Teppratan Hotel Tak

... it didn't feel fun at all to be packing up our bags and handing them over to be stored for the day, but alas! his is the nature of travel and Chiang Mai is one place we will most definitely be making it back to. <br><br>We spent most of the day lounging around and drinking coffee, I still can't get over how good the coffee is up her and wished that I had of picked up a bag, although we are ...

... would pay all my expenses, I would live in the residence of the Karen Woman&#8217;s Organisation and on the side run The Branch Foundation, and go to MHS on weekends to catch up with the Ethnic Migrant Family Society of which The Branch Foundation is a donor organisation.  So good start really. <br><br>I did catch up with Markus a friend from the Gypsy Tea Rooms in Bangkok and just ate yummy food, drank cold beer, went for walks in the heat and discovered abit more ...

... its relaxing vibe and chilled our excursions and that is exactly what we needed. When we got to the bus station we discovered that the next bus headed to Pai was leaving at 8pm and it was 11:30 am. Carrying all of our worldly belongings in the heat for 8 hours was less than an exciting prospect so Collin looked at the map and found Tak, a city located in the middle of Bangkok and Pai. The bus to Tak left at 4 o'clock and we were more than willing to slum it out in the bus terminal ...

... the dark side of the tourism industry in Chiang Mai, Pat (my partner in crime for this venture) wanted to create a project that symbolised the opposite of this. So far, I think we're on the right track. My apologies beforehand, for in this blog there are no fancy trying to impress writing styles, just me and my thoughts as they enter my head, the experiences and stories I pass during my journey through sustainable travel!

... similar activities as Bangkok: temples and markets. There are every day markets and there are weekly markets. We went to one on Sunday called the Walking Street. They shut down the street to traffic and line the whole 1 km section with vendors of all sorts (both sides of the street and the side streets) including massage stations. ezed in a very touristy ...

... the learned King Ramkhamhaeng who promoted Buddhism and introduced the first written Thai alphabet, Lal Sue Thai. Across from my hotel a night market is open, offering seafood kebabs, writhing catfish, fragrant lemon grass, galangal and kaffir lime leaves. Wat Tra Phang Thong Lang, surrounded by moat has mottos hung in neighbouring trees: 'A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks', 'A bold attempt is a half-success'. My hotel is right beside the ...

... but I never did. Was it the SPDC approaching or just some clumsy Karen soldier shooting an RPG by accident? This stuff wears on you when you see and hear it day in and day out. I want to see the palm trees and not the amputees. I want to believe that my efforts here with these radio students are going to help. But in the end, I feel mostly helpless in the face of the situation. But this week is Songkran festival. It's a new year's celebration of sorts ...

... as refugees. This means they don't have the same rights (freedom of movement, right to employment) as countries who signed to the convention. Lots of people give Thailand a hard time about this, but to be fair, Thailand has hosted hundreds of thousands of people fleeing persecution from most of its neighboring countries. Still the Burmese refugees can't go home, find jobs, grow rice, or get decent medical attention. Thai and foreign aid organizations provide for reasonable ...

... road, and a bike from the other side came across a cut in the road over to our side, both bikes hit each other head on. We pulled up at the side of the road to see if we could help. There were no major injuries, but the guy who was riding one of the bikes fell straight onto his face and broke a few teeth, he was on the floor most of the time. Derek tried to put him in the recover position, but he wasn't having any of it. Someone had already called the ...

... has seen nine kings. In 1438 Sukhothai was absorbed by Ayuthaya. Also here you can see the same story again. Kick each others butt instead of taking care of your own people and consequently make it easier for third parties to sack you. The Sukhothai ruins are one of Thailands most impressive World Heritage sites. The historical park of old Sukhothai includes the remains of 21 sites within the old walls and another 70 sites within a 5 ...