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Playing Hand Games
Playing Hand ga,es with a local child over dinner, very cute Hi again,
well we have been all over the place this last week, from pai to sukhothai then khon kaen and now nong khai. The last day in pai we hired a motorcycle and rode around the local hill tribe villges went up to the pai canyon and then the amazing hot springs which we soaked in for well over an hour. Then back on the bus and on to sukhothai via chiang mai. This first bus ride was the first of the week of hellish bus rides. The road from pai to chaing mai is famous for its beautiful scenery and also for being trechorously winding. on the way to pai it took 4 hrs to arive, on the way home it took 3 hours and it was pouring with rain. so i dont really need to explain why it was so crazy. Lets just say that i was holding on for dear life!!! and poor scotty was sitting opposite the open door!!! THen we headed off to sukhothai arrved at one am, this bus driver also loved to push the pedal to the floor and just tooted for anyone to get out of his way... funny but doesn't
Rolling Hills and Motorbikes
Magestic mountains surround Pai, people manage many things on their motocycles make it easy to sleep. Spent less than 24 hrs in sukhothai, and 6 of them weere spent riding bicycles around the historical park. Sukhothai was the original capital of siam (thialand) and so the ruins of the temples and buildings there are well over a thousand years old. They were pretty breathtaking. Met a nice american coule and had dinner with them before the getting to the bus stop for the worst bus of the week winner. Earlier in the day we had gone ot the bus stop to buy a ticket, but were unable to, because in thailand they have strange bus setups were you have to buy the ticket on the bus, the only problem with that is you have no idea whetther you will get a seat until the bus arrves. So the 11pm bus turns up at 1130 and we are told that there is no space, but then 3 thai people get on the bus and the women says in perfect english that she doesnt speakl english - yeah right. Anyway so we wait again for the 1245 bus, it arrives at 1am and similarly we are told that the bus is full -
Rock Star
Our little motorcycle, unlike the photo suggests i only ever rode it about 5m. Scotty was my driver... well by this stage we don't care we are getting on that bus, so we get on and are taken to the back of the bus were there is a space about the size of 1 square meter with a young thai guy sitting there. The bus bitch then arranges a few flattened card board boxes on the floor - wicked!!!! a 7 hour bus trip with no seat and also no room at all. Scotty ended up lying in the isle and i curled my legs under the seat in front of me and managed to sleep-kind of until 4am when they woke us up because 2 people got off. myself and the thai guy got spots, but cotty missed out, but he had much more room than before.
We arrived in khon kaen delirious and halicinating - ate and went to bed for 5 hours. Woke up and wnadred around the city on a vanessa goose chase for a handicrafts shop, asked at a food stall and the lovely people called the shop and we got first class directions after that, it pays to look at the lonely planet maps very carefully when you are tired. Then
Pai Hot Springs
The locals come here to boil eggs - very hot we headed down the to heart of khon kaen, around the lake. Were couples were sitting on the banks painting at plaster fun houses- some things are universal. and riding in litle boats on the water. We ate at the restaurant there and had the best meal of our trip so far - it was delicious, i can still taste it.
THe next day we headed off to chonabot - which is famous for creating the thailands finest silk. I bought about 8 meters of this amazing silk, which i plan for mum to make into dresses for the weddings i have coming up. I can't imagine how much it would cost in Australia!!!
Then back to khon kaen for the bus to nong khai. Well we went to the train station first but the timetabel that i had was an old one and the thain didn't run anymore.
This was the last bus from hell for the week, there weas something wrong with the toilet system of the bus and the most putrid foul mouldy shit smell wafted down the bus for the 3 hrs of the trip. YUMMY!!
We are in nong khai now
Sukhothai Ruins 1
Beautiful Buddha Statue - over 1000 years old and today will head off for a sculpture park and later on a sunset criuse down the mekong...this is the life.
Hope you are all well,
more photos will come soon - i promise.
Love Ness and Scott
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Sarah
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Hi Scotty and Ness
Sounds like you guys are having an awesome trip. Loved the pics from the elephant conservation centre. Would love to do that. Have a great b'day Ness, we'll celebrate when you return.