Thilosu Riverside Tak

... starting to get lot's and lot's of random stuff to bring home.<br><br>We were back at the guesthouse at about 1730 and at about 1815 the mini bus rolled up to take us to the bus stop. Everyone inside the mini van looked just as sullen as us about making the journey overnight in what was sure to be a bust struggling to stay on the road driven by a 12 year old wearing a back to front.<br ...

... BKK and went for the odd tuk tuk joy ride hooning around the city, inhaling all the fumes, and griming from ear to ear. Actually I must say I haven&#8217;t stopped eating since I arrived in Thailand, I can&#8217;t help it, the food is soooo good. And well when it&#8217;s too hot to move, best just eat another tasty meal. <br><br>Last night standing waiting at the northern bus terminal in BKK George (yes my backpack has a name!) and I had our first disagreement, he was ...

... then. We found three chairs, an empty space on the floor and set up camp. After countless numbers of well deserved dirty looks, 2 bags of chips, 3 chocolate candy bars (eaten mostly by Emma) and 4 hours later, we got on a comfortable bus and headed to Tak. Let me tell you about Tak for just a second: it's a city that has a 7eleven. That's it. That is all I have to say about Tak. Not a single Thai person we've met even knows what Tak is! Why fate brought us there I have no idea but I ...

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 ...

... safari (elephant show, elephant ride, bamboo ride, ox cart ride, and another orchid farm) on Sunday which was not that great except playing with the baby elephants before the show. I also took a Thai cooking class yesterday. The food was amazing and surprisingly easy to make. I hope I can find all the ingredients when I get home. One cool thing that ...

... park entrance so I pay a visit in the fading light. There are many school parties exploring the ruins, some jogging around temples and respectfully acknowledging the Buddha as they pass his image. It turns out that they are gathered for a sound-and-light show as part of the annual Loi Krathong festival, but I get mixed messages and assume it's private, then return for the last few moments. I catch a colourful dance between partners, fireworks and the ...

... of washing Buddha statues and throwing water at passersby. I saw the same thing in Nepal a few years ago, I think most of South Asia does it. A friend of mine has a pair of super-soaker water guns, and blasts the kids back. It is impossible to walk the streets without getting drenched. Great fun in these hot days. There's also the token boxing matches, which are set up secretly along the border. If I can get away from this machine, I might go check a few of them out.

... up to 10th grade. About $.30/day goes to feeding and caring for the refugees. There would probably be more aid to these camps, but you see, sometimes Karen soldiers put on civilian uniforms to visit their families, sometimes families save some of their rice for their soldiers. Knowing this, the Burmese military has occasionally attacked some of the camps, which are on Thai soil. Also church organizations don't like to be seen aiding military groups, Christian or not. More ...

... and there was nothing we could do, so we left them to it. We drove for most of the day with the occasional stop for fuel or just a stretch. We stopped at a place to eat, it was just some random town and no one spoke a word of English so we just pointed at some food and hoped for the best, it all turned out pretty well. It was our first taste of the real Thaiand. Hopefully there is more of that to come. We got to a town called Tak in the evening, and ...

... radius. So rent a bike, there are plenty available and start early to avoid the boiling hours between 11.00 and 14.00 (we started at 10.30 :-) This is impressive! Oh yes, after the Burmese troops retreated from Ayuthaya they of course also burned down Sukhothai. The gold they took from Ayuthaya, Sukhothai and other nice Thai spots we are going to admire in a few weeks on Burmese temples. It is holier to give than to take, wise men said.