Part 10: Pub-crawling around the World: Himmel, Lonely Beach, Koh Chang

It was the height of Thai New Year, known as Songkran, we had been sprayed with water all day and we figured we were going to be wet all evening so we donned clean bikinis and headed out to see what Lonely Beach had to offer.

Ting Tong appeared to be the most popular bar on Lonely Beach and we'd stopped in the night before (which ended with me completely sozzled after only one bucket of vodka - what do they put in those buckets?) but we noticed there was a foam party advertised a little way up the street in Himmel Bar.

Himmel Bar is pretty large and at first glance appears a little classier than Ting Tong Bar, because most of it is covered by a roof. There are plenty of seating areas, both outdoor and indoor and an large dance floor, which was already playing host to a small number of patrons when we arrived. It was all feel-good music - a bit of dance, some 90's and 00's hits thrown in for good measure. I seem to remember "I've got 5 on it" and also some Kylie! The bar staff were all friendly and buckets were on special for 150baht, as seems the norm on Lonely Beach. Himmel Bar also offers a variety of shots and cocktails.

My friend Jess and I had picked up some new friends, lone travellers Joe and Anna (I remember travelling alone and people NOT talking to me), in Ting Tong bar and we made some more friends in Himmel Bar before the foam got too thick. We ran into some Spanish guys we had met on the ferry over to the island and there was even an old, bearded dude in a cowboy hat - everything one needs for a crazy night in Thailand. So, with buckets in tow we began venturing to dance in the foam….

Jess got involved!

The night progressed with more and more foam, everyone spinning a little faster, a little wilder…
Jess getting cheeky with everyone that would talk to us and pretty much warning me off any man that approached, although she allowed me brief periods to dance with our new German friend, Joe, when we weren't having friendly foam fights with anyone and everyone in the crowd. Glow sticks and glory straws were being handed out at the bar - somethings are required for a cheesy night out. We also attracted the attention of a Thai lady friend, who was keen on our drinks. At least she was openly keen: Another guy just picked up my bucket and walked off with it. I caught him trying to steal someone else's' later on. Well, there are always people who spoil it for others, it can't be blamed on the bar.

Happy out of the foam

The party continued late into the night, with the foam being topped up on a regular basis. The bar staff were superb when a glass was broken in the foam, going straight in to remove the glass and tend to the one or two people who had sadly cut themselves (thankfully not badly at all). The music was still banging as we strolled off to our guesthouse around the corner around 3.15am.

All in all, it was a really fun night. Himmel bar advertises winter parties and runs special events quite regularly so be sure to catch one of their parties if you're in the area.


Ambience: 10/10 - If you're looking for a party in Koh Chang, you really can't go wrong.
Price: 150bht buckets, shots 100bht. Other drinks range from 100bht upwards.

Food: They offered barbecued food earlier in the evening, so they do food. I can't vouch for it personally.

Location: Soi 2 Lonely Beach, just off the main street in Lonely Beach - very easy to find.
Toilets: There were toilets and they were attended by staff, trying to keep it foam free. Fairly clean.

Overall: A good choice for a party on Lonely Beach, particularly on special nights.

Dancing the night away

Part SIX -Pub-crawling around the world: The Establishment, Wellington, New Zealand

I arrived in Wellington in the very early hours of Waitangi Day, which is New Zealand's National Holiday but it doesn't inspire the same celebrations as St. Patrick's Day or Australia Day for some reason. Kiwi's are pretty laid-back, maybe that's why?

Windy, but lovely, Wellington

Anyhow, after exploring the windy city of Wellington on this beautiful summers' day in February, joining in the modest celebrations down at the harbour for an hour or two, I decided to find a bar and sample some of the local wine, which I'm told is very similar to the Marlborough region wines.






After a little wander down the street, the Establishment looked promising and were doing $5 glasses of beer and wine for the occasion. It was also the beginning of the Wellington 7's weekends so there was much merriment and rugby-related paraphernalia strewn around the bar.

I settled in at a table with my glass of wine and was immediately pounced upon by some members of "Jay and Flynny's quiet couple." I quickly discovered that Jay and Flynny are local celebrity DJ's (I use the term celebrity loosely here) and participants had won the right do join this big 'ol Waitangi/7's/bank holiday party getting free and special drinks in many of the bars around town. A giant pub-crawl no less :) Each member was sporting a t-shirt with the tag-line (as mentioned above) emblazoned across their chest, which apparently made inebriated members of the party find each-other more attractive. I saw people launch themselves across the bar at each-other, pointing at the t-shirt like it made them part of this great club where they had free access to each-other for random snogs and couplings. I'd wager Jay and Flynny may have been inadvertently responsible for an unplanned pregnancy or two.

