You ever get really excited for something? Vision it, think about it lots and wait in anticipation? And when you get there, it just doesn’t live up to the hype. Unfortunately this happened to Scott and I during our time on the island of Koh Lanta. We had read many blogs all stating how great Koh Lanta is and how its one of their favourite islands. But for some strange reason the island just didn’t click for us.

There are a pile of factors that can come into play when a backpacker decides they don’t like a place, and usually they are personal reasons that make them have attract a negative experience rather then a positive one. For us, maybe it was the fact we were promised a private VIP mini bus for our group of 4 from Khao Sok to the ferry in Krabi town. But, instead, once we reached Krabi town we were then stuffed into a shitty ass over packed mini van and driven for another 3 hours all the way to the car ferry in Tarang instead. Or, maybe it was the fact that both Scott and I were feeling pretty ran down, exhausted, and sick in my stomach which eventually escalated into us both becoming violently ill for a day with a 4 day uneasy recovery period afterwards.

While suffering with stomach craps in bed, Scott and I both agreed Koh Lanta just did not look as nice as any of the other islands we have been on. It looked really dusty and dirty as we drove to our resort and was just missing something. What? We still don’t know… But it just didn’t show us the beauty we hope for in a tropical island paradise. We could of just been staying on the wrong side of the island but we still just didn’t feel a great vibe from the locals or fellow tourists. Because of this I don’t think we will ever go there again.

Aside from all of this, we do try to put our troubles behind us and have the best time possible in any situation which resulted in some great memorable moments with my parents. Lots of time was spent in their room, having drinks and enjoying each others company. We also played an interesting game of mini golf. (Scott won in a tie breaker show down with my Dad) Rode some elephants through the jungle, watched a baby elephant do some crazy tricks, and enjoyed the beauty of some spectacular orchids and butterflies. My mom even added added some new artwork to her existing frog tattoo. Four lotus flowers, one for each of her children and of course to represent her time in Thailand.

We do have one recommendation on Koh Lanta for anyone planning to travel there. Sign yourself up on a tour that goes to the Emerald Cave. We went on the “4 Islands” tour that took us to 3 great snorkelling spots and the Emerald Cave. The tour also included an okay buffet lunch on a beautiful private beach.

The Emerald Cave is only accessible by swimming through a winding 80 metre long dark passageway in low tide. A guide will lead the way with a bright flashlight and chances are there will be a pile of other tours going at the same time as you. Don’t let your fear of water or the dark stop you from experiencing this sight. My mom isn’t so keen in the water and did a great job! Once you get through the swim of a lifetime you will bear witness to a amazing little cove that is surrounded by high limestone walls. A true pirates hideout! The vegetation is something out of Jurassic Park, the sand is baby powder, and the water is a perfect emerald blue-green.

So, that is our Koh Lanta experience. I really wonder what our opinion would of been if we didn’t have such a horrible entrance onto the island and were feeling perfectly healthy, but that we will never know…

Have you been to Koh Lanta? Care to share why you loved it or hated it?

Do you like my new tattoo? I put a ton a thought into what I should get for my first tattoo and couldn’t be happier. A dolphin, rainbow, and a pink unicorn, united by the power of love. The perfect image to symbolize my inner beliefs on the meaning of life and how special this trip means to me, and of course my true love for Scott. Now I get to show this off to the world! I think the artist did an amazing job and maybe it will even get featured in some tattoo magazines. Hmm… maybe I should go back and get a cute kitten in a basket added to it… Wouldn’t that just be peachy?

Okay okay… Happy April Fools everyone! Now lets get back to our regular schedule program:

Multiple times during our travels through Thailand I was told that my name Dee meant “good” in Thai. Soon as I found this out I started debating about getting the Thai symbol for good as a tattoo to the point that during our time on Koh Tao all signs were pointing me to YES. Because of the accident I couldn’t go into the ocean and I had just gone through one of the most painful experiences of my life. (Trust me, I’ve been through a lot) How bad could a simple little tattoo be? The timing seemed perfect.

