Firstly a liittle rant - (of all times why the hell did they decide to bring in new restrictions on tourism visa aimed directly at backpackers ? Without any notice they have limited an overland entry visa to just 15 days as opposed to 30 and you have to pay $60 for a 2 month visa ! So this new adjustment has altered my plans somewhat, and I have decided to spend just the 15 days here.)
Arriving off the ferry form Langkawi I was pleasantly surprised, I had expected a country in between Malaysia & Philippines however it was much more modern than I thought. I decided to spend my first night in a town called Trang, which was very pleasant and is known for its great coffee. A great indroduction to the real Thailand. Next day was another town called Nakkon Si Thamarat which is absoutely off the tourist path. Had to check in to a so so hotel, but only $11 for a single en-suite, so not too bad. Did a bit of sightseeing around and was greeted everywhere and given free samples of the local food and even a pot of chinese tea along the way! It was definitly a case of being the only white guy in town. I ventured out later on for a bite to eat and found a decent looking food court. As I sat down I noticed the 3 waitress`s giggling in the corner, they eventually ventured over to my table and give me the menu, still giggling. As I opened the menu it suddenly hit - it was all in Thai, completely & no pictures. The 10 minutes that followed with the hand signals & broken english proved fruitless, I found it hilarious & the other staff had stopped everything and were staring over also to see the outcome.Eventually it was off to the kitchen for a pointing exercise which still nevertheless proved more difficult than I would have expected. 15 minutes later I was enjoying grilled chicken, sticky rice and a papaya salad which was delicous and only cost me $3.50. So next morning after a quick moto ride I was off on another bus to Krabi. Really impressed with Thailand so far !
