Sunday - 29 June 08
Hi to everyone, yes we are completely devastated at this being our last full day in Pai. We have had such a fantastic time here and so today we made sure we had a busy day soaking up all the Pai atmoshere we could.
We were up early so as not to waste a minute of our last day. We had to hand the motorbike back at 3.30pm so we decided to go for a long ride and use up the last lot of fuel in it. We rode out of town and back out into the village and low and behold we finally found the Chinese Village that had eluded us on our previous rides. What a great little village. The tourist shops, all 4 of them are rammed earth buildings with excellent souveniers and cheap. We bought a few as anyone who knows me knows I love all things Chinese or Asian for that matter and can't help myself (something to do with a past life, I think). I took some wicked photos of the area and once we have filled the basket on the motorbike we were out of there. We then headed off for a ride across the bridge and up into the hills of Pai and stopped at the Wat Po (temple) on the hill and took more photos.
We went on to usual food hang-out and had lunch, hamburgers and chips cos they are just the best and had a look through a couple of shops and Rick bought himself a couple of nice hippy shirts. We then called in to the internet cafe and booked our accommodation on Phi Phi, so we will be staying at "J J Bungalows" for 4 nights & 5 days before heading back to Phuket for our last week at the " Print Kamala Beach Resort" in Kamala Beach, we are thinking because it is the quieter part of Phuket we might hire a motorbike again to get around.
Rick was absolutely devastated when we had to take the motorbike back anyone would think someone had taken away his wallet. He told everyone we stopped to talk too about it, funny! So for the rest of the arvo and night we had to walk everywhere, on no!
We had dinner at our usual haunt tonight and they are going to miss us and our tips when we leave tomorrow. Then it was on to some last minute shopping at the street stalls. I bought a hippy tote bag from the hilltribe stalls and a nice top from one of the other shops and picked up a few other odds and sodds. I have done well in the shopping today and managed to buy a couple of souveniers for myself.
It was back to our bungalow and sadly sorting and packing for our departure tomorrow, if we keep adding to our stuff we will need to buy another bloody backpack to where on the front of us
Well tomorrows blog will be late as usual as we leave by bus to Chiang Mai at 11am and arrive 2-3 hours later then have to get to the airport for our flight to Phuket which leaves at 5pm and arrives at 7pm and then into a taxi to Patong so we should eventually get to Patong around 8-9pm then Tuesday its off to Phi Phi by ferry so if there is no blog for the next day or two its because we are still moving about.
Hope everyone is well at home and its only 2 weeks now and you will all see us again. So until tomorrows blog. Kob un Chai!!!!!!! from Pai!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Sawasdee Ka - Pai !!!!!
Saturday - 28 June 08
Well another fantastic day in Pai, what can we say except anyone who travels to Thailand, Pai is a must. One more day and we have to pack up and leave and it sucks big time. Today was another easy day, which is the norm for Pai. We were up and about early as we don't want to waist one minute of time here.
We headed off to Pai country house restaurant for brunch and we took the laptop to use our last lot of time on our internet card and do the usual emailing and blog. We then dropped the laptop back at the bungalow and decided a long ride was in order. We headed out on the bike along the road to Mae Hong Son to see whats doing out in the hills, we probably could have gone all the way to Mae Hong Son like a lot of travellers do but not knowing the roads and how long it would take to get there by motorbike we thought, nah! Mae Hong Son is only 111 kms from Pai but it is up and down mountains and we are not that experienced. We did manage to ride about 35 kms out of Pai and it was through the mountains, curvy roads, hairpin bends, up hill and down dale and it was fantastic, got some excellent photos. We passed hilltribes working their fields in traditional dress, the men digging their fields on side of huge mountains and getting up the mountains on the bike was hilarous with us two fatties on the bike we could have pushed it faster that it was going. We got to the top of the ridge of the mountains at a lookout where you could see over both sides of the mountains, the rain clouds were covering the top of the mountains and the views were fantastic. The hilltribe people have stalls there with all their colourful bags, scarves and souveniers as you could buy a drink and something to eat. These people have it all worked out where to set up shop in places they know people will go, good on them, an opportunity not taken is an opportunity lost.
Well that was as far as we went on our ride and coming back down through the mountains was wicked, of course we went as slow as we could around the curves and bends and everyone was overtaking us but hey we weren't in any hurry. It was enjoyable and picturesque and thats what counts. What was left of the arvo we spend sitting on the verandah of our bungalow and enjoying the peace and quiet and the cool breeze. We met a couple around our age that checked in yesterday and are staying a few days at Baan Suan bungalows, they are fom Melbourne and we chatted to them for quite a while on our way out to dinner.
We did the Thai thing for dinner tonight at our usual restaurant and were so full we thought we had best walk it off, so we looked at some shops at clothes, we found this cool little shop and the Muslim lady was lovely, I found some wicked hippy pants that I just had to have and Rick even bought himself a nice hippy shirt made from cheesecloth which will keep him nice and cool when we are down south. Rick managed to barter the lady down to 150 baht for his shirt as he told her that was all he had left after he paid for my hippy pants that we bartered down from 380 baht to 350baht.
Happy with our purchase we stopped of at 7/11 to grab some supplies and stamps to post the postcards and headed home. It was almost 10 o'clock by then and we were buggered. All in all it was another fantastic day in Pai.. I still can't believe tomorrow is our last day here!!!!!
So until tomorrow! Kob un Chai
Well another fantastic day in Pai, what can we say except anyone who travels to Thailand, Pai is a must. One more day and we have to pack up and leave and it sucks big time. Today was another easy day, which is the norm for Pai. We were up and about early as we don't want to waist one minute of time here.
We headed off to Pai country house restaurant for brunch and we took the laptop to use our last lot of time on our internet card and do the usual emailing and blog. We then dropped the laptop back at the bungalow and decided a long ride was in order. We headed out on the bike along the road to Mae Hong Son to see whats doing out in the hills, we probably could have gone all the way to Mae Hong Son like a lot of travellers do but not knowing the roads and how long it would take to get there by motorbike we thought, nah! Mae Hong Son is only 111 kms from Pai but it is up and down mountains and we are not that experienced. We did manage to ride about 35 kms out of Pai and it was through the mountains, curvy roads, hairpin bends, up hill and down dale and it was fantastic, got some excellent photos. We passed hilltribes working their fields in traditional dress, the men digging their fields on side of huge mountains and getting up the mountains on the bike was hilarous with us two fatties on the bike we could have pushed it faster that it was going. We got to the top of the ridge of the mountains at a lookout where you could see over both sides of the mountains, the rain clouds were covering the top of the mountains and the views were fantastic. The hilltribe people have stalls there with all their colourful bags, scarves and souveniers as you could buy a drink and something to eat. These people have it all worked out where to set up shop in places they know people will go, good on them, an opportunity not taken is an opportunity lost.
Well that was as far as we went on our ride and coming back down through the mountains was wicked, of course we went as slow as we could around the curves and bends and everyone was overtaking us but hey we weren't in any hurry. It was enjoyable and picturesque and thats what counts. What was left of the arvo we spend sitting on the verandah of our bungalow and enjoying the peace and quiet and the cool breeze. We met a couple around our age that checked in yesterday and are staying a few days at Baan Suan bungalows, they are fom Melbourne and we chatted to them for quite a while on our way out to dinner.
We did the Thai thing for dinner tonight at our usual restaurant and were so full we thought we had best walk it off, so we looked at some shops at clothes, we found this cool little shop and the Muslim lady was lovely, I found some wicked hippy pants that I just had to have and Rick even bought himself a nice hippy shirt made from cheesecloth which will keep him nice and cool when we are down south. Rick managed to barter the lady down to 150 baht for his shirt as he told her that was all he had left after he paid for my hippy pants that we bartered down from 380 baht to 350baht.
Happy with our purchase we stopped of at 7/11 to grab some supplies and stamps to post the postcards and headed home. It was almost 10 o'clock by then and we were buggered. All in all it was another fantastic day in Pai.. I still can't believe tomorrow is our last day here!!!!!
So until tomorrow! Kob un Chai
Friday, June 27, 2008
Don't Want to Leave Pai !!!!!!!!!!!
Friday - 27 June 08
Hello from Pai, the best place in the world. We are having a blast and can't believe we have only 2 days left here before we have to leave, it sucks big time!
Today was a quiet day for us. We were up early and headed to the internet to book our accommodation at Patong for Monday night before we head to Phi Phi Tuesday. The accommodation is a lot more expensive down south as its the hub of Thailand and everyone goes to Phuket and Phi Phi.
Once our internet stuff was out of the way we headed up to our restaurant for brunch. Its the place to hang out and the best place to eat and to people watch, this town is just so cool, I absolutely love it.
Bought some postcards and now have to find somewhere to buy international stamps so I can send them. There aren't many postcards of Pai which is a shame because its a great place with great atmosphere and people and really beautiful scenery especially the street stalls in the town.
This arvo Rick and I just veged out as we had rain off and on and we are just so relaxed if it wasn't for the massage yesterday we would be in a coma. The place we are now staying is really great (Baan Suan Rim Pai) and the guy that owns and runs it is really friendly,(his name is dam) and Rick and I keep stirring him up and telling him we are coming into his place to watch the AFL and tennis because we can't get those channels on our cable tv.
Late this arvo when the rain cleared Rick and I went for a long ride out of town and through the valley so I could take some photos and got some really good shots of the rain over the mountains and the sun streaming through the clouds. After our long ride avoiding dogs and chooks crossing the roads we headed to the restaurant for an early dinner. How good and cheap is the food here, we have been eating a lot of western food and its the best we have had in the whole of Thailand.
We were back at our bungalow by 8pm and laid around watching tele and writing out the postcards. It is just the best place.
So until tomorrows blog! Kob un Chai
Hello from Pai, the best place in the world. We are having a blast and can't believe we have only 2 days left here before we have to leave, it sucks big time!
Today was a quiet day for us. We were up early and headed to the internet to book our accommodation at Patong for Monday night before we head to Phi Phi Tuesday. The accommodation is a lot more expensive down south as its the hub of Thailand and everyone goes to Phuket and Phi Phi.
Once our internet stuff was out of the way we headed up to our restaurant for brunch. Its the place to hang out and the best place to eat and to people watch, this town is just so cool, I absolutely love it.
Bought some postcards and now have to find somewhere to buy international stamps so I can send them. There aren't many postcards of Pai which is a shame because its a great place with great atmosphere and people and really beautiful scenery especially the street stalls in the town.
This arvo Rick and I just veged out as we had rain off and on and we are just so relaxed if it wasn't for the massage yesterday we would be in a coma. The place we are now staying is really great (Baan Suan Rim Pai) and the guy that owns and runs it is really friendly,(his name is dam) and Rick and I keep stirring him up and telling him we are coming into his place to watch the AFL and tennis because we can't get those channels on our cable tv.
