Bangkok and Chiang Mia

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Just a short blog as we are killing time waiting for our train.

We knew we had 3 weeks in Thailand and needed to book things up as soon as we arrived. Before we knew it we had booked overnight trains to chiang mai in the north, 3 days trekking, elephant trek, flights to and from Cambodia, 4 nights on Cochiang island in a beach hut and a few days shopping in Bangkok before we come home!

Well, as I say our night train back to BKok leaves tonight. I hope its better than the night train up! We were a little nervous as it was our first few days anyway and the thought of coups and things compounded it all. So it didnt help when we saw hundreds of army personnel board our train after a taxi driver telling us they are all mafia.

The train has 4 beds in each compartment and we met up with a Canadian guy called Steve who worked on an army base in Afghanistan. Well I think this guy had shell shock because through the night while asleep he would start talking to himself and you would come to thinking someones holding a gun to his head or something.

The trek on the other hand (now we can look back on it was good) we stayed out in wooded shacks and washed in waterfalls. We were fed by the guides or local villages. Some of the trekking itself was hard graft but we feel a sense of acheivement for doing it.

Chiang Mai is far more relaxed than Bangkok and far less busy or polluted. We need to go back to BK each time to get transport out to our next destination which is a shame, we could live without seeing the place again.

Anyway we will post another blog after Cambodia

take care

Matt

Hiya

Hope you are all well. We are having a great time here. Bangkok is very very grid locked and polluted but the Wats do make up for it they are amazing. We also went to the floating market outside Bangkok which was brilliant, went on a speed boat around the canals first good fun could not stop laughing.

We then got a train down to Chiang Mai which we both love so much less busy and the people are lovely they seem to always be smiling. We then set off for our trek in the jungle well I am sure they said trek and not climbing Everest I have NEVER EVER done anything so hard in my life it was very hot but that was just a small part why it was so hard I almost fainted. However I was glad to hear at the end of the first day that a new of the other girls neally did to. We got to a waterfall on the first night and all jumped in it was the best thing ever it was also the shower for the night. The second day was also up hill and my legs felt like jelly, I do not know how but I did it. We reached the top of the mountain and stayed with a mountain tribe could the Karen people. We both felt very privleged to be invited into the village to stay with them. The third day was great all down hill yipeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! At the end of the day we went on a elephant trek into the jungle and then watched them have a bath in the river it was yes you have guessed it awesome.

We went on a tour yesterday and saw more wats and took a speed boat on the river Meakon into Laos we then went to the long neck peolpe village, was a lovely day.

Take care

Love
Dee
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Comments

[Suzanne]

Now this sounds more like Proper Travelling!! Getting down and dirty (kinda!!) with the locals. Just how fit will you be, by the time you get back?! And I'm impressed with the high standard of tuk-tuk you managed to find - did the driver actually know where he was going, though? And Dee, how did you cope with the heffer-lump? (I'm not meaning Matt, in case you're not sure!). Hope you're having a ball, it sure sounds as if you are!! Miss you, loads-a-love, Suzanne xx

[Dave]

I can't get Extreme out of my head !!!
Hi there, I don't know if you remember the band Extreme ? Anyway, they did a song called Decadance Dance. The first lyric of the song goes: "Trying So Hard To Kepp Up With The Jones'" Anyway, everytime I come on here to read "The Jones' Blog" of your trek around the workd, I can;t get that song and lyric out of my head ! Anyway, noty much to say this time, apart from the fact that it still sounds magical and you still look very happy, despite the fact it must have been really tiring. I have just discovered that if you click on the photographs, you getter a bigger view of them, so I am going to go back and view them in all their glory ! You wouldn't believe I worked with computers, would you ? Take care, and don't get too stoned in thailand. If some Scottish guy gives you a map and starts going on about a, "Fucking Beeeeeech". I'd tear it up and walk away if I were you... :D