Singapore!

Singapore was really cool. Its like a country and a city all in one. The first day we took a tour of the city via "duck tours" which is a boat and bus all in one! So that took us to all the main attractions (Merlion, Singapore Flyer, Harbour, Raffles Hotel) which was very touristy but a nice overview of the place. We also visited the Jurong Bird Park, which was really cool and had tons of birds. We saw a show there that had lots of audience participation and at one point giant macaws flew through a hoop that I was holding, and another bird flew onto a friends arm and took his mons! We also went to the night safari which was SO cool and I saw a giraffe! The botanical gardens were also really nice, especially the orchid garden (1 dollar to get into [student], but totally worth it). We also went to the WWII bunker that the Captain Officer was in when Singapore surrendered to Japan, it had a bunch of demos that were pretty cool. Probably my favorite part about the town was the transportation, it was very easy to purchase trip tickets and to get literally anywhere on the MRT. It was also super clean and very organized.

ps. the Singapore Dollar was really cool too! Made out of a plasticy paper substance... very cool!

Travel:
Flight- Airasia.com flight was $100-150 USD
Accommmodation: http://www.the-inncrowd.com/ very nice hostel in little india, pretty cheap ~14 SGD a night, very organized had a make-your-own breakfast and was right next to a 7/11!
Getting Around: the MRT goes literally everywhere and is quite cheap ~2 SGD each trip

A week in the islands

So i just got back from a week in the southern gulf on the islands of Koh Tao (turtle island) Koh Phangan (home of full moon party) and Koh Samuii. We were in Koh Phangan for full moon party which was a lot of fun. We also went scuba diving in Koh Tao which was amazing and made me want to get my PADI certification. We rented bikes in Koh Phangan which was fun because we went to a bunch of different beaches, My bike fell in the sand though and got scratched a little and since its such a touristy area they ripped us off when turning the bikes in. It sucked a bit, but could have been worse. Koh Samui was alright, more for the older crowd with more money but the sand at the beach was nice and it was good to get away from all the crazy kids in Koh Phangan.

Koh Tao:
train from BKK to Chumphon (340 Baht) then the Lomprayah from Chumphon to Koh Tao (450 Baht). Stayed at the Simple Life on Sai Ree beach, 600 Baht a night and was a large room with two single beds, very nice. The place also had a scuba shop downstairs that offered courses and discover scuba diving sessions. Also had cheaper bungalows and rooms which were full at the time.

Koh Phangan:
took the Lomprayah from Koh Tao to Koh Phangan (200 Baht) and then took a taxi to Leela Beach (100 Baht), stayed at Leela Beach Bungalows, which were cheap but very bungalow-esque 400 Baht a night for the second shitties bungalows, had a double bed, mosquito net, bathroom with shower (cold water). Had a restaurant as well that was decently priced. Second night we stayed at another place in Haad Rin which was way nicer with air-con and hot water but cost a little more, about 800 Baht.

Koh Samui-
took the Sea Flower (150 Baht) to the Big Buddha on Koh Samuii and then took a taxi for 60 Baht to Chaweng beach where we stayed at Marine Resort, which was quite nice. We got two rooms one with 1 double and 1 single bed, fan and somewhat warm water for 600 Baht and another room with king size bed and air con for 900 Baht/night. Then we took the seatran from Nathon to Dansok for 180 Baht and another taxi to the train station in Surat Thani to catch the train back to Bangkok.