Still, I was enjoying the tunes and met some other new friends - the friendliest Frenchman I've ever met (and his girlfriend, so no, that wasn't why he was friendly) who had lived in Wellington for three years and had spotted me on my own (after Jay and Flynny's lot moved on for 'quiet' ones elsewhere). The resident DJ, Shaun, was amping everyone for the rugby 7's with chart tunes and anthems, he even played 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' which proved surprisingly popular and I joined in with the crowd, shamelessly twerking with the rest of them.

A short while later I was back at my table with a fresh glass of wine. A group of lads entered and asked if they could sit at the other side of the table. I agreed and shortly afterward one of them, Danny, started chatting to me. I was beginning to think that Wellington people were just the friendliest in the world when Danny stuttered:
"Er, can I ask you something? It's my stag do and the lads have dares for me and I have to give a girl a lap-dance, would you mind?"
Well, what's a girl to do? I played my part  and even tried to tuck a dollar into his belt. He was mortified, it was all caught on smartphones for posterity and the stags high-fived me and bought me a vino before they left. All in all, I think I did very well out of it. Danny was very grateful and said if I was ever back in Wellington, he and his wife would be happy to accomodate me at theirs. I wasn't quite sure but it certainly reinforced my belief that Wellington people are super-friendly.

After I'd finished my wine, I figured that was quite enough excitement for one night, especially given I had a lovely single room to myself tonight and those are hard to come by whilst back-packing. I also had an early start for the ferry to Picton the next day. I reckon if I was with Jay and Flynny's lot, I'd definitely be still going. Still, it was a very happy and pocket-friendly Waitangi Day for me.

Ambience: 9/10 - The Establishment has a great vibe and the crowd ranged from 20 - 50, definitely a party place.
Price: $5 for wine and beer every day until 8pm - bargain!

Food: Food is available, and the prices were very reasonable ($10 upwards) but I didn't see anyone eating.

Location: Courtenay Place, very easy to find in Wellington.
Toilets: Clean and checked regularly. 

Overall: I had a great night here, I should award bonus points for all the friendly people that approached me! 9.5/10

Pubcrawling around the World - Part 3: Infinity, Chiang Mai

Arriving in Chiang Mai for the second time, I was planning a quieter time than my Christmas/New Year trip.  My cousin, Alex, had other ideas. Whilst I was chilling in Jackie's apartment on my very first evening, he called at 9.30pm and said we were going out. I had only arrived that afternoon and I hadn't even a chance to change or put on make-up when I was on the back of his scooter and we headed off to Niemenhaemin. Alex prefers Thai bars and areas and he told me that usually there are huge get-together's in a car-park nearby but it wasn't to be this Thursday night so across the road we went to Infinity.

Immediately I liked the outdoor area, parts are covered with an artful gazebo like structure and the other half is completely open-roofed. On a small stage, there was a girl singing popular tunes and she was pretty good. We were straight into it, ordering a bottle of Absolut, joking around with the waitresses.

You can see the stage in the background

When we had approached the bar, we saw a sign saying "Foreigners: 200Bt entry fee." but I think since it was quiet enough they didn't press the issue with us, or perhaps they knew Alex would be ordering lots of shots...

After a couple of hours catching up and enjoying the atmosphere (and perfect weather) outside, we headed inside where Alex met some of his students who had just graduated. Inside was like a nightclub, there was a Thai band onstage belting out popular numbers (well, I assume so - it was all in Thai but the music sounded superb!) everyone was dancing and whilst there were couches to sit on, there was also a big dancefloor and most people were standing or dancing. Towers of drink were being ordered and there was general mayhem enjoyed by 18-25 year olds! Everyone was really friendly and there was a real party atmosphere in the place.

From the outside, there are huge glass floor-to-ceiling windows which house the club part of the venue, and it's pretty upmarket. It reminded me of super-clubs in other cities and if you're into clubs then definitely give this place ago.

I was really enjoying the music but I did feel a little out of my depth, given that I was probably the only non-Thai present, on the older side of the crowd and I had no Thai to speak of! I had to wander off around 2am, my excuse being that I was still jet-lagged from my Australian flight two days prior. I'm not sure even Alex knows what time he got in, but apparently the club closes pretty late.

