I think I can upload some pics! [View Full Entry]

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Today I went on a trip to a wat which was built near the top of a mountain just outside Chiang Mai. Apparently what happend is that the King of Lanna was given a valuable Buddha relic that he wanted to house in a wat. He decided where to put it, but then it miraculously split into two identical clones of itself! He had to find another location and determined to found a new was to commemorate the miracle. The relic (one of them) was placed on the back of a riderless white elephant which was then allowed to roam free. [View Full Entry]

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When I posted yesterday's blog, I didn't mention that I had looked around the Sunday Walking Market after I'd got back from the rafting. This takes place every Sunday in one of the main streets of teh moated city and the stalls also extend to some of the side streets, the courtyards of the wats along the way and to a large island in the moat on the eastern side. It was an interesting market to strol through, though I didn't buy anaything I saw tshirts offered for less than I had paid in the night market a few days ago. [View Full Entry]

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The trek started as planned even though there were only three of us. Myself and Chris and Richard who were both from Canada. As we left Chiang Mai we were stopped by a tourist policeman (an English ex-pat from Sussex) who toild us to be careful about putting on mosquito repellent as there'd been an outbreak of Dengue Fever. We drove out of Chiang Mai and, after a shop at a market to pick up any kit we didn't have, started to walk through some beatiful scenery at around half past ten. The start was mostly fairly level, crossing a couple [View Full Entry]

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As I walked down to wait for the bus yesterday, I saw a black cockerel and wondered it it was the alarm c(l)ock. It was just the same as other male chickens except that it was completely black, comb and all. Then, as I was waiting, I saw a strange creature that I thought might have been a centipede or millipede. Only it doesn't look like either of those as pictured by Wikipedia. I tood a picture of it, so I may be able to find out what it was. I asked a young boy who was sweeping the place up [View Full Entry]

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I'm back in Old Sukothai and there was a spare computer at Coffee Cup, so I thought I'd take advantage as I seem to have missed a few interesting things out. I've called this blog "What nots!" as I don't know what else to call it - and also because of the name of one of the many wats I've seen today. Wat Mai. I think "mai" means "not" in Thai. I've seen it used as a question - sabaidee means I'm fine and sabaidee mai asks if you are fine. I think it's used like "you fine, not?". Similarly chai [View Full Entry]

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I figured out how to get a taxi from the Lopburi hotel in the end. There was another way out leading to a parking area where taxis and tuk tuks congregated. Sensibly enough, they don't wait in the main road. I packed yesterday morning and caught a taxi to the station. Sukothai isn't on the railway, so I would have to get a bus from Phitsanulok. In fact, though, I was stopped by a tuk tuk man at the station who offered to take me all the way to my guest house in Old Sukothai for 1,000B. It's about 60km and [View Full Entry]

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My journey to Lopburi went very smoothly. At Auytthaya station I asked someone which platform I should be on for the Lopburi train and she said "this one". It was only a few minutes later that I realised that there was, in fact, only the one platform! To get to trains going in other directions you had to walk across the rails. The Lopburi train wasn't due to arrive until 4pm but got to Ayutthaya a quarter of an hour early. I would never had realised that this was the train I needed but fortunately the girl I'd asked earlier told [View Full Entry]

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After I left the internet cafe yesterday, I walked back to my hotel. I thought this would be easy and I wanted to see some of the wats by night as they are lit up. However I missed my way and carried on straight down Thanon Naresuan instead of turning into Cheekun. I was alerted to my error by a pack of wild dogs howling in the darkness and managed to find the right way again and got back to the hostel not long after eleven. For the first time in Thailand I couldn't get to sleep, though I was tired. [View Full Entry]

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I woke up this morning about 8 o'clock and showered and went out. As I went out I was asked to pay for the two beers I'd had last night - apparently the whiskey was free. I was intending to walk to Wat Phra Si Sanket but my map was a bit confusing and in the end I caught a tuk tuk. The tuk tuks here are different from those in Bangkok. They have sideways facing seats instead of forward facing ones and can take up to six passengers. I did explore the ruined wat beside my hostel before venturing further. [View Full Entry]

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