Sniff sniff, I gonna miss CM

Saturday, Feb 27. Yesterday i had a lazy day. In the evening, I went to dinner with Ruth and her American friend that just arrived in Chiang Mai. We met in the posh area of the city, Ninmen Haemin. We had an amazing meal. All the dishes were new to me. Unfortunately I don't remember the names of them.

When I got back, I had to jump on the computer to look for a place to stay in Phuket. This was the first destination that I booked for accomodations. I figured that I should be a little more organized in Phuket. Numerous people that I spoke to said the area turned into a tourist trap. I found a hotel in Phuket town and booked a dorm room.

Today I have an early flight out to Phuket at 10:10, so I should be at the airport by 9:00. I was up at 7:00 today because I still need to pack my bag. I made it down for breakfast at 8:00. I've not been up so early for a while now. At 8:30, I was ready to find a tuk tuk. It was 100 baht to the airport. I was in a hurry so I took it. Otherwise, I would have taken the songthaew, which would probably cost no more than 40 baht.

Songthaew's are converted red pick up trucks that they use as buses here. The back of the cab has 2 rows of benches put in, like the army trucks. There's no designated stops with them. You can wave them down anywhere and tell your destination to the driver. If he's going that way, then you hop in the back. So if there's other passengers, then they may be dropped off first.

This was my primary mode of transport around town because they're everywhere, convienent and I'm never in a hurry to get anywhere. Most of the time the fare was 20 baht, a fixed priced for this type of transport. Occationally they ask for more.

I landed into Phuket at around 15:00. There was a 2 hr, boring stopover in Bangkok. After walking out of the baggage area, I was approached my countless taxi drivers. I wasn't used to the attention because Chiang Mai was a fairly laid back place. The taxi fare was fixed at 400 baht to town so I decided to go for the bus. It was an hour wait for the next one but I wasn't in a hurry.

I ended up taking the mini bus after being approached by the driver. It was fixed at 100 baht, only 15 baht more then the bus. That was a bargin in Phuket. It even dropped us off to our hotel. But not before a stop at their travel agent where they tried to sell everyone a tour.

After they dropped me off at my hotel, I thought they took me to the wrong place. There was a porter that took my bag to reception. I checked in and paid 250 baht for my dorm room. Then I was greeted by 2 hotel representatives that gave me their business cards and told me to call them anytime if I needed anything. The porter then took my bag and showed me to my room.

My room was a normal looking hotel room except that there was 2 bunk beds. It was big, had AC and a bath tub too. There was a big screen TV in the social area with a small library and a few computers. There were also cold and hot drinking water available. Most importantly, there was free wifi. It must be low season cos it was so cheap. The building looks run down though.

I walked around the area and found Top Market, cinema, food Market, and Robinson department store all just 2 mins away. Very convenient.

Taking a break

Thursday, Feb 25. I've been taking a break in the last few days and just chilling out. I went bowling with a Canadian guy on Tuesday. We played 3 frames each for 260 baht in total. I think they make up for it in the drinks cos we paid 300 baht for them.

In the evening, I met up with Ruth, Dan's sister. Remember Dan from Bangkok? He put me in contact with her and we've been exchanging emails for the last few weeks. Ruth came around with her bike and she took me around town. I think she works for a small NGO firm and she needs to travel between Chiang Mai and villages up north. She sounds like she loves her job too.

Yesterday I went to the Central Airport Plaza and watched Avatar. It was great to watch it on the big screen. The storyline was quite simple but I liked the special effects. Another job well done by James Cameron.

In Thailand, before the start of every movie, a short clip about the king was played as well as the national anthem where everyone was expected to stand.

The AC was extremely powerful and I had to put on everything I had in my day pack. Luckily I had my jacket, an extra shirt, neck tube and hat with me. But I was still feeling cold after all that!

Today I went to kad suan kaew to see another movie, The Book of Eli. This theatre is a bit older so the AC was not as powerful as the one I was in yesterday. Perfect temperature for me.

I think I've already mentioned that I hated mosquitoes. If you've missed it the last time then here it is again. Arg, I HATE mosquitoes. On Monday I got bitten on my lower leg then on Tuesday I got another one close to my ankle on the same leg. Both areas got red and swollen so it made standing and walking a little painful. I've since gone to the pharmacy and bought some sort of cream for it. Today I'm still swollen but it has gone down significantly and I can walk again. Yippy!