Ambience: 10/10 -This place has everything, outdoors for chilling, indoors to get your groove on!
Cost: $$ A little on the pricey side for Chiang Mai, but ridiculously cheap for Westerners - 950Bht for a bottle of Absolut
Food: Didn't eat - not even sure they serve food!
Location: Just off Niemenhaemin.
Toilets: Spotless, with friendly Thai girls.
Overall: A great place for a big night out with a group of friends.

Last night in Split

Most of the boys grabbed a quick kip on the bus back to Split whilst Ryan, Lisa and I chatted boobs and bodies. Back onboard Sarah showed me her wares from shopping (including a pretty little friendship bracelet for me) as I lolled on the bed, needing a nap but knowing I had no time. A shower pepped me up and we had a quick vodka before leaving - already late for the restaurant.

We headed to a pretty courtyard in Split where Louise had booked us in for dinner. Even though we were late - once again they hadn't the table ready (did they just not believe 18 of us would turn up?). We all got seated, ordered wine and beer and set about perusing the menu. Lisa and I were both looking for a bit of seafood and after tasting Lucie's delicious octopus salad starter we knew we had made a good decision. As one can probably imagine, being so coastal - seafood everywhere in Croatia is pretty much delicious. They do like to make it in pies and quiches though which isn't really my style. I prefer it on the grill with a bit of garlic and salt - and straight to my plate. More food and wine arrived, laughs were being had around the table. We tried to get Allan and Lisa to wear their new ti-shirts - Allan's was "Nude Lifeguard"! No one was thinking about the fact that it was our last night. We discussed future group activities - a ski/snowboard trip to Lebanon, the boys doing a triathlon, my solo trips to various places next year. The restaurant rustled up a kind of birthday cake (there seemed to be alot of cream or ice cream and not alot of cake) for Allan and it was time to make our way to the end of cruise party at a nearby bar.

Chloe and I after dinner.

I had to bid a sweet goodbye to Lisa as she was ill and flying very early and then Chloe and I went on our own little tour to find the bar, and perhaps a tattoo parlour on the way. We had decided on our first night to get tattoo's together but we couldn't decide on designs etc. There had been some joking at dinner that I would get the line from "Braveheart" - "This is my island" inked somewhere on my body but I thought that might be a future regret! I was contemplating some musical notes, a melody or riff - somewhere inconspicuous but there was no tattoo parlour in sight so we settled on some shots in a side street bar before finally reaching Cocktail Bar Paradiso for the Sail Croatia farewell party. There we hooked up with our super rep Janice and had a few drinks with her before the Jager train to top them all. In our usual tradition, it had to be bigger, better and longer than anyone else's. You'd know we lived in Dubai! I don't know how the number came about - I believe it was something to do with beating other boat's tallies but 62 was decided on. It took an hour and a half to set up (mainly because some muppet stood on the bench where it was being set up and knocked half the red bulls down).

Even in the photo we can spot some of our new friends!

After we'd all had a few and mingled with the strangers, it was time to embarrass Allan (It was difficult to know whether he was embarrassed or not as he was so sunburned! You can see him at the top of the picture there - darker than anyone else). Lauren (my friend in Dubai, dating Allan) had sent gifts from Dubai for Allan to open on the night and Gareth felt it only right to give the birthday boy a snog. I've never seen Allan snog a man before and to be honest I'm not sure it will happen again! I fitted in some time to kiss Sarah (She begged) and have a little dance around. I don't even remember the music. There may not have been music!

We walked back to the boat through picturesque rain-washed streets and decided to get our party on back onboard. Drink was acquired from various places, music was set-up on the top deck and deck-chairs were dragged around. Perfect for more dancing. Our fun didn't last long, the Captain came up and asked us to not to party. A little deflated but aware that he was being perfectly fair (He did have to get up every day and cook for us) Doug mentioned a beach nearby so we decided to bring the party there. Gary even let us borrow his speakers. The beach was a bit of a walk away so many got lost along the way and there was a weird crowd there (outsiders!) when we arrived. After a vodka I decided I would head back to the boat. I was a little disorientated and seemed to have lost alot of people so I thought it would be better to go back and find them.

