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The Doc moves to Thailand - Doc

Australia to Thailand

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My new home for 12 months

I am departing Australia on Friday 24th October 2008 for 12 months. I am leaving behind my home by the beach for a mountainous and forrested location in Thailand. Otherwise known as the "City of Three Mists," I will be living in Mae Hong Son and working along the Thai-Burma border. I will be assisting refugees who have fled from Burma with their preparations for resettlement to Australia as well as embarking on my own educational and cultural learning experience. I am hanging up the high heels and suits for a slower pace in life and an awesome opportunity to learn more about different hilltribes and their lifestyles. Something that fascinates me the most about travelling and of course I can't wait to wear the local dress.

I have visited Thailand twice and there is so much to love about this country. Not only the food, culture, weather and people will make my 12 months enjoyable but I can take advantage of authentic training in their national sport muay thai. Will I want to return home?!

I am looking forward to this experience and hope to share this with my family and friends who I will miss dearly.

http://www.maehongsontravel.com/

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Joined on: October 2nd 2008
Last Login: November 9th 2009

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Blogs & Travel Journals

by The Doc moves to Thailand, order by Date newest first.

By The Doc moves to Thailand
August 31st 2009

August Antics! Asia » Thailand » North-West Thailand » Mae Hong Son

Partying at the Chalet
MHS's only nightclub Jack, Ngim and I

I have lived in MHS for over 8 months and have managed to avoid an outing to the infamous “Chalet” up until now. The “Chalet” is MHS’s only nightclub and I am certain that if it had been playing the sounds of Armin Van Buren or trance I would have made an appearance sooner. Definitely not Dome in its prime but it does have kathoeys (ladyboys) so there is one similarity. The Chalet plays Thai music and everyone dances (Thai style) around the seats and tables. It only starts to get busy around 11.30pm, which is past my bed time nowadays [View Full Entry]

By The Doc moves to Thailand
August 6th 2009

A day in the life of Camp 1 Asia » Thailand » North-West Thailand » Mae Hong Son

Never too old to play elastics!

As classes were reduced in the month of August our section at work organised a half day trip to Camp 1. Although I had seen many of the places we visited before it was good to reconnect with the community and be a part of camp life again. We caught the children just before they went off to school and a few colleagues joined in on playing elastics. The children and camp populace were just as intrigued by us as we were of them. We visited a nursery, the hospital, a few projects operating in the camp and various sections of [View Full Entry]

By The Doc moves to Thailand
July 19th 2009

Returning home to the sweet sound of Sawadee ka! Asia » Thailand » North-West Thailand » Mae Hong Son

Matt and I at Mae Yen Waterfall

After having a disagreement at Yangon airport with the woman collecting our departure taxes because she refused to accept any of our US$20 notes, I couldn’t wait to return to the sweet sound of Sawadee ka and the traditional wai Thai greeting. The Burmese government only accepts brand new, not ripped, crinkled or torn US notes which is almost impossible when you have been travelling for 2 weeks! However there seemed to be no problem in the country giving us their kyat notes which are all tattered, weathered and sticky taped together. Fortunately we were able to do a money exchange [View Full Entry]

By The Doc moves to Thailand
July 12th 2009

Idyllic Inle Asia » Burma » Inle Lake

Wow, this is Inle Lake!

Before we left Kalaw we paid a visit to the Catholic Church (photo in previous blog) and met the lovely priest, Father Paul. It was interesting how many places of worship there were in this small town - a mosque, various Christian Churches and numerous temples. Nevertheless the government has been known to discriminate against those who are not Buddhist, so while people practice different religions their freedom of worship is often inhibited. We were told that the government had tried to open up schools and businesses on Sundays in Burma and had to retract their plans once they realised tha [View Full Entry]

