From Beijing to Chiang Mai (Thailand) via Jinghong

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  Jinghong, Yunnan, China
Friday, August 1, 2008

Hello,

Long time i haven't been on internet.

I will put some picture from Jinhong, pretty city in the South of China divided by the Mekong river.

I left the friday 11 of July Beijing to Thailand. It took me 5 days, 1 train ( 40hours) 1 boat ( 12 hours ) 2 buses 12 + 7 hours )

After a 40 hours trip from Beijing to Kunming, 1 hour in the city for breakfast and buy my bus ticket, i went on a 12 hours bus ride to JingHong. I arrive Sunday night and the next boat was living on the tuesday to Chiang Saen in Thailand.

I really wanted to travel to Thailand by land also i thought it would be cheaper, until they told me the price of the boat ticket ( 80 euros ) I was expecting it about 30euros, that's what i read on different forum on internet, but at the end it was more expensive to do it this way than to fly from Beijing to Bangkok and from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and it took me 5 days instead of one and half day.

At the port they were speaking about 6 hours to get to Thailand on the Mekong river, but it took us 12 hours. It was an amazing trip thought in the middle of the mountains and the Jungle, saling on the longest river in Asia, coming from the high plateau of Tibet going down to the Pacific Ocean. During half of the way we were still in China, and suddenly we are between Burma ( Myanmar or Birmanie) and Laos, to finally arrive in the Golden Triangle Betweeen Thailand, Birma and Laos, where a giant golden statue of a Budha is welcoming us. Because i was going to Thailand i didn't need any Visa.

I saw some amazing scenery, and also it's an amazing feeling to go from an temparate to a tropical climate by land you can slowly see the difference of vegetation and landscapes.

I arrive at evening time and because no I had no Baths (Thai money) i've been push to go with the only lady who were here to her guest house with a Korean couple. After a short meal and few beers, the korean guy and me wanted to explore the only few bars open near the guest house, we were outside a very small city in the middle of the country side. We thought whaooo it's cool that there are 3 bars in the middle of nowhere with so many sexy ladies dancing and singing on a stage....because we were the only foreiners, when we got in about 7 girls came to us, and as soon as they get closer i could see something strange.......closer and closer.........fuuuck!!!! they are all lady boys!!!!

We checked the other bar and the same story so we came back to the first one which was better and stayed there til 4 in the morning, talking to them they were really funny and very friendly!!!

For maybe 2 or 3 of them i had doubts if they were boys or girls, even thought they keep telling me " i'm a girl i'm a girl!!!" so it was a good start for thailand cause after 2 weeks now that i'm here i saw hundreds of them....

next day after a nice journey on the bus sitting next to a young monk, we been talking all the way and listening "Bob Marley, System of a down" he was showing me picture of his girl friend on his phone, i finally arrive in Chinag Mai, where my friend Ermal from the States (we both lived in Beijing) was waiting for me .

So it was nice to relax, have a nice diner and to don't have to look for a bus, a hotel or a place to eat, he was here already for 3 weeks and knew everything.

Even thought it's the raining season, Thailand is absolutely amazing!!!!

I'll send you an other email to tell you about the 10 days i spent here.

Take care

nico

www.grenius.com