Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai the walled city north of Bangkok complete with moat is much more relaxed than Bangkok but still has the night life so going out and getting gassed is not a problem!

I stopped in the Deejai hostel which has been amazing I spent most evenings in the garden area drinking and meeting some really cool people..... and we are now travelling together further north to Pai.

Daytime:
Chiang Mai is all about day trips and excursions to the surrounding countryside. I managed to book an organised 1 day trek through the hostel to see and ride elephants.... this also included a visit to an orchid & butterfly farm, trek through the hills and swiming in a waterfall at the end of the day. I also visited the famous Dui Suithep temple and visited the local zoo. The zoo is alot different to the ones back in the UK I actually petted and fed a giraffe and you could do the same with elephants Crazy Shit! All of this combined with a hostel outing to local fresh water lake has made the days fly by.

Evenings:
Most nights start in the hostel garden drinking bottles of Leo or Chiang and some times crazy tai rum and soda from the resident tattoo artist. I have seemed to end up in the local clubs and bars most nights.... the reggae bar being my favorite.

As you can tell I'm loving every minute of it so far its been brilliant and my main concern about meeting people has gone completely.

One Love

Few pics FYI.

Tuk Tuk's and Temples

Thailand the country of smiles!!!!

Bangkok is an amazing city but you need to have your whits about you everybody is out to make a fast £€¥₩ and being a white westerner can make a five minute walk into ten minute argument slash run! However I soon got the knack of the city and certainly meeting people and seeing sites in groups made everything easier.

Daytime:
I spent most days travelling around by Tuk Tuk I managed to meet up with some lads and we shared two for a whole day for around 50pence and visited the Wat Pho lying buddah, golden mountain, china town and some other temples with a few suit shops thrown in for good measure. The streets are packed with food vendors and stalls selling anything and everything.

Evening:
I spent one night on the Koh San Road which is basically the Thai version of the magaluf strip only cheaper....good fun but only for one evening. Night nr 2 was much better pre drinks in the hostel then down to Soi Cowboy to watch a lady boy show and then onto Nana Plaza for the famous Ping Pong show which is not as filthy as you might think. It was very funny and entertaining (at one point I was in an actual rally and returning serve like Henman himself). All of this with a few bars in between and some tequila made for a great evening.

It was much easier to get around in a larger group imo as we didnt seem to get hastled as much and Taxis were cheaper esp when you get them to run on their meter (again this can take some time as they taxis prefer to just negotiate a price often more than what the trip costs).

Photos FYI.

I can feel it coming.......

So  the first flight is on Thursday and i have now finished work....The last two weekends have been brilliant! A great night at the rugby club and day in Manchester all thrown in to the mix which meant i could have a few beers with my nearest and dearest. Thanks to all the guys at work who have treated me to some fantastic gifts including vaseline (try explaining that to your mum).I have also seen a good friends new born which was great thing to do before i set sail!!! A few pics attached of the fun and some older ones due to the reflective mood I have been in!

Hopefully the next post will come from further a field than my front room!

Peace