TheCra1gster | The Cra1gster

Long Gone – Remembering Oz

August 5, 2018
By: TheCra1gster

Bizarre travel plans are dancing lessons from God. Wow – four years have passed since I was last in Australia. With some cash in my pocket (how times have changed!) I took my new bride Down Under to visit my homeland. It was a long (5 weeks) and expensive trip, but she got to see a fair bit in her first visit. Our overall itinerary went something like this: Bangkok to Darwin via Singapore. SQ975 and SQ5203. (Arrived 28 June, 2018). Stayed 2 nights at The Cav and 4 nights at Palm City Resort Darwin to Sydney (3 July, 2014)…

Beer porn: A pilgrimage to Plzeň

July 26, 2018
By: TheCra1gster

There’s an old Czech joke which goes something like this: A kid walks into a bar and asks for a beer. The bartender says “wouldn’t you rather have a lemonade?” “Yeah”, the kid replies, “but I’m three crowns short” Welcome to the Czech Republic – the country where beer costs less than water. A few months back I needed to get out of Thailand for a while. The heat, the wife, and the bad beer had all conspired to plunge me into the depths of despair – it was time to escape long enough to clear my head. Being a…

Happy Hour Whores

June 11, 2018
By: TheCra1gster

We’ve discovered a nice little roof-top bar close to the crib. No, I won’t share the location with you as I want to keep it all to myself for the next few months (along with all the Chinese tourists, of course!) Their 2 for 1 drink deal includes a couple of local beers and some cocktails, so we tucked into Heineken for 60 odd baht a glass and Long Island Iced Teas for 120. Don’t forget the ++ (10% service charge and 7% VAT) which adds nearly 20% to the bill – don’t tip as you are already paying one!…

Praise the Lord – A weekend escape to Ban Chang

June 6, 2018
By: TheCra1gster

The only upside to us now having a car is weekend getaways have become a thing. A good thing. Last weekend we headed to Ban Chang, a few hours drive south-east of Bangkok. Having booked into the Lord Nelson Hotel, we wasted no time in heading for the bar after checking-in. It’s a great little hotel, with a beaut ocean-front bar. Somehow the beers taste a little better when looking out at the ocean on a sunny afternoon. I’m not sure why. Probably because relaxation had taken hold. After a kick-ass English breakfast on Saturday morning, we headed to Khao…

Soaking up the last few days in the Czech Republic

May 26, 2018
By: TheCra1gster

Back in Bangkok for a week, I’ve had some time to reflect on my time away. It was a good trip, nice to escape the heat of Thailand but I’m glad to be home, and I really missed the wife. More than I thought I would. Item THB EUR Flights 37,500 1,002 Travel Insurance 970 26 Trains & Buses 1,084 29 Food & Drink 22,400 600 Accommodation 11,855 317 Total THB 73,809 EUR 1,974 I managed to keep costs under control and came back with € 175 which was converted to much needed Thai Baht. All up I spent just…

Pitstop in Františkovy Lázně, Czech Republic

May 15, 2018
By: TheCra1gster

If you’ve got a few years of travel under your belt you will understand this maxim: When the travel gods take something away from you they give you something amazing in return. I remember it happening in Europe with wife 1.0 when ,unable to find a hotel room in Bologne, Italy we put ourselves back on a train to Milan, where a wonderful taxi driver helped us find a room at midnight and restored my faith in humanity. The next day we traveled to Lake Como and had an amazing time. We had never intended to go there. This time…

Around town in Plzeň, Czech Republic

May 10, 2018
By: TheCra1gster

As I stand at the bus-stop waiting for my chariot into town I find the cold both liberating and annoying. It’s the 2nd day of my Czech Republic adventure. Travel is about solving problems as you are offered a masterclass in keeping cool and not losing your shit. And by travel, I don’t mean organised tours. They have their place, but to get the good shit you have to expose yourself to risk, just like investing. It pushes you out of your comfort zone. That’s the idea. The reward – if you’re lucky, a run down the rabbit hole. Memories…

A few weeks in the Czech Republic

May 6, 2018
By: TheCra1gster

I needed to get out of Bangkok Thailand – maybe it was the heat, the bad beer of the wife. I’m not really sure but it had gotten to the point where I was getting angry at strangers. I’m sure a beating by a bunch of Thais was only weeks away. In some ways this is the trip which nearly wasn’t, thanks to a lack of funding. I had to re-arrange my schedule and skip Germany (too pricey), ending up in the Czech Republic. Sorry Gareth – was looking forward to catching up with you in Hamburg alas twas not…