Late this arvo when the rain cleared Rick and I went for a long ride out of town and through the valley so I could take some photos and got some really good shots of the rain over the mountains and the sun streaming through the clouds. After our long ride avoiding dogs and chooks crossing the roads we headed to the restaurant for an early dinner. How good and cheap is the food here, we have been eating a lot of western food and its the best we have had in the whole of Thailand.
We were back at our bungalow by 8pm and laid around watching tele and writing out the postcards. It is just the best place.
So until tomorrows blog! Kob un Chai
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Hello from Hippy Town!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday - 26 June 08
Hi everyone at home and hope everyone is well. Well here we are day 5 in Pai and believe me if there was some way we could stay forever we would. We have had a really busy day today and seem to be always doing something or going somewhere, especially on the motorbike which we are loving the freedom it is giving us.
This morning we headed up to the backpacker restaurant, laptop in hand to do the blog and catch up on some emails while we had breakfast, we bought an internet card so we could use the laptop for when I want to upload photos to the blog, other than that it is easier and cheaper to go to the internet cafe which we are now regulars at. For breakfast this morning it was just French Toast and Latte's as I didn't want to spend too much time eating whilst doing the blog and emails.
After breakfast we dropped the laptop back at our Bungalow and back on the bike and off we went for a long, long ride out of town, past the airport and through the Pai valley, this place is so cool, we could quite happily become old hippies and live here forever. Um, something to think about!
We rode back into town and then went to the travel agent to book our bus and flight out of here on Monday. We leave Pai by mini bus at 11am back to Chiang Mai and then fly out of Chiang Mai direct to Phuket at 5pm, arriving 7.05pm. We will stay in Phuket one night and then catch the ferry to Phi Phi Island Tuesday morning and stay on Phi Phi 4 nights, then back to Phuket where we then do our last and final week at Kamala Beach, Phuket before heading back to Oz, 'Not Happy Jan', not ready to leave Thailand. We can't believe how quick the last 2 months has flown and we are on the final leg of our journey, 16 days to go and its all over red rover, at least until we can plan the next trip!
Having got the business side of things out of the way it was time to hit the road again for more exploring. We got on the bike and rode out of town on the road to Chiang Mai, took a turn to head out into the valley and low and behold we found the 'Tha Pai Hot Springs' finally. Of course being in a National Park we had to pay 400 baht each to get in which was pretty good. It was only a 300 mtr walk to the hot pools and believe me they were hot,(took photos will post them tomorrow) they were 80 degrees and there were signs everywhere saying not to get into the pools of hot water and also 'not to boil eggs' in them like they do at the hot springs in Chiang Rai. We spent about an hour there and then more riding through the valley, past the elephants camps and back into town.
We got back to our bungalow and then had half an hours rest and then headed a couple of doors up from where we are staying to a massage place and Rick and I both had a 'Foot, Back & Shoulder' massage for an hour. Man it hurts but boy do you feel good afterwards. They knead every knot out of your body, line up your spine, pummel the stress out of your muscles and really give you a good going over, by the time its over you feel like a rag doll but your body is so loose and with the energy and Kunderlini free flowing throughout your body it feels 20 years younger. I am having another one on Sunday before we leave Pai. WICKED!
Rick and I decided on an early dinner tonight as we were worn out from our riding all day and so relaxed from our massage. We went to our usual restaurant and I had a Tofu burger, salad & banana shake, yum yum and Rick had his Cordon bleu burger, salad & pepsi. We then retreated back to the bungalow, just in time coz it rained and heavy, and hung out watching Aljazeera ( its the only english channel) and veged. What a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In Pai !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So Until Tomorrow!!!
Hi everyone at home and hope everyone is well. Well here we are day 5 in Pai and believe me if there was some way we could stay forever we would. We have had a really busy day today and seem to be always doing something or going somewhere, especially on the motorbike which we are loving the freedom it is giving us.
This morning we headed up to the backpacker restaurant, laptop in hand to do the blog and catch up on some emails while we had breakfast, we bought an internet card so we could use the laptop for when I want to upload photos to the blog, other than that it is easier and cheaper to go to the internet cafe which we are now regulars at. For breakfast this morning it was just French Toast and Latte's as I didn't want to spend too much time eating whilst doing the blog and emails.
After breakfast we dropped the laptop back at our Bungalow and back on the bike and off we went for a long, long ride out of town, past the airport and through the Pai valley, this place is so cool, we could quite happily become old hippies and live here forever. Um, something to think about!
We rode back into town and then went to the travel agent to book our bus and flight out of here on Monday. We leave Pai by mini bus at 11am back to Chiang Mai and then fly out of Chiang Mai direct to Phuket at 5pm, arriving 7.05pm. We will stay in Phuket one night and then catch the ferry to Phi Phi Island Tuesday morning and stay on Phi Phi 4 nights, then back to Phuket where we then do our last and final week at Kamala Beach, Phuket before heading back to Oz, 'Not Happy Jan', not ready to leave Thailand. We can't believe how quick the last 2 months has flown and we are on the final leg of our journey, 16 days to go and its all over red rover, at least until we can plan the next trip!
Having got the business side of things out of the way it was time to hit the road again for more exploring. We got on the bike and rode out of town on the road to Chiang Mai, took a turn to head out into the valley and low and behold we found the 'Tha Pai Hot Springs' finally. Of course being in a National Park we had to pay 400 baht each to get in which was pretty good. It was only a 300 mtr walk to the hot pools and believe me they were hot,(took photos will post them tomorrow) they were 80 degrees and there were signs everywhere saying not to get into the pools of hot water and also 'not to boil eggs' in them like they do at the hot springs in Chiang Rai. We spent about an hour there and then more riding through the valley, past the elephants camps and back into town.
We got back to our bungalow and then had half an hours rest and then headed a couple of doors up from where we are staying to a massage place and Rick and I both had a 'Foot, Back & Shoulder' massage for an hour. Man it hurts but boy do you feel good afterwards. They knead every knot out of your body, line up your spine, pummel the stress out of your muscles and really give you a good going over, by the time its over you feel like a rag doll but your body is so loose and with the energy and Kunderlini free flowing throughout your body it feels 20 years younger. I am having another one on Sunday before we leave Pai. WICKED!
Rick and I decided on an early dinner tonight as we were worn out from our riding all day and so relaxed from our massage. We went to our usual restaurant and I had a Tofu burger, salad & banana shake, yum yum and Rick had his Cordon bleu burger, salad & pepsi. We then retreated back to the bungalow, just in time coz it rained and heavy, and hung out watching Aljazeera ( its the only english channel) and veged. What a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In Pai !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So Until Tomorrow!!!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Hello from Pai !!!! Day 5
Wednesday - 25 June 08
Hello everyone from the Granny hippies!!!!
We have had a wild day today out and about exploring more of Pai.
Both Rick and I were up early this morning itching to hit the road for a ride. I have posted some photos so if you scroll down there are 2 more posts of just photos.
First adventure for the day was a trip to the Ma Paeng waterfall which is about 15km out of town, the weather was quite overcast so it was a lot cooler which made for a good day for riding. We went through a number of small villages and up into the hills on the way to the waterfall, some of the villagers still wear tribal clothes which are really colourful. We were almost at the waterfall when we went past a roadside cafe (hut with a roof and couple of chairs) and a thai guy ran out and called out to us so we stopped thinking he was going to say the waterfall was closed, then we thought he wanted to bum a cigarette off us as he had a lighter and some other impliment in his hand, turns out he wanted to know it we wanted to smoke some opium at his cafe, Rick and I freaked out and politely said no thanks and took off. We got to the waterfall and the picnic area looked like someone had had an opium party. The waterfall was ok but nothing scenic like the ones in Australia. We left there and then continued to ride all over the place, through winding roads, little villages, corn farms and yes, rice paddies, took some wicked photos.
We headed back to town to the backpackers restaurant and had lunch. I had a hamburger and rick had a Hawaiian Pork burger and the food was great. By this time Rick and I were a bit tired so went back to our Bungalow as it looked like it was going to rain. We then headed up to the internet cafe so we could do some stuff and I could catch up on the blog.
The afternoon we decided to go for another ride out in the countryside and went to a temple in the middle of some village and then to look for the hot springs which we can't seem to find, its on the map but where it actually is we don't know. It did start to rain and blow a gale so we headed back home and had a quick nanny & poppy snooze.
Tonight Rick and I headed back to the backpackers restaurant (the Pai Country House) so I could have my Duck 'a' la Orange for dinner which was so yummy and Rick had a T-bone. We got eaten alive by mozzies but it was worth it. We then went for our usual nightly stroll around the streets to have a look at the market stalls. This town is so awsome and the atmoshphere here is great, there are so many real hippies from so many different countries, they look like they could do with a bath and wash there hair but it makes this place.
Rick and I love it here so have decided to drop Mae Hong Son and Sukkhothai from our itinerary and stay the extra time here and head to Phi Phi and Phuket from here which should be either Monday or Wednesday. We wish we had come to Pai earlier so we could spend more time here, we didn't know it was such a great little place, not to worry, we can come back next year.
Anyway that was our day, hope you all enjoy the photos, will post some more tomorrow. Until then! Kob un Chai!
Hello everyone from the Granny hippies!!!!
We have had a wild day today out and about exploring more of Pai.
Both Rick and I were up early this morning itching to hit the road for a ride. I have posted some photos so if you scroll down there are 2 more posts of just photos.
First adventure for the day was a trip to the Ma Paeng waterfall which is about 15km out of town, the weather was quite overcast so it was a lot cooler which made for a good day for riding. We went through a number of small villages and up into the hills on the way to the waterfall, some of the villagers still wear tribal clothes which are really colourful. We were almost at the waterfall when we went past a roadside cafe (hut with a roof and couple of chairs) and a thai guy ran out and called out to us so we stopped thinking he was going to say the waterfall was closed, then we thought he wanted to bum a cigarette off us as he had a lighter and some other impliment in his hand, turns out he wanted to know it we wanted to smoke some opium at his cafe, Rick and I freaked out and politely said no thanks and took off. We got to the waterfall and the picnic area looked like someone had had an opium party. The waterfall was ok but nothing scenic like the ones in Australia. We left there and then continued to ride all over the place, through winding roads, little villages, corn farms and yes, rice paddies, took some wicked photos.
We headed back to town to the backpackers restaurant and had lunch. I had a hamburger and rick had a Hawaiian Pork burger and the food was great. By this time Rick and I were a bit tired so went back to our Bungalow as it looked like it was going to rain. We then headed up to the internet cafe so we could do some stuff and I could catch up on the blog.
The afternoon we decided to go for another ride out in the countryside and went to a temple in the middle of some village and then to look for the hot springs which we can't seem to find, its on the map but where it actually is we don't know. It did start to rain and blow a gale so we headed back home and had a quick nanny & poppy snooze.
