Missing the boat

I had intended to stay only one night at Tha Ton in the far north of the country. However, a crisis in the form of a cancelled flight into Myanmar next week meant that I became absorbed in looking for alternative options at the internet shop, resulting in my losing track of time and missing the daily boat down-river to Chiang Rai. Once I got over my annoyance with myself, I was very happy to stay an extra 24 hours in such a beautiful place. Apart from the fabulous scenery, Tha Ton is host to a rich diversity of different ethnic tribes. I was fortunate to be invited to join a party in a Shan village that I biked through, which was great fun.
I made it on to the boat the next day and spent a very enjoyable four hours relaxing on the river, even at the rather touristy rest stop we made where elephants are kept.

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Changes in Chiang Mai

I've spent the last week in the north of Thailand, mainly based in Chiang Mai. The city has sprawled beyond my 17-year-ago recognition, and is now full of traffic and noise. However, I stayed at a very friendly guest house and had a good time, hiring a motorbike to get out to sights in the lovely surrounding countryside, including to an umbrella making village and to a wat on top of Doi Suthep hill.

There's a great weekly night market which I enjoyed visiting.

I organised a trip with two fellow travellers to Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand, which was very cold at its peak. I had to wear all my clothes in layers to keep warm, and my leech socks had an outing again!

Where shall I go today?

With nearly three weeks at my disposal before meeting Ken in Myanmar, I arrived in Bangkok planning to travel to China and Tibet. However, not having arranged my visa or flight in advance, I found my plans thwarted by the expense and delay in sorting things out. I therefore abandoned my Chinese plans and started pondering - where should I go instead?

Having seen most of south east Asia already, I decided that Thailand was the best option for a lone and budget conscious traveller (well I have been a volunteer for 2 years!). Some beach in-action seemed a good place to start, so I took a luxurious overnight bus and then boat to the famed paradise island of Ko Samui. Big mistake. I hit the monsoon season at its worst with constant rain and flooded roads. Although naturally a pretty place, the vast number of tattoo parlours and the low cloud did not enhance its appeal for me, so the next day I headed back to the mainland and then westwards to the unspoiled Khao Sok National Park.
In complete contrast to Ko Samui, I stayed in the deep jungle in a charmingly rustic bungalow, where I could shower under the stars, as the only guest of a friendly family who treated me as one of their own. I hired a personal guide to take me trekking in the park, which was full of my most hated creatures - leeches - hence my fetching jungle attire, including protective leech socks!

From Khao Sok, I went to Krabi, a gorgeous beach resort with my favourite limestone karst scenery everywhere. I had forgotten that this area was hit by the tsunami, and it is amazing how it has recovered since then. There are evacuation route signs everywhere in case the unthinkable should happen again. While in Krabi I hired a natty little electric step-through motorbike to see more of the beautiful province, and I also attended a great Thai cookery course. I'm looking forward to practising my new skills when I get back to England.

I've just arrived in Chiang Mai now and plan to travel round the north of the country for a week. But who knows what I'll actually end up doing - I don't think I've ever had quite such a spontaneous holiday before!