Thapai Spa Camping

... his paycheck for a part time job and was really excited to go eat some Asian food. He cashed his check, put his pack on and hopped on his bike to head for the restaurant, when a big yellow hummer pulled up to him and some "gangster" guys got out and told him they wanted three dollars for gas. He said he didn't have it. The dude in the passenger seat pulled out a gun. He gave them his whole 120 dollar paycheck ...

... bus and I still feel slightly light-headed. The scenery is stunning. The hills are heavily wooded with exotic vegitation and it genuinly feels like a different country. The road between Bangkok and Chiang Mai is certainly nothing to write home about - generally rather flat and uninspiring. However travel in and around any foreign country tends to be an exciting venture in itself as I always feel an ...

... on the side of the riverbank at one point when the rain set in and it got really chilly to sit in some hot springs.<br><br>I managed to avoid falling out the whole time - a big relief. I loved it but was so wet by the end it was a relief to pull in to the pick up point at the end and head back to Pai. Ironically on the way back we drove by Mae Hong Son and Chai stopped at my guesthouse (he knew the owner) so I had a quick chance to say hi to the people there which was cool.<br>

... our neighbors were up playing the guitar and singing, so we joined them for another hour or so, as they were VERY good musicians.<br> Today, waking up a little later, we had some lunch and rented mopeds. What a great way to see a city and some countryside. Driving on the left side of the road is a little confusing at first, but after a while I got a hold of it pretty well. We drove all the way up in the ...

... before you knew it, the three of us were tearing around country lanes on scooters. Well, they were. I was a little more tentative and holding back at about 10km/h, but you&#8217;ve got to start somewhere. Thankfully the teachers proved to be terribly British and patient with the pupil.<br><br>I&#8217;d wanted to do a trek in Northern Thailand but the Gibbon Experience, aka &#8220;walk 20 minute, zip zip, maybe&#8221; had wiped most of the energy out of ...

... to sit length ways along a double seat so I did not have to break both my legs to free up a space. The 4hr trip was bearable due to the great scenery, though it was raining but in many ways that was actually quite comforting after the ridiculous temperatures we have had to endure lately (I can't believe I'm complaining about the heat but it's been a long time coming). <br>We arrived about 1330 and scoped out a few guest houses until we found one with the right vibe. Quiet ...

... together 6 nights a week. English Julie has been living here 13 years and is married with two kids and a cafe and meditation business. Thai Anon and his English partner Mark bought a business here 5 months ago when they were meant to be travelling around for a year on their way from Hong Kong to England. Sarah is TEFL trained, apparently a natural teacher (I would love to see her work, having talked to her) and is in the process of setting up a school teaching English ...

... most of them were accustomed to the rules, I however wasn't, and payed the price. I staggered to bed that night.<br>The next day, our final day, and again we packed up camp and hit the road, a little later than the previous day, due to the previous nights exploits. The going was much easier, the terrain more forgiving, and we slowly traversed the countryside and had a real chance to take in all the surrounding visual delights. The girls in the group weren't happy ...

... because they are afraid their wives will hire someone else to kill them so the woman can be a rich(er) widow than she was wife. Thep thinks Thai women are 'no good' because they are greedy and don't want to work hard. Plus they're quite likely to have you killed. He earned B40,000 - B50,000 (in and around &#8364;1,000) per month working as a dive instructor on Samui and Tao for 4 years but likes being back home in the jungle now. In April, the locals build ...

... were actually during my time there. The main festival coincides with the full moon and the skies were once again filled with large lanterns. The Thai believe they are sending away everything bad from the last year as they send them off. They also make small boats from leaves and float candles down the river. <br><br>We were treated with a huge parade after sunset...there were easily thousands participating in it. Every child in ...