Tonight Rick and I headed back to the backpackers restaurant (the Pai Country House) so I could have my Duck 'a' la Orange for dinner which was so yummy and Rick had a T-bone. We got eaten alive by mozzies but it was worth it. We then went for our usual nightly stroll around the streets to have a look at the market stalls. This town is so awsome and the atmoshphere here is great, there are so many real hippies from so many different countries, they look like they could do with a bath and wash there hair but it makes this place.
Rick and I love it here so have decided to drop Mae Hong Son and Sukkhothai from our itinerary and stay the extra time here and head to Phi Phi and Phuket from here which should be either Monday or Wednesday. We wish we had come to Pai earlier so we could spend more time here, we didn't know it was such a great little place, not to worry, we can come back next year.
Anyway that was our day, hope you all enjoy the photos, will post some more tomorrow. Until then! Kob un Chai!
Finally Photos of Pai!!! - Wed 25 June 08
This was the first place we stayed at in Pai.
The Countryside Pai Bungalows
Rick on our Motorbike.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Hello from Hippy Town!!!!!!
Tuesday - 24 June 08
Sawasdee Ka! Here we are day 4 in Pai and having a ball, I think maybe I could turn Rick into a hippy after being here. What a place, what a life!
Well this morning Rick was up at 4.30 am as it was quite hot and humid last night and not very sleeepable weather. Rick was itching to get to our new airconditioned accommodation. The Countryside Pai bungalows is a great place but with the weather the way it is and the humidity you really need air con. We were packed and ready to go by 8.30am but that was a bit early to be checking in to our new place, so we rode into to town to the internet cafe and then bruch at the backpackers restaurant, so by the time we did that it was a reasonable time to head back to Countryside pick up our gear and check in to "The Baan Suan Rim Pai" guesthouse. We did 2 trips on the motorbike to move our gear, Rick, me, my backpack, laptop & suitcase, then Rick went back and picked up his backpack and we were all moved.
How nice is it to have air con, our bungalow is nice, new and modern and its heaps cool to have a shower in our outdoor bathroom. No motorbike exploring today just decided to take it easy and enjoy our new place and air con. Rick had a bit of a Poppy snooze this arvo as having been up at 4.30am he was a bit tired and like me tired means grumpy.
Tonight we headed out and went for a walk to look for tobacco and walked the streets looking at shop after shop and finally found one that sold the thai tobacco we have become used too. Its great walking around all the different streets and finding new shops, restaurants and market stalls. What we are seeing too is a lot of the hilltribe women walking through the town in their hilltribe dress which is really colourful and its awsome to see that life hasn't changed a great deal for them as far as their culture.
Tonight we took the advice of the owner the place we are staying 'Dam' and headed across the road to the pizza restaurant for dinner. The place is quite popular and the pizza's are great. We then decided since it was a nice night to go for a long walk so I could take some photos of ' Pai @ night', the street vendors are really out after dark and it was so cool to see all the different stalls, carts and even a pink kombi van that sells coffee and lattes. We found another supermarket a bit bigger than 7/11 and decided to have look it has everything including cadbury chocolate which we could't resist. We then strolled home along 'the walking street' to our new abode and called it a night. A pretty good day!
So Until Tomorrow! Kob un Chai!
Sawasdee Ka! Here we are day 4 in Pai and having a ball, I think maybe I could turn Rick into a hippy after being here. What a place, what a life!
Well this morning Rick was up at 4.30 am as it was quite hot and humid last night and not very sleeepable weather. Rick was itching to get to our new airconditioned accommodation. The Countryside Pai bungalows is a great place but with the weather the way it is and the humidity you really need air con. We were packed and ready to go by 8.30am but that was a bit early to be checking in to our new place, so we rode into to town to the internet cafe and then bruch at the backpackers restaurant, so by the time we did that it was a reasonable time to head back to Countryside pick up our gear and check in to "The Baan Suan Rim Pai" guesthouse. We did 2 trips on the motorbike to move our gear, Rick, me, my backpack, laptop & suitcase, then Rick went back and picked up his backpack and we were all moved.
How nice is it to have air con, our bungalow is nice, new and modern and its heaps cool to have a shower in our outdoor bathroom. No motorbike exploring today just decided to take it easy and enjoy our new place and air con. Rick had a bit of a Poppy snooze this arvo as having been up at 4.30am he was a bit tired and like me tired means grumpy.
Tonight we headed out and went for a walk to look for tobacco and walked the streets looking at shop after shop and finally found one that sold the thai tobacco we have become used too. Its great walking around all the different streets and finding new shops, restaurants and market stalls. What we are seeing too is a lot of the hilltribe women walking through the town in their hilltribe dress which is really colourful and its awsome to see that life hasn't changed a great deal for them as far as their culture.
Tonight we took the advice of the owner the place we are staying 'Dam' and headed across the road to the pizza restaurant for dinner. The place is quite popular and the pizza's are great. We then decided since it was a nice night to go for a long walk so I could take some photos of ' Pai @ night', the street vendors are really out after dark and it was so cool to see all the different stalls, carts and even a pink kombi van that sells coffee and lattes. We found another supermarket a bit bigger than 7/11 and decided to have look it has everything including cadbury chocolate which we could't resist. We then strolled home along 'the walking street' to our new abode and called it a night. A pretty good day!
So Until Tomorrow! Kob un Chai!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Sawasdee Ka! Day 3 in - 'PAI' - Northern Thailand
Monday - 23 June 08
Hello from the granny bikies in Pai! Well we are up to day 3 in Pai and loving it, as usual. Rick and I are having shit loads of fun getting around on the motorbike, how cool is it! Rick and I being a bit adventurous, I know, is probably shocking a lot of you reading this blog, but hey you are never to old to experience different things and life is all about being, seeing and taking a few risks.
We have decided to hang out here a few more days and bypass moving on to Mae Hong Son, there is so much more we want to see and do here and its such a wicked little town. We headed across the bridge and into town early this morning so we could get into an internet cafe before it got too crowded. There are a few internet cafes but not all are always open and the ones that are, are always packed. Since we have decided to stay a few more days we went hunting for a place in town to stay so we are close enough to cruise the streets at night and besides its so hot here that you really need to have airconditioning which our current place doesn't have. We found a lovely little bungalow in a new guesthouse/resort in town and within walking distance to everything. It has aircon and a lovely shady verandah, cable tv with 1 english speaking channel, ha ha! no bloomberg and an outdoor bathroom, very modern, very clean and more to the point, quiet and private. The owner quoted us 800 baht a night and its worth it but Rick did his usual bargaining and ask the owner for a discount if we stayed more than one night. Its the quiet season so you can bargain down the price of accommodation. So the owner gave us a discount so we are only paying 730 baht a night ($24 Aus).
It was very hot and humid again today (dah! its the monsoon season) so we decided once we has organised our new accommodation for tomorrow to go for a long ride and explore other parts of Pai, its cooler out on the bike. We went further out into the countryside and followed the road as far as we could go. We went through a little village, past a temple the elephant farm, many other new and expensive resorts, farms, rice fields, you name it we saw it.
We spent the rest of the arvo sweating our butts off at our bungalow watching the storm brewing and hoping we would get it and enough rain to cool the place down. We did eventually get a breeze but the storm and rain seem to follow the ridge of the surrounding mountains.. We headed off into town tonight and decided to try yet another of the great little restaurants, we decided on Thai for dinner which was really tasty and cheap. We have found a restaurant at a backpackers place that has Wi Fi so I will take the laptop there and I can then upload some photos of Pai and some of the places we have been here on the next blog.
So until tomorrow and the blog. See ya!
Hello from the granny bikies in Pai! Well we are up to day 3 in Pai and loving it, as usual. Rick and I are having shit loads of fun getting around on the motorbike, how cool is it! Rick and I being a bit adventurous, I know, is probably shocking a lot of you reading this blog, but hey you are never to old to experience different things and life is all about being, seeing and taking a few risks.
We have decided to hang out here a few more days and bypass moving on to Mae Hong Son, there is so much more we want to see and do here and its such a wicked little town. We headed across the bridge and into town early this morning so we could get into an internet cafe before it got too crowded. There are a few internet cafes but not all are always open and the ones that are, are always packed. Since we have decided to stay a few more days we went hunting for a place in town to stay so we are close enough to cruise the streets at night and besides its so hot here that you really need to have airconditioning which our current place doesn't have. We found a lovely little bungalow in a new guesthouse/resort in town and within walking distance to everything. It has aircon and a lovely shady verandah, cable tv with 1 english speaking channel, ha ha! no bloomberg and an outdoor bathroom, very modern, very clean and more to the point, quiet and private. The owner quoted us 800 baht a night and its worth it but Rick did his usual bargaining and ask the owner for a discount if we stayed more than one night. Its the quiet season so you can bargain down the price of accommodation. So the owner gave us a discount so we are only paying 730 baht a night ($24 Aus).
It was very hot and humid again today (dah! its the monsoon season) so we decided once we has organised our new accommodation for tomorrow to go for a long ride and explore other parts of Pai, its cooler out on the bike. We went further out into the countryside and followed the road as far as we could go. We went through a little village, past a temple the elephant farm, many other new and expensive resorts, farms, rice fields, you name it we saw it.
We spent the rest of the arvo sweating our butts off at our bungalow watching the storm brewing and hoping we would get it and enough rain to cool the place down. We did eventually get a breeze but the storm and rain seem to follow the ridge of the surrounding mountains.. We headed off into town tonight and decided to try yet another of the great little restaurants, we decided on Thai for dinner which was really tasty and cheap. We have found a restaurant at a backpackers place that has Wi Fi so I will take the laptop there and I can then upload some photos of Pai and some of the places we have been here on the next blog.
So until tomorrow and the blog. See ya!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Hello from Pai! - What a place!!!!!!!!!
Sunday 22 June 08
Sawasdee Ka to everyone from beautiful Pai the best part of Northern Thailand.
We are having the best time in this fabulous rural and very hippy little town. I only call the town little because its not anywhere near the size of Chiang Mai and is a small town situated in a valley surrounded by huge mountains. The town itself is surrounded by rice paddy farms and they also grow bananas and lychees here. The streets of the town itself and lined with cafes, restaurants and market stalls and of course the usual 7/11 stores so it has everything you could want. Apparently like everywhere else it is low season and very quite, but it seems busy to me especially with young backpackers.
This morning we were up early filled with excitement of going exploring on our motorbike. Map in hand we hit the road. We travelled out of town about 15km to 'Pai Canyon' which is lookout and has the best views of Pai and the surrounding countryside, took some excellent pictures. We then rode on down the road about another 1km to the 'War bridge' which is an old bridge built during WW2 very similar to River Kwai bridge. From there we headed halfway back to town and then up a narrow but rideable village road for 5 km through the hillside and past small village farms and rice paddies to the 'Panbok waterfall' excellent waterfall but a dodgy for swimming I think. We were out and about exploring till early in the arvo and how cool is it riding a motorbike around everywhere, especially for a couple of oldies like us.
