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Published: April 8th 2010
Ok so I haven't updated this in a while (sorry folks!)... I'll try my best now to update you.
Rest of my time in Kanchanaburi was excellent. Ended up swimming back down the river from the Bridge over the river Kwai... really good but lots of horrible weeds and reeds and stuff that you had to swim over to get to the hostel. I felt quite brave doing it! Went on an organised tour and did elephant riding, bamboo rafting, visited the Erawan waterfalls and went swimming there too (lots of horrid fish that come and suck on your feet if you stop moving... gross) and went on the "death railway". I visited the POW museum and went to the WWII memorial. It was very moving and it actually upset me quite a bit reading some of the personal stories.
Got a 2 public buses (sweaty) to Ayutthaya which is this place north of Bangkok which is like a small island as it is surrounded by rivers. Saw lots of people on the way wearing Balaclavas (including a lady sat next to me on the bus... very weird). Got taken by the tuk tuk driver to his "friends guersthouse" instead of the one I wanted to go to. Eventually managed to get him to take me where I actually wanted to go. Spent a couple of days there in a guesthouse run by an ex pat who also knew how important HP Brown Sauce was with a full english breakfast (yummmy). Had a look at lots of ruins by bike, very interesting, very sweaty but there was a nice little pool at the guesthouse to cool off in. Headed back on the train to Bangkok, as with everything it was a very sweaty ride (but only 15 baht - about 30p) stood up but at least they leave the doors open. Health and safety isn't a big thing in Thailand...
Picked Dan up from the airport the next day, was so good to see him... really strange after all this time. Got in a public taxi fine but because of the protests we got told by the taxi driver to get out and get on some motorcycles as the traffic was gridlocked. This was a perfect introduction to Dan off what Thailand is like. Can you imaging Dan and his 20kg backpack on the back of a scooter.... Got to the hotel eventually after riding on the pavement and nearly getting crushed by a bus going round the corner....
Chilled out in the Khao San Road area for a while. tried to do a bit of sightseeing by boat but the protests made things difficult. Saw the reclining buddha and stumbled across the pink shirt (anti red shirt) protests in Lumphini Park. After Arsenal defeated Wolves in the 95th minute (boooooo) we went to "the club" on Khao San road... was quite funny and it was the first time I was hot after coming out of a nightclub.
Sorted out our travel arrangements for getting to Lao and heading back down to Koh Tao. Went to the zoo... it was rubbish but there isn't that much to do in Bangkok, protest or no protest.
Got on the train to Nong Kwai which reminded me a bit of Russia. Train was very clean and comfy except for the incredible heat. There was fans but they were sort of pointless. Didn't really get much sleep but it was good to be on the move. Met some German girls who are pretty cool and we have been travelling with them ever since. Border crossing was interesting but quicker than all my other experiences, despite the fact they didn't believe Dan was the same person on his passport. Got to Vientiane and the first hostel we tried didn't exist anymore and the second was full but eventually ended up in a fourth floor dorm with the german girls (Nina and Hennie) in a room with two strange blokes. Vientiane is nice. Did a bit of sightseeing (1 temple) and then settled in to drink Beer Lao (only 70p for a big bottle!!). Lots of nice French influences and so had a nice pain au chocolate before heading on the bus to Vang Vieng.
It wasn't quite what we expected but it is growing on us. The stories were true that there are bars playing Family Guy and Friends episodes and it is beautiful place which shares the same geological features as the ones I saw in China. Unfortunatly due to the success of tubing the place looks at times like a building site as new hotels and hostels go up every minute.
Yesterday we went tubing. It was a brilliant experience. It is like a pub crawl on a river. It is the dry season so the water is quite low but the party is still going on big time. We were offered free shots as soon as we arrived and it was pretty crazy. Don't worry mum, none of us got too drunk as you still have to get in and out of the water. It was so nice to be in the coolish water instead of swimming in your own sweat. Lots of music and good times. I cut my leg a little bit and although I felt a bit faint for a while (you know what I mean Kate) I was fine... that was until the lady working at the bar told me that most cuts and graizes get infected from the water (brilliant)... too late to worry about it. After swimming to a few other bars, Dan cut his leg really bad from playing Volley Ball in the river, not good. We swam on after disinfecting it and he seemed ok. Bit of a race to get the tubes back to the end by 6pm but we made it just in time thanks to a very determined tuk tuk driver (yeah we never made it to the end!). Was lots of fun and our stuff didn't get too wet. I'm glad I have done it before Vang Vieng changes too much, which i'm sure it will. All the stories I had heard were true and it is such as good party atmosphere. Lots of water fights, rope swings and drawing on everyone with marker pens.... its like Glastonbury on a river.
After dinner I persuaded Dan to go to hospital as the cut was very deep and he ended up with 2 stitches, painkillers and antibiotics. He was very very brave ( I couldn't even stay in the room the whole time) and he is hobbling along just fine. We now have to make a few more hospital visits to get it cleaned and the stitches taken out but he will be just fine. I too have bought some antibiotics just in case my cut goes funny so we are laying off the beer lao for quite a while. Probably a good idea.
Apparently there is a state of emergency in Bangkok but I know a number of people who travelled there yesterday and it all seems pretty normal.
My adventure is starting to sound very dramatic and dangerous but trust me, its all going fine and it sounds worse than it is. Off to the Family Guy bar in a mo to get a yummy coconut fruit shake.
Getting on a bus to Luang Prabang tomorrow so will update you when I can. Love you all lots x x x x x
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eunice craig
non-member comment
POW museum
FGrandpas aunts hUsband was POW durin the war there and he never really recovered from it. He was a doctor in Glasgow but had one or two break downs All sounds very exciting hope Dans leg is improving and yours has not got infected. Saturday is the joint birthday party of Linda (50) and Catherine (21) at the Britannia Hotel in Wolverhampton about 60 people i am told are going. Dad and Jenny are coming up as they get back from France today and Sarah who is already here, not that I have heard or seen her this week Do n't like her to feel she must come and see me - silly really as I love seing her. I had a lovely Easter and the services were great. Love to you both. look aferyourselves, all my love Grandma xxxxx Look after yourselves love to you both.