Central Samui Beach Resort Phitsanulok

... us! Which also reminds me of the weekend in Sukhothai for the Loy Krathong Festival... <br><br> I went to Sukhothai with Tim and Susie, which is where the whole Loy Krathong Festival began. We got on a bus and arrived there within an hour and a half but had no place to stay. It didn't take too long for us to find a hotel though, and for under $5 a night, and free transportation pretty much everywhere, the price was right. The rooms were brand new too, so ...

... decided to quit on us and was not able to climb up the only mountain on the way...so we got stuck in the middle of jungle somewhere in the middle of nowhere...granted MONORAIL in the jungle, no mobile phone service and knowing that we hit the road in Bangkok only 20 mins ahead of a sleeper train to Chiang Mai, I got sort of distraught (awaiting big bang from the back in 20 mins) and was praying and hoping that the crew has got some kind of walkie-talkie to alert the train behind us ...

... the window peaking in. We tried closing the curtains, but they just peaked around waiting for their food. They eventually left the window but it was only to move to the door where we could hear them outside waiting for us. We waited them out and were able to get out of our room without being attacked. One of the main attractions is Wat Mahathat, which is very similar to many of the ruins we saw in Ayutthaya but still a nice place to ...

... before long and, though small and less impressive compared with the wonders at Ayutthaya, it was indeed the monkeys that made the visit worth our while. The monkeys were literally everywhere, climbing on shop buildings, across telephone cables and most of all clustered around the site of one of the wats which was situated in the middle of a large roundabout that dominated the town. Travellers had flocked to see these long tailed customers, who were ...

... But the people are so amazing. In a lot of countries people may be nice, but there's a distance, a separation. You are a foreigner. Here I feel as though people are more genuine, and treat you like one of them. The other day I was feeling a bit stressed, trying to decipher what my heart is guiding me to do, and so I went and chatted with one of the guys from the hostel. I was just wanting someone to talk to and get ideas out there, and he could ...

We have had a really good time in Phitsanulok, which has turned out to be a lively place. Everyone has been genuinely friendly and helpful, which is a change from some of the experiences we had in Bangkok. The Lithai guesthouse turned out to be a good deal, the cold showers are a definate pick me up first thing in the morning... and no bed bugs thankfully, just some little ants in our bed this morning! Its amazing the ...

Sukothai - a bike ride through history Sadly Regine got diarrhoea and vomiting on our arrival in Phitsanulok, half way between Chiang Mai and Bangkok by train. Of all things it was probably her absolute favorite Thai dish: Papaya salad. So she was out flat for 2 days and did not leave our room in the London Hotel Guesthouse. While Regine stayed in I filled visited the major temple in ...

... on Locky's stag in Krakow! ;) <br><br>All in all it was an awful night's sleep, but we agreed that we'd be a bit more switched-on next time we inspected a prospective hotel room, so hopefully our terrible experience here will help us avoid making the same mistake again on the rest of our 8 month trip.<br><br><br>lots of love, <br><br><br>Al &amp; Katie xx

... an awesome little market they had... and even I (who is not a big shopper) had a great time exploring the maze of stalls. In the middle of the market is a gorgeous Wat (well, they are all pretty beautiful) which was a nice diversion from the commercial atmosphere surrounding it. We came across our first bug vendor (ewwwww), and I had my first bag-o-drink. I think a loving connection was made. Whomever created the bag-o-drink was ...

... stand a woman reached into a bucket and held up a 2-foot-long wriggling eel-like fish. And of course, I can't forget the barbecued squirrel, which I identified through a rousing game of charades with the Thai saleswoman. The slower pace of the smaller town and cities has been a nice change. The further north we go, the fewer people there are that seem to know any English, so I'm keeping the phrase book handy. The announcements by loudspeaker are only made in Thai, which led to ...