Rick and I were really hungry after all our exploring and considering it was 2.30pm and hadn't had breakfast we decided to stop at a restaurant in the main street of town and had a big lunch which was excellent. The restaurant is part of a backpackers resort and it was chockers full of backpackers eating and hanging out. The prices are quite good and the food great. We then headed back to our bungalow as we were feeling a little tired and slightly sunburnt on the arms and legs. It was quite humid late this arvo as there were storm clouds brewing and it we did manage a little rain. Its a shame the pool in our resort is green as we could have gone for a swim to cool down. Instead we laid in hammocks under a Sala near the pool and watched the blokes next door working the rice fields. Man they work bloody hard and especially in this heat.
Rick and I weren't really that hungry tonight after our big lunch so decided just to ride across the bridge into town to the 7/11 and get some 2 min noodles and some muchies. Riding back it decided to pour rain and we got saturated but it was great fun and it cooled us down.
We spent what was left of the evening veging out in our bungalow and resting for tomorrows adventure. What a Day!
So until tomorrows blog and maybe some photos. See ya and hope everyone is well in Australia. Kob un Chai!
Sawasdee Ka to everyone from beautiful Pai the best part of Northern Thailand.
We are having the best time in this fabulous rural and very hippy little town. I only call the town little because its not anywhere near the size of Chiang Mai and is a small town situated in a valley surrounded by huge mountains. The town itself is surrounded by rice paddy farms and they also grow bananas and lychees here. The streets of the town itself and lined with cafes, restaurants and market stalls and of course the usual 7/11 stores so it has everything you could want. Apparently like everywhere else it is low season and very quite, but it seems busy to me especially with young backpackers.
This morning we were up early filled with excitement of going exploring on our motorbike. Map in hand we hit the road. We travelled out of town about 15km to 'Pai Canyon' which is lookout and has the best views of Pai and the surrounding countryside, took some excellent pictures. We then rode on down the road about another 1km to the 'War bridge' which is an old bridge built during WW2 very similar to River Kwai bridge. From there we headed halfway back to town and then up a narrow but rideable village road for 5 km through the hillside and past small village farms and rice paddies to the 'Panbok waterfall' excellent waterfall but a dodgy for swimming I think. We were out and about exploring till early in the arvo and how cool is it riding a motorbike around everywhere, especially for a couple of oldies like us.
Rick and I were really hungry after all our exploring and considering it was 2.30pm and hadn't had breakfast we decided to stop at a restaurant in the main street of town and had a big lunch which was excellent. The restaurant is part of a backpackers resort and it was chockers full of backpackers eating and hanging out. The prices are quite good and the food great. We then headed back to our bungalow as we were feeling a little tired and slightly sunburnt on the arms and legs. It was quite humid late this arvo as there were storm clouds brewing and it we did manage a little rain. Its a shame the pool in our resort is green as we could have gone for a swim to cool down. Instead we laid in hammocks under a Sala near the pool and watched the blokes next door working the rice fields. Man they work bloody hard and especially in this heat.
Rick and I weren't really that hungry tonight after our big lunch so decided just to ride across the bridge into town to the 7/11 and get some 2 min noodles and some muchies. Riding back it decided to pour rain and we got saturated but it was great fun and it cooled us down.
We spent what was left of the evening veging out in our bungalow and resting for tomorrows adventure. What a Day!
So until tomorrows blog and maybe some photos. See ya and hope everyone is well in Australia. Kob un Chai!
Sawasdee Ka! We are in 'PAI' - Best Place!
Saturday - 21 June 08
Hello everyone. Leaving Chiang Mai and off to Pai.
I was up early, packed and organised ready to hit the road to Pai. Rick ducked out to get a quick maccas breakfast and we were off. We were picked up at 10.45 am by songteaw and then did the rounds of guesthouses and hotels to pick up others travelling in the mini bus to Pai. We were then driven to the other side of the river in Chiang Mai to the bus company and taken from there in the mini bus to Pai.
Pai is only 195km from Changers but with it is a mountainous drive and lots of windey roads and trucks so it took 2hrs 15mins which was pretty good. It was a very picturesque drive through the mountains and we had a stop at the 'Halfway Coffee Stop' which was good. It was so cool coming through the mountains and lots of fabulous views.
We arrived in Pai at 2pm and the bus company called the guesthouse that are staying at to come and pick us and our luggage up as there are no taxi's, tuk tuk's or songteaw's in Pai, everyone hires motorbikes to get around.
We were picked up by the guesthouse by 2 motorbikes and they are skillful in carrying all the luggage we had plus us, but they did it. Our little bungalow is excellent and quite comfy the only downside, no airconditioning and it is quite hot as Pai is in a valley surrounded by mountains. Our bungalow is facing the pool, which is green and we wouldn't even attempt swimming in it, its a shame cause its so hot here durning the day and cool at night. It is like an african hut made of concrete with a thatched roof, nice and modern and it has stairs outside to the terrace on the roof which has deck chairs and table and you can sit up there of an evening and see everything around you. There are 20 bungalows ranging from standard to deluxe and is surrounded by rice fields and is about 15 min walk across the bridge into town.
We dumped our stuff in our bungalow and then walked into town to hire a motorbike for the time we are here so we can get around and see all there is to see here. The motorbike we rented is a small automatic 100cc step through and it will do us. It took a little getting used to and Rick does the driving and I sit on the back like madam muck, its wicked. It only costs 200 baht a day ($6.70 Aus) which includes insurance, helmets and the hire of it.
We went to the 7/11 to stock up on supplies, had a quick dinner at a restaurant and then headed back to our bungalow to settle in for the evening. By this time we were buggered and just wanted to relax. We have cable tv but it only has 2 english speaking channels, BBC world news & Aljazeera, both good channels.
I know I say this everytime we move on to somewhere else, but Pai is awsome place, its reminds me of Byron Bay and Mullumbimby minus the beach and ocean. It seems to be a popular place for backpackers and has heaps of backpacker accommodation and guesthouses. Its very hippy, my kind of place.
Anyway its been a big day today and we have lots of exploring to do tomorrow so will sign out, no internet where we are staying so have found internet cafe in town so may be a day behind in doing blog. Until tomorrow. Kob un Chai!
Hello everyone. Leaving Chiang Mai and off to Pai.
I was up early, packed and organised ready to hit the road to Pai. Rick ducked out to get a quick maccas breakfast and we were off. We were picked up at 10.45 am by songteaw and then did the rounds of guesthouses and hotels to pick up others travelling in the mini bus to Pai. We were then driven to the other side of the river in Chiang Mai to the bus company and taken from there in the mini bus to Pai.
Pai is only 195km from Changers but with it is a mountainous drive and lots of windey roads and trucks so it took 2hrs 15mins which was pretty good. It was a very picturesque drive through the mountains and we had a stop at the 'Halfway Coffee Stop' which was good. It was so cool coming through the mountains and lots of fabulous views.
We arrived in Pai at 2pm and the bus company called the guesthouse that are staying at to come and pick us and our luggage up as there are no taxi's, tuk tuk's or songteaw's in Pai, everyone hires motorbikes to get around.
We were picked up by the guesthouse by 2 motorbikes and they are skillful in carrying all the luggage we had plus us, but they did it. Our little bungalow is excellent and quite comfy the only downside, no airconditioning and it is quite hot as Pai is in a valley surrounded by mountains. Our bungalow is facing the pool, which is green and we wouldn't even attempt swimming in it, its a shame cause its so hot here durning the day and cool at night. It is like an african hut made of concrete with a thatched roof, nice and modern and it has stairs outside to the terrace on the roof which has deck chairs and table and you can sit up there of an evening and see everything around you. There are 20 bungalows ranging from standard to deluxe and is surrounded by rice fields and is about 15 min walk across the bridge into town.
We dumped our stuff in our bungalow and then walked into town to hire a motorbike for the time we are here so we can get around and see all there is to see here. The motorbike we rented is a small automatic 100cc step through and it will do us. It took a little getting used to and Rick does the driving and I sit on the back like madam muck, its wicked. It only costs 200 baht a day ($6.70 Aus) which includes insurance, helmets and the hire of it.
We went to the 7/11 to stock up on supplies, had a quick dinner at a restaurant and then headed back to our bungalow to settle in for the evening. By this time we were buggered and just wanted to relax. We have cable tv but it only has 2 english speaking channels, BBC world news & Aljazeera, both good channels.
I know I say this everytime we move on to somewhere else, but Pai is awsome place, its reminds me of Byron Bay and Mullumbimby minus the beach and ocean. It seems to be a popular place for backpackers and has heaps of backpacker accommodation and guesthouses. Its very hippy, my kind of place.
Anyway its been a big day today and we have lots of exploring to do tomorrow so will sign out, no internet where we are staying so have found internet cafe in town so may be a day behind in doing blog. Until tomorrow. Kob un Chai!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Our Last Full Day in Chiang Mai!
Friday - 20 June 08
This will be a quick and easy blog for today and we didn't do anything special just some last minute things before we leave tomorrow for 'Pai'.
We were exhausted after yesterdays big day out and slept like babies last night. I thought we would sleep in this morning until late, but no, not Rick, he was awake at sparrow fart making all his usual noises forgetting he is sharing with a grouchy old cow like me who is not a morning person.
We were a bit slow on the move this morning but managed to drag ourselve out to have some breakfast. We then came back to the hotel as I wanted to do our last little bit of washing by hand and hang it out the window to dry so we could pack it this arvo. We then walked up to the 'Flower market' as we wanted to buy the 2 Receptionist a nice bunch of flowers each and some chocolate. We got 2 bunches of lovely roses, put a small block of chocolate in with them and 100 baht which we gave them this afternoon in appreciation for their hospitality. We also put 500 baht and a block of chocolate each in an envelope for the four guys who work here and have also looked after us. The staff here have been exceptional during our stay.
Rick and I both spent the arvo sleeping getting over yesterdays trip. We watched the AFL footy game between Freo and St Kilda. When that was over at 7.30pm we headed out had a quick dinner, back to the hotel and started sorting our backpacks out. We leave tomorrow on the 11am mini bus to 'Pai' which will take 3 hours. Pai is a small town/village so don't envisage access to the internet, so if there are no blogs on here for the next 3 days you will know why.
So until I blog again, whenever that may be. Hope everyone has a great weekend!
See ya!
This will be a quick and easy blog for today and we didn't do anything special just some last minute things before we leave tomorrow for 'Pai'.
We were exhausted after yesterdays big day out and slept like babies last night. I thought we would sleep in this morning until late, but no, not Rick, he was awake at sparrow fart making all his usual noises forgetting he is sharing with a grouchy old cow like me who is not a morning person.