Ant infested washroom!

Monday, Feb 22. Originally, I was planning to stay in Pai for another day. However, I quickly changed my mine after I saw my washroom. It freaked me out. An ant coloney moved into the washroom. They were crawling around everywhere. Instead of moving to another guesthouse, I packed my bag and got the first van out to Chiang Mai.

Mae Hong Son

Sunday, Feb 21. I woke up really early today. Mae Hong Son was very dead in the morning. We had to meet at 8am in front of the tour company. We were the only ones on this tour, so we were in better control of time we spent in each location.

We decided to check out of our guesthouse and aim to catch the last bus, departing at 16:00 to Pai.



First stop was to the Kayan hilltribe village, where the long neck tribe resides. I had to pay 250 baht to enter the village and Pong got in free because he was Thai.

It wasn't really that interesting though. You walk through a narrow street about a block long with stall after stall of stuff for sale that were all available in all the night markets. Then you cross a very short bridge to where the long neck people reside. There weren't very many of them. I counted about 4 or 5 of them. They all had their own market stalls as well.

People that had been there described it as the human zoo and now, I agree with them. At first, I thought they were unusual but then I felt sad for them. It must not be very pleasent to have to wear the brass rings around their neck. Then strangers point fingers and take pictures of them. Some of them also wear brass rings on their legs. I could see that the skin was dark where the rings were.

I heard that the government gives the brass wearers money every month because they had become a tourist attraction. But this encourages the mothers to put the brass rings on their young daughters.

I don't think their necks are any longer than ours. The brass rings push down on their collar bones. So it makes their necks appear longer.



Then we went to see the mighty Phasua waterfall. I didn't expect to see a huge waterfall because it's currently the dry season.



However this was it. It was quite petite. Nothing compared to Ribbon Falls in Canada, my favourate place to camp.

Next, we went to tour Ban Rak Thai, a Chinese village. It was founded by a group of Kuomintang soldiers that was fleeing Mao Zedong. We had lunch there too. The guide treated us to a bowl of yellow noodle soup. I had my bowl and was still feeling hungry. But I didn't want to look like a pig by going for a second bowl. So I went tea tasting instead. This was only available in the month of February.




We went to a Shan village in Pang Ung to walk around. They have bungalows availabe for tourists during high season only. So they're only open for business 4 months of the year. Staying in thoses bungalows would set you back 600 baht for a small room or over 1000 bhat for a large one. But if you stay here, I'm not sure what you would be doing for entertainment.

It was 15:00 when we arrived at our last stop, the fish caves in Thampla Namtok Phasuea National Park. No, we didn't go under ground like I thought. It was a bit boring. We walked to an area where there was a little hole in the rocks and there were many fish there. There were also alot of fish in the small lake. Um, we drove all this way to see fish?

Anyway, this was our last stop and we would wait here to catch the last bus of the day to Pai. I decided to quickly finish with the fishes so that I could get something to eat. I was starving! I had a pork dish with rice and that really hit the spot. I was now ready to take on the mountain roads to Pai. Pong was a very unusual guy because he wasn't hungry and didn't get anything to eat. I thought guys are always hungry?

We waited for what seemed like forever before the bus finally arrived. It came at 16:35, so we avoided 35 mins on the bus by not boarding in the main station. Personally, I'd go for the van but like what happened before, none was available.

The bus wasn't packed and we both managed to get a bench to ourselves. ETA, 3 hours. We made a pit stop about 1.5hrs into the trip and I, from the lack of choice, got myself a dry, over cooked piece of chicken wing. This wing was tastless but it helped me get through the rest of the jouney. By the time we got to Pai, I was ready to eat again.

On both the bus ride to Mae Hong Son and back, I noticed at least one local Thai throwing up. They're prepared for the journey because they both had a bag on hand. I was fine because I ate lots beforehand, all the windows were open and I had lots of air blowing on my face.

Wheels on the bus go...

Saturday, Feb 20th. I went to the bus station in the morning, hoping to catch the van to Mae Hong Son. The van departs once an hour and has AC. But when I went to buy the ticket, all the vans for the day was full. I guess I should have reserved a ticket the day before.

Due to my lack of planning, no comfy van for Olivia. So I took the local bus instead. When I said local, I mean very local. I am just one of only two foreigners on the packed bus.

