Sukhothai & Phitsanulok

had a really good think about where to go to from Chiang Mai, didn't really want to stay in the north fancied heading back down south making my way back to Bangkok where I am due to meet Andrea for her last couple of days, and then Greg arrives- YAY!!!




So I decided on Sukhohai, it was a 5 hour bus journey from Chiang Mai and is made up of the old city and the new. It is yet another old capital!




when the bus driver asked if I was going to the old city I said I would be not realising he was going to do a special drop for me. So there I am at the side of the road with my bags, its getting dark, frantically trying to work out where on earth I was. all the information I had looked up was on the basis that I was getting into town quite late and wanted some where cheap cheerful and within easy reach of the bus station!



It sounds worse than it is there is only one strip of hotels and restaurants in the old city as the rest of it is a world heritage site so I just asked at a couple until one quoted me something I was willing to pay.



the old city is very small and very easy to get around on a bicycle (bacon arms again!!). Although it is not as impressive or as wide spread as Ayutthaya it does feel that there is more of it intact, this is probably due to the fact a lot of the Buddhas are still in place and some of them are immense. There is still restoration work being done in many places.



the site is split into two parts the main central area and the outskirts. There is quite a high police presence here at the moment as 5 months ago a Japanese tourist was robbed and killed. it is nice to see that even after nearly half a year they still take the threat seriously.

One day was enough to see the ancient city, and as i passed though the new city i could see that people were right there is nothing there so i am glad i didn't stop there after all.

so next i thought i would go to Phitsanulok, apparently there is a Buddha there that is second only to the emerald Buddha in Bangkok.

it was only a couple of hours away by bus and i checked into the youth hostel there which was just out of town. The youth hostel was a strange place set back off the road it was surrounded by vines and creepers that had totally gone wild- it was like being back in the jungle but more so if that makes sense. i quickly realised that i was the only person staying there. i walked into to town but as i am now in the hottest part of Thailand (central plains) i was starting to flag before i got to the temple.

The ATM refused my cards which gave me a mini heart attack and i then put all thoughts of sightseeing aside and got my self to the nearest Internet cafe (fortunately air conditioned!!) My Internet banking had been blocked too which was not good either but at least this meant that it was the bank taking security measures and not someone clearing out my account that had stopped me withdrawing cash. A quick phone call and all was sorted.

By this point i had had enough and went back to the hostel, and there i stayed. Being the only one staying there and not really having the best security for my room (in my mind anyway) i spent most of the night sitting watching the door and got out of town first thing in the morning- straight back to Bangkok - aah it feels good- i have done noting for two days- what a relief.

so really Phitsanulok was a total write off, there are some lovely national parks a couple of hours away but i had had a bad day and just wanted to move on.

so yes two days of doing nothing. I am waiting for Greg to arrive (Tomorrow) Yippee!!!

Chiang Mai

After I left you guys in Lop Buri there was an almighty thunder storm, the rain came lashing down and the the lightning was crazy and the streets flooded. It lasted a good couple of hours which apparently is unusual as its a bit early in the season of that.

Anyway we had to wade our way back to the train station to get the sleeper train to Chiang Mai, Thailands second city.

I think I must have arrived to the sound of a huge dinner gong- all the mosquitoes in the area made a bee line (mozy line!) for me and I got eaten alive.

We were staying by the Tha Phae Gate area so spent the afternoon of the day we arrived having a look around the old city. As usual the main attractions are Temples. these are a bit different to the ones have seen so far in that they have lots of dragons and strange beings as decorations and a lot are simply carved wood and not the gaudy sparklers of Bangkok.

The main attraction in Chiang Mai is the trekking and the hill tribes, so obviously this is something we booked to do- a 3 day (2 night) trek in the mountainous area that surrounds Chiang Mai, meeting and staying with various tribes along the way.

we were told time and again that its not like real trekking its more like walking... Ha!

So anyways the morning of the trek I wake up with a stinking cold- no doubt thanks to the down pour at Lop Buri, but not to worry its only like walking anyway- right?

We did a couple of touristy things first, our guides (DK and Sac from the Karen Tribe) first took us to a butterfly farm and an orchid farm which were both very nice. we were then deposited at the end of a dirt track in the middle of nowhere.