We were a bit slow on the move this morning but managed to drag ourselve out to have some breakfast. We then came back to the hotel as I wanted to do our last little bit of washing by hand and hang it out the window to dry so we could pack it this arvo. We then walked up to the 'Flower market' as we wanted to buy the 2 Receptionist a nice bunch of flowers each and some chocolate. We got 2 bunches of lovely roses, put a small block of chocolate in with them and 100 baht which we gave them this afternoon in appreciation for their hospitality. We also put 500 baht and a block of chocolate each in an envelope for the four guys who work here and have also looked after us. The staff here have been exceptional during our stay.
Rick and I both spent the arvo sleeping getting over yesterdays trip. We watched the AFL footy game between Freo and St Kilda. When that was over at 7.30pm we headed out had a quick dinner, back to the hotel and started sorting our backpacks out. We leave tomorrow on the 11am mini bus to 'Pai' which will take 3 hours. Pai is a small town/village so don't envisage access to the internet, so if there are no blogs on here for the next 3 days you will know why.
So until I blog again, whenever that may be. Hope everyone has a great weekend!
See ya!
Our day tour to Chiang Mai & Golden Triangle
Thursday - 19 June 08
Sawasdee Ka everyone! I know this blog is extremely late but we have had such a long day all we could think about was sleeping.
We were up at 5.30am this morning to get ready for our big day on our tour and visa run. The bus picked us up from the hotel at 7am and it all began from there. As is usual with tours the bus has to do the rounds of the other hotels to pick up other people that are also booked on the tour, so by the time we actually left Chiang Mai it was around 8am.
We headed up the motorway towards the mountains and Chiang Rai, we had our tour guide, Thai boy named Nong and the driver Ton, both were really nice people and Nong spoke english very well and gave an excellent commentary of each place we visited.
First stop was the geyser just outside of Chiang Rai. The water spurting from the geyser is around 90 degrees and quite acidic. The area is quite touristy, of course with lots of market stalls and jewellery shops because they are big on gold here. You could actually purchase a small cane basket with an egg in it and stick it in the geyser to boil, not my kind of food, so we passed on that.
Second stop was the ancient temple/city where we received a history lesson on Buddhism, the temple and Chiang Rai which is really quite fanscinating and interesting. Chiang Rai was built in 1291 and is the oldest city in the north. It was built by a king who ruled in those times and went on to build Chiang Mai in 1296. 'Rai' meaning old and 'Mai' meaning new. So we have Chiang Rai, old city and Chiang Mai, new city.
Third Stop. We then drove on to the 'Golden Triangle'. This is where the 3 countries of, Thailand, Burma (Myanmar) and Laos meet but separated by the Mekong river. It is called the 'Golden Triangle' because during the time that Opium was traded by these three countries with China it was where the Opium crossed borders and money or gold changed hands for payment and it was transported to China which was the biggest importer of Opium. It was a very hot day and at the Golden Triangle, we could take a longtail boatride across the river to Laos and then up to the point of the Golden Triangle. Rick and I opted not to do the boatride so while the others did we walked into the village and stopped at a cafe and had a latte and looked through the market stalls and took shitloads of photos of the River, the Triangle and the big Gold Buddha. By the time we did that the others were back from their boat ride and we continued on.
Our fourth stop was for lunch, which was included in the price of the tour. It was a buffet lunch of all different foods from Thai, Burma, Salads, Fruit, Desserts and it was all you could eat. The food was delicious and I love the Pineapple here in Thailand as it is so juicy and the sweetest pineapple I have ever had. We were at the restaurant for about an hour and then headed off from there.
Next stop was, Mae Sai which is the border town on Thailand side and where we got the experience of doing our visa run for our extra 30 days. To call it an eye opener is an understatement. There is a very short bridge from Mae Sai, Thailand over a small creek or canal to Myanmar (Burma). At the entrance of the bridge on the Thai side is the customs and immigration, across the bridge on the Burma (Myanmar) side is the Burma customs and immigration. Rick and I were the only ones on the tour who needed to do the visa run (walk). The others got to hang out at the markets and shops of Mae Sai which is a nightmare and crowded with people from both Thailand and Burma. According to our tour guide Nong not much of the stuff you buy in the markets and shops are riggy didge so advised against any purchase. So while we left the others to shop our guide Nong and Rick and I headed to the Thai immigration at the start of the bridge. There we handed our passports in to the officer and watched while he did his stuff and stamped 'exit' on the visa part of our passport cancelling what was left of our current 60 day visa which expired on 24 June 08. Nong then escorted us across the bridge and into the Burma side of the bridge and into a small dark office with 3 military officers (immigration) sitting at a desk. We handed them our passports and the 1000 baht bribe, oops! I mean payment and in 5 minutes the paperwork was done and we were stamped to enter Burma. We thanked them profusely and they wanted us to have a look at their country, Nong told them we had to get back to Thailand and finish our tour. We then walked back across the bridge to Thai immigration, filled out our entry card, handed our passports in, got our new 30 day visa stamp, which cost nothing, and were finished. We now have another 30 days in Thailand to finish our trip. It took less than an hour. I have to say the military junta at the Burma immigration were quite friendly (something to do with the 1000 baht we paid) they spoke english well and were happy to have a joke and laugh with us.
Our last and final stop was the Karen Longneck Hilltribe which is up in the mountains somewhere betweean Mae Sai and Chiang Rai. We arrived there about 4pm and spent an hour there. It was a little daunting at first because you pay to see these people and its like paying to go to a freak show. They were very nice and friendly people and learning about them and the way they live and their culture and customs was awsome. Because they are refugees from Burma and can't ever get Thai citizenship they have no income other than from people paying to see them and the tribe and how they live and what they can earn from selling the things that the women weave and other things they make. If you scroll down I have put 2 extra posts on this blog with photos and the photos of the Karen Longneck and Big Ear Hilltribes with a quick explanantion on the traditions of the tribe.
We were there about an hour as we had to trek about a 100 metres to the actual Hilltribe village, it wasn't far but it was up hill and down dale and it was the end of a hot long day and we were all buggered. It was absolutely beautiful up in the mountains and its hard to believe that people still live the tribal way of life in bamboo and grass huts with no modern facilities whatsoever. The kids were gorgeous looking and very friendly. It really was well worth the stop.
Our touristy bit over we all piled in the bus and headed off back to Chiang Mai which was about a 3 - 4 hour journey as there was a lot of windy mountain roads and roadworks to get through. Mr Ton, our driver must have been exhausted driving all that time. Nong put a movie on the DVD screen for us to watch for the drive home, 'Alvin and the Chipmonks' it was a funny movie, I think Rick & I were the only ones that watched it as everyone else seemed to go to sleep. It was a long drive back and by the time we got to Chiang Mai it was 9pm. We jumped out of the bus at maccas grabbed something quick to eat, walked back to the hotel, had showers and jumped into bed, we were that worn out. I think it took me about 5 minutes to go to sleep,
An excellent tour, long one but well worth it. We got our new visa. Saw some awsome places and now our time in Chiang Mai is almost over. Hope everyone still reading this enjoys the photos. Until tomorrows blog. Kob un Chai (Thank You)!
Sawasdee Ka everyone! I know this blog is extremely late but we have had such a long day all we could think about was sleeping.
We were up at 5.30am this morning to get ready for our big day on our tour and visa run. The bus picked us up from the hotel at 7am and it all began from there. As is usual with tours the bus has to do the rounds of the other hotels to pick up other people that are also booked on the tour, so by the time we actually left Chiang Mai it was around 8am.
We headed up the motorway towards the mountains and Chiang Rai, we had our tour guide, Thai boy named Nong and the driver Ton, both were really nice people and Nong spoke english very well and gave an excellent commentary of each place we visited.
First stop was the geyser just outside of Chiang Rai. The water spurting from the geyser is around 90 degrees and quite acidic. The area is quite touristy, of course with lots of market stalls and jewellery shops because they are big on gold here. You could actually purchase a small cane basket with an egg in it and stick it in the geyser to boil, not my kind of food, so we passed on that.
Second stop was the ancient temple/city where we received a history lesson on Buddhism, the temple and Chiang Rai which is really quite fanscinating and interesting. Chiang Rai was built in 1291 and is the oldest city in the north. It was built by a king who ruled in those times and went on to build Chiang Mai in 1296. 'Rai' meaning old and 'Mai' meaning new. So we have Chiang Rai, old city and Chiang Mai, new city.
Third Stop. We then drove on to the 'Golden Triangle'. This is where the 3 countries of, Thailand, Burma (Myanmar) and Laos meet but separated by the Mekong river. It is called the 'Golden Triangle' because during the time that Opium was traded by these three countries with China it was where the Opium crossed borders and money or gold changed hands for payment and it was transported to China which was the biggest importer of Opium. It was a very hot day and at the Golden Triangle, we could take a longtail boatride across the river to Laos and then up to the point of the Golden Triangle. Rick and I opted not to do the boatride so while the others did we walked into the village and stopped at a cafe and had a latte and looked through the market stalls and took shitloads of photos of the River, the Triangle and the big Gold Buddha. By the time we did that the others were back from their boat ride and we continued on.
Our fourth stop was for lunch, which was included in the price of the tour. It was a buffet lunch of all different foods from Thai, Burma, Salads, Fruit, Desserts and it was all you could eat. The food was delicious and I love the Pineapple here in Thailand as it is so juicy and the sweetest pineapple I have ever had. We were at the restaurant for about an hour and then headed off from there.
Next stop was, Mae Sai which is the border town on Thailand side and where we got the experience of doing our visa run for our extra 30 days. To call it an eye opener is an understatement. There is a very short bridge from Mae Sai, Thailand over a small creek or canal to Myanmar (Burma). At the entrance of the bridge on the Thai side is the customs and immigration, across the bridge on the Burma (Myanmar) side is the Burma customs and immigration. Rick and I were the only ones on the tour who needed to do the visa run (walk). The others got to hang out at the markets and shops of Mae Sai which is a nightmare and crowded with people from both Thailand and Burma. According to our tour guide Nong not much of the stuff you buy in the markets and shops are riggy didge so advised against any purchase. So while we left the others to shop our guide Nong and Rick and I headed to the Thai immigration at the start of the bridge. There we handed our passports in to the officer and watched while he did his stuff and stamped 'exit' on the visa part of our passport cancelling what was left of our current 60 day visa which expired on 24 June 08. Nong then escorted us across the bridge and into the Burma side of the bridge and into a small dark office with 3 military officers (immigration) sitting at a desk. We handed them our passports and the 1000 baht bribe, oops! I mean payment and in 5 minutes the paperwork was done and we were stamped to enter Burma. We thanked them profusely and they wanted us to have a look at their country, Nong told them we had to get back to Thailand and finish our tour. We then walked back across the bridge to Thai immigration, filled out our entry card, handed our passports in, got our new 30 day visa stamp, which cost nothing, and were finished. We now have another 30 days in Thailand to finish our trip. It took less than an hour. I have to say the military junta at the Burma immigration were quite friendly (something to do with the 1000 baht we paid) they spoke english well and were happy to have a joke and laugh with us.
