Hey everyone,
firstly I apologise for any typo’s this is a really dinky keyboard. Actually it’s a really dinky internet shop :P Also Credit to the very funny Mr Flynn for his use of Thai instead of I... sorry I stole your joke ;)
So I made it off Koh Pha Ngan without any drama… actually I stretched out across the seats and slept for the whole three hour boat ride ( I’m classy like that). I then caught a bus to Surat Thani where I boarded a sleeper train at 6pm for the overnight train trip to Bangkok. I opted to pay an extra 30 Baht for the air conditioned carriage (approx $1) and I think it was money well spent. The trip was easy and I slept like a baby the whole night through. Well almost. I woke up at 3am because a Thai nanna was vomiting on the floor next to my bunk (thank god I had been given a top bunk!!!)… all over my flip flops. I threw them away L But hey if that was the worst thing to happen how can I complain???
I arrived in Bangkok early and headed straight for Koh San Road, backpacker central. Bangkok is a huge, noisy, dirty, crazy city. It’s a lot of fun and you can shop, eat and drink until your heart’s content. It is also a city where you can blow a week’s budget in one night and people are constantly hassling you to buy this or that, take a ride in their tuk tuk or go to their friends shop. Since I arrived at 6am I spent a day exploring some of the city’s sights (Wat Pho temple- home of the GIANT reclining Buddha and The Grand Palace), shopping and snacking on super cheap Pad Thai and spring rolls. That night I headed out to the bars on Koh San Road with some friends from the hostel and watched the craziness of Bangkok unfold. Dorian, Jacob and Nic, I kept hearing you guys say, ‘Bangkok has you now.’
Next morning I was up early and off to see the famed floating markets. The markets are packed with tourists, but it’s still an amazing sight to see. Boats filled with fruit, seafood, clothes, souvenirs and everything in between trail up and down the canals. For about $5 I was able to board a small canoe and travel through the markets while an ancient Thai woman paddled the canoe. Though I only bought some coconut juice because I am a scummy backpacker… the whole experience was a lot of fun
After the markets my tour group headed to Kanchubarri where we were able to walk across the Bridge on The River Kwai. The war museum is very informative… but a bit tacky. Most of the bridge is obviously the result of post war rebuilding, a fact which seemed to surprise some of my tour group. I found this amusing… the bridge is largely famous because it was almost entirely destroyed by allied bombers. Read the book before the tour people!
Next up we headed to the Kanchubarri Tiger Temple. This is a park where tigers that have been rescued from poachers or rescued due to illness are raised by monks and volunteers. It is an amazing opportunity to get up close with about 15 tigers. The tigers are only available to tourists for a short time each day, just after they have been fed so they are quite lethargic and content. They are walked into a canyon where tourists are able to view them. I handed my camera to a guide while another one took my hand and led me through the canyon. After I had been through the guide with my camera returned it, she had taken several snaps of me sitting with the tigers J The whole experience is scary… but so worth it.
After that I was ready to leave Bangkok so I jumped on a bus to Ayutthaya, a former Thai capitol that houses many ancient ruins. In Ayutthaya I took a boat trip down the river to see the ruins. Later that evening I paid a motorbike taxi about $3 to drive me around the city so I could see the ruins lit up against the night sky. They are stunning during the day… but at night they are spectacular, and the motorbike ride was fun too.
The next day I took another motorbike taxi to the hospital. I had started feeling unwell and developed a fever. Fever is a dirty word in Thailand because of Malaria and Dengue Fever. Fortunately I just had a throat infection, which was soon fixed up with some very very strong antibiotics. I couldn’t help but laugh as a nurse guided me from admissions, to my Dr consultation, to the pharmacy and then gave me detailed instructions on all the medication I had been given. The Dr gave me antibiotics, also antivirals incase it was swine flu, also paracetamol, also tablets for a dry cough, also tablets for a wet cough. I had no cough he was just being thorough. Whatever I had he was determined to fix it, and it only cost me $10! You will all be pleased to know it was not Malaria and I now feel great J
I left Ayutthaya and caught another 12 hour night train north to Chiang Mai. On the train I met a few travelers who had a tip on a great guest house, so we all headed there together when the train arrived at 7am. Let me say that for 400 Baht a night (about $15) I have been staying in absolute luxury at the Chiang Mai Thai House. Pool, air con, cable TV, free internet, laundry, travel agent and the nicest room I have stayed in since I left home. These things are important when you are backpacking and I have been savoring it.
In Chiang Mai there is so much to see and do I have been flat out all week. First I took a day trip to the Elephant Nature Park. This is an elephant conservation park where you can feed and bath the elephants and watch the herd at play. They don’t give rides or perform tricks for the tourists… it is a place for them to be treated with care and respect as they have all been rescued from horrible lives in the logging or tourism trades. I cannot speak highly enough of the park and encourage anyone in Thailand to check it out. I spent the day feeding them fruit and sugarcane and chilling out with them in the river.
I also took a day trip to the mountains of Chiang Mai so I could do the Jungle Flight zip lines. There are about 22 zip line stations set up in the treetop canopy about 50m above the forest floor. I don’t relish heights so this was a real challenge for me. I’m so glad I did it because it was completely exhilarating!!! Hurling yourself from treetop to treetop is not something you can do everyday.
Finally, I have just returned from a two day trek through the mountains and rice paddies surrounding Chiang Mai. It was hot, humid and exhausting, and I loved it. My group consisted of a Spanish couple, a Dutch girl, and English girl and a Canadian guy, so a really mixed bunch. With the exception of the Canadian guy (who has just finished a month long Muay Thai training camp) we were all pitched at very similar fitness levels, so it was good. We spent a day trekking to a local village where we slept for the night. While it was cool to see the village and stay for a night, I won’t be racing to join the local village as it was too rustic for this city kid. The next day we hiked up a mountain that seemed never ending, but I did feel pretty proud of myself once I reached the top. And when I had recovered enough to see straight, there was an amazing view waiting for me. We finished the day with a trip down the river on a bamboo raft. Note to anyone interested in bamboo rafting, it is great fun but you come out of it drenched.
Tomorrow I am leaving Chiang Mai and heading to a border crossing in the north where I will cross the river and arrive in Laos. The next day I will set off down the Mekong River for two days on a slow boat to reach Luang Prabang. I have no idea what to expect… and I can’t wait!
Love you all xox Nads
