After a crazy day wandering around Bangkok, I realised I actually didn't like it there atall, I was so stressed and tired (3 years worth of exhaustion all came out in under 24hours) that after writing the last update I wanted to cancel everything, go up to Chaing Mai, take a massage course for a week, a cookery course and then go to the islands to relax.... instead I ended up doing something inbetween that and the original plan - got everything organised for the month, booked trips and flights etc through an agency with a view to relaxing and enjoying the trip anymore. I don't want to do the 'tick-list' type tour, stopping in places just for a day before catching a plane somewhre else. For this reason I'm not going to Vietnam at all this time. Am very sad about that but at the same time know that i'll come back soon enough and spend a good 3-4 weeks going from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City and really explore properly - anyone want to come with?!!!
Life's a journal after all, so i'm planning to enjoy it.
Saying that, organising all these trips with a company was supposed to help me relax a bit more... Sunday morning was a disaster! I was waiting for the bus to pick me up to go to Ayutthaya but no one came, after 45mins I was running up the Khao San Rd in BKK (carrying my rucksack!) trying to get a tour operator. Finally one agreed to let me on their bus and I got there, spent the day with a group, met some cool french speaking canadian guys who were on the same night train as me to Chiang Mai so after the tour we hung out, had a few beers, had dinner together on the train etc... learnt how to swear in Quebecois and generally felt relaxed for the first time since I got to Thailand.
The night train was a great experience though, bunker beds, tiny things, quite the journey but I slept pretty well and despite everything arrived feeling quite refrshed to Chiang Mai this morning. Today I've wandered around temples, literally losing myself within the grounds... its so peaceful, I much prefer Chiang Mai to Bangkok. Spent the afternoon talking to a monk from Laos and tomorrow i'm going elephant trekking and bamboo rafting, sleeping in the jungle with tribespeopl apparently for 2 nigths then back to Chiang Mai for a thai cookery course.
I mentioned that my route has changed.... instead of going to Vietnam, I'll take a slow boat from here to Luang Prabang in Laos, and from there head to Siem Reap in Cambodia for 2 days to see Angkor Wat. Sadly, no time for more than that in Cambodia as then I do down to Krabi and Koh Lanta for the rest of my trip.... voila, less ambitious plan I know but hopefully also less stressful and more reliable.
If the map below wasn't in thai on my computer I would update it, but i'll try next time I log on... now its off for some more good thai food and maybe a massage too!
Much love!
S
