Blogs from Mae Ai, North-West Thailand, Thailand, Asia

Tha Ton is one of those places where you just show up and everything seems to work out in your favor. Situated on the banks of the Kok River just shy of the Burmese border, it is a sleepy town of fisherman, Wats, guesthouses, and one of the most fiery sunsets I've yet seen (due to the rice burning harvest of the season). Showing up from Chang Mai after a four hour bus ride I was met at the terminal by a friendly Thai who asked me if I needed a room. Always this is sketchy, but the guy had the nicest smile and a friendly energy about him and he offered a good price ($180b). I accepted the ride to the accommodation and we talked about the things to do in the surrounding area. I ... read more

This will be a quick one, but I guarantee a whole load of pics in the next day or two... I was picked up at the Chiang Mai train station by my very benevolent friends Bethany and Nathan, and Rachel and baby McKenzie came with, so we had a little ready-made family. We stayed in Chiang Mai that night, then the next day (Sunday) came northeast to Chiang Rai for evening church and the Night Bazaar. Man, I wished I had my camera there....ever see Thai transvestites dancing? You're missing out...kind of. I tried my hand at bartering for a t-shirt, failing miserably. The guy actually laughed at me when I tried to bring the price down, and I was all "um, excuse me, but I don't think you get how this is supposed to work". ... read more