I managed to get a seat because I was at the station way early. The people who where late would either stand or sit on the packs of rice that a passenger had lined the isle with. It was a 3.5 to 4 hr drive to Mae Hong Son and it made stops along the way. Well, the price was nothing to complain about at just 70 baht vs 150 baht for the van. But I would gladly pay the extra for a reserved seat on the non stop, AC van.

The bus was completely packed, driving up the mountain roads were extremely slow. We were passed by every vehicle on the road. You may even cycle faster than the bus!

At one point, I noticed the bus driver was on his mobile phone while negotiating hair pin turns!

We had one pit stop about an hour into my long journey and half the passengers got off there so people on the floor were upgraded to a seat.

There were 2 check stops by the Thai police and they were mainly checking the locals for ID.

I met Pong on the bus, a Thai that was touring Mae Hong Son as well. When we got there, neither of us knew where to go. So we searched for a guesthouse together. We took the mototaxi to a resort in his guide book but it was 500 baht per room. He asked a police officer nearby for budge guesthouses and there was one directly across the resort. We ended up staying there and paid 350 baht per room.

By the time we freshen up, it was nearly 16:30. We took a stroll around town and decided to walk up to Doi Kong Mu. It was way up the top of Mae Hong Son. I only had 2 bbq pork sticks and an ice cream bar after i got off the bus. I wasnt sure if i had the energy to make it up there! But I dont think it could be worse then the trek in Chiang Mai where I nearly died of heat stroke. So I managed to get myself up to the Wat with heavy panting, all sweaty, with red hot burning cheeks. I usually get those cheeks after some alcohol but this time, I haven't had a single drop of fermented liquid or grape juice.



Me and my rosy cheeks with the big guy in Doi Kong Mu, way way way up in the mountains.



A view of Mae Hong Son from the Wat. I've captured nearly the entire city in this photo. It's quite a small town, i'd say that it's about twice the size of Pai. But it now has a run way. Before, this city was quite hard to get to.

By the time we got down, it was nearly 18:30, the sun had almost completely disappeared. We walked around the night market and it was nothing compared to Pai. There wasn't many people around. It was definetely the low season. I wanted to go on a tour tomorrow but it took 2 people to start a tour so Pong decided to join me.

We had noodles for dinner. He had enough to eat but I was still hungry. So on our way back to the guesthouse, I got myself 4 sticks of pork and a portion of sticky rice, to be enjoyed in my room. Yummy!!!




Mae Hong Son has a lake in the middle of the city.

Born to be WILD...

Friday, Feb 19th. I spent the whole day yesterday eating and driving around town. I was trying to get a bit more confident on the scooter.

This morning I checked out of my lovely bungalow bamboo hut up in the mountains and checked into a guesthouse in town. I paid a bit more for this, 250 baht, but I also got a huge triple en-suit room with a telly. Most importantly, it had free wifi in the restaurant area.



My trusty stead. In the afternoon, I ventured out of town and took a short ride to the elephant camps.




This is Joe's elephant. She's very well looked after and only works a maximum of 4 hrs a day. If I hadn't already gone elephant riding recently, I would have hired her for an hour. She spends most of her day eating. I wanted to buy some bananas and feed it to her but they didn't have any for sale. However, they gave me a bunch to feed her instead.



Next, I rode to the hot springs area and found the Spa Exotic resort. I was told by a few travellers that the hot springs in the resort are cleaner and cheaper than the one run by the government in the national park. It was around 16:30 when I got there and the outside temperature was pleasent but still hot. I didn't know what the water temperature was but it was very hot. I spent a good hour there, switching between the cold tub and the hot pool.

I wanted to go to the waterfall as well but by the time I finished with the hot springs, it was almost 18:00 and the sun was starting to set. I really hated riding in the dark so I decided to head back to Pai.

After I got back, I decided to return the scooter. Tomorrow, I think I'll try to catch a bus to Mai Hong Song, 3-4 hrs from Pai.

Next stop... Pai

Wednesday, Feb 17. Moh gave me a lift to the post office in the morning and I posted a few items to Calgary. I checked out of the guesthouse today and I'm going up north to Pai.

I took the red truck to the bus station and bought a ticket to Pai, travelling by minivan instead of bus. I paid 150 baht for the comfortable 10 seater AC ride, rather than the uncomfortable looking and packed bus. Though I think the bus was only 79 baht. But the minivan was faster at 3hrs to destination rather than 4 hrs.