The five hour trek in the pouring rain was absolutely nothing like walking at all, except maybe in small parts. We had a quick break with the Karen Tribe and a cup of tea. They live in bamboo huts on stilts, we only met one young girl who made us a drink she was 14 and had been married a year. Her husband in his 20's went out to work (Farming?) and she looked after the home.

The views across the valleys were amazing though and dotted throughout the jungle were odd little patches of cleared earth that the local tribe would be using as farm land until they had exhausted it. it would be then left to return to jungle and another patch cleared.

As we trekked DK was very proud to point out various plants and their medicinal purpose to the tribe, he also pointed out various fruit baring trees such as lychee and found a cashew nut tree. apparently with the cashew nut each nut grows covered in a skin that is toxic to human skin so each one has to be picked and peeled carefully - might explain why they are so expensive!!

He also pointed out the 'Cobra House' and told us what to look for, and should we see anything that looked like the cobra house stay away just in case- basically a mound of earth with many entrances and exits. thankfully this cobra was sleeping!!

That night we stayed with the Padaung Tribe. They are more commonly known in Thailand as the 'Long Necks' as the women wear brass neck coils that stretch the neck (and crush the collar bone and squash the lungs) This is a Burmese tribe who have moved into Thailand to avoid persecution. Visiting with this tribe was like going to a freak show it was incredibly uncomfortable they didn't want to interact with us in anyway, they were there so we could look, point take a few pics and hopefully buy a few knick knaks, it was not nice. To round it off the beds they provided us with in a bamboo hut were infested!! Great night!!

So yes the next day i woke feeling a fell of a lot worse than i have done in a long time, the humidity and the rain have really helped my cold along- its now a cough too!!! i so wanted to come home on that day!!

A couple of hours more trekking and we arrive at the Elephant Camp. They really are fantastic animals, riding one though is not easy. We sat on a small bench strapped to the beasts back which rocks from side to side as he lumbers along, this is fine its going down the steep bank into the river that was scary- with only the bench to hold onto and nowhere to but my feet (digging my feet into his back seemed rude!) I was totally convinced I was going to go diving head first into the muddy waters- and then get trampled!!! Coming out the river the other side was not as bad. Our crazy elephant then decided it had itchy legs, so it backed up to a tree lifted one leg high and proceeded to rub it against the tree quite vigorously- this is also not good on a little bench and me and Andrea had to cling on for dear life!! To round it off once it had finished and we thought we were safe it decided to do the other leg!!

Once the elephant ride was over there was another 3 hours trekking ahead to the next tribe. Wweeellll given that I didn't feel great and was most uncomfortable with the Padaung I decided it was time to cut it short and head back to Chiang Mai. It was a shame but I could feel the benefits of being out of that humidity within minutes of being back in the city. Apparently the next tribe were much nicer and did some traditional dances for their guests which would have been nice to see, and maybe I would have contemplated it if I could have been dropped in by helicopter!

So back in Chiang Mai I went to see Doi Suthep which is a temple on the top of a mountain. The story goes that some relics of Buddha cloned themselves before the eyes of the king and not knowing what to do with them he put them in a shrine on the back of a sacred white elephant (as you do) and set it free- where it eventually dropped down dead is where he built the temple- on top of Suthep Mountain. It has some amazing views of the city.

Another attraction has to be the giant pandas at the local zoo- they were worth seeing.

after another few days of doing odd bits and pieces like going to see the silversmiths in action and another market I decided that I was ready to call it a day here. Andrea had already left a couple of days earlier after she got back from the trek, she wanted to spend her last week by the beach and so got a flight down to Ko Samui I will meet her back in Bangkok in a few days.

Ayutthayah & Lop Buri

This place is great it used to be the old capital in the 14th century but the Burmese kept burning it down!

there are many many ruined temples dotted about the place some of them really spectacular. so thats mainly what we did here, on the first day anyway.

