Phitsanulok Hotel

... huge beasts, in front of them, behind them, full in their faces etc and they will let me; they will stare at me, or sniff me with their trunks but all the time they stand there so serene and so majestic. Afternoons is normally training time, followed by another feed and another wash. We train them to sit down, to stand back up, to lift a leg so we can climb on, to lift a leg so we can get off, to lower their heads so we can climb on and off by ...

... a decent fellow! It was tough but then it got worse as Meals revealed to me (in the toilets of course) that under her clothing she was getting severe heat rash, actually called 'prickly heat' as found in our lonely planet book. It is where the body sweats but under the skin and retains all the water in turn resulting in unbelievably and unbearably itchy blisters. We got off and into the hotel room that was 'so small you couldn't ...

... typical bar; four tables, three waitresses and a large tv; only after we were settled did we realize it was one waitress and two ladyboys. Looking down river it appeared the stall-holders had missed a trick as most of the waterfront seemed to be in darkness. We made for the first gap to re-enter the busy and brightly lit bazaar but after a few yards discovered our mistake. The riverside has no clothes stalls, only massage parlours and bars so no need for high light levels; when it comes ...

So, I ended up not going to Sukothai. I was sooo overwhelmed by the experience of the last two days of the course. After leaving the meditation center, I went with fellow meditator to on a search for Metamucil (sitting for a majority of your day can leave you a little stopped up). Pharmacy after pharmacy, no one had anything, let alone understood what we were saying. So, in a VERY naive decision ...

... move inside the city as so many people were there in costumes and matching t-shirts of dance troupes, kids cheering and historical princesses on elephants bedecked in gay costumes. Unfortunately we had to get the last bus back to Phitsanoluk, therefore missing the lights and lanterns in Sukothai. Back at the night market for dinner in Phitsanoluk we wandered along in awe at the wonderful silk animals, all illuminated from inside, that had been erected along the river bank. A ...

... for the Thai vegetable economy, so this area is famous for having the highest quality of vegetables in Thailand. (Nearly as high as in the Man United team apparently...) <br><br>We struggled to find anywhere to have lunch as most of the places were closed by 3pm, so we eventually ended up in the delightful surroundings of a 7-11 ...

... and statues of the Buddha remain. This era in Thai history is also important for the establishment of the earliest Thai script. We went to a museum that exhibited smaller artifacts from the sites and rode rental bikes around to see a few more distant monuments. The tourist count was pleasantly much lower than at Angkor Wat, althought this made travel from Pitsanulok a bit more arduous.

... the peace of seminary, the beauty I saw in each of the people there, and I can feel my heart beating softly in my chest. Our Canadian friend, Pascal, comments that you "can really feel the vibration of something here". I quietly agree. When I walk around the outside of the building, I can hardly believe a place like this exists. An old monk in orange robes sits and chats in Thai with four people clustered around him, and I'm ...

... be the only white people in the place. I won. Next I bet him to eat a piece of corn left on the table from the last people. He won the 30B back. After leaving there we went to a reggae bar closer to the guesthouse. It was a great experience as we were greated by the band with Hotel California and some Cranberries. By the end of the night everyone in the place wanted to cheers us and get our names. Before ...

... in the middle of the night... But Asia never sleeps - as soon as backpackers are around, so are the tuk tuk! Hybrid version of motorcycle (but no younger than 50 years old) and shopping cart, they can take you anywhere anytime! The only rule is: BARGAIN! if you pay full price, then you have not spent enough time in Asia! So after a few tours of the ...