The road to Pai was not straight forward. It was mostly mountainous so lots of curves. I took some motion sickness pills just in case.

Shortly after arriving into Pai, I met a Scotish woman who's visiting her son. She's been living here for the last 5 months. I was still looking for a place to stay for the night so she recommended Mountain View Guesthouse. They also provided free pickup. I gave them a call and got a lift there 5 mins later.

I checked into a bamboo hut then I needed to get myself some wheels because the place is called Mountain View for a reason. It's up in the hills. I took it because I thought it would be nice and quiet. So it's a few km from town. Unfortunately, there's no wifi.



This is the hut I checked into. It's got a king size bed and a mosquito net. I've got my own little porch with a hammock. But there's no toliet and shower in my hut. There's also a few banana trees around my hut with bunches of bananas growing on them. From my porch, I can see the town of Pai. I don't remember how much it costs. I think it's either 150 or 200 baht. Tomorrow I will try to get an en-suit hut. They call it a bungalow.

One of the guest gave me a lift into town. I was trying to find a place that rented bicycles but couldn't find one. Eventually I got myself a scooter. I'm not sure if it was a good idea because I've never rode one before. Good time to learn now.

I put a half tank if gas in there, which as a little over 1 litre and paid 40 baht. Then I drove back to the guesthouse immediately because there was still sunlight left. The sun sets early here at 18:30. I took it slow and made it up the steep dirt road. Coming down was interesting. I didn't like that path very much. But I still needed to go for dinner.

I drove around town for a bit. Town only had like 4 main streets but I still manage to get lost. Eventually I stopped for dinner and had the best chicken, vegi and rice dish for 40 baht. The portions weren't that big but it was difficult to eat a lot in this type of weather.

The sun was totally down now. I found out where I was from the restaurant owner and proceeded to go back to my bamboo hut. I took it slow and steady up the dirt road. My headlights weren't that great so I couldn't see the pot holes. It was very bumpy but I managed to stay on my bike.

Yes, another movie

Tuesday, Feb 16. Yesterday I went to the Central Airport Plaza. It's a giant mall. I wanted to watch Avatar but it was only showing in the evening and I didn't want to hang around for so long. I ended up watching Wolfman instead. I didn't like it very much, dispite the high rating on IMDB. The movie was a bit more expensive here at 120 baht (but still discounted because I went on a Monday). Wednesday is the best day to go because it's only 60 baht. However, full price is only 150 baht anyway.

In the evening, I joined the people in the guesthouse for dinner again. Maybe I should cook next time.

Today I think I should really plan something otherwise I'll end up going to the movies every day. My thighs have fully recovered and I can walk normal again. Maybe I'll go to Pai tomorrow for a few days.

New Years Day

Sunday, Feb 14th. Today I got up at 8:00am, really early! I went to 2 temples with the guesthouse owner and Nai, another employee of the guesthouse. Nai drove us in her pickup truck. First stop, Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai. Sweet, I was going to go there anyway on my own. As expected, the place was huge with many tourists.



We took the cable car up, otherwise we would need to climb 1000 steps. Foreigners need to pay to get in while the locals can get in free. Racists! Well, I'm getting use to paying more as a foreigner.

Then we drove to Lamphun, a small town just 26km south of chiang mai. There were hardly any tourists in his town. We ate at a little shop and there were no English menu. Lucky for me, I went with the locals. I had beef noodle soup and it tastes great.

Went to Wat Phra That Hariphunchai, a major place of worship. There were no entrance fee for foreigners in this place. One of the temples has a small metal statue of an elephant with a little ring on it's back. After praying, if you can lift the elephant (females use their middle finger and males use their pinky) then your prayers will come true. So I gave it a go, and the result... will tell you later.



This is the entrance to Wat Phra That Hariphunchai.

We returned to Chiang Mai at around 15:00. I was beat, so I went for an afternoon nap. Later in the evening, I went to the Sunday market and bought a painting.

New Years Eve

Saturday, Feb 13th. Yesterday I didn't feeling like doing anything and I got up really late. When I went down to pay for another night. The whole place was shut. Doors were locked and no one was around. There was a sign that said they were shut for the day. I didn't want to walk around so I went to go see a movie. I saw Percy Jackson because it was the only one playing in English at the time that I was there and I didn't feel like waiting around. It turned out to be quite good. Simple storyline but the special effects were good. The cinema was just like the ones in Canada and the UK. I had to put my jacket on cos the AC was so strong.

