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Hi folks!
Its been a very long time since i wrote down what I have been up to. Since the last update I have traveled thru most of Thailand and Laos. Culturally the two countries are very similar. The only difference really, is that Thailand is big and rich and Laos small and poor. You'll see the same tourists in Laos as you would in Thailand. I bet that in 20 years you wont be able to tell the difference between the two.
As for Thailand, I would say its the best and worst of South East Asia. The good; Its got beautiful beaches, friendly smiley people, good food, a developed economy, and lots of partying. All this is good stuff, and it has made Thailand extremely popular among foreigners. A bit to popular if you ask me. Dont get me wrong, Its good that its so easy to meet other travellers, however there are so many off them that you quickly forget that your in Thailand at all. Every night is like a Saturday night out on the town back home. Lots of drunk (or drugged up people) partying like there is no tomorrow. Thats fun for a while, until you get tired and the whole scene starts to look like madness. You meet alot of nice people but you also meet some crazies. Even in the most remote town you'll see half naked foreigners stumbling home to their guest houses, whilst local monks are walking to the temple to do whatever they do all day. Its a bit surreal and maybe even tasteless. I think the problem is once foreigners start outnumbering the locals in any given place, that things get a bit out of hand. Its a bit of a dilemma, you want to go somewhere where there are other foreigners, at the same time you don't. As for the monks, they are not as holy as they seem. One tattooed monk tried to sell me ganja and opium. I guess monks also have to make a living somehow.
Anyways, I had a great time (one and a half months) in Thailand so I don't want to bad mouth it just because I'm a little tired of the place now. Im glad I went, but to be honest of all the places I have been, Thailand and Laos are probably the last places I'd go back to. "Been there done that, time for something new". I have met lots of people and seen lots of things but I'm to lazy to write it all down. So here is a quick list instead: I have been bit by a stray dog, my foot has been badly infected, I have driven around on a scooter, visited many temples, played countless games of pool (and even some bowling), read lots of books, suffered thru many 15 hour bus rides, crashed a Lao wedding, sang karaoke, seen people falling off ferries having to be rescued, seen animals (rats n roaches n monkeys n elephants n waterbuffaloes), met lots of nice people and a some plain crazies.
I spent time in the bangkok, koh chang, chiang mai, chiang khan, luang prabang, vang vien, vientiene, nong khai, surat thani, koh samui, koh phangan and hat yai. The place i liked the best in Thailand was probably Koh Chang, the first island I visited. In Laos i liked Luang Prabang, to which you had to take a two day river boat. Of the countries I have ben I still favour Cambodia, I think the travelling crowd was a bit different there. At the moment im in Malaysia taking it real easy. I think I'll write another update in a month or two when im done with Malaysia and Indonesia.
After Malaysia and Indonesda I'll head to the Phillipines. My flight home is in the middle of July so I don't think I'll have time to hit any more countries after that. I have skipped my previous plan to try and get work in Australia, instead I plan to just move back to London and get a job there. It will be a bit easier as I wont need a visa to work in England and the pay will probably be higher than in Australia. I'm almost looking forward to doing something productive again after all this time lazying around the world. Thats that.
Edit: I just found out that my flight back to England from Hong Kong has been canceled because the airline (oasis) has gone bust. That could change my plans quite a bit. Im not sure how I'll get home now. I could just buy another flight out of Hong Kong, or I could be abit more adventurous and take a train home. You know, one that goes on the trans-siberian railway that connects China to Europe. That would be a two week nonstop train ride. I'd need a Russian visa for that though and they are not the easiest visas to get. Hmm, I'll have to think about it.
Cheers big ears!
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