South East Asia (Part I)

Thailand (The Land of Smiles) 05/06/2551 - 16/06/2551

Next up was South East Asia, first stop Bangkok, Thailand! It was great to be back in a city with a western feel after a long crazy month in India.
In The Land of Smiles, the moment I landed at Suvarnabhumi International Airport I felt the warmth and positive energy of the Thai people. Wherever I went I was welcomed with a heart warming smile, whenever I needed help with directions people were more than happy to stop and assist.

During the few days of acclimatization in Bangkok and finally realizing I hadn't time traveled 540 odd years into the future but that Thailand lived by the Buddhist calendar, I set myself another challenge! That being to explore 4 countries (Thailand, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam) within the 7 weeks I had roughly planned for SEA, this continent was new and unknown territory to me and I wanted to squeeze as much as possible in. Once I'd seen The City of Angels countless extra-ordinary Buddhist temples, it's fast skytrain, mammoth shopping malls, curiously good looking women/men (still very confused about that one!) and not forgetting the notorious backpacker area of Khao San Rd, I packed my freshly washed clothes and headed north, to Chiang Mai.

I had no idea how I was going to accomplish my given challenge but with the Thai positivity rubbing off on me, I was pretty sure it could be done.
I tasted the real Thailand once I arrived in Chiang Mai. In the old city surrounded by a medieval moat, I spent hours getting lost in the many markets and the night Bizaar, tasting different types of Thai food (BTW, their pineapples are to die for!!) and getting off on the friendly and hospitable atmosphere. OK I'll be honest, I did spent some time in the UN Irish Pub as the weather was a little rainy at times ;-)
I visited a native Karen village, a Hmong village and sat and spoke with the natives and watched them weave scarfs. I also done some Elephant riding (nearly feel off several times) and bamboo rafting..now this was an experience! Some of you may or may not know that I am not the World's strongest swimmer and won't be winning any Olympic medals in this lifetime! I nearly cr@pped myself when I first caught glimpse of the semi-floating vessel and it's incredibly hyperactive captain! Expecting to die a very wet and suffocating death, the whole experience was a total blast! Our captain/rower who was just plain crazy, kept looking for trouble with passing rafts by splashing and crashing into them whilst heading down stream on mildly strong rapids. I survived the whole thing but not without been drenched to the core.

I was then on the Hippie trail, to the Hippie town of Pai...what a buzz man ;-) This place had to be my favorite in Thailand. Surrounded by mountains and a haven for trekking, I was hypnotized by the laid back make love not war atmosphere and the countless little bars selling cheap beer ;-) My accommodation however had to be the most "challenging" yet! My bed for the night was in riverside hut on stilts (2 euro/night) made entirely of bamboo and leaves. I had to drink that extra bottle of Chang Beer to drown the thought of being rudely woken by a late visit from a reptile of the long and slithery kind. I done well to do a day's trekking along rice fields and waterfalls with a guide who was just the grooviest, by preparing our lunch in the jungle and serving it to us on plates freshly made out of Banana leaves. I also treated myself to my first Thai massage, a totally far out experience, Dudes they really do stand on you!! :-)

A friend and keen traveler had given me a hint about getting into Laos from the North of Thailand the hard way...yups am a glutton for punishment. I headed further north by minibus through the windiest, steepest and bumpiest roads yet to the small town of Chiang Khong were I was to cross the Thai/Laos border and board the Slowboat which would take me to Luang Prabang via the Mekong River...TO BE CONT...

Some pix @ A TASTE OF THAILAND