So apologies to those who read the last post which is no longer there. It was shit, so it's gone!
Quite a bit to write about in this one, as I've now been in Thailand for 6 days and a night, so bear with me as I write it all down. Also apologies for lack of pictures, having issues with getting them off my phone over here, will work it out one day.
Getting from the Airport to my hostel in Bangkok was intense. According to reports the previous few days, there were people with guns in Bangkok, and there were - water guns. Arriving to the biggest water fight in the world, I spent half the journey on the back of a motorbike, hence was the target of lots of Thai girls and guys, including the smearing of flour all over me. When I arrived at the hostel I was a state!
Apart from the smell of Bangkok, the first thing that strikes you around the Khaosan Road area we were staying was how much these people love to dance! And get wet. That first night, and the second day there, I
don't think my clothes were at all dry. Having river water thrown at you from people hiding in the reeds while you're on a boat has a certain appeal to it in 35 degree heat. Secondly, the food at roadside stalls and restaurants is amazing. Probably some of the best food I've ever had in fact. Amazing how something as simple as noodle soup can be done so well. We visited Bangkok Palace, and had waterfights on the rivers.
From Bangkok we took a 14 hour overnight sleeper train to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Having heard stories about the lice in the bedding they give you, as I lay awake on the jolting train, I couldn't tell whether an itchy leg was just that, or sinister creepy crawlies trying to keep me awake. Either way, I managed to get a good 4 hours sleep on a train which stopped with a shudder at every one of the 18 stops it made along the way.
Chiang Mai itself, with around 500,000 inhabitants, is Thailand's second largest city, but if you compare that to Bangkok's 10 million residents and you immediately realise it's going to be a lot more laid back here. And it is. In bars, patrons and publicans alike are a lot more friendly, and the traffic, while still horrendous, is a lot calmer than in Bangkok. There are still no end to food stalls lining the streets, and the night time market we went to last night has everything from carved wooden salad bowls to silk boxer shorts. Add on a row of LaZBoy recliners lining one wall and people offering a half hour foot massage for 60 Baht (£1.20) and you're quids in.
Our room at the Libra Guest House (definitely recommended for those heading out this way) isn't as big or as comfy as our one in Bangkok (no aircon, just a fan) but at just under £3 each a night you can't really go wrong. They also organise treks, and so for 2 days, Matt and I, plus two girls we met in Bangkok, went and saw some of the more natural Thailand.
Starting out in a songtaew on the first day (a flat bed truck where you ride in the back) the 8 of us were transported north for 2 hours first to a 120ft waterfall, and from there to some natural hot springs. After a quick dip in both, we started a four hour trek through the jungle which would lead us to some breathtaking scenery, and through two hilltribe villages (each of which one of our two guides actually came from). These villages themselves are technically self sufficient, and if you think that when we arrived at the first one they were roasting an 18 inch iguana, you can believe it! It started raining quite hard as we started our walking, however after half an hour it stopped, and even though we were under a dense tree canopy, we all dried off rather quickly.
Finally arriving at our resting place for the night (another hilltribe right on the river) we took a quick dip and was in the river, after which we were served a dinner of fried rice, chicken and beef with vegetables. Our hosts had a guitar, and although we had heard about parties and bonfires, we unfortunately didn't get to sample that part of their life. They were however extremely welcoming, and other than a giant spider we found under the dinner table, we all escaped bug free. I should probably mention that mosquitoes in this part of the world don't just carry malaria, but also dengue fever, for which there is no preventative measure. They bite during the day as well as the night, and if you contract it, you will be laid up in bed for a month, shitting and vomiting your body weight. So far none of us have it!
The next morning we were woken by the trumpeting of elephants, and made our way out for breakfast. The next hour and a bit were spent rocking on the back of one of these beasts as they made their slow way down the river side. The lead elephant had obviously been doing that walk for a long time, as she needed no direction and knew exactly where she was going. There is something hypnotic about the ambling gait of an elephant, and apart from the times going downhill when you feel you'll be pitched out of your seat, it's rather relaxing.
From there, we transferred to bamboo rafts. Not difficult to imagine, they are made of 8-10 lengths of bamboo, each around 20 ft long and maybe 5-6 inches across in width, lashed together and they make excellent water craft. They are powered and steered by three people, front middle and back, each of which have a thinner bamboo pole around 10-12ft long. Our party split over two rafts, Matt and I were given a pole each and with our guide at the front we set off. Our journey took us through calm water as well as some short sections of rapids, and both of us had a few turns steering through the rougher water, with our guide shouting out left and right from the back, and laughing like a madman when we got it wrong and nearly capsized ourselves on hitting a rock!
We did however make it through the next 2 and a half hours unscathed, and thought tired, returned to Chiang Mai completely satisfied and happy.
The slow boat from the Thai/Laos border to Luang Prabang along the Mekong River takes 2 days, travelling each day for 10 hours with a stopover in Pak Beng for the night, a tiny village whose electricity shuts off at 10pm every day. Not great when the fan as advertised in your room only works when you're not there.
My point however is that unless you have intestines of steel, at some point during those two days you will inevitably need to go. And by that I mean a no. 2. Armed with the loo roll you bought just in case, you make your way to the back of this 60ft long flat boat, find the one toilet unoccupied and walk into a small cupboard. Said cupboard has two places to put your feet and a hole which opens directly onto the river.
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