Welcome to Thailand

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Arrived Chiang Mai via Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. As a person who had never been there it was a must see, and it is a must see but only a once-see. After the Night Bazaar, the wats and the food there's very little to keep someone there. So once I knew where I was(I hadn't slept for 48 hours on the flight over or the next day) it was off to Pai. Actually I had wanted to go to Soppong but was persuaded to go to Pai by the girl at the travel agency. I suspect this was less to do with concern for my wanderlust than the fact that the bus to Soppong is the public Mae Hong Son bus from which the agency do not get a commission, whereas there is a Pai minibus which pays them a commission. If you stop to think about it the public bus sounds the better option, especially as minibus drivers are speedfreaks and the drive is likely to give you motion sickness, but the girl sounded so convincing. Oh well, we live an learn. Or at least we live until we make the next mistake.
I meant to stay 1, maybe 2 days in Pai and then move on to Soppong and Tham Lod to see the caves. Due to an overnight, and excrutiatingly violent recurrence of my motion sickness I had to extend my stay. But every cloud has a silver lining, during my extended sojourn in Pai I arranged a trip to Luang Prabang in Laos, something which had not originally occurred to me. Now, coming as I do from Adelaide in Australia, a trip to Luang Prabang is a bit like a trip to Nhill in Victoria, a half days drive. But as you would all know there is that something extra when it is a country that you have never been to.
Anyway, I haven't been on this trip yet but have an open ticket to do so. At the moment I am in Soppong at the Little Eden guesthouse doing as little as possible. This place is perfect for that and provides an additional balcony over the river to sleep on if you find your room too stuffy.
I have 26 days before I must be in Bangkok to fly out. I am staying here another 2 days and then there is the Pai-Chiang Khong-Luang Prabang trip I have booked. That will be a total of 4 days as it is by slow boat down the Mekong so I still have 20 days. I intend to travel to Vientiane before re-entering Thailand and then bum around a few beaches and islands.
But all that could change in the next few days, Mae Hong Son is still a possibility.

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