Bamboo Tattoos are a very traditional method in Thailand. Most men will receive one in their life from a monk. The monk will decided what and where the tattoo will be placed depending on the receiver and what they need in life. Once completed the tattoo is believed to be blessed with magical powers of protection for the rest of their lives. Bamboo is shaved down into very fine needles and then attached in a line to longer sturdy piece of bamboo. This is then gently tapped by the artist into the skin. The skin in puncture, but not torn like a machine tattoo. This results in less bleeding and a much faster healing process with next to no scabbing. Since there is no blood pushing out the ink in the skin, the ink settles quite deeply and barely any color is lost. I figured this would be the best method to get while in Thailand. It’s a Thai symbol tattoo, received in Thailand. Might as well get in the traditional Thai way while I’m at it, though unfortunately not by a monk!

The process was extremely easy. We walked down the main tourist drag on Koh Tao and checked out the various tattoo shops. (There are a ton of them!) I wanted to go somewhere that gave me a good vibe. Some we walked right by, others went in and inquired, didn’t feel a good vibe, so we walked out. Near the end of the street we came to a small shop with some custom made leather items on the outside. The name I can’t remember but it was something very unique like “Bamboo Tattoo”. Inside was a chill group of guys and happy tourists. Charlie the owner immediately came up us, shook our hand, invited us in and asked our names. I instantly felt like this was the place, especially with the chill reggae playing in the background. I told Charlie what I wanted and he handed me a font book to choose a style. The artist drew up the design in minutes and before I knew it I was in the chair but was feeling very relaxed.

The pain was nothing at all. Others waiting for their turn were quite shocked at how relaxed I was and I couldn’t believe how much they whined during theirs. Some spots hurt a bit like a hard pinch, he was gentle but I could tell that needle was going in deep by how much my skin went in. I just smiled, closed my eyes and listening to the Thai favourite, Jack Johnson in the background. It’s played so much that we ended up downloading his albums for our own enjoyment.

I couldn’t be happier for the final result of my tattoo. I love it’s location as it’s very visible to me but yet at the same time can go by totally unnoticed by others. It reminds me everyday to have a good day and just enjoy myself. I’m sure when I’m back home it will also remind me of my times in Thailand. Now that I’ve popped my tattoo cherry, I’m quite ready to get more. Only thing that holds me back now is money.

If your planning to get a bamboo tattoo in Thailand, be sure to walk around and go somewhere you feel comfortable. Look at the photos, be happy with their work, joke around with them, and ask to see the needle and ensure its never been used before it comes anywhere near your skin. When they place the template on your skin, check it throughly and move you skin around to make sure you like the exact placement Also, don’t barter on the price too much. If you don’t like the price they tell you then go somewhere else. You don’t want the artist to feel cheap and thus do a cheap job on you. We witnessed two girls arguing for 15 minutes over $2. Remember this is something that will be with you for the rest of your life.

WARNING!! GRAPHIC PHOTOS OF A SECOND DEGREE BURN WILL BE IN THIS POST. SO MAN UP AND DON’T LOOSE YOUR LUNCH!

Second Degree Muffler Burn: Day Two

Muffler burns, aka 2nd degree burns, are a common problem in all of Asia for both tourists and locals. Spend a good amount of time on an island and you will probably spot the tell tale sign of said burn on someone (or on yourself!). It’s usually located on the upper right calf and wrapped with a bandage of some sort. There are two ways you can care for the burn. One option is WAY better then the other in my opinion.

The first option is to go to a Thai hospital. They will proceed to scrap off the dead skin with a razor and not even give you a chance to take any pain killers or something to bite down on. Once complete they will apply an anti bacterial cream and then bandage it up and ask you to come back in 3 days to repeat the process until its all healed up. That’s right, every 1-3 days they’re going to take a razor blade and cut off the dead flesh of an open wound. It’s supposed to be an excellent treatment with very little scarring, but really, what the fuck?

Option number two is how I tended to my second degree burn out of recommendation from my mom who has had to tend to many a burn on my father. If your staying on a remote island like Phayam, try to get yourself to a more developed place for the healing process. We found Koh Phangan was excellent! Especially since its consider to be the #1 island for motorbike accidents in Thailand, meaning their pharmacies are well supplied with anything you may need. Also, try to stay somewhere that is clean with no dust and sand coming in. You can easily get an infection by going into the ocean as the water is not that clean here, and the sand is full of bacteria. It’s the infections that will cause problems and massive scarring.

