit, away from Khao San Road and we had no idea where it was, neither, as we later found out did our taxi driver. We paid another 300Baht, which technically you should always get the taxis to use a meter, a pre agreed price will always be a lot more expensive. Turned out we go value for money as we drove around for about an hour and a half collectively trying to find our hostel. After Finally getting there it was a pleasant suprise. Just getting used to the head it was nice to head to a room with air con. 

 This was the view from my little pod bed 

The messy pod bed: 

The 'lobby', I loved this cool little hostel! 

 Movie room:

The night was filled with movies (I fell asleep minutes into the first one and didn't see any), a late night trip to the 7/11 and snoring naked asians. 

See you tomorrow! 
LAURA :)