I was really excited to go trek, my first proper one since travelling (which I guess was a surprising statistic in itself). I knew what to bring, that they'd be four others and that we'd be going (picture a wooden map with little wooden props) this way into the jungle, with lots of ups and downs, a village visit here and a camp about here (quite central in the conservation area). And the next day, more through the jungle and out to rice fields and to meet the River Tha the next afternoon. At the office early the next morning I met our main guide Pron and my trekking companions - a couple from France and a couple from the US. We set off by tuk tuk, picking up our assistant guide Mr Sok on the ... read more

Pai has offered something different, made up of many little parts that I've enjoyed in the lush valley. A fruity, spongy, sweet, nutty slice held simply in one's hand. It's not a town of Thailand culture in the main part, the real villages that are not built on laidback backpacks exist a bike ride away. Over time Pai has developed from a remote stop off from Chiang Mai to a cute mountain smudge with new age vibe, characterised by its walking street of indie stalls and the live music and hammock decorated bars parallel to the bamboo bridged river. It has the forever winding road-made remoteness; the hilly northern thai landscape; a gleaming little river you can engage with; simple guesthouses and sit out and lay spots; and international cuisine offered along the stalls, Mexican to ... read more

How things change! On coming away travelling I was quite set on this idea of only ever taking short bus and train journeys - why go longer when I can stop and see somewhere, and (perhaps the bigger reasoning!) I badly misjudged what such long journeys would be like. Whilst I was also, honestly, not too hot on the idea of those sleeper trains.. no thanks! I will keep to short movements across the country, said I. The beauty of our time in Malaysia was that we didn't much think about next places (unless it was for food or sunset spots or live music). But finally I was indeed back on a next step, and I decided to get back up to north Thailand, above Sukhothai again. So here's how it went! - A) Georgetown, Penang ... read more

So it was off to an Island for the holidays! Pulau Langkawi of Malaysia, off Thailand's most southern Andaman coast. For Christmas I'd been in Sukhothai and had really enjoyed being away from things christmassy, bar a couple of stalls of novelty santa outfits for kids. Sukhothai had many sweet spots for me; history, museums, cycle rides, city parks, food markets, a swimming pool and city wandering (if a little bruised and bandaged from a bike drama!). On these I would expend the traditional holiday gorging. But New year, and the build up, would be with friends on a gorgeous, fun little bit of old lava. I felt a joy as I could see the sea for the first time in my trip, ready to board from Satun to Langkawi. The boat ride was a treat ... read more

The brilliant Homtel gang and I were settled on our next episode, we'd head down to settle in Khao Yai national park from the farm. A big goodbye and thank you to the family, such a special place. It felt strange to leave our home of the past two weeks. Swinging into Pak Chong early morning, on one of the few village buses out, we soon found stalls for our jointly craved potion of Iced Thai Tea, '4 coming right up.' We passed elephants that were walked through the streets by the market's only aggressive sellers (no thanks, we didn't want anything), and soon grabbed a hearty breakfast - various dishes, which were assured of our desired spiciness 'real spicy, honestly', including the delicious morning glory (wonderfully seasoned and spiced water spinach). From here we were ... read more