WHAT YOU NEED (enough for a 3 week supply):

Cotton wrap bandages
Non Stick Gauze pads the size of the burn. (3M makes a great product)
Medical Tape
Tensor wrap
Saline Spray
Oral Anti-biotics – Amoxicillin is readily available (take 2 a day for 15 days)

and the most important: Silverderm anti-biotic cream

Silverderm is a special cream used specifically for burns. It wIll help speed the healing process and works wonders! Its more money then a regular anti biotic cream but well worth it and has silver paste in it which creates a barrier between the new growing skin and everything else.

NOTE: this cream is extremely expensive back in Canada, but in Thailand luckily it’s only a few dollars. We easily found this in a big pharmacy in Haad Rin. Just write down the name and show it to them

OTHER USEFUL ITEMS:

Valium (available over the counter all across Thailand)
Pain killers
Stiff drinks
Chill tunes or something on TV to watch
A second hand

STEP ONE: Take some valium and pain killers and turn on some chill tunes. Relax and wait for the drugs to kick in.

STEP TWO: Rinse the burn with clean water from a portable shower head and then vigorously spray the area with Saline Spray to ensure its fully clean. NEVER pop any blisters! They will pop on their own.

STEP THREE: Apply a good amount of Silverderm to the burn area. Make sure the entire area is covered including the outer edges. Don’t be cheap with it.

STEP FOUR: Apply non stick gauze on top of the burn. Shiny side down!

STEP FIVE: Wrap cotton bandage tightly around your leg and over the gauze and tape. Try to avoid taping your leg if you can. You will be removing this often and continual pulling of tape off your leg will cause an irritation.

STEP SIX: Wrap tensor bandage over cotton bandage

STEP SEVEN: You should change the bandage twice a day for at least a week or more until the ooze stops. You don’t want the ooze against your burn as this is the bad stuff. Keep your eye on the bandage throughout the day. If you can see some color coming through, or if it feels like it’s pulling on your skin then change the bandage. You want to keep the burn moist and not have it dry out, this will delay the healing process. Dead skin AND new skin will pull off each time you remove the gauze, this is why the pain killers and valium are needed! I found it best to have someone else to remove the gauze and avoid looking at it during the process. My head in a pillow and listening to music or watching TV was very helpful.

Repeat steps one to seven until you feel it’s okay. It should look just red/pink with no loose skin etc, you will be able to tell. Be sure to always keep the area clean and covered while it is healing. TIP: When you rinse the area for each changing try to remove the loose skin with the water spray from the shower head or saline bottle. It might not all come off the first time but eventually will, don’t pull it off! You may rip the new skin which is very delicate.

Don’t forget to take some oral anti-biotics twice a day. This will help with the healing process and of course help to avoid any infections.

Your burn will stop oozing and loosing skin with each changing in about 2 – 3 weeks. Stay out of the water and off the sand, keep it wrapped tight with the tensor wrap when walking around, keep some pain killers on hand and relax at some reggae bars. Tell them about your burn and they will probably hook you up with some “special” pain reliever if you wish. Honestly though, it doesn’t hurt as much as the initial burn or getting the bandage changed when its wrapped up.

I highly recommend finding yourself some Silverderm. We used just a regular anti-biotic cream for the first few days as we didn’t have access to Silverderm and the bandage changing was quite messy and painful. Soon as we started using the Silverderm we saw instant improvement on the next changing. Less loose skin, less oozing, overall better healing!

Other than that you can expect to have a bit of a scar for awhile. It goes from red to pink to a faint mark on your skin to eventually barely even there. If I look at my leg today (4 months later) I can still see a bit of a scar but it keeps fading more and more each month.

Disclaimer – If your burn is OVER 3 inches, go to a doctor. You may require a skin graft or something else. We are not doctors and this shouldn’t replace medical help. But really, what are they going to do at the clinic other than give you anti-biotics and keep it clean? Oh yah, the razors… Use your own judgement. I read the “Nurses guide to wound care” and talked to my mom who is in health care. It does take a while for a burn to heal, and almost 2 weeks before it started to look better. If it smells like rotting flesh and is septic, what the hell are you doing on the internet? It may be gangrene. Go to a doctor!