J.B. Hotel Hat Yai

... and humidity. Amazingly, and sometimes sadly, Thailand can provide whatever you're looking for on your vacation. The variety of sights and ease of traveling has helped build a massive tourism industry host to more than 14 million visitors every year (that's 5 times more visitors than Vietnam and 15 times more visitors than Cambodia). Roads in all directions are very well traveled and usually very busy. Bangkok, jungle towns, and even ...

... s*x starved malay men. The cavernous Karaoke bar just across the street is spilling out male brown colored bodies in various states of intoxication blatantly looking around for female companionship, ready for action after boozing and male drunk boasting all evening, building up courage for an act against Malay law and religion induced fear. Huddles of Hot Mommas willing to be of service, a handfull of Ringit changing hands, a short walk to one of the many shorttime ...

... dusty street modestly never daring to meet my blue Farang eyes, men with the inevitable skullcap and in pale djallebas share the same sidewalk with slutty dressed young women whose Thai accent betray their place of origin, memberes of the Isan clan of females, literally thousands of them populate the streets, standing in front of small seedy looking hotels, outside Hallal restaurants, their dark oriental eyes assessing me openly and bluntly ...

... heavy military issued boots banging heavily on the metal floor, their big guns slung around their shoulders looking menacingly, checking papers of passengers. The always festive air that rules King Bhumipol`s Kingdom and for so many Farang the main reason for falling in love with this mystic Asian kingdom, GONE!!! Instead I sense a strange mixture of hate and fear at the same time. We pass small dusty village where I can hear the call of the muezzins coming from hidden mosques ...

... east of Thailand, the nearest border was Myanmar, though we did not want to pay the fees supporting the Myanmar government and so we went further afield to Padang Besar in Malaysia. We bought our bus tickets, despite knowing better, on Kao Sarn Road which is notorious for travel agent scams. The first leg of the journey went smoothly on an overnight journey in a very nice bus which took us as far as Surat Thani, about two ...

... in the dark' inks saying that "Yeah, it was a swell party..."). They were totally exhausted because of alcohols, drugs, and lack of sleep. I hope they found what they were looking for. Hatyai is 4-5 hours bus ride from Pha-Ngan. I asked myself, WHY do I want to come here? There are many reasons but 2 main reasons were, 1. my cousin (who has been trying to persuade me for 2 weeks to visit him) lives here. He wanted me to spend sometimes ...

"We use the following points to identify people of 'hippy' characteristic.... these people will not be allowed entry into the Kingdom'' - a sign at the Thai side of the Thai-Malaysian border. Not fair to judge a place based on a couple of hours alone, so, Hat Yai: Get deserted by lovely second-class Malaysian train in the middle of some tracks, hop over some wood panels and try to arrange your next (third class, 10 hour) train via gestures ...

... etta saan yhteytta netin valityksella koto Suomeen. Ei sekaan helppoa ollut... Mutta onnistui lopulta sekin... Illalla aukesi rahahanat. Mahtavaa! Sai vihdoin ruokaa. Hommasin Guest houseni kautta minibussi kuljetuksen Malesiaan Georgetowniin. George town sijaitsee saarella jolla Kimmo ja Annikankin ovat. Ja olin ajatellut etta vietan joulun hedan kanssaan joten aikataulussa ollaan... To

... was trying to move on - Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore - wherever their airline was willing to give them a seat. Which is how Lyle and Nadine ended up continuing their exhausting stretch of trains, buses, and planes, eventually making it home safely from Singapore a mere four days late. We, on the other hand, stayed overnight to catch a minibus/ferry to Koh Lipe, a small island in Tarutao National Park although as it turned out, we almost never made it out at all ...