Ladawan Garden Tak

... 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>

... too fat and heavy and was causing the odd Thai person to laugh at the site of me carrying him.  I had to wait three hours for my bus, and so waited in the busy waiting hall with about a thousand Thai&#8217;s. Half of the people wore facemasks, the swine flu buzz is in full swing here, and whenever you sneeze people look at you nervously. Travelling by bus in Thailand is pretty straight forward, I was the only farang on the bus, but when in Rome do as the Romans I just ...

... due to his terrible plague of sand flies in Jamaica, turning his body into a beautiful array of mosquito bites. Beau is known as Sun Diver, since he drunkenly dove into two feet of water after attempting to ******** a sea cucumber. This caused the bridge of his nose to spew forth arian blood and leave behind a memorable scar. Emma is Cake... If you know Em, you should know how much she loves chocolate, but that isn't a worthy name and while in Pai (pronounced pie) we dubbed her ...

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 ...

... Western breakfast staples. Got on public bus, decided to go through Bangkok vs. catching 3 buses. Still, total journey 10 hours from Kanchanaburi. Left Bangkok Northern bus terminal, on upper outskirts of city, then 7 hour ride here to Sukothai. Stopped about 5 times at different towns and cities. Midway stop about half hour for 'toilet' and food at rest stop area, I think in Nakhon Sawan ...

Anita and John next board a mini bus for a fast and winding ride through the hills of Western Thailand to the Myanmar border, and the town of Mae Sot. Mae Sot is one of the towns where border crossing between Thailand and Myanmar. Because of the proximity, a number of refugee camps have sprung up in the area, as ethnic Karens and other Burmese flee from Myanmar forces to the West. Mae Sot is almost more of a Burmese town than a Thai one, with men and women with ...

After the falls we spent one more day in Um Phang and then we were ready to get out of the wilderness. Before going anywhere else really cool though we had to head back to Maesot. We had been in Thailand nearly a month and our visas were about to expire. We can apply for extension at the Embassy in Bangkok, but that costs money. The alternative is border hopping, in which we exit and re-enter Thailand, acquiring a new 30-day visa in the process ...

... a beautiful day and we explored the mountains and villages around Um Phang. It had been very difficult to make our way to this remote destination, but as we rode up and down the hills and through the villages, we were rewarded for our efforts. It was clear that the people we passed didn't see many Westerners, which means most visitors didn't get to see what we were enjoying. We passed rivers with water buffalo lounging in the shallows. We saw villagers washing ...

... property, and despite the darkness I could see that it was surrounded by lush greenery, a pond on one side, and terraced hills in the background. I couldn't believe this was only costing us $7 a night. The room looked cozy enough. Everything was made of dark, lacquered wood, and it had an attached bathroom on the back of the tiny house. She left us to get settled in. As we got situated we noticed we were not the only guests in the ...