By The Doc moves to Thailand
July 10th 2009

Trek two from Kalaw to Aungban Asia » Burma » Kalaw

Spectacular scenery of the Shan Mountains

Joseph wanted a rest after our day trek so his co-worker Mr Aye took us on the second day. Mr Aye also spoke English well but was Chin ethnic. He had served in the military 30 years ago and had battle scars as a reminder of his service. Although you would never have guessed it, he was as fit as a 20 year old and it was like running behind “Road Runner” when we were nearing our destination for lunch. The best way to describe Mr Aye would be to say that he was the Burmese equivalent of Mr Miyagi (the [View Full Entry]

By The Doc moves to Thailand
July 9th 2009

Visiting the Pa-O on our first trek in Kalaw! Asia » Burma » Kalaw

She Wu, an absolute delight

While it took us quite a while to eventually make it to Kalaw, after a long flight delay in Mandalay, we were not disappointed. Shan State was one of my favourite destinations in Burma (both Kalaw and Inle Lake) because of its spectacular mountainous scenery. If it wasn’t for all the government restrictions and red tape, Shan State would be a lot easier for me to access from MHS because they practically border one another. We arrived into Heho airport and then caught a taxi for an hour to Kalaw. The town sits on the western edge of the Shan Plateau [View Full Entry]

By The Doc moves to Thailand
July 7th 2009

Seeing more Burmese payas, “it’s only just Bagan!” Asia » Burma » Bagan

Bagan's payas - View from Tayok Pyi Pya

By the middle of the second day (or it could have been at the end of the first) many of the ruins started looking quite similar to me. Don’t get me wrong Bagan is an amazing place, however knowing little about architectural styles except a slight understanding of the difference between Thai, Khmer and Burmese, it can get slightly monotonous. At least the vistas from the top of the payas remained amazing no matter which one or where it was located because they overlooked different viewpoints. On the second day we broke up the monotony of temple hopping and cycling by [View Full Entry]

By The Doc moves to Thailand
July 6th 2009

Bagan, an archaleogical haven of temples, payas and ruins Asia » Burma » Bagan

Sunset over Bagan

Bagan is one of Burma’s most famous attractions. It is a notable archaeological site and has over 2000 pagodas and temples of the 11th-13th century. At one time there were 13,000 temples, pagodas (payas) and religious structures. UNESCO has been unsuccessful in trying to designate it as a World Heritage Site, which is unfortunate as it is worthy of such a title. Bagan is located in the dry central plains of the country on the Ayeyarwady River, 145km from Mandalay. While the distance doesn’t sound too far, on the rough, rugged roads it takes 8 hours by bus. We decided to [View Full Entry]

One of the four Buddha images in Ananda Temple

Matt and I in front of Thathyinnyu Temple

By The Doc moves to Thailand
July 3rd 2009

Reliving the colonial days at Pyin U Lwin (Maymyo) Asia » Burma » Pyin U Lwin

Anisakan Falls

Formerly known as Maymyo, Pyin U Lwin is a hill station 69km out of Mandalay, about an hour and a half drive. As it is 1000m above sea level and enjoys a relatively cooler climate it once was the summer capital for the Raj in Burma and a retreat for the British from Burma’s scorching heat. As a result, Pyin U Lwin is well known for its colonial style houses. There still remains a large Indian population because during British times it was the military centre of the Indian Army. Pyin U Lwin is a production centre for silkworm rearing, pharmaceutical [View Full Entry]

By The Doc moves to Thailand
July 2nd 2009

Amarapura, Inwa and Sagaing Hill Asia » Burma » Mandalay

Beautiful baby wearing tanaka makeup
At Maha Ganayon Kyaung

This was one of the best day trips we had. It was full of Burmese history, culture, food and people. The highlights included: Mandalay (photos in previous blog) Visiting the stone carvers workshop Purchasing longyis (Burmese traditional wear and getting help from the locals), a wall tapestry and a puppet at the weaving and handicrafts shop. Amarapura It is 11 km south of Mandalay and most famous for its teak bridge and lake. Maha Ganayon Kyaung: a monastery currently home to around 1300 monks. We arrived before 11am to watch them queue for [View Full Entry]

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