What a journey!

---

Well since last writing we have been to a place called sukothai to breajk up the journey from chang mai to bangkok, this was another old capital city with polenty of temple ruins, alot like ayyuthaya but much better laid out. Again we hired bikes but this time remebered sunscreen, Stayed in a lovely guesthouse. An old teakhouse on stilts over a frog pond. It was beautiful. We then made our way back to bangkok to arrange our coach to siem reap in cambodia. We spent plenty of time shopping in khao san road. The journey from bangkok to siem reap was incredible. For anyone who has ever done it you will know what i mean but for those who havent: You get picked up from bangkok in a lovely vip bus ours was half empty so you cold stretch out. We all sat there thinking we can do this for 12 hrs. Little did we know that once you are over the otehr side of the border it all changes. The roads are pot holed dirt tracks the whole way. We had about 24 people crammed on to a clapped out minibus and when i say clapped out i mean it. people were sat on bags on the floor in the aisles. poor tall had an american guy sat literally between his legs! How romantic! Anyway so its one big long road that has no bends only 150 km took us about 8 hrs because the roads so bad. The guide joked bout some of the bridges being broken along the way of course we all laughed, but then we arrive to a bridge with another bus that has broken the bridge and is at an angle, all the people are off the bus just starng in dismay, meanwhile our bus has gone off road driving through the paddy fields when we come to a makeshift toll booth to drive round the bridge run by kids! business men in the making i say! so we carry on, cheering, and bout 20 mins later the bus just stops it has broken down, We all get off whilst the driver trys to fix it, standing round then suddenly it works but apparently he has to test it out, yeah right so he drives off with all our bags!! and we have to walk there is nothing around for miles just a few shacks, an amazing storm is happenign which lights up the sky, there are thousands of UV lights that look like light sabers, they are to catch the bugs for there dinner. Its just incredible. Then we finally catch up with the bus to find its broken again, our bags are still there with everything in it, thank god! So we hang around for a bit eventually it starts working, and we arrive eventually. Oh it sounds bad but really it was probably the best fun ive had. Who needs rollercoasters when you have a ride like that. we met alot of lovely people as well we were all in the same situation laughing our heads off at how ridicuolus it is!

---

Photos

Sukothai
More temple ruins