Bangkok to Chiang Mai

---

Well I have finally got around to starting a proper blog - Bangkok to begin with I think! The trip over was filled with anticipation and once we hit Bangkok all the nervous excitement mixed with Singa and overflowed into a great first night out in budget city - Koh San Road. We met a few Irish guys who had been on the same flight as us... to be the first of many, far far too many. In fact I'll rename the place Thaireland.

Bangkok was great for a few days but we soon got sick of scams and temples and took an amazing day out in Ayatthuya. A day touring around the ancient capital was refreshing and lots of fun. Also plenty of in transit entertainment from the sangthaw driver's little boy Lee.

Getting back to Bangkok, we spent Sunday in the Chatuchack market and then the evening in rain soaked Siam Centre. Monday morning we were back at Don Muang airport for a flight to Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai has been a real breath of fresh air. An outstandng jungle trek including elephant riding, an encounter with an angry tarantula, 6 hour long uphill hikes, wee Thai indiginous tribes (with satellite dishes) and shoulder pumping bamboo rafting on a monsoon swollen river made this trek the highlight of the holiday so far!

So it's on to Laos tomorrow for adventures afresh and perhaps a few solo trips into the beyond all on my lonesome. Watch this space but don't hold your breath... Gareth is a much more thorough blogger and you can see plenty of references to all of the above adventures by logging on to his travel blog:

ASBO Holidays

---

Photos

Intrepidation
Oh dear...

Khao San
Khao on my San

That freshly ripped off feeling...
Everything in Bangkok seemed to have one price for the Fahlangs and one for the locals. This train ticket cost 15 Baht on the timetable, and 315 by the time I went to the counter. At least I got a smelly free meal.

Lee the in transit entertainment
33 degrees didn't put him off playing tig and hide and seek round the temples with us all day!

Ayatthuya
This place is Thailand's Angkor Wat, absolutely unbelieveable.

Mincing in Sarongs
No comment really needed. Note the unusual tribal pattern on Gareth's

Heffalumps
Taken from the back of my very own jungle 4x4. I got to trek along on his head too.

Trekking in the Paddy fields
Reminded me a lot of traditional farming in Ireland. The hilltribes lived a lifestyle similar to that which my grandparents grew up with.

The ewok village
The first tribe we stayed with were so far up in the junglecovered mountanside I couldn't help think of the ewok tree village

Playing with the tarantula
Meet Chris Tarrantula. Our trekking guide was a nutter and picked Chris up, flicked him across the track at us.

Comments

[Jay Pee]

five dolla luv you long time
Well Mr McPickle, looks like good times are being had by all...loved your pic of auntie annies in gmoneys blog..cant take you anywhere!! lol Have yous adpoted Wee Lee or something...he seems to have touched your hearts, lol!! Keep up the blogness...cant wait for sept, yeeeeeooooooooo, xoxoxoxox

[Lesia]

Laos
Have fun in Laos. I spent Christmas there last year ;) Watch the buses .. don't bother paying for any extra service or VIP or anything like that in Laos as they all end up shoving everyone in the same ol bus. Lesson learned! Make sure to see the waterfalls outside of Luang Prabang! Cheers!

[mum]

jealous
souns like a great adventure but you can keep the spider and the child!