I met Chloe as I got on deck and we sat down with Katie and Elliot just inside the hallway on a little sofa where they'd perched many nights of the trip. There were people running around the boat and from room to room as dawn broke and all I could think of was how I had to leave so many amazing people in a few hours - including my old (and new friends) from Dubai. I was exhausted, 7 nights of drinking was taking it's toll and I was all too aware that I had to be up in about 3 hours. It wasn't the best feeling.
Suffice to say, it only got worse before I left. I managed to only get about an hours sleep, and ended up packing in the most uncoordinated, horrible mindset I've ever been in. I wasn't quite hungover but I was definitely dehydrated, I wasn't quite sober but not happy drunk. It was dreadful. Meanwhile Sarah was singing around the cabin, still drunk and completely oblivious to the fact that we had to get up and out.
As I sat on a bench beside the boat (and found my pashmina tied around it?!) in the blazing morning sunlight watching Katie spew into the port I was hit by bags of rubbish as some of the crew removed them from the boat. That was pretty much how it felt - from top deck luxury to the gutter - all in a few hours.

It was a strange last night but an amazing trip that I'm sure none of us will ever forget...
Hvala na sjećanjima Hrvatskoj.

Rainy Day in Dubrovnik

Sarah and I were jolted awake by a strange loud noise....the anchor dropping. It was time to jump off the top deck into the sea to awaken the senses. Some were feeling better than others, some were worshipping the porcelain god. As we sailed towards Dubrovnik the skies darkened and drops of rain could be felt on the top deck. I still wanted to explore this UNESCO Heritage city and see it's historic walls but a few of our group cried off in order to nurse sore heads, tummies and bottoms!

So we headed by bus up to the old city. A tour guide met us to take us around. The city is listed as one of the ten best walled cities in the world and it has some really beautifully preserved buildings. Although the Yugoslav wars affected Dubrovnik as recently as the early '90's and results of damage from shelling can be seen in various places  - alot of restoration work has returned the place to splendour. I personally loved the little side streets and all the steps that looked like they lead to little hideaways. Lucie was snapping away and has over 300 photos of the place!

After some pizza and more exploring everyone decided they wanted to climb the city walls (by steps, not ropes and harnesses!) but after I slipped on the first few steps I decided I couldn't apply myself to the task and really I just wanted to go back to bed! I'm sorry I missed the views but it was lovely to get back to the boat and listen to the rain from the comfort of my bed.

We got up as the sun was setting and everyone was feeling recharged and ready for a night on the town. It was time for drinks on deck again to toast Lisa's actual birthday so we started on the cocktails and the banter was flying. No man or woman was safe tonight with us unleashed on the streets of Dubrovnik.

We had booked a recommended restaurant for dinner, Ragusa 2 (Ragusa is the Croatian word for Dubrovnik) and we ordered some local specialities and a bottle of Prosecco for birthday girl. Unfortunately the food wasn't that impressive - Lisa had to send hers back twice! But we had a few good giggles and got her some chocolate cake. After that it was time for Jagers, Tequilas and BUCKETS of drinks at Skybar. Sarah and I got all serious and emotional for a bit (constant drinking and late nights will do that to you!) but soon loosened up and started dancing in the laneways. I got chatting with Chloe, one of the lovely Kiwi girls from our boat, and we all headed off to Revel nightclub, in the city walls! Ever so cool location! Doug, our brilliant photographer captured us all on our way to Revel.

Chloe and I finished our buckets and hid them near the door of the club as we wanted to bring them back to the boat. Inside was cavernous and very cool with a light show and dominatrix styled dancers. It was Jager time at the bar again (When is it not?) and then we started drinking Vodka with Blueberry red bulls - not bad!!! Lots of dancing, posing and pulling funny faces at Doug as he snapped away. We managed to vandalise a poster and all pose with it. It was just good, clean fun really. After I was sweaty enough I decided to head back to the boat and Chloe said we should we should have a late night swim. In my sweatyness I thought this was a superb idea.

We took a bit of a detour home, not necessarily intentionally and we had to hide behind cars to relieve ourselves - not noticing that in fact there was a road above us where people had a great view of our backsides. Cue more giggling and trying to flag down taxi's to get us away from our viewers. I ended up doing the city wall tour by night in our quest to get to port!! By the time we got back to the boat I wasn't sure about getting in the freezing water and there was also the chance we'd be thrown off the boat and could be fined by Dubrovnik Port Police for swimming at port. A guy and a girl from one of our sister boats came over to chat and have a drink so I sat on the steps chatting to a lovely boy, Blair, as Chloe and Emma swam around the boat. Then there was mucking about at the front of the boat and balancing on the buoys. General mischief.

When Sarah got back I followed her to the room for late night catch-ups and a post-mortem on the night. We ended up chatting until 7am when I had to call time and go asleep!! Then one or the other of us would say one more thing but eventually drifted off at dawn....knowing we'd be awakened by Pitbull blasting in the corridors around 11am.