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Hello Guys, sorry its been such a long wait for the next entry. The internet on the islands is really expensive. About 3 baht a minute when i was paying 10 an hour in chiang mai, so i was being a bit of a cheepskate and waiting.. Anyway, have done a lot since i wrote last.
Thursday 24th
Got up pretty late today, lazed around in the morning then made a last minute decision to visit this temple which is right at the top of the mountain in Chiang Mai. The temple was pretty much the same as all the others, lots of gold and Buddahs, (surprisingly enough), but there was an amazing view. There is a national park all around the temple too which is supposed to be rly beautiful, so we thought we'd check it out, stupid decision. The taxi driver chucked us in what appeared to be a campsite, (btw, Camping? are people mad, its scary enough with all the animals in proper rooms let alone bloody tents!) Well there was a signpost for a waterfall so we thought, ok, we'll walk that way. After about 15 minutes of walking through a jungle, jumping at anything that moved, someone told us it was about 2 and a half hours. It was about half 4 by this point, and it gets really dark quite early. So we headed back in the other direction and somehow managed to end up in the right place... An experience is what i would call it. The next day we were booked on the bus to leave chiang mai that night to go back to bangkok. I got my first thai massage which will definately be my last too. I had the toned down half hour version, and this woman managed to pull a muscle in my right shoulder, i had a crick in my neck for 2 days! I also payed about 80p for a pedicure too which was a lot more relaxing. (I did count myself a bit lucky with the massage though. Cristelle got one, and didnt realise till we were leaving that it was a lady boy who had massaged her!!) Got the bus that night which wasnt very comfortable, it stopped about 800 times too, so god knows how we were supposed to get any sleep if they kept expecting us to pee... The bus got in at half four in the mrning too, so we had to sit in this 'Irish' pub (what made it irish, other than a couple of guiness posters and the name shamrock i will never know) which was full of absolutely wasted people. I thought the whole situation was hilarious, unfortunately jess and cristelle didnt so sat with stony faces until half 7, when they got the bus to Kanchanaburi. So i was finally on my own, feeling a little gross in the same clothes i'd worn overnight. Seeing as hotels wont let you hire a room just for an hour to get showered and changed, which isnt really suprising as im sure theyd get people renting the rooms by the hour for other reasons, I had to get changed instarbucks toilets. Yes there is a starbucks on khao san road.
So i went back to shamrocks, which was actually quite nice when not so full of inebriated people, and had lunch and read my book. The bus to Krabi was another over night affair so i had to wait all day. I was waiting to hear from this guy i had met at the airport to see if he was coming to the south with me, when this Dutch girl came up to me and asked if i had a room booked for the evening. She was staying in Bangkok for the night but there were no single rooms available, so wondered if i wanted to share. After a chat, she decided to come south to the islands with me, as she was heading that way too! So we went to the public bus station, as the busses are cheaper and more reliable than the tourist ones. We were the only western people on the bus and everyone kept staring! The overnight bus was much nicer, despite the thai television, (these people have a strange sense of humour, think chinese gameshows with very over-enthustiastic hosts) and we got into Krabi early, then got a minibus to Koh Lanta.
Sunday 27th
Koh Lanta is gorgeous! We found this really cute bungalow to stay in, there are loads so its pretty easy to find accomodation. It was really clean with a private bathroom attactched. Its all made of bamboo and isnt exactly weatherproof, but with 34 degrees heat theres not much to worry about! The beach is amazing too, all palm trees and white sand, mm lovely! We sunbathed all day and i of course got ridiculously burnt. factor 30 dosn't work! You think after 19 years of being sunburnt i might realise that im just not cut out for the sun. Anyway, went out in the eving and met some really nice poeple. Its so wierd the mix that you get. A few english guys, ones a songwriter, and a couple of american and canadian girls, and a few swiss people. But everyone is really nice and just has a laugh together. On Monday the 28th we didnt get up till really late and then went to the beach (its a hard life) me a lot more covered up than the day before. Went to a nice Thai place to eat, its about half the price than the restaurants on the beach, and then to the main bar which is called Funky fish adn met the people from the night before. Tess went home at about 11 as she dosnt rly drink, and somehow ended up eating at this thai place which is open all the time. If I had seen it in daylight and in less blurred vision, i wouldnt have touched the place with a bargepole. But at the time it was good. Finally headed home after a few deep and meaningful convos on the beach. (theyre always the best at half six in the moring, whilst still drinking lukewarm beer..)
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