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Published: August 6th 2007
It had been almost 2 years since I’d seen mel (my sister). She had been planning a stop-over in Thailand on her way home from England and the timing was perfect! We arrived in Bangkok, after 3 weeks in the south and Mel and I organized to meet just off Khao San Road. It didn’t take long to convince her and Craig (her friend from England) to come with us to Kanchanaburi - a 3 hour bus ride west of Bangkok. This was a place both Tom and I had read about and were keen to learn the history, particularly behind the ‘Death Railway’ and ‘Bridge over the river Kwai’. I think Mel and I were a little more tied up in each other though and unfortunately, this history was put to the side. We spent 2 days relaxing and swimming in the river, motorcycling around the countryside and wandering through the food markets (much to mels delight).
From Kanchanaburi, the 4 of us bused over to Ayuthaya and caught an overnight train to Chiang Mai. It wasn’t the best nights sleep (due to the hot-air fans and the train stopping and starting abruptly all through the night) but we
did have our own beds so we couldn’t complain! We arrived in Chiang Mai late morning, found a little guesthouse and spent our first day exploring the old town and eating in one of my favorite cafes ‘The Blue Diamond’ (the biggest vegetarian menu I’ve seen yet!). On our second day we all hired bicycles and took off around the city - Mel and Craig in search of a park to relax and eat, Tom and I in search of the busiest roads to ride along (in the opposite direction). Some glares were made but we got a good laugh out of it. If the thai’s can do it, so can we!
After Chiang Mai, we all planned to head further north to Pai (a beautiful little town in the mountains and also a hippie haven). Mel and Craig again took the safer option and traveled up by bus. Tom and I (in search of more adventure) hired 2 motorbikes and rode them. The roads winded all the way up through the mountains and it took us about 4 hours but the scenery was stunning. In Pai we did much the same - relaxing by the river, exploring the
area, only this time Mel and I decided to go elephant riding. ‘Pum-ma’ was her name and she was on a mission - first to stop and eat every tree we passed, second to get us as wet as possible (by rolling in the river and tossing us off her back the second we climbed on). It was such an amazing experience and also the prefect end to our time together. From here, Mel and Craig would head over to Laos and Tom and I, on to Mae Hong Son (on our bikes).
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Bob White
non-member comment
The Intrepid Adventurers
It is so interesting reading about your adventures, I can't wait for more news. I think you are so brave, in to the unknown. How well I know about the river Kwai, such a terrible place for our prisoners of war, but I suppose that is all history now. I think I would have loved to see it for real instead of pictures. Both nana and I scan for news and we send our love to you both and wishes for your health and safety. G' dad