The Viang Tak Hotel

... br>Things weren't all so bad once we got to the bus station, it actually looked half like it did on the pictures ( A rarity in SE Asia) and the driver was a middle aged gentelmen, thing's were not looking so grim. <br><br>The first 4 hours kinda sucked, especially after the lights went out as we couldn't read anymore but we pulled up at a midnight bus stop not long after to grab some snacks. <br>

... br>A few days in, my initial culture, heat, sensory and emotional shock were subsiding and I couldn&#8217;t stop smiling, I was back in the country that I love so much, and am truly ecstatic to be back. My focus is reappearing and my mushy brain affected by the heat was thinking clearer again. I had my meeting with the Thai Burma Border Consortium (TBBC), the main aid organisation that works on the Thai-Burmese border. The meeting went brilliantly well, and it looks ...

Right-o-, so, where was I? Oh yes, on the way to Bangkok! Gee golly wiz I'm behind on these blogs, which means I'll skip the small trivial details about our farewell to Liz, or the 3 hour car ride with a driver named Chewy, or our long search for Collin and Beau. These events, although annoyingly hilarious in retrospect, do not seem worthy of your attention. I would even go so far as to say Bangkok in general was a bit anticlimactic. I mean, Thai people go ball to the walls for ...

Ok, so I decided to write a blog something I never thought I would do as it's not really me, but I guess time calls for change. Due to my recent 'relocation' to Northern Thailand I figured it's the best way to keep friends and family updated on what I'm doing out here, instead of regurgitating the same thing in emails and also to spread the news about what I'm trying to do out here. So...... what exactly am I doing out ...

Today we hired a car, and hit the road. With Lisa behind the wheel and Debbie being the chief navigator, we managed to get our way out of Chiang Mai without too much trouble - during the midday rush hour. It didn't take us long to get used to the Thai driving rules: indicate left if you are turning left, or if it's OK for the car behind to overtake you (at their own risk!!); indicate right if you are turning right, if ...

... things, lots of dreams. Mostly about having flown back to CA to do something? for a few days, and wondering why I did that, and planning to come back here. Same as recurring dream I have about being in city I grew up in, trying to come back to CA...a common "worry dream" i suppose Had some delicious Thai curry soup with coconut milk, rice vegetables for breakfast. It's common. Not your ...

On Monday we took a 1 hour bus to Sukhotai, the first capital of Thailand. The old part of the city has 700 year old ruins of old temples, old Buddahs, Chedis and Wats. Magnificent hand work sculpting stone to make some great looking buildings. As usual, the temperature was in the mid 30s during the day, with high humidity. We did ...

... but it wasn't bad, apparently they are well taken care of there and only stay overnight if they don't have a VISA or passport, then are returned back to Myanmar), we were led by the sweetest dog who sort of belonged to the guest house, right to our destination . The dogs mannerisms reminded me of the old TV show "Littlest Hobo" I think it was called, with the smart dog who helped strangers, then went on his merry little way...so very cute. BUGS/ANIMALS: cute ...

... away. So I was left standing bow-legged in the road as the woman on the bike sped forward. The onlookers thought this was the most hysterical thing that had ever witnessed. Rolling in the isles type of stuff. This caused the woman to look back and realize she was companionless and her look of astonishment and confusion was pretty entertaining. After all this, we finally got everything all figured out. I proved my ability on the bike, and Lindsey and I set off. It ...

... and it was reserved. We told her that was us who made the reservation. She reiterated that there was only room left...and that it was reserved. Yes, for us. Her look made it clear that she was intent on sending us away. Fortunately the woman who had given us a ride acted as a translator and the guesthouse employee grudgingly gave us our room. We were shown to our bungalow. It looked lovely. It was far away from the main portion of ...