Our last and final stop was the Karen Longneck Hilltribe which is up in the mountains somewhere betweean Mae Sai and Chiang Rai. We arrived there about 4pm and spent an hour there. It was a little daunting at first because you pay to see these people and its like paying to go to a freak show. They were very nice and friendly people and learning about them and the way they live and their culture and customs was awsome. Because they are refugees from Burma and can't ever get Thai citizenship they have no income other than from people paying to see them and the tribe and how they live and what they can earn from selling the things that the women weave and other things they make. If you scroll down I have put 2 extra posts on this blog with photos and the photos of the Karen Longneck and Big Ear Hilltribes with a quick explanantion on the traditions of the tribe.
We were there about an hour as we had to trek about a 100 metres to the actual Hilltribe village, it wasn't far but it was up hill and down dale and it was the end of a hot long day and we were all buggered. It was absolutely beautiful up in the mountains and its hard to believe that people still live the tribal way of life in bamboo and grass huts with no modern facilities whatsoever. The kids were gorgeous looking and very friendly. It really was well worth the stop.
Our touristy bit over we all piled in the bus and headed off back to Chiang Mai which was about a 3 - 4 hour journey as there was a lot of windy mountain roads and roadworks to get through. Mr Ton, our driver must have been exhausted driving all that time. Nong put a movie on the DVD screen for us to watch for the drive home, 'Alvin and the Chipmonks' it was a funny movie, I think Rick & I were the only ones that watched it as everyone else seemed to go to sleep. It was a long drive back and by the time we got to Chiang Mai it was 9pm. We jumped out of the bus at maccas grabbed something quick to eat, walked back to the hotel, had showers and jumped into bed, we were that worn out. I think it took me about 5 minutes to go to sleep,
An excellent tour, long one but well worth it. We got our new visa. Saw some awsome places and now our time in Chiang Mai is almost over. Hope everyone still reading this enjoys the photos. Until tomorrows blog. Kob un Chai (Thank You)!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
More Photos of Our Day tour! 19 June 08
The Border of Thailand & Burma
The bridge has a lot of people begging especially kids and they are from the Burma side.
Big Ear lady of the Big Ear Hilltribe
L
Long Neck women of the Long Neck 'Karon" Hilltribe. They begin putting the rings around their necks at 2 years of age and continue to do so each year until there are 25 rings on their necks. Only the women wear the rings on their necks in the tribe. The Long Neck tribe are refugees from Burma and have been in Thailand for 9 years, they fled Burma as the government there set out to hunt them down and kill them all and thus their culture. They are allowed to stay in Thailand and are monitored by the Thai government, but can never have Thai citizenship. They live way up in the mountains between Chiang Rai & Mae Sai in small bamboo huts and the women weave all day and make beautiful scarves and other items. The men tend the crops and animals but don't really do much. The men are allowed 4 wives and each wife gets to choose the new wife. The men would be pretty happy and there wouldn't be much time for work.
Thur-19june 08- Photos of our day tour to Golden Triangle
The Golden Triangle looking across the river to Laos.
Me standing at the Golden Triangle
Map of the Golden Triangle where Laos, Burma, Thailand meet.
The Border of Thailand & Myanmar (Burma)
Bridge dividing Thailand & Myanmar (Burma) where we did our visa run. One end of the Bridge is Thailand and you walk across and then enter Myanmar. Very Interesting!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Another Lazy day in 'Shang My'
Wednesday - 18 June 08
Sawasdee Ka! This will be a short blog as we had a really lazy day today, we thought we would hang out here and take it easy since we have such a big day tomorrow for our trip to Chiang Rai and Myanmar border for our visa run. 7am - 7pm, all day tour.
We stayed in bed a bit longer this morning as it had rained all night and was still raining when we woke up. There is not much point in rushing out too early since there is no one around and with the rain as well.
We decided to do brunch at Subway, big mistake, no english and a bit too overpriced for what you get. We then went for a walk to find a massage place to have a foot massage and the place was busy and they asked us to come back later, we didn't so we had a long walk instead and the rain started again so headed back to the hotel where we spent the arvo, Rick watching tele and me doing the washing by hand, again!
We had a good heavy rain again late this arvo and it always seems to rain heavy just when the people are setting up their stalls out on the footpath and they are madly trying to cover everything so the goods they hope to sell don't get wet.
We ventured out early for dinner as we want to get an early night as we will need to be up at 5.30am to get ready for our day tour as the bus picks us up at 7am here at the hotel. We are really looking forward to it even though it will be a long day, but hey we get to go to another country for an hour. Anyway better end this post and head off. Until Tomorrow! Stay tuned!
Sawasdee Ka! This will be a short blog as we had a really lazy day today, we thought we would hang out here and take it easy since we have such a big day tomorrow for our trip to Chiang Rai and Myanmar border for our visa run. 7am - 7pm, all day tour.
We stayed in bed a bit longer this morning as it had rained all night and was still raining when we woke up. There is not much point in rushing out too early since there is no one around and with the rain as well.
We decided to do brunch at Subway, big mistake, no english and a bit too overpriced for what you get. We then went for a walk to find a massage place to have a foot massage and the place was busy and they asked us to come back later, we didn't so we had a long walk instead and the rain started again so headed back to the hotel where we spent the arvo, Rick watching tele and me doing the washing by hand, again!
We had a good heavy rain again late this arvo and it always seems to rain heavy just when the people are setting up their stalls out on the footpath and they are madly trying to cover everything so the goods they hope to sell don't get wet.
We ventured out early for dinner as we want to get an early night as we will need to be up at 5.30am to get ready for our day tour as the bus picks us up at 7am here at the hotel. We are really looking forward to it even though it will be a long day, but hey we get to go to another country for an hour. Anyway better end this post and head off. Until Tomorrow! Stay tuned!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Sawasdee Ka!
My Soup Guy at Kalare Food CourtTuesday - 17 June 08
Hello again everyone! We have had a very good day today again. It was raining when we awoke this morning and looked like it was setting in for the day. We decided today to go back to the Doi Suthep Temple and spend some more time there. We would like to have gone to the Inthanon Temple which is 100km from Chiang Mai and on the highest peak of Thailand, but no taxi drivers wanted to take us unless we did the whole day tour thing and went to other places as well, which is a whole day. We are doing the long tour day Thursday for our visa run, we really just wanted to see that Temple,but no go!
We had breakfast at maccas and then hailed the Songteaw to take us up the mountain to the Doi Suthep Temple that we had visited last week on our half day tour. It was still raining but hey what the heck. Our Songteaw driver agreed to a price of 500 baht ($17 Aus) to drive us up the mountain to the temple, there wait for an hour or two for us and then drive us back down the mountain to our hotel. Cheap as chips!
It was a hairy ride going up there around the hairpin bends in this vehicle and it was a little fumy too which make Rick feel a little unwell. It was worth it to get up to the temple again and spend more time there. It continued to rain but it keeps things cool so it didn't bother us. I took ship loads more photos and if you scroll down at the end of this blog there are two more pages of photos. I decided Rick and I should ask for a blessing from the Monk in the temple and so we waited and the monk was happy to oblige. He asked us where were from and spoke really good english. He went on to give us the blessing with his buddhist chant and during it shook wet incense sticks over the tops of our heads. He then blessed us for a Safe Journey and Prosperity and Good Luck, it was awsome. We gave our usual donation of 100 baht. I bought a couple of books and we looked around for a while longer then headed down the 300 steps to the bottom, jumped in the Songteaw, headed back down the mountain and to our hotel.
Rick wasn't feeling the best for the rest of the afternoon, he thinks it may have been a combination of the fumes from the Songteaw and our daily malaria tablet. So he slept and I read until it was time to go out for dinner. We headed off down the main drag of Changklan Rd to a small western restaurant as we felt like something different for dinner. We had pork chop or steak, couldn't tell, it was okay but wished I had stuck to my soup man. We then headed back to the hotel as Rick still not 100% and I wanted to get the blog done before it gets too late. Hope everyone is enjoying the photos, I have now taken 900 photos since being in Thailand. Not much else to tell so Until Tomorrow! Kob n Chai!
More Photos - 17 June 08
Buddha on hill bottom of Temple
The Peak of the Doi Suthep Temple is made of Pure Gold!
Another photo of us receiving a blessing.
Elephant that rings a bell around his neck at temple. Feel sorry for him tied up in a small pen, standing on a wet, muddy floor all day.Sawasdee Ka! - Photos! - Tuesday 17 June 08
Rick in the back of the Songteaw to Temple
The King & Queen of Thailand
The cable car up mountain to temple
Rick and I getting a blessing from Monk in Temple
Blessing for Safe Journey & ProsperityMonday, June 16, 2008
Sawasdee Ka from Chiang Mai Still!
Monday - 16 June 08
Hello everyone, hope you are all well and braving the cold weather Australia is having. Well we had a rather quiet weekend like the rest of Chiang Mai and it was great to see the streets all happening today.
We are doing a pretty good job of sleeping in now of a morning and its good because it means we aren't wandering empty quiet streets. We skipped breakfast this morning and jumped straight into a tuk tuk and got him to take us to the Arcade Bus Station, which is over the other side of the city, so we could find out about buses to Mae Hong Son & Pai. They wouldn't let us book it as you can only book exactly 3 days before you leave and we wanted to go Saturday. So we had the tuk tuk driver waiting for us so we got him to drive as back to the hotel so we could replan what we want to do and where to go first.
Saturday is our last day in Chiang Mai. We are catching a mini bus to 'PAI' (booked through travel agent tonight). The bus will pick us up at 11am and its a 3 hour trip. We have booked 3 days in a really cool bungalow in a small resort built in the middle of rice paddies, if anyone gets the chance GOOGLE it: 'The Countryside Bungalow - Pai - Thailand. I just happend across it when I was searching on the net yesterday so emailed them and they replied today and offered a 'special price' because its the quiet season. We have booked a Deluxe Poolside Bungalow with cable tv & fridge for 600 baht a night. Wicked!
Pai is a small country village, very quiet in the mountains and on the River, not sure what river yet. We have been told by so many people to go there as it is beautiful, and it was on our intinerary anyway. I don't envisage we will have internet access there or internet cafes so may have to hold off doing blog until we hit Mae Hong Son and catch up then. Rick and I have decided to hire a motorbike for the couple of days we are there so we can get around and see things. Will no doubt take heaps of photos.
From Pai we then move on to Mae Hong Son which is 3 hours from Pai and a much bigger place, still in the mountains though and has a really beautiful lake. Not sure about accommodation yet, will probably look when we get there. From Mae Hong Son its back to Chiang Mai for a day for a flight to either Sukkhothai or Bangkok depends on how much time we have left. We have our resort booked in kamala Beach Phuket from 5 - 12 July and we want to spend at least 5 days on Phi Phi Island before that, so we will have to see.
