Well, mine certainly has! So let me just say Buongiorno della Roma! What a city! What a country! What people! What life! What suicidal traffic- yet again... Only this time you have to look left before crossing, a fact that I have to keep repeating to myself every time I come to a road. Yikes!! I'm just hoping I don't become roadkill any time in the near future. But, when in Rome, do as the Romans do- and by sticking close to the locals as they cross the uncrossable roads, I have thus far managed to stay alive :) Arrived in [View Full Entry]

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Well, not quite accurate. My last night in Thailand was actually spent on a damn freezing overnight train. Didn't get any sleep, and had to be up at 5.30am. Not happy Jan! :s Anyway, as my time in Thailand comes to an end, I thought I might give a sort of overview of my time spent here. I'll try to do something like this after each country I visit...depending on how good the reviews are ;p So. Thailand. A land of contrasts. So many pros matched by so many cons. First pro, quite obviously, is the fact that it is dirt [View Full Entry]

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I know what you're thinking. A monk. Religious guru. Not very exciting behind the scenes. Just meditation and prayer and whatnot. WRONG! These people are really...well, cool! And how do I know this you may wonder? In Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, the Lonely Planet guide came through once again, and informed us mighty travellers about 'Monk Chat', held at a local Wat, aka a temple. Yes, that's right girls and boys, as really-bad-reality-TV-show-gone-wrong as it sounds, and as skeptical as I was to begin with (would you expect anything less from me, really?!), this turned out to be the most i [View Full Entry]

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Elephant riding. What more can I say? It was just the most amazing experience! We visited the Elephant Conservation Centre near Lampang, northern Thailand today. As some of you may know, the elephant happens to be my favourite animal, therefore this was especially exciting for me. Firstly, we watched the elephants bathe, with their trainers scrubbing at them until they were squeaky clean (well, relatively less smelly at any rate!). Then they were put through their paces, showing the mesmerised audience (ok, so admittedly it was mainly me who was 'ooh-ing' and 'aah-ing') of tourists how smart t [View Full Entry]

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No, seriously though- best Pad Thai I've ever tasted came from a teeny tiny little stand in the middle of a night market in Sukothai. And for the right high price of 20 Baht (roughly translates to 60 cents or so- beat that Jack!!). The Thai people are seriously the best chefs. The food here is amazing- everything from vegetable and meat dishes, to curries, to the wierd, wonderful and exotic. And the prices are ridiculously cheap if you come from pretty much any Westernised country (and therefore get a decent exchange rate). They say that if you are more than [View Full Entry]

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Ok. So I like nature. But I like my creature comforts as well. Here's how to combine the two... Leaving Bangkok two days ago, we (ie. my 8-person tour group and I) travelled approximately 5 hours by train, then another hour by songteaw (meaning 'two rows'- so basically a pick-up truck with two long benches in the back) to the smaller city of Sukhothai in the north. We were dropped off at our accommodation, which consists of a group of wooden bungalows in what looks like a tropical rainforest setting- it's really quite serene and nice. However, like all rainforests, there [View Full Entry]

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An interesting fact I picked up... Bangkok's real name is this tongue twister- try saying it for yourself: 'Krungthep mahanakhon amon ratanakosin mahintara ayuthaya mahadilok popnopparat ratchathani burirom udomratchaniwet mahasathan amonipiman avatansathit sakkathattiya witsanukamprasit' Meaning: 'Great city of angels, repository of divine gems, great land unconquerable, grand and prominent realm, royal and delightful capital city full of nine noble gems (not sure what these are, but hey), highest royal dwelling and grand palace, divine shelter and living place of reincarnated spirits [View Full Entry]

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'Sawatdeeka' from Bangkok, where I arrived to be greated by 30 degree heat, and roughly 60-70% humidity- and this was at 6.30am, mind! This is now my second day spent here, and I can tell you, it's been an interesting experience so far. So I thought the best way to share my journey thus far was in the form of a 'how to' guide to Bangkok- and NO, this has nothing to do with anything sexual thank-you very much!! HOW TO...lose 3kgs in 2 days: Simple- come to Thailand (and sweat it off). No, but seriously. Combine the heat, the lack [View Full Entry]

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So here I am... 1 hour before being whisked off to the airport... Wondering what the hell I'm doing... :s As I finished packing about half hour ago (yes, I am still in the habit of leaving important things to the last possible minute!!), I weighed my previously reasonably light 6.5kg backpack, only to discover it had grown substantially more plump on a diet of clothes, toiletries and other essentials to get me through the months ahead...that is, I am now the proud owner of an 11kg monster- not to mention the 3.5kg daypack... Grand total: 14.5kgs. Hmmm... Decided to take [View Full Entry]

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