Random fact - we've been away for 29 weeks in total and have slept in about 64 different beds! (that's one way I amused myself on the bus journey from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son!). It was time to begin working our way down to Mae Sot in the west, so that we could cross by land into Myanmar. James was keen to visit Mae Hong Son and it was 'almost' on the way, so off we went! There's a famous loop you can do called the Mae Hong Son Loop, best on a motorbike it ha...

I'd really wanted to go to Chiang Rai to check out the famous White Temple and hopefully get some pretty pictures, so we decided to head up there for my birthday. Cashing in on our Christmas pressie from our parents, we booked into a nice hotel (with a pool!!!)…a nice little weekend break! It was only a 3 hour bus ride from Chiang Mai, so nothing too taxing and we arrived about lunchtime. The bus station is right in the centre of town and walking dista...

Well, there was no avoiding it, it was time to go back to Bangkok. We trekked back up to the train station with only a vague idea of when the trains were (it's surprisingly difficult to get decent bus/train information/timetables in this country!!) and luckily we didn't have to wait too long for the next train going north, but it was pretty full and we ended up walking through the staff carriage right to an empty carriage at the front - the conductor indicat...

If you are ever passing through Phetchaburi, it's worth a stop for a few days. We stayed in a lovely little guest house near the river (JJ's Home run by a sweet Thai lady and her American husband), just across the road from a little restaurant serving great, cheap food (Rabieng Rim Nam) and only a 5 minute walk to the local night market every night. Keen to shake off the last of Hua Hin, we got out straight away and explored some of the nearby Wats before sunse...

Well, we didn't leave for Krabi the next day…but we finally managed it the day after! And with our change of scenery came the renewed vow to get back to our budget. We'd splurged for a few weeks, but now was the time to tighten our belts and be sensible - after all, how else are we going to be able to afford to visit all of these new places we keep adding to the list?! Krabi was just a stopover to break up the journey to the East coast islands (Koh Pha...