Sin Watana Hotel Chiang Rai

... 3652;ม่ธ ;รรมดา 648;สียด้ วย ฝีมือ$ 21;้วนๆ ไม่ได$ 57;โม๊

จ ากนั้$ 09;ก็ไปว& #3633;ดอุดũ 7;วารีต&# 3656;อ

... uphill most the way! Even when we reached the bottom of the vertical hill into the village, puffing and panting, some of the boys felt they had a little energy left to race up. Percy made it in 1 minute 55 seconds, but Jamie beat him with 1 min 25. The rest looked on aghast! Back at our huts, we all quickly discarded our sweaty clothes and began to pack. Tonight was our last night in the Akha Hill Tribe, and tomorrow we embark on our journey to Laos, and the unknown.

... the land mentioned above) - but we are currently waiting for the buyers to finish up. We still haven't been able to sell our house in Bangkok. And to top things off the Bangkok airport closure plus the Mumbai shootings caused about a third of my paying work to disappear (cancellations of groups coming through Antipodeans). So we are almost out of cash. But having said that, we are doing very well for ourselves and really ...

... is much like a smaller version of the night market in Chiang Mai. There is a food pavilion with live entertainment and approximately 40 different food stalls to choose from. There are fruit shakes, including kiwi and some other fruits we hadn't seen as shakes elsewhere, for only 10 baht each. Of course there were also the normal Thai dishes like pad thai, chicken/beef/pork fried rice, lots of seafood and papaya salad, but there was also one vendor that was from ...

... morning the problem will have gone, as these things usually do. ---------------------------------- Monday morning - the diarrhoea has eased a fair bit, but now I vomit and still feel ****. I haven't been able to eat or drink anything for over 24 hours now and I have lost lots of fluids. OK, lets go to the doctor as I want them to give me a intravenous drip to get some fluids into me. We go to Overbrooke Hospital (a private ...

... and charged very little for their land. Their elementary schools are subsidized by the government, but after that, they're on their own. Sadly, much of the culture in the villages close to larger towns has shifted to accommodate foreigners visiting, but it is still amazing to see their beautiful costumes, smiling children, and minimalist way of life. After saying goodbye to the locals, we stopped to visit the "Emerald Buddha" Temple, so named ...

... then they can provide for their own future without the need to rely upon the corrupt government allowing aid into their villages. Your money can support Burma Issues to make that happen. Please donate through Red Band for Burma or buy Red Bands for Burma. Details of the trip have been excluded for security of Burma Issues, it's partner and the villagers. However, if you would like more information about the trip please email questions to burmaissues@burmaissues.org"

... to Jafoo, a small Lahu village of about 120 people, as part of a cultural homestay program. I'm sitting at the moment on a platform made of bamboo logs, surrounded by clucking chickens, wandering dogs, and grunting pigs, who do, incidentally, have the run of the village. I'm not sure how sanitary this is, but I haven't actually seen too much pig poop lying around. Maybe they're housetrained or something and only go in a certain spot. It's hard to ...

... but more interesting to just be a part of what I found to be so far removed from what life back in Canada is really all about. Simiplicity made for many smiling faces in this part of the globe - unlike what wealth seems to do to people in our western societies. My day-trip was very interesting - especially the villages. On route back, we also stopped at an orchid and butterfly farm, a hill-top temple overlooking a village in the valley, a cave, and had a quick bite to ...

... way to the village. They were happy to set us up with a 2-hour ride and it only cost $20. That's still a lot for Thailand, but they have to feed the elephants. We were afraid the ride might be a bit cheesy. I had imagined that they might just toss us on a baby elephant and guide us in circles around a pen Barnum and Bailey style. But once on the beast, we immediately headed out of town and into the surrounding hills ...