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yo yo yo!!
Sorry I have taken sooooo long to update been really busy, ok will quickly fill you in on Bangkok and then about Chang Mai which is North Thailand where I am at the moment.
Met a guy called Doug on the plane he was solo travelling also and showed me some of the likes of Bangkok, so first we hit Koh San Road anyone whose been to Thailand will probaly know this road it is a road of Bangkok hussleand busslee. We had a pad Thai lunch which was good gave us chopsticks, so me trying to be cultural get stuck in with chopsticks and Dougs like Kerry ....there upside down haha 10/10 for effort lol! we had a little mooch then took a Tuk Tuk love it they are so fast and weave down the road to Wat Po the temple which is home to the largest reclining (laying down) budda. Its huge had to take our shoes off and use a shawl to cover our shoulders as a sign of respect. The temples are decorated with loads of tiny colour gems so pretty. After the temple we jumped in a Tuk Tuk back to the hotel 100 baht (1.50 english) bargin for a 20 min drive for 2. We decided to head out to the local market down the road from the hotel it was massive bigger than we realised. We had a look around and we tried to find our way out and we actually went round in circles for 2 hours we were like yeh def down here DAMIT sthen decided to monsoon so we jumped in yet another tuk tuk!
Met my group that evening 7 people, thought there would be more but soo glad theres not now we get on sooo well 2 newzealanders 2 aussies 2 brits and an american there all well funny. I shared a room with the brit girl (chrissie) on the first night and we started laughing about how we were bartering and buying like bags and bracelets for a pound and u no when your laughing so hard that even breathings funny it was like that sooo funny!
Ayuthaya was our next stop, left Bangkok at 9.30 got taxi and then an hour long bus ride. Checked in to a hotel only for the day so we could store our bags and swim in the pool! After lunch we met our guide ready to hire bikes to explore the town and vist temple ruins. Think no suspension, no gears, barely any brakes no helmet and a motorway haha.We cycled around abit luckily they drive on the same side as us but no where near as safely 5 lanes no system just ride/drive/tuk tuk in and out oof each other haha! Saw some elephants transporting people on elephant ride beautiful black elephants love them!! After the temple we rode back to the hotel for another swim to cool off soo humid here, then headed to a restuarant called tony's p[lace for some more thai cusine YUM! I had Thai green curry hot but enjoyable bring on the read haha! After dinner we got a boat across the river took about 5 minutes while we were waiting for or sleeper train to Chang Mai Chrissie and couurtney ate grasshoppers and worms off a local market stall was hilarious! Courtney got a leg in her teeth ewwww!!!
So off to Chang Mai 12 hours on Sleeper train Rocky but interesting experience.
Sorry so much to say!! So first day in Chang Mai staying in a travel lodge clean but basic hotel so suits us fine! Visited the Silk, Jade Stone and wood carving factories was interesting to see how they make silk from the silk worm to the scarf which we could actually buy in there shop. In the afternoon we vistied Doi Suthep another temple which is 306 steps to climb up to it a beautiful buddist temple so sacred that flight paths have to be made round it! Crazy! Our guide showed us the many ways buddists praise Budda and seek purity for themselves and there family.
In the evening went to Chang Mai's huge night market which is know very well as the nights bazar open every night 5pm - 1am is awesome so much i want to buy!
13/08/08
Today after breakfast we set off for a 2 hour drive to our starting destination for our trek. We stopped on the way for water and mossie net supplies and our guides stocked up on food for our trek. It took one hour alone to drive up the hills to the starting point in a small tribal village in the rainforest from there we trekked on really sticky mudtracts uphill for about 2hours, got absolutly soaked from the rain before arriving at a small tribal village for our first night stay. They have built a small hut from bamboo sticks and leaves for us to sleep in and for similar groups to use a way for them to earn money. It was pretty comfy for a night in the rain forest! after a yummy dinner cooked by the village we went for a walk to explore the rest of the village but once dusk draws in theres nothing but candle light! We played cards and got bit by mossies and hit the hay at about 9pm ready for the long trek the next day.
14/08/08 - 2nd day of trek
woke up at 7.30 had breakfast - scrambled eggs toast and pineapple mmmmmmmm needed a big breakkie to help us on our 6 hour trek. We left at around 8.45am carrying only small back packs we brought with us, one set of clean clothes towel swimmers waterproof and torch leaving everything else in the hotel. We trekked on the muddy tracks for around 30 mins before diverting deep into the rainforest. We had hired an expert guide who actually used to live in the forest and could walk it with his eyes closed, to show us the way. It was pretty steep uphill most of the time but sooo good coz we could see for miles. At one point we stopped for a quick break and heard this massive clap and bang sounded like thunder, the guide told us it was trees falling coz of the rain on the other side of the valley just where we were heading eek. We were overtaken as we carried on by a lady with a basket full of food and drinks on her head who had lef the same village we started at and beat us to our lunch stop. Just before lunch we came across a mahosive waterfall was loovely!! stood on a rock in front of it was like man made air con :D lol took lots of pics! After lunch we trekked through the forest again for another 3 hours slipping over loads coz it was so muddy and some of it was down hill which was hard but funny. We made it to our second tribal village alot livelier than the first loads of kids who followed us. We had to wash in the river felt so clean after being muddy and sweaty but that was our only means of showering lol was good fun!
This morning got up pretty early ready to bamboo raft down the river back to our start point (Did one big circle) Bamboo rafting is the best! two of the villagers prepared the rafts for us the day before, coz of the rain the river was flowing quite fast and we had to stand and balance on the raft going over rapids ducking under trees etc, we had a really good steerer so no one fell off but the other guys on the bamboo raft crashed into a bush wiping out all the people on it was soo funny! Was mental to think i was rafting down a river in thailand in the middle of the rainforest!!!!!!
so after a lil water fight at the end and being soaking wet we headed off for our hour long elephant ride! They are huge really glad i didnt fall off! they took us down a river and throught the woods my elephant snapped down a small tree and one of the other elephants went into a corn field and literally hovered up an entire row of corn haha soo funny! After that we had a bit of a drive back to Chang Mai, had a shower a nice clean one lol and then had an 1hour and a half thai massage! wow sooo good! i think every bone in my body clicked! we were all in the same room being massaged by different people and we were all silent lol! at one point the lady was actually crawling up my back haha i was like mate this aint right but they did it to everyone! Def gona have another! made me fall asleep lol! Ok finally, we went for a really nice dinner this eve in Chang Mai at a restaurant called the Riverside Restaurant, hangs over a really brightly lit river with a live band was really nice. Have just got back from watching some Thai kick boxing, wasnt really up for watching people get beaten up but was actually really good wasnt too violent and was really good to watch. Now im back in the hotel/travelodge and ive been writing for ages sorry. Got a free day tomo might do some thai cooking lessons and visit the market we'll see! Catch you later xxxxxxxxxxxxxX
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