Tukasu 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 ...

... guess that it had to do with our dinner. We went to speak to the American consulate at the 7eleven and he directed me towards the cereal and milk. Emma ventured off towards the candy section, while Collin and Beau were a bit more... um... disgusting. They got a shredded honey pork and bologna sandwich, a pizza bologna sandwich, a purple drink, and some type of pastry that Beau described as "butter." We laughed, we gagged, we had a good ol' time in the middle of bumble **** Thailand. -Mono

... Well I'm not just here basking in the sun and enjoying the food, I'm here trying to set up a sustainable tourism venture. OK so what exactly does that mean? Well it means that I'm trying to set up a travel company that practices sustainable tourism principles such as: - Preserving the natural environment, culture of indigenous people, their heritage and way of life. - Ensuring the economic benefits of tourism go ...

... have done here is the morning giving of alms to the monks. Monks walk around the city early in the morning to collect food for the day's meals. Citizens of the city give food to the monks as a way of generating good luck in their lives. I went with Nick to see the process and he encouraged me to participate to give respect to the monks. It was very ...

... of lanterns into the night sky. Dinner presents similar frustrations. Being a vegetarian, and with few local diners offering an English menu translation, it's hard for me to dodge the meat and seafood content of traditional Thai food without limiting my choice of eatery to the most tourist-friendly. Earlier my only option with a bus meal ticket was egg with rice. I get a red curry. It's ready in just one minute and it's fine but blander than I'd hoped for.

I return to Mae La refugee camp several times in next few weeks. I sleep on the truck rides up and back, woken up at police and military checkpoints where I flash my passport. One Karen man ecstatically shows me his new Thai ID card. Others aren't so lucky, sometimes half the passengers are removed by the authorities. Khangsai is busy back in Mae Sot, so I go on my own to find the old musician. Let Let Win's daughter takes me there. His house is an eclectic ...

... US Homeland Security law has prevented some 10,000 refugees from entering the country because, if your family gave rice or shelter to a rebel group (whether that rebel group is fighting a government the US has sanctions against, or even if you were forced to do so), you are considered a terrorist. It's complications like these that keep the international community from making much progress. With the pass in hand, I catch a truck north and hit the buzzer just outside the gates of ...

... 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!!