On the second day Andrea was too hung over so I hired a bike and peddled my way to firstly the elephant sanctuary and fed the baby elephants- how cute are they!!!

and then on to more temples. one is actually still standing because the Burmese used it as a base from which to bomb the palace but one of the cannon misfired (of course Buddha intervention) and he was badly injured and they had to withdraw. the king died before getting back home so each time the Burmese invaded after that they left that temple alone. It looks like may of the others but in one small part of it there are some old wall murals that you can just make out.


it was lovely to be on the bike got to see so much though my arms were like two strips of bacon by the time got back to the guest house and i was well and truly knackered!!

that evening we did a boat trip. Ayutthaya is basically an island it is surrounded by river on all sides. Guess what more temples- there was a crazy Chinese Buddhist temple that was a bit different!!!

I have yet to find out the significance of all the giant chickens.

This morning we got the train to Lop Buri. The crazy things that are sold at the train station- crisps made from peas!! they are green and everything (look like chipsticks), and a book entitled 'Hot Rock' which has short biographies on some of Thailands rock legends, artist such as Potato, Blackhead and my personal favourite- Sleepingsheep! I may have to google these when i get back!!!

I know there are lots of Buddhas in Thailand and i have seen lots of Buddha in Thailand but when you are pootling along on the train and suddenly a giant Buddha appears over the tree line it really is quite strange!

Anyway Lop Buri is a small place famous for monkeys, in an old part of town they are everywhere dangling from trees, shop fronts, electricity cables everywhere. There is a temple just a couple of minutes walk from the train station where most of them seem to congregate. Whilst there i did a little ritual that involved picking a coloured stick from a pot, checking the number on it and then collecting my corresponding fortune from wall opposite. they say that its bad you can then ask Buddha to change it. Mine was good!

The museum here which is the only other attraction is shut today so we have lots of hours to kill before getting the sleeper tonight and there is nothing else to do here!!!

so this is real time!!!! :)

Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Home of the Bridge Over The River Kwai

Hey well its really nice here really hot (again) on the afternoon of our arrival we went up to the war cemetery and the the death valley museum- very sobering.

But its not all war there is the Erawan National Park, which is supposed to have the best water falls in the whole of Thailand and they really are very pretty.

There are seven tiers and you can swim in some an the fish nibble on your toes- that is the strangest sensation an as the fish got bigger I couldn't take it any more it was too tickly and odd!! i finally decided that the only way to describe it is like this- its like a million small cat tongues licking your feet all at the same time- can you feel it???

By the way i have just realised that is not my foot its Andrea's- you can tell by the plasters!!!!!! :)

there are also the monkeys that rob your banana chips!!

Whilst there we saw lots of big trees with coloured fabric wrapped round them an suits of clothing hanging from them. according to a local lass in our bar when a tree is big they believe it has a spirit in it and they will wrap fabric round it and request good fortune in something. if it comes true they buy the spirit clothing!

after there we went to see a cave that the Japanese army used as a medical base it now has a big Buddha and it smells of bats. this cave was right on the death valley railway and we could walk along this track for quite away (even though it is still in use) and the scenery was was amazing. It really bought home how massive an undertaking it must have been to put this all together there there was sheer cliff face one side an a drop of overgrown jungliness the other. We did take a short trip on the railway.

the Bridge Over The River Kwai was our next stop, although it had been bombed by the allies it has been repaired an you can see some of the bomb damage on the supports.

Kanchanaburi itself is a lovely place, its small but lively. we found a fantastic bar by the hotel called 'Friend Bar' an it really was the best place to go though not really very busy the staff were great fun an we went there every night, no where else could compete!!

There was also a cafe called 'Fine' which did the best curry yet!

probably the biggest attraction here though is the Tiger Temple. ah wow this is a sanctuary for wild animals. they are cared for by the monks, most of the tigers there now are descended from the original rescue ones.

you actually get to sit with an stroke these tigers all be it for a short time. then its on to play with babies- one even tried to climb up my leg- ahh its so fantastic. there are other animals at the sanctuary like water buffalo and boar (their babies were sweet!) but hey its all about the tigers for me!!!!

Apparently just up past the cemetery there is the dragon temple you walk into the dragons mouth through its body an come out on a hill- its not in any of the books/maps and none of the locals mentioned it (does it really exist or was the source on something??) didn't find out about it till the last morning so didn't get to look for it- but if any of you are in the area..

Favourite Food So Far- Pan Thai / Panang

Lady Boys - 2 possibly 3 we are still debating that one. We have prob seen loads more and not realised

Lizards are common place now!!