Blogs from Nakhon Ratchasima, North-East Thailand, Thailand, Asia - page 2

Next day after trekking, and on the final day of Songkran, Xan, Mr Wolf and I joined the guest house staff, their families and friends celebrations. They had Thai music blasting from speakers facing out onto the road, two big barrels of water being fed by hosepipes, talc and lots of small bowls with which we could hurl water at passers by and each other. As soon as they saw us coming we were smeared in talc paste - all over our faces, arms and pretty much anywhere they could - and drenched from top to toe! Pick-up vehicles with the back full of people, water barrels and pistols pulled up and water fights ensued! Buses slowed down to join in (with driver sealed in and dry at the front!) mopeds would slow down ready for ... read more

Passport still not ready, so we bus it back to Bangkok, then straight onto another out of there, northeast. Everywhere rammed full of people trying to get home for Songkran, the traditional Thai new year. I spend most of the journey with one cheek either side of a seatbelt receptacle. We stay in a place just outside Pak Chong, right on the edge of the Khao Yai National Park (the first and largest in Thailand). Find a guest house with a pool and sign up for a 2-day trek. Our trek guide for day 1 is Tommy - 50-something Thai bloke who spent a few years in Texas, so his English has a mid-western drawl, and he peppers his speech with 'man' and 'sheeeeeet'. He remembers all of our names instantly (impressive as there are 7 ... read more

To say I'm overdue on a blog is a severe understatement. I'm fairly sure its been somewhere in the region of 3 weeks since I last updated anything, and a lot of interesting things have definitely happened! I last left off at Pak Chong & Khao Yai National park where after my Jungle Trek I was faced with some tough decisions; to go further north-east, to see Phi Mai and its Angkhor period temples, or to head back to Bangkok, to get my laundry done. As I had discovered the day I went to the bat cave, the laundry wasn't gonna get done in Pak Chong, so this dilemna persisted, only to be finally resolved through a trusted mediator, Beer Chang. Now I know it sounds like I'm a drinking raving lunatic as every blog I ... read more

Since I last wrote I have had some interesting waxes in Bangkok, unsuccessfully attempted to visit foreign inmates at the 'Bangkok Hilton' twice, seen some naked ladies writhing around in foam at 'Soi Cowboy', attempted meditation at a silent 10 day retreat, and stayed for a week in a monastery in North-East Thailand which was a positive experience until the last day when I discovered that my laptop (along with my phone and money) had 'gone missing' (Aghh Gahhh!). Therefore, due to the vanished laptop (which had unpublished blog entries on) it may take a while till my next proper blog post. So, if I have any secret fans out there...sit tight! p.s I interviewed each monk, took finger prints, checked under their robes and cleared them all of theft. Thus I allow the reputation of ... read more

Songkran - 3 days of fun and chaos in Thailand Amidst the political turmoil of Thailand, none of which is mentioned in the rural areas except for a glimpse of the news on TV, I boarded a truck full of kids and adults from the village near Chock Chai about three hours by bus north-east of Bangkok. It is Songkran water festival time and "Happy New Year" for the Thais. I stood in the middle of the crowded truck next to a large barrel of water and everyone was armed with water shooting guns and anything suitable for throwing water. Soon we were passing large groups of locals dancing in the hot midday sun to the sounds of the upbeat Isaan music, all smiling and water was spraying everywhere. It did bring a momentary tear to ... read more