This arvo was Rick watching his Bloomberg and me handwashing our little bit of washing. We then went out for dinner, just soup tonight and of course maccas sunday. Walked around for a while and back to hotel. Rick watching Bloomberg and me doing blog. We will really miss this place when we leave on Saturday its so homely.
Anyway better go, will catch up with you all tomorrow. Until then!
Kob n Chai
Hello everyone, hope you are all well and braving the cold weather Australia is having. Well we had a rather quiet weekend like the rest of Chiang Mai and it was great to see the streets all happening today.
We are doing a pretty good job of sleeping in now of a morning and its good because it means we aren't wandering empty quiet streets. We skipped breakfast this morning and jumped straight into a tuk tuk and got him to take us to the Arcade Bus Station, which is over the other side of the city, so we could find out about buses to Mae Hong Son & Pai. They wouldn't let us book it as you can only book exactly 3 days before you leave and we wanted to go Saturday. So we had the tuk tuk driver waiting for us so we got him to drive as back to the hotel so we could replan what we want to do and where to go first.
Saturday is our last day in Chiang Mai. We are catching a mini bus to 'PAI' (booked through travel agent tonight). The bus will pick us up at 11am and its a 3 hour trip. We have booked 3 days in a really cool bungalow in a small resort built in the middle of rice paddies, if anyone gets the chance GOOGLE it: 'The Countryside Bungalow - Pai - Thailand. I just happend across it when I was searching on the net yesterday so emailed them and they replied today and offered a 'special price' because its the quiet season. We have booked a Deluxe Poolside Bungalow with cable tv & fridge for 600 baht a night. Wicked!
Pai is a small country village, very quiet in the mountains and on the River, not sure what river yet. We have been told by so many people to go there as it is beautiful, and it was on our intinerary anyway. I don't envisage we will have internet access there or internet cafes so may have to hold off doing blog until we hit Mae Hong Son and catch up then. Rick and I have decided to hire a motorbike for the couple of days we are there so we can get around and see things. Will no doubt take heaps of photos.
From Pai we then move on to Mae Hong Son which is 3 hours from Pai and a much bigger place, still in the mountains though and has a really beautiful lake. Not sure about accommodation yet, will probably look when we get there. From Mae Hong Son its back to Chiang Mai for a day for a flight to either Sukkhothai or Bangkok depends on how much time we have left. We have our resort booked in kamala Beach Phuket from 5 - 12 July and we want to spend at least 5 days on Phi Phi Island before that, so we will have to see.
This arvo was Rick watching his Bloomberg and me handwashing our little bit of washing. We then went out for dinner, just soup tonight and of course maccas sunday. Walked around for a while and back to hotel. Rick watching Bloomberg and me doing blog. We will really miss this place when we leave on Saturday its so homely.
Anyway better go, will catch up with you all tomorrow. Until then!
Kob n Chai
Sunday, June 15, 2008
A Short blog - A Lazy day!!!
Sunday - 15 June 08
Another short blog as it is Sunday and a quiet day everywhere for everyone.
We hung around our room until lunchtime watching the AFL footy and Geelong flog Port Adelaide, what a ripper of a game, good to see Geelong back in great form again. We ventured out for brunch as then did our usual long walk to walk off the food and to get some exercise. The streets are very, very quiet today, there are very few people around and not many tuk tuk or taxi drivers so it must be the one day Thais actually take off.
We spent what was left of the arvo watching tele in our room and catching up on some washing, I am finally getting the hang of this handwashing business and if it keeps our budget down so I have more to spend at toward the end of our trip, I am Happy.
We ventured out for dinner a little earlier tonight, and went to the food court next door. We did our usual long walk to walk it off then headed back to Kalare Bazaar and food court to watch more of the Thai Dancing show that is on every night.
Not much else to tell, its Sunday! So until tomorrow!!!!!
Another short blog as it is Sunday and a quiet day everywhere for everyone.
We hung around our room until lunchtime watching the AFL footy and Geelong flog Port Adelaide, what a ripper of a game, good to see Geelong back in great form again. We ventured out for brunch as then did our usual long walk to walk off the food and to get some exercise. The streets are very, very quiet today, there are very few people around and not many tuk tuk or taxi drivers so it must be the one day Thais actually take off.
We spent what was left of the arvo watching tele in our room and catching up on some washing, I am finally getting the hang of this handwashing business and if it keeps our budget down so I have more to spend at toward the end of our trip, I am Happy.
We ventured out for dinner a little earlier tonight, and went to the food court next door. We did our usual long walk to walk it off then headed back to Kalare Bazaar and food court to watch more of the Thai Dancing show that is on every night.
Not much else to tell, its Sunday! So until tomorrow!!!!!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
A Lazy Saturday in Changers!
Saturday 14 June 08
Hello to everyone still reading the blog. This one will be a short one as we have had a very lazy day today watching footy and just relaxing. We did go out to brunch and had just a quick walk not the long one we normally take. The weather has been stormy off and on all day and the streets seem a little quieter than normal, maybe everyone has decided to stay in and watch the footy too.
We are still really settled here and love the place so much we really aren't looking forward to leaving next week but know we have too because we can't extend anymore than the 30 day visa next Thursday. We have decided to add another place to our intinerary. We will be flying to Sukkothai on Monday week for a couple of days to have a look around. Apparetly its a must see as it was the original capital of Thailand before Bangkok. Tomorrow we are booking our mini bus to Pai for Monday. We don't know if we are just going to go for the day to have a look or if we will stay a night or two, we will decide that when we get there.
We did manage to quickly duck out for dinner tonight as the footy was on again and thought we would grab something during half time. We had watched the movie 'Cast Away' with Tom Hanks and it didn't finish until 9pm and the footy started straight after. We had another storm and heavy rain late this arvo but its good cause they don't last long.
Anyway not much else taking place and nothing exciting to tell, weekends are always our hang out days due to the footy. So until tomorrow. Catch ya!
Hello to everyone still reading the blog. This one will be a short one as we have had a very lazy day today watching footy and just relaxing. We did go out to brunch and had just a quick walk not the long one we normally take. The weather has been stormy off and on all day and the streets seem a little quieter than normal, maybe everyone has decided to stay in and watch the footy too.
We are still really settled here and love the place so much we really aren't looking forward to leaving next week but know we have too because we can't extend anymore than the 30 day visa next Thursday. We have decided to add another place to our intinerary. We will be flying to Sukkothai on Monday week for a couple of days to have a look around. Apparetly its a must see as it was the original capital of Thailand before Bangkok. Tomorrow we are booking our mini bus to Pai for Monday. We don't know if we are just going to go for the day to have a look or if we will stay a night or two, we will decide that when we get there.
We did manage to quickly duck out for dinner tonight as the footy was on again and thought we would grab something during half time. We had watched the movie 'Cast Away' with Tom Hanks and it didn't finish until 9pm and the footy started straight after. We had another storm and heavy rain late this arvo but its good cause they don't last long.
Anyway not much else taking place and nothing exciting to tell, weekends are always our hang out days due to the footy. So until tomorrow. Catch ya!
Friday, June 13, 2008
Friday 13th in Chiang Mai!
Sawasdee Ka everyone, sorry yes I am late doing the blog. We had a late night so it was a bit hard at 11pm to come down to the lobby and try to do the blog being half asleep..
Today was another relaxing and easy day in Changers. We skipped our usual brunch at maccas and instead caught a tuk tuk to Pang Suen Keaw (I have probably spelt this wrong) shopping centre. I spied it the other day when we were coming back from Doi Suthep temple and remember seeing it on a trip advisor travel diary, so I thought we have checked out all the other big shopping centres we may as well do this one.
Well the shopping centre building is very old but boy it was huge, floors and floors of shops and stalls, there seem to be a lot more westerners in the shopping centre and areas itself, not all looked like tourists. We spent hours looking through floor after floor of the shopping centre, stopped for lunch at KFC and then decided to walk and explore where all these foreigners were coming from. We walked the main road for what seemed like hours and almost ended up at the bottom of the mountain that leads up to the Doi Suthep temple and the clouds started rolling in over the mountain and the humidity seemed to get thicker so we figured a storm and rain was brewing so best we flag down a tuk tuk and head back to the hotel.
The rest of the arvo was spent watching the AFL and seeing West Coast get there arses kicked again, yippee! by Essendon and by the time the game finished it was 8pm and we headed out to dinner. We didn't go to the usual food court as we decided to have a break from Thai food and felt like vegies so we headed a bit further down the road and stopped and an english restaurant and Rick had pork chops, mash and vegies and I had Chicken cordon bleu, mash, vegies and gravy. It wasn't bad but I find the Thai food much tastier and filling that the western meals here. We stopped on our walk home and grabbed a soft serve at maccas while we walked off dinner.
The streets and markets seem a lot more lively and busier on Friday nights and weekends and you walk outside at 11pm at night and the place is still abuzz. Must be that more tourists arrive on Fridays. There are a couple of groups of Aussie high school teenagers here on either cultural exchange or a cultural school trip and the streets were full of them and they were shopping their hearts out. We got back to our hotel at 11pm and by this time were buggered, watched a bit of telly and that was the end of the night.
Not much planned for this weekend as there are a few AFL games so we will pretty much hang out and watch them in between going out for our daily walks and food.
Hope everyone at home had a good Friday 13th. Thats all for now. Until Tomorrow! Kob Chai
Today was another relaxing and easy day in Changers. We skipped our usual brunch at maccas and instead caught a tuk tuk to Pang Suen Keaw (I have probably spelt this wrong) shopping centre. I spied it the other day when we were coming back from Doi Suthep temple and remember seeing it on a trip advisor travel diary, so I thought we have checked out all the other big shopping centres we may as well do this one.
Well the shopping centre building is very old but boy it was huge, floors and floors of shops and stalls, there seem to be a lot more westerners in the shopping centre and areas itself, not all looked like tourists. We spent hours looking through floor after floor of the shopping centre, stopped for lunch at KFC and then decided to walk and explore where all these foreigners were coming from. We walked the main road for what seemed like hours and almost ended up at the bottom of the mountain that leads up to the Doi Suthep temple and the clouds started rolling in over the mountain and the humidity seemed to get thicker so we figured a storm and rain was brewing so best we flag down a tuk tuk and head back to the hotel.
The rest of the arvo was spent watching the AFL and seeing West Coast get there arses kicked again, yippee! by Essendon and by the time the game finished it was 8pm and we headed out to dinner. We didn't go to the usual food court as we decided to have a break from Thai food and felt like vegies so we headed a bit further down the road and stopped and an english restaurant and Rick had pork chops, mash and vegies and I had Chicken cordon bleu, mash, vegies and gravy. It wasn't bad but I find the Thai food much tastier and filling that the western meals here. We stopped on our walk home and grabbed a soft serve at maccas while we walked off dinner.
