Pink nipple cream

---

... yes, that's what the ladies want here in Thailand it would seem, along with armpit whiterners and melanin reducing serum,if the beauty shop shelves are any indication.
And paying to go to the toilet in shopping malls ... what's with that?
In Thailand now folks. Stayed near the backpacker's mecca Khaosan Road the past two nights and tonight, will be on the overnight bus to Krabi, on Thailand's Andaman coast. Finally, some sand and saltwater - haven't seen a speckle of either in the week since I arrived.

What an arrival, too: Slept on the airport seats for 6 hours at KL airport between flights with a bunch of Thais. We pushed and shoved for space ( I was as good as the rest of them) and I unwrapped my sleeping bag and tried to make myself comfortable. Yeah right. Didn't sleep a wink.

Met a Filipino fella, Harry on the flight to Bangkok. He had a friend living there who picked us both up and took us out for lunch, then when she split, she had two friends take us around town on the buses, etc. They were so lovely.

Rick, Mirian, Troy ... I had to laugh when all around Bangkok I noticed mobile locksmiths with all the key cutting machinery one could want. If only the Talliwang key master had such tools!

I was able to dump my pack at an apartment Harry's friend had hooked him up with for a month.
For the first time I felt uneasy being Australian. Harry had a fixation on all things Australian and hinted (ostensibly jokingly) at marriage proposals. Luckily I was off before long.

That night I hoped to catch the overnight train to Chiang Mai, but arrived at the station to find out it was booked out. So, found a cheap place to stay nearby and caught one the next day instead. Travelled all day, reached Chaing Mai and set off for a 3-day jungle trek the following day (my time is precious in Thailand).

It turned out I was trekking with a bunch of Irish lasses and 3 poms all around my age and all with great senses of humour (which was very necessary given our adventure). We all got along swell. There was an older couple from Quebec, too. Jay, our guide was a decent bloke, with answers to all my questions, too. That's what I like in a guide. Tidbit: Did you know the fat laughing man we call the buddha is not actually a buddha, he's just a mentor of sorts and is lower in the heirachy.

So, it turned out monsoon season was not quite over. Day one, involving about 5 hours of trekking uphill, downhill and perilously close to mountain drops in the rain, was a piece of piss to what was in store. We stayed in a hill village, ate superbly for dinner and huddled around a bonfire until the rain set in again.

Next morning we rode elephants - big bastards they are, too - then as we jumped off, it poured. For eight young girls, we were hardcore. The dry terrain became mud slides and for most of the time we slid down, grabbing bamboo trees along the way to break a fall! A river, which ran its course along the hills, became angry rapids and we crossed it many times. It came up to our knees and threatend to sweep us away. Where once we dodged the mounds of elephant shit along the track, we were stepping in it and swimming in it. We wore wet clothes each morning and my bag got soaked. Almost destroyed my diary, too.

Day after the trek I did a one day tour of a few hill tribes, including the long-neck people, originally from Burma, where the girls/women where the brass rings around their elongated necks. I couldn't stop taking photos. I've only seen these people in pictures. To see them in real life was intriguing to say the least.

I'll stop here, because there's waaaay too much to read. What a load of drivel - more to come! Ha.

Much much love.
Bec/Clarky

---