amyallcock

Thailand has so many beautiful beaches, and Hua Hin isn’t one of them. From what I recall, the beach wasn’t very clean and had lots of jellyfish. If your looking for a nice quiet beach close to Bangkok I’d recommend going east towards Ko Samet.

This was my first, and perhaps only, volcano climb. It was an interesting trip – we had break problems in the van on the way to the volcano, it rained the entire trek up, and while at the top the volcano began spitting out sulphur and other gases, and I honestly thought that was end of it as I gasped for air.

Despite having my life briefly flash infront of me, I would still recommend this trip if only because I like the challenge of climbing stuff, even if those things do happen to be volcanoes. If you’re going to do this, make sure you go with a reputable tour guide (it’s well worth the extra money, as it wasn’t particularily comforting when the van breaks were on the fritz…) and when the weather is good and the volcano isn’t particularily active. Be sure to bring rain gear and some snacks, as the climb is a bit taxing on your energy reserves.

I spent two weeks here studying Spanish, which was not nearly long enough to learn Spanish or to fully appreciate the charms of Antigua. Surrounded by volcanoes, the city is made up of cobblestone streets and beautiful colonial architecture from cathedrals to pastel-colored homes.