The streets and markets seem a lot more lively and busier on Friday nights and weekends and you walk outside at 11pm at night and the place is still abuzz. Must be that more tourists arrive on Fridays. There are a couple of groups of Aussie high school teenagers here on either cultural exchange or a cultural school trip and the streets were full of them and they were shopping their hearts out. We got back to our hotel at 11pm and by this time were buggered, watched a bit of telly and that was the end of the night.
Not much planned for this weekend as there are a few AFL games so we will pretty much hang out and watch them in between going out for our daily walks and food.
Hope everyone at home had a good Friday 13th. Thats all for now. Until Tomorrow! Kob Chai
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Sawasdee Ka! - Relax Day in Changers!
Thursday - 12 June 08
Hi everyone still keeping up and reading our blog. I have just added the couple of photos, they are just bits of everything we have seen in Chiang Mai.
We have had a bit of a lazy day today after our late night last night, so this will be a short and uneventful blog.
Rick was awake early this morning as he was still feeling a little bit uncomfortable after the big feed at the Cultural show last night. I was feeling great but could have slept a lot longer, but not with Rick farting around making heaps of noise.
We had breakfast at maccas again this morning mainly because its cheap and there isn't any other places opened for food before lunchtime, we could probably go to Starbucks or something like that but they are twice the price as maccas and we are supposedly budget travelling.
We then did our long morning walk that has become our daily ritual. This time we walked along the Riverside and walked through the Flower markets and followed the river for quite a while until it started to get really hot, humid and we started sweating, you could tell by the humidity that a storm and rain wasn't far off.
We walked for what seemed like hours and Rick thought we were going in the wrong direction and were probably lost, he has no sense of direction. I knew where we were and how to get back to our hotel and besides we carry a map with us all the time, so how can we get lost.
By the time we got back to our hotel it was almost 1 o'clock which was good because it give the housekeepers plenty of time to tidy up our room, which I must say they do an excellent job, might have something to do with the fact that we leave them 15 baht on each of our pillows as a tip for them. We had a little bit of light washing to do so I did it in the bathroom sink and pegged it on coathangers and hung them on the curtain rod on our window. We did get a storm and some heavy rain almost as soon as we arrived back to the hotel and boy when it rains, it really rains.
After doing my domestic duties (while Rick watched & supervised) I was exhausted so I had a long Nanny nap and left Rick to keep himself amused watching his bloody Bloomberg, god knows what he will do when we get back to oz and he has no bloomberg.
We went for another long walk around 6pm tonight and went down streets and little alleyways exploring until we felt hungry enough to grab something for dinner. It is still pretty humid so we pretty much ate, bought a soft serve cone at Burger King and then walked back to our place to get back in to the cool and in case it rained again as we always seem to get caught in heavy rain.
It's 9pm and I am just doing this blog, so I guess you all will be reading this tomorrow, sorry Clear!!!!!!!!!! We are 1 hour behind Perth, 2 hours behind Qld god knows about the others so by the time I get around to doing this blog everynight all you guys are probably ZZZZZing away.
Well folks thats it for today, as I said today was a lazy day. Stay tuned for tomorrow. Until then. La Kon!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Wednesday - 11 June 08 - THE BLOG!
Wednesday
Well what can we say but another great day was had in 'Changers' again. It really does feel more and more like home and we really live here.
We started out our day a bit later than usual as we both slept in until 8.30 am having sat up till late watching some aussie movie on cable. Then it was down to the lobby to do all the usual email and internet stuff, I swear I spend more time on it here than I ever did at home.
We have yet again had problems with the Real Estate that manages our unit in Hervey Bay which has taken a lot of our time trying to sort it out from here, but the upside of it is we are now rid of the tenant that has been paying 50 bucks below market rent for the last couple of years and we told the useless real estate wbere they could go and what they could do and now have a more reputable real estate who will be managing the property and at the right market rent which is a bonus for us. I can't believe the bullshit they try to feed you while they collect the management fees for doing nothing. We also now have the house on the Sunshine Coast rented out for a lot more than we were previously getting, so things should settle down from here on.
We did our usual McShit brunch and then went for a walk to pick up our laundry. We have decided to head of to Pai for a day or two next week to have a look so we stopped at a travel agent to check out the price of the mini bus to get there. I did want to go to Mae Hong Son but its 5 hours from here and we probably will run out of time as we do our visa run to the Golden Triangle next Thursday and then we are leaving Chaing Mai (boo hoo) probably the next day and hopefully flying to Sukkothai for a couple of days before heading back south to Phi Phi and Kamala Beach, Phuket. We now have only four weeks till we get on that plane back to Australia and I must say I am not impressed with how quickly the time is going as I know there is no way I will be ready to leave here when the time comes.
The rest of the arvo was spent relaxing in our little home as we had quite a storm and lots of heavy rain, besides we wanted to rest before our big night out at the Cultural show tonight.
The Cultural Show was fantastic and the food was awsome. We were picked up by mini bus at 7pm from our hotel and the Cultural Centre was only about 10 mins from our hotel. When we are arrived we greeted and shown to our table. What a restaurant, it was similar to Japanese style dining where you sit on the floor and they deliver you a small table with bowls of different sorts of Thai food (like your own little smorgasbord) and they keep coming and topping it up. It was soooooo delicious that Rick and I made porky's of ourselves and figured if they keep topping it up we will keep eating it. We had a photo taken of us sitting and 2 of the hilltribe dancers standing behind us and let me tell you its not good, we both look like porkers, yuk. I won't be showing that photo to anyone when we get back.
The Thai dancing was excellent and its so soothing to sit and watch them dance. They are so precise and elegant and the costumes are very colourful. The Thai dancing went on for an hour or so and then we had a break and moved to the outdoor arena where we watched the hilltribe dancing. That was awsome and I got some great photos. If you scroll down from this blog you will see I have posted 2 or 3 pages of the photos. It was a great night and so good to see that there is still so much of the Thai culture being kept alive and commercialism has totally destroyed it, especially up here in the North.
Our mini bus was there waiting to bring us home when the show finished and there were 3 (older) aussie ladies that were being dropped of at the hotel down the road from us. We chatted and laughed with them all the way back, swapping stories about trying to buy things and find your way around when so few people speak english. Seems they have had the same frustrations as we have, but we all laughed about them. They have been in Thailand for 2 weeks and came for a conference in Chiang Rai. They belong to a womens organisation similar to the Mens Rotary and they raise money and donate it to some of the Hilltribe villages along the borders, so every 2 years they come for a conference and visit they places they donate to. How Cool! Might think about joining!
Well we finally got home at around 10.30pm at we were uncomfortably fof (full of food) our own fault of course but still managed to fit in a cuppa before we hit the sack. Everything we have done and seen in Chiang Mai has been well worth it, so anyone thinking of heading to Thailand at all in the future, put Changers at the top of your list.
So once again, time to go. Until tomorrow stay tuned!!!!!
Well what can we say but another great day was had in 'Changers' again. It really does feel more and more like home and we really live here.
We started out our day a bit later than usual as we both slept in until 8.30 am having sat up till late watching some aussie movie on cable. Then it was down to the lobby to do all the usual email and internet stuff, I swear I spend more time on it here than I ever did at home.
We have yet again had problems with the Real Estate that manages our unit in Hervey Bay which has taken a lot of our time trying to sort it out from here, but the upside of it is we are now rid of the tenant that has been paying 50 bucks below market rent for the last couple of years and we told the useless real estate wbere they could go and what they could do and now have a more reputable real estate who will be managing the property and at the right market rent which is a bonus for us. I can't believe the bullshit they try to feed you while they collect the management fees for doing nothing. We also now have the house on the Sunshine Coast rented out for a lot more than we were previously getting, so things should settle down from here on.
We did our usual McShit brunch and then went for a walk to pick up our laundry. We have decided to head of to Pai for a day or two next week to have a look so we stopped at a travel agent to check out the price of the mini bus to get there. I did want to go to Mae Hong Son but its 5 hours from here and we probably will run out of time as we do our visa run to the Golden Triangle next Thursday and then we are leaving Chaing Mai (boo hoo) probably the next day and hopefully flying to Sukkothai for a couple of days before heading back south to Phi Phi and Kamala Beach, Phuket. We now have only four weeks till we get on that plane back to Australia and I must say I am not impressed with how quickly the time is going as I know there is no way I will be ready to leave here when the time comes.
The rest of the arvo was spent relaxing in our little home as we had quite a storm and lots of heavy rain, besides we wanted to rest before our big night out at the Cultural show tonight.
The Cultural Show was fantastic and the food was awsome. We were picked up by mini bus at 7pm from our hotel and the Cultural Centre was only about 10 mins from our hotel. When we are arrived we greeted and shown to our table. What a restaurant, it was similar to Japanese style dining where you sit on the floor and they deliver you a small table with bowls of different sorts of Thai food (like your own little smorgasbord) and they keep coming and topping it up. It was soooooo delicious that Rick and I made porky's of ourselves and figured if they keep topping it up we will keep eating it. We had a photo taken of us sitting and 2 of the hilltribe dancers standing behind us and let me tell you its not good, we both look like porkers, yuk. I won't be showing that photo to anyone when we get back.
The Thai dancing was excellent and its so soothing to sit and watch them dance. They are so precise and elegant and the costumes are very colourful. The Thai dancing went on for an hour or so and then we had a break and moved to the outdoor arena where we watched the hilltribe dancing. That was awsome and I got some great photos. If you scroll down from this blog you will see I have posted 2 or 3 pages of the photos. It was a great night and so good to see that there is still so much of the Thai culture being kept alive and commercialism has totally destroyed it, especially up here in the North.
Our mini bus was there waiting to bring us home when the show finished and there were 3 (older) aussie ladies that were being dropped of at the hotel down the road from us. We chatted and laughed with them all the way back, swapping stories about trying to buy things and find your way around when so few people speak english. Seems they have had the same frustrations as we have, but we all laughed about them. They have been in Thailand for 2 weeks and came for a conference in Chiang Rai. They belong to a womens organisation similar to the Mens Rotary and they raise money and donate it to some of the Hilltribe villages along the borders, so every 2 years they come for a conference and visit they places they donate to. How Cool! Might think about joining!
Well we finally got home at around 10.30pm at we were uncomfortably fof (full of food) our own fault of course but still managed to fit in a cuppa before we hit the sack. Everything we have done and seen in Chiang Mai has been well worth it, so anyone thinking of heading to Thailand at all in the future, put Changers at the top of your list.
So once again, time to go. Until tomorrow stay tuned!!!!!
Even More Photos - Chiang Mai!!!!
Wednesday - 11 June 08
Cultural Centre Dinner & Show
Thai Dancing.
The food & Dancing was fabulous
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