South East Asia • Happy-Go-Nessa

April 7, 2020April 18, 2020

Pi Mai: the Laos New Year water fights are bucket list worthy

Have you ever seen a city filled with streets of adults and children alike, holding onto water pistols as they hose each other down in a friendly fight? Well, there’s no better place to see this than Luang Prabang, Laos. Mid April in Laos is the hottest times of the year; however, it is also the month when the country comes alive as Pi Mai, the Lao New Year, comes around.

You may have heard of this festival under different names, such as Songkran as it is widely celebrated in South East Asia and some nearby regions. Personally having celebrated it in Luang Prabang, I think this is the perfect place for a balance between party, getting a glimpse into century-long traditions and getting to meet some locals. But, no matter where you decide to celebrate, you should definitely add this festival to your travel bucket list.

April 11, 2019March 29, 2020

Thailand’s alternate Elephant experience: hilarious sustainable souvenirs made from poop

Looking for sustainable souvenirs in Thailand? Or do you want something more unique and cheaper than the elephant sanctuary experiences? At the Elephant Poo Poo Paper Park, you can get an alternate experience with the elephants. This recycled paper facility has a beautiful shop full of beautiful environmentally friendly gifts as well as tours to show you how poop becomes paper. You can even get hands on and make your own little crafts. It’s a unique and fun experience for you that’s good for our planet and Thailand’s local economy. It’s a win-win situation for you and everyone else! But how exactly does poop become recycled paper?

March 28, 2019March 29, 2020

Cheap travel in Krabi & Aonang great for the backpacker budget

Southern Thailand has some of the most beautiful islands made of limestone cliffs floating along crystal blue waters. Most tourists who come down here often aim to set off to the other islands and use Krabi or Aonang as a one or two night stop over. At first glance, there might not seem to be much to do around the towns itself and most tourists go on tours that take them far out of the town.

The tours are definitely worth doing, on my first day in the area, I did the 4 islands boat tour which set me back 1000 baht (equivalent of 50AUD or 30USD). While not expensive compared to Australian prices, I realised for my backpacker budget, finding very cheap travel activities would be important for a year of travel.

I stayed a total of 7 nights around Krabi town and nearby Aonang beach and I can say there is a lot to offer without the need to splurge on expensive tours.

Pai Plong Beach

March 24, 2019March 29, 2020

Tiger Cave Temple Stair Challenge

Tiger Cave Temple also known as Wat Tham Seua in Thai, is a buddhist temple on the top of a mountain with panoramic views of the paddy fields and mountain around the area. There is a large statue of buddha at the top and tiger paw prints lining the temple. At the bottom of the mountain there is a 1260 step stair case that takes you 278 metres above ground where the temple is. This is definitely a nice challenge with rewarding views for all who visit Krabi.

Beautiful mountains seen from the temple

1260 steps is really not as impossible as it may sound. 100 steps is only about 2 flights of stairs so it is possible to get up the stairs in 20 minutes if you continuously go up it without a break. But for a majority of visitors, I would say it will take between 30-50 minutes to get to the top including breaks and taking photos.

March 16, 2019March 29, 2020

Island Hopping Snorkelling Boat Tour: Perfect day trip around Krabi

Island hopping was my image of what Southern Thailand is all about. On my first day in Krabi I went on snorkelling boat tour that took me to four islands. If you haven’t got much time to spend around Krabi area, I highly recommend doing this snorkelling boat tour to get the most out of island hopping.

On the night I arrived, I ran into some backpackers and decided to do a private snorkelling boat tour with them. Unfortunately, living out in Krabi town, we were a little far from the boat rentals in Ao Nang and even though we arrived early in the morning at 9am to rent a boat for the day, it was all sold out.