Blogs from Chiang Khong, Northern Thailand, Thailand, Asia - page 8

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Asia » Thailand » Northern Thailand » Chiang Khong November 11th 2006

Drifting in and out of sleep. Light from outside the room catching on the mosquito net. A guitar being played nearby, a Thai-accented voice singing the words to a John Lennon song - "Don't Let me Down." In Southeast Asia, it was sometimes hard to discern the difference between the waking moment and the dream. So many sights, sounds, smells and tastes. Colour and experiences beyond your wildest dreams.... or nightmares. Was I dreaming and where were we? How many times would we ask ourselves those questions during the course of our trip? We were still in Thailand of course, but only just and stood on the brink of entering a new country. That day, we had arrived in Chiang Khong in Thailand's northeast corner. After finding somewhere to stay we wandered out to the edge ... read more
Soppong
Bamboo Rafts
"Look Like Crokalai"

Asia » Thailand » Northern Thailand » Chiang Khong October 16th 2006

My last night in Chiang Mai was kind of funny. After going out for drinks with my friends (Mike and Kay from the U.K. and Mahogany from NY/Arizona/Singapore), I got dragged off by a pretty Thai girl (an Isaan Girl, to be more specific--their beauties) who I thought was taking me to dance at a night club. She actually took me to a massage parlor for some of the famous Thai massage. There was no "happy ending", so don't even ask, but by the time it was over I really didn't feel like partying anymore. So I made a stop at Chiang Mai's famous night market and went to bed around 11pm. And thus I became the only person without a hangover on Mike and my bus north to Chiang Khong the next day. The Bus ... read more
This was our bus from Chiang Mai north.
This here is the gate to Indo-China.
Huay Xai looked mystical in the morning fog.

Asia » Thailand » Northern Thailand » Chiang Khong September 20th 2006

Hello to all friends and family Following a fairly uneventful / typical few days of touring through Northern Thailand with our travel group (a nice mixture of people from around the globe), we woke to the news that we are currently travelling through a country that has just undergone a peaceful military coup. Bloody typical, they haven't had one for 15 years, then just as we're about to cross the border to Laos, the border closes. Apparently there is a fairly high likelihood we can pass through tomorrow (otherwise we'll have to turn back in-land and try alternative routes). So for tonght we are camping out in the border town (along with lots of other stranded tourists) and have decided to make the most of it and try the local beer (which is even cheaper than ... read more
Carriage made for two....
Temples, temples and more temples...

Asia » Thailand » Northern Thailand » Chiang Khong September 20th 2006

Ok...So I thought Thailand would be safer or at least calmer than Cambodia. However, I had quite a few eventful days my last few days in Thailand. Two major events occurred. 1. Coup in Bangkok the second day I was there. 2. Loosing and finding my passport. So I arrived back in Bangkok and some of the girls I met in Siem Reap let me crash at there place because we got back really late. After weeks of scummy guesthouses and shared showers, it felt like a palace. It´s amazing what a good nights sleep and a warm shower will do! I left there apartment and set out to discover Bangkok´s Backpacker haven of Koh San Road. Before I even got into a cab I met two other people heading that direction, and we were off ... read more
Relaxing
Hangn' With the Sweeds
Fat Dog!!!!!!!

Asia » Thailand » Northern Thailand » Chiang Khong August 14th 2006

Day 1 After a pretty quiet last night in Chiang Mai, which included a brief moment of "getting lost" in the depths of Thai Chiang Mai (vs touristy Chiang Mai). We were up at the crack of dawn (7:30am) to board the bus to Chiang Rai and onto the border town of Chiang Khong (7hrs in the smallest seat we've come across to date). Where we met a Swiss bloke by the name of Christopher (later referred to as Prince Christophe/Skipper #2/Ladyboy) and a nice danish couple (who were stoked to have an Aussie princess...) who also had to put up with similar cramped conditions and therefore struck a common bond. Arriving in Chiang Khong around sunset we caught our first glimpse of the muddy gravy of the Mekong and went in search of what we ... read more
The Mekong
The Mekong
The Mekong

Asia » Thailand » Northern Thailand » Chiang Khong July 3rd 2006

PAI. excuse the pun, but it's a true slice of heaven. The village of Pai is a small town in the northeastern part of Thailand which is surrounded by breathtaking mountains which hold a number of treasures - waterfalls, canyons, kilometers on end of hiking trails, and ofcourse...the hill tribes (everyone must have seen pictures of Thai hill tribes nicknamed the 'Long Necks' due to the gold rings they have around their necks). The bus from Chiang Mai to Pai took approximately three hours. That was a three hours during which I was extremely grateful for a stomach which can handle twists and turns on small mountain roads. Definitely not the ideal ride for those with motion sickness. The drive felt a whole lot shorter thanks to a fantastic Welsh man who entertained me the entire ... read more
Pai (by Gal)
Pai (by Gal)
Pai (by Gal)

Asia » Thailand » Northern Thailand » Chiang Khong June 14th 2006

After being pleasantly surprised by waking up with an almost non existant hangover, I boarded a minivan heading north. Our first stop was to Rong Rhunian, an amazing white temple designed & built by a local artist. I purchased a few prints from the adjoining gallery to send home & far from being an art critique, I really liked the amazing detail & bright colours the artist uses in his work. We stopped for lunch at a restuarant called Cabbages & Condoms, which is a non profit organization in Thailand that works with locals to promote safe sex practices & birth/population control. Back on the road for the afternoon, we arrived at the border town of Chiang Khong & had dinner overlooking Laos across the Mekong River.... read more
140606B
140606C
140606D

Asia » Thailand » Northern Thailand » Chiang Khong April 11th 2006

What a journey that was! It's only about 9 hours after my last "pai" entry. We left Pai at 11pm, thinking we were embarking on the 8hr journey to Chiang Khong on 'VIP' bus, when they cram us into a pokey minivan.......zero zzzzz's! We arrived bang on time to see the most unreal sunset I've ever witnessed. Check the pic. Just brought out 1500b visa for Loas, waiting in this cafe for the departure of our 2 day slow boat down the Mekong.... read more

Asia » Thailand » Northern Thailand » Chiang Khong March 20th 2006

Saa er vi ankommet til det nordlige Thailand, naermere bestemt Chiang Khong, en mindre havneby, hvor vores baad mod laos afgaar imorgen tidelig kl 9. En spaendende tur paa 2 dage med en saakaldt slowboat, der foelger mekong floden og slutter i Louangprabang. Siden sidst vi skrev, har vi vaeret i Bangkok en dag for at tage toget mod Chiang Mai hvor vi skulle ud og se noget natur, nogle stammefolk der bor i bjergene og nyde en gang elefantridning. Selve turen til Chiang Mai, blev arrangeret paa ankomstdagen til Bangkok igennem en taxichauffoer, som kendte nogle som kendte nogle :P. Vi valgte at stole paa ham, noget vi ellers er blevet meget skeptiske over for, eftersom alle i thailand proever at snyde en, til et eller andet (virker det som om). Og blev koert til ... read more
Turbo-snot-elefant




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