Thailand

We loved Hanoi but could only spend two days there before flying to Bangkok where we would spend a week relaxing before flying to Dubai to live.

Our plan had been to go to Sapa but a cyclone that hit the area killing over a hundred forced us to change our travels. We talked to tourists who had been stuck there for over a week waiting for transport to get out. Apparently they tried a 'test train' which costs tourists up to $80US (when it was normally 15-20) and failed after the first KM or so!

While we were in Bangkok we visited the snake farm - the man leading the show asked Chris and I to come down and have a Python wrapped around our necks for good luck and a long life together.

We thought it would be a good omen before we set off to live in a new country
(He made Chris kiss my by the way - its all part of the show!)

We arrived in Pai on Sunday.

I sang the song "Living in Paradise" daily not just beacause the place is beautiful but beacuse our guesthouse was called Pairadise[i] and everytime I saw the sign it put the song in my head.

Pai is a really great little arty town and the perfect place to relax and do nothing...

Pairadise[i] had bungalows surrounding a man-made lake, one half you could swim in (though we didn't, our neighbour scared me off when he told me he had to get a snake out the day before) and the other half you could fish from! So Chris was in his element. Mostly though we just read and relaxed.

The town has lots of craft, clothing and cofee shops and outside the town there are small villages set amongst the green rolling hills. Very pictuesque.

We spent three nights in Pai beforwe booking ourselves in for a 2 day/ 1 night white water rafting trip down the river pai heading towards a larger town called Mae Hong Son. We decided to pack up our gear, leave it with the company who would pick us up at the end and take us to Mae Hong Son where we would spend a couple of nights.

Love Pai

ps photos later

We arrived in Bangkok on sunday around lunchtime and cruised easily into the city (about 30mins) from the airport - not by tuk tuk in the picture but by taxi. So far so good. checked into our hotel - only 800 baht ($40) and even has a rooftop swimming pool! (Thanks Melissa!!!) Decent room with whats most important to chris - air con.

We are staying on soi Rambuuttri which is just around the road from the main backpackers hub - Khao San Rd. Went out for a wander and while Chris went back after half an hour or so I stayed and went shopping. I went back a couple of times but only for more money! the shopping is great! I bought 3 dresses for around $8 each!!! Heaps of clothes, massages, manicre/pedicure shops, food stalls etc.

Went for a late afternoon swim and sunbath before heading out to one of the many mnay places selling cheap and delicious thai food. Much much cheaper here. People are also friendlier and not so quick to rip you off.

Next day we met up with a tour guide I had booked through trip adviser. She would be taking us around the sites to let us know what we were looking at so it all had some significance. It was probably one of the best pre-planning decisions I could have made because she was fantastic!!

We went to the grand palace where the 6th and 7th Kings previously lived (they currently are ruled under the 9th King). amazing place, huge and everything is very detailed and all hand painted. Even the wallpaper! We will visit Thailands two ancient capitals in the next couple of weeks - Ayutthaya and Sukhothai.

Ayutthaya is a mass of ruins as a result of war against the Burmese. Apparently during war precious buddha statues and treasures were covered with plaster to conceal their value. We saw two of these - one being the Emerald buddha held at Wat Phra Kaeo and the other the Golden Buddha which is 5.5 tonnes solid gold!

Jan told us a lot of Buddhism and the different Buddhas. There is one for each day of the week differentiated by positions.

The reclining Buddha is the Tuesday Buddha.

This position symbolises entering nirvana (the afterworld).

We also crossed the river Chao Phraya to get to Thomburi. There we saw Wat Arum - which is the temple of the dawn. It was the point of the river that indicated to people that they had reached old siam.

After saying goodbye to the lovely Jan we went for our late afternoon swim and decided it was high time to try out a traditional thai massage. They pulled, paked, prodded, twisted with all parts of their bodies (elbows, feet etc) for an hour. My back and neck clicked around 6 times! It took me around 20 mins to get used to it but after that really enjoyed it. Chris was a bit dazed after - he had a strong guy who didn't hold back. Much cheaper than a chiropractor at $7 an hour!!

Today we wnt to a mansion that King Rama 5th lived in for a few years! Showed us his treasures including too muck ivory for my liking and even hollowed out elephant legs used for who knows what?!?! Then we cruised to a mega shopping centre and bought a cell phone. figured we would need one to find jobs sooner or later even though I would like to pretend we are on holiday for a year!

Spending one more day in Bangkok then off to Kanchanaburi for a couple of nights!

We made it to thailand after a few hiccups and I have left the blogging till now as I needed a couple of days to cool off. As Chris said to me - he had expected all of this to happen the minute we arrived in Asia so we should be happy we have had 2 weeks of easy travelling in Malaysia where the people and country are beautiful, friendly and welcoming.

The first hiccup was going throught the thai border where I had expected some trouble due to the fact that we didn't have any proof of onward travel of which is required. The scary guy at customs was more concerned about the fact that they hadn't actually stamped my passport at the Malaysian borer and we were told to run back - past all the guards and officers with guns and around the soldiers who were out for their morning run. And the border wasn't just a few metres away either - we were running a few k's in the 30 degree plus heat praying that our bus wasn't going to leave without us and with our bags! Anywho it was all sweet and the malay guys were amused by the whole charade and even the scary thai officer at the border let me push in once we got back.

After 10 hours of travelling (by now we should have been at koh samui - the island) we fianlly made it to surat thani where we were to get a ferry to samui. Anyway to cut a long story short after paying more money and then more money again (even though the whole trip to samui was pre-paid) and another 5 hours later we finally made it. exhausted and with little faith in these new people and this new country.

a few hiccups happened the next day but then we decided to learn from our mistakes and get on with it so since then its been great!

It was my birthday today and we hired a scooter and hooned round the island to find secluded paradise beaches. After finding none we settled on the second main beach - Lamai - where we swam and had some well deserved beers. As drinking is heaps cheaper here compared to Malaysia (Malaysia being mostly Muslim) we decided to scoot back to our beach (chaweng) and have a beach bar crawl in honour of my bday. Had some delicious cocktails and enjoyed singha (thai brand) beer at various places. Very touristy here - some fancy as places with cushions and candles on the beach.

Chris and I have a new game that we will continue playing until we leave here. Its called - spot the old whitey with the rent- a -bride. At the moment its 8 - 5 to Chris. but I still have 3 days to beat him.

Another cool thing that happened was that I was given a random scratchy card and won a week in a resort in Phuket! And on my birthday and all! Yes things are definitely looking up!

After our dinner and drinks this evening we walked back along the beach and watched a lightning storm - there have been a few, being monsoon season, but so far the rain has only come at night.

In the next few days we plan to: Go kayaking, jet skiing, get a massgae on the beach and a thai lady today told chris he needs a pedicure so we'll try to fit that in too! Then we are flying to Bangkok. Ten times more expensive but a hundred times less hassel than catching ferry then overnight train we figure!

Thanks for the birthday wishes!