Blogs from North-East Thailand, Thailand, Asia - page 5

Arriving in Mukdahan after our uncomfortable bus trip from Nakhon Phanom we climbed onboard yet another tuktuk which took us down to our prebooked hotel on the banks of the Mekong River. The river was a surprisingly long way from the bus station so the city was obviously quite large. Our hotel (once again it was named the Riverside) was very comfortable and at only $20 a night a bargain. We couldn't see the river however as the bank was lined with dozens of stalls selling food and general tourist tat. It really wasn't very attractive and we promptly decided to only spend one night there - not the two as originally planned. After settling in we wandered along trying to find somewhere to eat. The food on display at the long row of food stalls ... read more

Koh Tao was about a 2 hour high speed ferry crossing from Koh Samui , it was good to get off that Island, I love Islands I was even born and grew up on one the Isle of WIght , I seem to be drawn to islands , in the army I went to the Falkland Islands, Ascention Island,Sardinia , La Madalena and holidayed on the Canary Islands but there is only a certain amount you can see on such a small Island like Koh Samui. With directions written on the back of scrap piece of paper I left the little busy port of Koh Tao and walked through the bustling little markets along the dirt tracks in search of the dive centre, I felt a bit silly dragging my Cambodian wheely suitcase behind me , ... read more

Gathered around a cornucopia of delectable Vietnamese dishes on what appears to be “the last supper”, a retrospective feeling of satisfaction fills the air. I’m not sure if I’m more cognizant of this collective appreciation or rather of my anticipation for yet another memorable culinary experience… I have a weakness for Vietnamese food… My love for this complex cuisine knows no bounds! Today, however, the meal is even more special. It marks the close of our first field visit – a week long journey in and around Ubon Ratchathani and Sisaket to investigate issues of the Khao Phra Viharn (Phrea Vihear) temple on the Thai/Cambodia border, the Pak Moon Dam, land use, development, urban poor development, and community based initiatives and action... As I look around the table, I detect a combined sentiment of weariness and ... read more

When I first arrived in Thailand I never thought that leaving would be so hard to do, but now that I am nearing the end of my time here and I have to say goodbye, it’s really sad. This past 5 months has literally flown by but now it is my final week of teaching before next week’s exams and then I leave the school and Mukdahan forever to start my 7 week travelling adventure. While I am very excited to be off travelling around and not having to go to work anymore, I am really going to miss the kids. It’s all very bitter sweet. Apart from the boring task of having to go through what was on the final tests and giving out revision, my final week included very little teaching. Instead we played ... read more

It was our Californian girls birthday this weekend and so of course we celebrated in true ‘han’ style, which involved, stuffing our faces with pizza, chips and cheesy garlic bread whilst stocking up on whiskey for our pre-party! It is actually ridiculous just how cheap whiskey is to buy over here, therefore I take absolutely no blame for my drunken state and blame it all on Thailand’s stupidly cheap alcohol prices! Seriously, it is 199baht for 1 litre of whiskey (and Thai whiskey is strong!) which is about 4 English pound, mental! so after getting ready and making ourselves look beautiful we started our pre-party, drinking whiskey, listening to music, doing dances and playing drinking games before heading out. We went onto a bar with live music first where you are actually allowed to take your ... read more