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Published: August 13th 2007
Hi there
It feels like a while since I've been blogging but anytime I've been on the internet I've been trying to restore my stuff that got lost when the site crashed....so have most of it...some of it a bit jumbled but think that's as good as it gets!
The last week has been a bit of a blur we've been moving that much!! We left Chiang Mai early last Thursday morning & as the train chugged away for 8 hours we eventually arrived at our destination...Phitsanulok. Well we said back in Hong Kong that you should never arrive in a place without a map, especially when English speaking people number 2-me & Grace!! It was mad that nobody there spoke English...it really wasn't a tourist town. We wandered in the direction of what looked like city & some very charitable lady walked us a kilometer in the rain....to find a hotel. Amazingly it wasn't a city swamped with tuc-tucs either. But what a charm it was-the hotel was exactly what the doctor ordered....TV, fridge, clean, hot-shower & air-conditioning for less than a tener!! Love these non-touristy places again. It was the kind of room that you didn't mind returning to during the day if you had to....yeh some places have been a bit rough & best viewed at night when the light doesn't cast it's nasty face over the creatures & dirt that lurks...everywhere!! So it was somewhere that we could relax at night...the thing is that you get used to such luxury & expect a film every night & the same standards of cleanliness everywhere.....
Well apart from the hotel there wasn't an awful lot to say about this place...we only stayed 2 nights & were able to easily get to grips with the city in that time....wandering the markets is a favorite of ours....but I am seriously shocked by the amount of overweight people here...not just a tad.....but there are an awful lot of people...young at that who are obese....I thought it was going to be waif creatures here but not at all. It's a serious problem. Although if you saw the food on all the stalls you'd understand why...all deep-fried in batter....like balls of fat posing as chicken or pork etc.....& everything has sugar added in some form!! Haven't been overly enamoured with the cuisine in these parts....was much nice in Vietnam...but I'm continuing to increase my chili tolerance adding a bit to all meals & then regretting it for the next hour as my mouth has its own fireworks display!! Yeh looking at some of the stalls would put you off eating....not the healthiest food to be got here.
Then off we went to Sukhothai....hoping to find a bit of sunshine cause the wet season is upon us here & it's a bit like being at home but with a bit of heat in the air too....so the poncho gets soaked inside & outside too. Sukhothai was a nice little town....a little bit more touristy...a river that smells like slurry & accommodation tolerable.....a hut this time...kinda smelled & this was before we got onto it.......but thankfully it was only one night & no creatures were targeted during our stay.
We headed to the old city of Sukhothai yesterday..... a nice historical park with more temples.....was a bit like walking in the curragh with all the trees & was very flat...the rain held off for a few hours too & we managed to eat about a whole roast chicken between us.....so our craving for some "real" chicken was finally satisfied!!
Well the bus companies here are brilliant, loads of leg-room, air-con, cheap......we took an overnight bus to Ayuthaya last night....didn't actually get any sleep though & we were turfed out onto the road at 3am....was meant to be 4am but they are obviously very punctual. So we ended up sitting on the side of the highway for 3 & a half hours in the dark this morning & getting eaten by the local mosquitos & whatever else like the taste of me!! Turned out to be a busy little spot.....loads of buses stopped here so there was a small collection of us eejits sitting there as the locals headed off on a moto to their warm beds. There were no taxis about & none of the hostels would be open so we stayed there.
So her I am in Ayyuthaya- Tony's Place & it's a lovely cosy spot...a lot of backpackers about but the rooms are homely & again...it's nice to just lie on the bed without fearing for your health & safety. We found the sun again....cause we're only an hour form Bangkok....so we're taking a well-deserved pool-day tomorrow to recharge the battery!!
Then we're heading northwest a bit to a place called Kanchanaburi...meant to be a nice town & then up more north again to hopefully. fingers-crossed to exit & re-enter Thailand so that we can get a new visa & not pay the fine. We'll see how that one works out!! We'd hoped to do more trekking about these parts again but it's very hard to organise it here....no tyour operators do it so it'd work out very expensive & time-consuming....so it'll have to be another time.
Will be going to the islands over the week & a half- Ko Samui to start with on the east...won't be going to the west cause hear that it gets a lot of rain & that wouldn't do at all...so can't wait....& can't wait to see Niamh....can't wait to see someone from home....won't let her out of my sight....it just seems like we've been away so long & it'll be lovely to catch up with her!!
Anyway that's the story from Thailand so far. Keep me updated on the craic from home.
Love Alison😊
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Jao Moragoat
non-member comment
Thais are obese?
Interesting blog, but I was just wondering where you were from, Ethiopia or ? Sure many Thais are growing overweight and obese but still it's nothing compared to the states or UK for that matter, on average anyway...anyhow keep up the travel logging! http://www.thaiskale.com/journal/ (my current events blog) http://www.thaiskale.com/archives.html (my personal blog)