Umphang Riverside Resort 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.

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 ...

... the job. At this point I realize I might have dropped the phone out of my baggy pockets on the bus.

8:12 am – I call our phone and talk to a man who can only say "I have it" but all other efforts of communication are useless. I grab a taxi driver who can speak decent English off the street and get him to translate for me. I know already I’m going to pay extra for this. We settle a long debated deal for a cab ride there (and back) to the man with my ...

... would pay all my expenses, I would live in the residence of the Karen Woman’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.

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 ...

... but we didn't. We were tired from the long day of traveling and Collin & Beau had gone drinking at some club called Spicy Disco. I will tell you this though, Bangkok is laden with transvestites, cheap alcohol and amazing street food. Even though the padthai vendors are completely unhygienic and violate every FDA regulation known to man, they make some delicious ****! I craved it the next day and I crave it now, but alas, they are only found in Bangkok for some reason. Also, if ...

El camino de vuelta fue increible, el mismo camino de vuelta pero esta vez con lluvia y 31 personas en el songtaew, caben 12 comodamente pero 31 es mejor mas que nada por lo vivido y lo bien que se lo pasaban encima del coche, unos que iban con la guitarra i cantando folklore tailandes-birmano, ya que la mayoria de ellos eran refugiados birmanos. Por eso alfinal me encontre bastante mal, y muy mareado asi que le pedi a uno que me ...

... and would try to practice more. After our day at the school... we had a nice dinner with the other teachers, and visited on of the local hot springs (which was really nice). Then it was back to the guest house to pack... ready for a really early Songtheaw ride the next morning to Mae Hong Son. SHE SAID: We almost didn't go this route near the Burmese border (shellings, refugee issues...it all sounded escalated to me) but that would've been a big mistake. As always ...

... to get the bike started. I finally passed that portion of the lesson and we moved on to proving I could ride it without dumping it onto its sides or accelerating into a water buffalo. She sat on the front of the bike and told me to sit behind her while she pointed out what does what. Now seems like a good time to mention that when I use the pronoun "she" I use it loosely. Thailand has a number of what are often referred to as girly boys. They are very effeminate ...

... Which is impressive, because my previous record was 4 seconds. It was unpleasant. We sped around blind corners and made razor sharp turns. But the vehicle was packed so full of people that it kept us from being dislodged from our seats and flying out of the open tailgate and into the dark abyss of the jungle. The wind picked up after the sunset and it cooled off considerably. The night was damp and cold and we finally arrived in Um ...

... to stop the night here. It was around 8.30pm by this point, and I was feeling pretty wasted. We went to a really nice hotel first to see of we could get a cheap room, but despite me turning on the charm with the receptionist, it was a bit out of our league. We settled for another place, it was nice, clean and cheap, always a winning combination. After checking in we went out for a bit to eat. There was a food market by the river (we had drove past it ...

Sukhotai Loved it here - stayed in an idyllic guesthouse (had to after the nightmare of the cockroach!) which had four poster beds, hot water, a swimming pool, friendly staff and beautiful wooden things and flowers everywhere - hmmmm. Rented bicycles and cycled around the historical park - beautiful! Although my bum hurt a lot by the end - won't be riding a bike for at least another week yet!!