Panviman Koh Phangan Surat Thani

... eat sitting on the ground! They can sit cross legged for hours at a time with no problems. Pain was definitely the main obstacle for me in the retreat. I loosened up a bit on day 3 but not much. It’s very difficult to focus when the pain is so severe. Some people choose to grab stools to sit on, or even lean up against posts but I wanted to tough it out and do it properly. An added bonus was that i threw my back out the day before the retreat while lugging our bags off a boat from ...

... We all developed our own new walks which went a bit like this:



Walk 3 steps, check left foot, check
right foot, check back of left foot.....scream for someone to pull
the leech off, then repeat! Our guide found this very funny.



Lunch was good, chicken and fried rice.
Everyone was so uncomfortable after the leech gauntlet to relax
though. After lunch, we started heading back, kicking and screaming
through the leeches, but all survived. A 10km ...

... derrière nous, nous arrivons a Bangkok pour y passer la journée avant de prendre le train le soir même direction le Sud de la Thailande. Arrivés à la station de bus, nous montons dans deux taxis et nous demandons au second taxi , comme il est si courant dans ces films américains, " de suivre le taxi de devant!". Hélas, à cause d'un feu rouge nous perdons la trace de Johanna et Rémi. Du coup le chauffeur a fait de son mieux pour les rattraper et s ...

... was beautiful aqua color and the air was so fresh. It felt so good to get the breeze and just sit back and relax. Half way there we switched boats so that we were with the guide who would stay with us for the remainder of our trek. The floating huts are made 100% from bamboo which is really neat. The huts are each set on long pieces of bamboo to float and there is a wood/bamboo walkway. The entire "resort" if you will is tied off in every direction. So each ...

... start and I nearly ended up sucked out of the carriage and in a bloody Rice Paddy field as the train was going full speed!!!! The plus side was that we got to travel with all the Thais rather than the backpackers, who as usual were friendly and welcoming ( and more Thai babies and children were wide eyed and staring)!!! At each station, food sellers came on the trains going up and down the carriages with buckets of ice filled with cans of cokes ...

... offers serviceable, if uneventful Thai food, we are off to adventure two: the canoe trip. This is initially disappointing as it turns out a non-English speaking guide will be doing all the rowing and we were were hoping to break a short cycle of physical inertness, but, as the trip down the river unfolds, the vibes are too chill to quarrel with. After a while we stop at a swimming area where we see other ...

... either side of its jaw so its tail was waving everywhere, as by this point the poor snake was no doubt terified and rather ****** off! He asked us if we wanted to hold it, at which point everyone rapidly stepped backwards - I guess I was a little too slow as next thing I knew he'd wrapped it round my arm :oS as you know pythons are constrictors, and this thing had pretty tight grip! Thiis was fine until one of the guys said he woiuld take a photo - great except Kiam ...

... aftern ot being able to change clothes or shower for 2 days and 3 hrs before the boat departed for the island. At 8am we boarded a cramped boat with 100s of other travellers, after 4hrs on the boat we eventually arrived at the island of Koh Samui, an idealic island with lush blue seas and golden sands. Anyway we better go, we are off to the 'Green Mango' a travllers pub for a few beers, take it easy everyone (Charlie)

... the men we passed. On the train people walk through the carriages laden with foreign tidbits and snacks. They call out in singsong voices the wares they have to offer - hoping to entice you by thrusting their basket your way. There is a nun on board. She is dressed all in white robes and has a shaved head. She is very poised and elegant in her movements. The sleeper carriage is definitely the way to go. I had a great nights sleep and was able to stretch out behind the ...