Singapore Sling time

I loved Kuala Lumpur but after a short stay it was time to head to Singapore for another pit stop. We only had a couple of nights booked here so when we landed we checked into our hostel and headed into the main city for a Singapore Sling at the Raffles hotel which is where the drink was invented back in 1915 for women to socialise. After this we walked to the Garden by the Bay which was beautiful and headed up the skyline to watch sunset over the city buildings. We grabbed dinner at a shopping complex before making our way home. Day 2 we got up and headed to the VivoCity mall to have a look around the shops as it was Black Friday. Fortunately most prices were still quite expensive so we just window shopped and then found this lovely salad bar for lunch. We headed back to our hostel and chilled before making our way slightly out of the city to the night safari at Singapore zoo. This was really fun and we were like 3 big kids again. We watched a animal show, explored the pathways through the zoo and also went on a tour ride! Great night. Day 3 was airport day. Our flight was at 9:20pm but we researched and found out we could check in 6 hours before. Singapore was voted the best airport in the world so we all wanted to see what the fuss was about. So after wasting some time nearby our hostel we made our way to the airport. Inside there is plenty to do. Lots of amazing shops, a cinema, a rooftop pool, restaurants, butterfly gardens and more! So we explored what we could and the airport didn't disappoint. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quick stop in Kuala Lumpur

After nearly 2 weeks on the Thai Islands it was time to leave and head to city life for a couple of days. We got a boat from Phi Phi to Phuket and flew out of Phuket to Kuala Lumpur. We arrived at our hostel at 2am so slept in all morning and then headed out to do some exploring. We visited central market which was just round the corner from our hostel and then got a train into the city centre where the Petronas Twin Towers are. After looking round the shops and stopping at Nando's for a cheeky dinner (only cost £4 for a whole meal!!) we went to see the towers at night and watch the fountain display just outside. We got the train back and headed into central market again to get henna from a lovely lady in the market. Day 2 we decided to go to the botanical gardens which is one of the top attractions in Kuala Lumpur according to trip advisor. Unfortunately we were rather disappointed and didn't stay very long before heading back into the city. Instead we decided to go to the cinema (which was freezing!!) before heading back to the hostel again. Kuala Lumpur is a lovely city with very friendly people! To get around we used Uber which was cheaper than taxis and other transport links. Would definitely go back.

 

 

 

 

Thai Islands- Koh Phi Phi 🌴

So we had to get up at 6am to get a boat to Surat Thani, then get a bus ride over to the west coast to then get another boat to Koh Phi Phi. We eventually arrived at 3:30pm feeling rather hungover and sorry for ourselves. We booked 4 nights here. Our hostel was right on the beach but was a party destination and they played blaring music until 2am every night. First night here we went to get some dinner and then headed back to our room, watched some tv we could stream and then tried to get to sleep (and failed) before 2am. We spent the rest of the time mostly chilling at the beach and being lazy because we could. We did however book a half day boat trip which included Maya Bay where the film the beach was filmed, monkey island, snorkelling in a lagoon and plankton at nighttime. That was a good trip and I snorkelled for the first time which I was really excited about! On our last day we decided to hike up to the view point to watch sunset and see the views of the two bays. 

 

 

 

 

 

Thai Islands- Koh Phangan 🌴

Now it was time to leave the more peaceful and shall we say upmarket island for Koh Phangan where the full moon party is held every month. We didn't know until we arrived at our hostel that our room would be next door to a boxing arena which happened to have organised a flight night on our 2nd night here. However we didn't let that ruin our time and we had a blast at the full moon party. We were fairly sensible and decided to not go out the other nights and save ourselves for our last night which was the full moon party. However we made the mistake in booking our boat at 7am to start our journey to Koh Phi Phi. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thai Islands- Koh Samui 🌴

Boat trip number 1 and we made it to Koh Samui for the start of our Thai Island adventures. Koh Samui is on the east coast of the islands and it was beautiful. We stayed in Chaweng Beach which is the place to be on the island. We had 4 nights booked here. We were 2 minutes walk away from the beach and the weather was perfect ☀️. We chilled during the day and then went for dinner and drinks in the evening. They had a huge Tescos a short drive from where we were staying so we decided to be a bit naughty and treat ourselves to some sweets, chocolate, cheese and biscuits and proper tea (which was amazing). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Siem Reap

Koh Rong to Siem Reap- we had 4 nights booked here. First day we just chilled by the pool in the hostel and went to explore the night market in the evening. We didn't stay out late because we were getting up at 4:15am to watch sunrise at Angkor Wat and go round the small circuit of temples for the rest of the day. Unfortunately we didn't get to see the sunrise as the sky was too cloudy. We were knackered by the time we got back to our hostel so we just chilled for the rest of the day. The following day we decided to do the larger circuit where we visited about 6 more temples. If I'm being honest I wish I had researched into the temples instead of going knowing nothing because it kind of felt like you were seeing the same things by the end of the day. 

We then made our way from Siem Reap to Koh Samui- the start of our Thai Islands adventures. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Koh Rong ☀️

Sunday we left Phomn Penh early to get another bus ride to Sihanouk Vill where we then got a boat over to Koh Rong Island. Again when we arrived in Sihanouk Vill it was pouring down with rain so we were all praying it was going to be nicer on the island or we would not enjoy it. Luckily by the time we had some lunch and made our way onto the boat it had stopped raining! 60 minute boat ride and we were on the Island. As soon as we stepped off the boat we realised just how beautiful this place is. We booked our own bungalow on the beach front for 5 nights. We have just been relaxing, soaking up the sunshine, kayaking to a little island nearby and back. Where we stayed was a short walk away from the main strip of restaurants and bars which was perfect for us as we were right where you wanted to be to enjoy the beach and sea. We walked up to the strip everyday to get fruit smoothies for breakfast and also grab dinner. We got up one morning at 5:30am to watch sunrise which was beautiful. 

 

 

 

Onto Cambodia

From Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh- a 6 hour mini bus ride and we were across the border. Luckily we had sorted out E-Visas before we went and paid $37 online. Nobody else had on our bus so they had to do it when we got to the border. We heard a lot of stories about it being very unsafe and on the day they can charge you whatever price they want so we didn't want to risk it. It took a while before we were off again because locals and Vietnamese citizens crossing kept coming through with money in their passports as a way to bribe the official and get through quicker which meant ours kept falling to the back. However we were finally on our way again but for the rest of the bus ride we were driving through a storm of thunder and lightning. The rain was crashing down and all th locals on their motorbikes were getting soaked. It didn't stop all the way to Phnom Penh! Eventually we made it to our hostel and we were put up in a 16 bed dorm. It was the nicest hostel room we've been in so far and the biggest amount of beds. 

We were only in Phnom Penh for 2 nights and only had 1 full day to venture out so the next day we got up early and headed to the killing fields and genocide museum. It was quite a tiring morning filled with a lot of emotion and sadness about what happened in this beautiful country not that long ago. We chilled a little bit in the afternoon and then headed out for some pizza.