Today is Chinese New Years eve. When I got downstairs, I was invited to have breakfast with the owner. Then she invited me for dinner as well. Food! Sweet!

I met 2 canadians, John and shaun, that also came for dinner. John teaches english here and is dating one of the employee from the guesthouse. Shaun is john's friend, who decided to live in Thailand for a few months.



My cucumber garlic dish. Its been a while since I made anything in a kitchen. I decided to do a salad, nice and easy. I put in extra garlic cos I think everyone could handle it. In addition to my salad, Candy, the owner's daughter made a squid dish. Mo, made some Chinese sausages and there were a big plate of duck and chicken. Yummy, I love duck.

After dinner we hung out and played cards. This reminded me of home and chilling with friends.

Mui Thai Boxing

Thursday, Feb 11th. I moved into an en-suit with a king size bed, 300 baht. Yeah, living in luxary baby! I'm still in the same guesthouse called Muan Baan on Moonmuang Rd, Soi 7. Its run by the family and the staff are very nice. I talk to the owner every time I see her. She's a very lovely lady and at 60 years old, works too hard.

I didn't start my day until 17:00. I was feeling really tired from the trek. My muscles really started to ache today. I wonder if the massage last night had anything to do with it.

I met up with Steve and Mike again and we went for dinner followed by mui Thai boxing. Tickets were 300 baht each for us because the owner of the spa across from my guesthouse knows the guy running the mui Thai place so we each got 100 baht off. I think this one that we watched is just a show put on for tourists because 99% of the audiance were foreigners. I want to see a real match, the ones that Thai people like to watch.

The first few matches were fought by 13 year old kids. There were one girls match and it turned out to be the best. They were really going at each other. Followed by a special fight with 4 people in the ring, fighting blind folded and they just swing at anything they can touch, including the ref. The last two fights were adult fighters.

I made a few bets on the matches. Nothing too big, 100 baht each. It's very informal. You pick the boxer that you think is going to win then if the other person disagrees, then you bet with them and the money is put on the table. By the end of the night, I was down by 100 baht.

Treking in Chiang Mai

Tuesday, Feb 9th. I went on a 2 day treking tour today. There were 10 people and two guides in our group. Apart from me and two other Americans, everyone else was French. I wished I had paid more attention during my french lessons.

We started the day with a tour of the orchard farm. It wasn't very exciting for me but I'm sure the flower lovers out there would appreciate it.



A group of blue orchards, amoung many more just likinitial in different colours.




We went elephant riding for an hour and at one point, I got to ride on it's head. It's not that easy to balance up there. There were nothing to hold on to so I put my hands on the top of the elephants head. Their skin feels rough and the hairs on it's head are very prickly.

Our elephant was really greedy. It refused to walk if we didn't feed it bananas. Then after we gave it loads of bananas, it took a very large dump!

We went treking up the mountain after lunch. No pictures available because I wasn't in any shape to take them. I was having a really bad day. I wasn't used to the heat and hiking in the sun really drained me. I suffered from heat stroke and almost passed out. Luckly someone in the group gave me a glucose tablet and I felt much better after that. Mike from the US also carried my bag for me. All I had to do was carry myself to the village, way up in the mountains. Easily said then done, I was in a pretty confused state. Eventually I made it.

The total hike time was only 2.5 to 3 hrs but I think I was in a poor state about half the time. I had a can of fanta when I got there and took a cold shower and I felt much better after.

We will live in the village, in one of the bamboo huts. The villagers cooked us dinner using just a camp fire. The food was nothing exciting, chicken and potato curry as well as fried vegetables with rice. There were no electricity so flashlights and candles were used.



This was the hut that we stayed in. It's raised from the ground. The showers and toilet are on the right side.

In the evening, we sat around the camp fire in our hut. One of the French guys played the guitar and sang while the guide was on the drums (oil can). I had almost forgotten about the bad day I was having until I cut my foot open on a piece of bamboo. It was not my day but I was lucky to have a nurse in our group. She cleaned my wound and patched me up. Just a plaster, no stitches needed but a bit deep and a little bloody.

The next day, I had a hard time getting down the mountain because my foot was still hurting from the cut. Walking on the flat was okay but going downhill was not. Unfortunately, most of the hike today was going downhill. Since I hurt my left foot, my right leg had to compensate for it. I could feel the lactic acid building up on every step I took. It took me a bit longer but I got down eventually. My muscles were really aching.

We hiked down to the area where we went white water rafting, but the rapids were very small at this time of the year. The water level was very low and we got stuck alot. It wasn't as exciting as I thought. Then we went bamboo rafting. I didn't like it because it wasn't very comfortable to sit on. We were sitting on a layer of water the entire time. But I can check it off my list now.



On our way down, we stopped by a waterfall and some of us went for a refreshing dip. The water was quite chilly!

We made it back to Chiang Mai at 16:30. In the evening, I met up with the two Americans, Steve and Mike, for dinner. Then we went for a Thai massage. It was their first massage and they loved it. I must admit that it was the best massage I had in Thailand. I have to go there again. It was only 100 baht per hour. I think they should charge more.

Food In Bangkok

- I've been eating alot from the food stalls. But I like variety in my diet, so...



- I got a bit board of Asian food so I went to M to get my fix of western food.



- Sushi was nice. Dan, his wife and I ate at Fuji, a japanese chain. I had to pretend that I was texting to get this image cos photography was prohibited.



- Yummy, fried grasshoppers, silk worm, ants, and other bugs that you would normally squash with your shoe. I tried... none of it. I was tempted but noone joined me. Maybe I'll find someone in Chiang Mai that's interested in eating bugs.



- I had this amazing fish dish. It was mostly likely today's catch. I picked the fish and they BBQ it in front me. For 150 baht, it was well worth it. I'll definetly have it again.

I can breath in Chaing Mai

Sunday, Feb 7th. I got off the overnight train from Bangkok and just wanted to kick myself for not coming here earlier. The air is lovely, not that humid so I can breath here!

The train was late and it took over 15hrs to get here. When I first lied down in my bunk, I thought, someone really stinks around here. Then I realized that it was me! I went for a 1 hr herbal massage a few hrs ago and that stuff really stinks.

I took the fan cart but even though it was boiling hot in the beginning, it got cool later in the night and I had to use the blanket. I'm glad I took the fan instead of the AC cart. Otherwise I would have needed to put my fleece jacket on.

I shared a ride with an English couple, Mitch and Sam, that I met on the train. We didn't book anything but was going to the same guesthouse. We ended up sharing a triple room because that was the only thing available. It was only 450 baht for the room so we paid 150 baht each. The room was nice and clean with own shower and toilet. They only had one key for the room so we hung out in the evening and checked out the night market.

Mitch was willing to try the crickets and bugs with me but we couldn't find any. We all went for a massage after. It's even cheaper here at 150 baht per hour. I saw some on the streets for only 120 baht per hour but I like the ones in the shop which usually has AC.

M & S signed up for a treking tour for the next day. They invited me to join but I wanted a rest day from the train ride. I checked out the next day to look for a single room elsewhere. I would of stayed in the current guesthouse but it was 350 baht per night and it doesn't have wifi.

After walking across town (within the city wall), I found a place with free wifi. I was tired of walking so I just settled there. Unfortunetly they were out of en-suit so I had to go for the single room with shared facilities, sharing with one other person. It's only 200 baht, less than what I paid for the 1 hr herbal massage from Bangkok. (280 baht)

After I settled in, I went to book an overnight treking tour that departs the next day.



One of the food stalls in the night market.

Last day in Bangkok

- I hate mosquitoes. I'm alergic to them so the area around the bites are all swollen. Not a pretty sight. I'm already using insect repellent with 95% deet.

- Thai massage is very affordable in Bangkok. At 100 baht per 30 mins, I can get one everyday!

- I think I've lost alot if weight cos I'm not able to eat very much and I sweat a bucket a day!

- I'm not religious but every time I cross the road, I pray to whoever that's up there. After a few days in Bangkok, I think I've sussed it. Walk across slowly and they will avoid you. It doesn't work with buses though!

- I like how most places have free wifi. I was able to go online in the room of the guesthouse and a few places that I ate at had them too.

- I'm still feeling constantly drained and tired. I guess I still haven't acclimatise yet even though it's my last day here. Oh well, I did try to do stuff.

- I think working in the office here won't be too bad cos you can go from your home to an AC car then to the AC office and the AC gym then the AC restaurant. Only tourist and a few Thai people walk around in this insane temperature.

- I'm taking the night train to Chiang Mai. 14 hrs journy time. I paid 651 baht for a 2nd class upper bunk fan cart. Later I found out that it was suppose to be 531 baht if I bought it at a TAT tour agent or the train station. Oh well, I'll know for next time.




Bye bye noisy city of Bangkok.

Met a friend

Friday, Feb 5th. My UK friend Cat hooked me up with her friend Dan, a Canadian that works in Bangkok and found true love here.

He picked me up for dinner in a silver nissan and for a Canadian driving in crazy Bangkok traffic, was a pretty aggressive driver. I felt quite safe though, I had my seatbelt on.

I met his lovely wife Art as well. We went for sushi. It was alright, I had a few things that I've not tried before. I don't remember what it was but I took a few pictures. I had to be discrete because they didn't allow photography of their food.

I found out that Dan loves badminton too and plays twice a week. He invited me out for a game and I was quite tempted but I had already booked the night train for Chiang Mai and I'm leaving tomorrow.

Giant Budda

Thursday Feb 4th. Still not acclimatised, but I thought I'd go do some sight seeing today. I went to the Grand Palace but again, I started my day too late so the place was near closing. I went to Wat Po (aka reclining budda) instead. (50 baht)




The reclining budda is enormous Look at the size of the toes! The wat itself is big as well. I walked around for ages before I actually
found the big guy.

For 20 baht, I bought a bowl of coins. I think it's used to make offerings to the various gods. There's a long row of bowls where I can drop a coin into each one.

Coated in a layer of sweat!

- Wednesday, Feb 3rd. Sweaty, sticky, hot and smelly. Yep, that's me. It's no use, a minute after showering, I immediately start to sweat. I'm sweating even when I'm sitting still doing nothing!!!

- I've moved to another guesthouse, 2 minutes from the last one. This time, I opted for a fan room instead of the AC room. I've had to put on my fleece the last 2 nights in the AC room. I'm going to miss the fresh air that the AC provides but I think this will help my body acclimatise faster. The shower set up is the same as the first place but I'm only paying 300 baht for this one.



- I went to the Grand Palace today. But by the time I got there at 17:30, it had already closed 4 hours ago! I think I'll give this one a miss cos it closes to early.

- I travelled by boat today. It was easier to work out than the bus. It was only 13 baht each way. It occurred to me as I was boarding the boat that I might get sick from the motion, but I only needed to take 4 quick stops so I was fine.

- I managed to have dinner with strangers every night in Bangkok. People are easier to talk to when on holiday.

Splashing out...

Tuesday, Feb 2nd. I decided to splash out today and booked myself into a boutique guesthouse on Phra Sumen. It's only 5 minutes from my last place.

My room is bigger with a double bed, I can control the temperature of the AC and the shower had curtains so the toliet won't get wet after I shower. This room set me back 1100 baht. I think I'll stay for just one night though and look for something more affordable tomorrow. I know what you're thinking... This room is pretty cheap already. But if I'm going to be travelling for a while, I'll need to stick to my budget. Actually... I think I still need to work out my budget!!!

Bangkok... Help!!!

Monday, Feb 1st. I stepped off the plane and immediately I was overwhelmed with the level of humidity. It was worse than Singapore. The humidity felt like it was around 150%. Help, how do I cope with this!!!

I arrived into Bangkok at around 17:30 and left the airport an hour later and it was already dark outside! I met a few young British kids and we took the airport express together. By the end of the 45 min journey, I have concluded that they are in Thailand for a binge drinking and partying holiday. So there was absolutely no possibility of us travelling together.

I was dropped off near Kao San road, the backpackers hang out area. It was about 20:00 and I still have to find a place to stay for the night. I walked out of the busy area and proceeded to try and find a quiet area to stay in. Unfortunately it's the busy season now so quite a few places are full. I eventually found a place at 21:30 on Samsen road. It wasn't ideal but I was getting hungry and tired of carrying my bag. Lucky for me, my bag didn't weight alot so I didn't break my back carrying it for 1.5hrs.

I have a simple room with a double bed, AC, and my own toliet and shower. But the shower had no shower curtains so I had to close the lid of the toliet, otherwise the seat would get wet. I paid 490 baht for it, but I reckon this room was a bit over priced for what it is in Thailand. I'll look for another place tomorrow. Tonight, I will shower and go out to look for some food.