Tobias travels to South-East Asia and beyond!

Because the ticking you hear is your life passing you by!

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Location: London, United Kingdom

In my thirty's and slowly loosing my misanthropic streak!

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Culture in Hue'



So after the experience in Halong bay I made a swift decision that I had enough of traffic and jumped on the eveniing bus to Hue. The town is sort of situated almost half-way down in Vietnam and tjourney would be twelve hours.
Soon as I stepped on the bus I realised that the seats seemed customized and adapted to asian people ie. very much less leg room than usual. Sat down and was pretty much stuck between my seat and the on ein front of me and I i did some praying to the vietnamese bus god that the person in front of my would not recline too much. It turned out my prayers were answered, well sort of. The seat of the guy sitting in front of me was broken and after several attempts of trying to recline ( and a lot of knee busting for me) he gave up and had to sit upright.
After lots of stops and several attempts to find a comfotable position to sleep in I arrived in Hue.
Was immediately approached by the "hostel rats" trying to get me into their hotel but I had founf one I liked in the guide book called Mimosa and blatantly lied that I was meeting friends there (well not really a lie since I had agreed to meet the canadian couple there the following day).
Got to the hostel which great for $5. Was considering going straight to sleep but was offered a moped tour around Hue and decided to go for it. I was really tired but had the saying "If you snooze, you loose" echoing in my mind so it was just jumping up in the saddle and go with it.
Went around several sights of the town and it was a huge contrast to Hanoi. Hue certainly justified being called the cultural center of Vientam. There were fanstastic temples and palaces that I probably could have spent far more time in but there simply was no time since I only have two weeks in Vietnam. I spent most time in the tomb of Tu Duc. History tells that he had 104 wifes and countless concubines but no children( I guess he just liked practising). The actual ara is huge and it took me three hours trying to discover the whole thing. The funny thing is that Tu Duc actual tomb isn't on the compound at all. Apprantly he was burried in a secret location and all of the two hundred workers who did it were beheaded (and you complain about your job).
I stayed another day checking out the town Citadel and was a bit weird beacue they were arranging a cultural festival that is kicking of in the beginning of june so there were lots of light rigs and fake flowers everywhere amongst the ruins. It was all farly disorganized as well with no leaflets or information of what anythign was but it was cool to walk around it. Since it has a 10km perimiter I didn't do the whole thing but with was satisfied with what I saw.
Went back to the hotel and checked out the local bar scene and got my as whopped at the pool table by the local talent. Had to leave early since I was taking the bus down to Hoi An the following day.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Mutiny in Halong Bay



After searching the streets of Hanoi for a traveling agent I came across one that looked alright and booked myself in for a two-day trip with a sleep over on the boat to Halong bay.
I was picked up the following morning and it took an additional hour going around to different hotels before finally heading towards our destination.
Two hours later we stopped outside of Halong bay and were told that everyone in the buss would be divided into two groups depending if we had booked a two or a three day trip and warning bells immediately started ringing (think Spiderman's spider sense) since it's always been bad from my experience when they start breaking groups up.
Said and done, the three-day group wallowed off and us poor two-day people waited for around for an additional hour before a guy turned saying there had been an over booking and they tried to get another boat for us.
Thirty minutes later we were finally herded down to the harbor and taken onto a rickety old boat where we all dumped our bags on deck.
After being seated down and given lunch the crew walked around trying to sell us beers and that's where the trouble started. A beer was 25k Dong (Vietnamese currency) which usually cost 15K (overprice) at the hotel. When we complained about the prices the response was "No speak speak English!".
The mood didn't improve when our replacement guide (the one we originally had in the bus was good) hardly spoke any English explained that the boat didn't have enough petrol and the trip that some of us had signed up for would not take place.
Mayhem followed, furious tourists raged against the crew in attempts of trying to get trip they had purchased while the crew responded by being as rude and obnoxious as they possibly could. Thirty minutes later two camps had taken form. The tourists on upper deck, the crew on the lower one. Plans were made, strategies discussed and people were upset everywhere.
I myself sat with a beer I bought for expensive money and thought the whole situation was pretty funny since I wasn't too bothered with which island we were supposed to see or not. The main attraction, Halong Bay was all around us, the weather was nice and I had got used to being hustled in Bangkok and realized that taking it easy was the best option out.
An hour later on the boat we were taken to some fantastic limestone caves for half an hour. I bought some cheap beers from a boat lady who had docked near the caves and jumped on to enemy territory again (the boat that is). This is where more trouble came our way.
The captain of the ship pulled out a document saying that all drinks brought onboard were charged 5K for each opened bottle, which didn't go down very well with the rest of us. I myself quickly did my maths and realized that it was cheaper anyway and considered it a small but important victory, hurray!
It also turned out that two of our group had deserted and got on another boat instead without telling the rest of us, cowards.
Time passed, the evening drew to a close and it was time to check out the cabins. Mine was alright but most of the others complained of rat spilling everywhere and I knew the night would get interesting. Sitting up on deck watching the sunset people started shouting that they saw rats cruising along the sides of the boat and once again the crew vs. tourists war broke out. More guerilla tactics were used, cheap tricks played and most of the tourist army decided to sleep upstairs on deck. I had already decided that I would try to sleep in my bunk so I crept down in my sleeping cover, turned the fan on and went to sleep. Big mistake, two hours later the fan was mysteriously turned of and the cabin got hotter than Hell itself. While lying in bed considering my options I started hearing teeth against wood around me. Since I was the only one sleeping in the cabin I knew the rats were after my Swede blood but I was too tired to do anything about it.
As a test I left a chewing gum on my bedside table, tried to get to sleep and dozed of for half an hour but woke up again only to find the chewing gum gone.
It was time to waive the white flag, leave walk-over move up to the others in my platoon. Woke up a few hours later and were taken back to shore. The crew and us happily parted ways with a string of swearwords and raised middle fingers to everyone's delight.
The good coming out of it all was that I met a great Canadian couple (Andrew and Sarah) from Vancouver, which I have traveled with trough the rest of Vietnam.

Drinking the snake's blood!



After checking out the Ho Chi Min museum compound I was like all other tourists approached by a motorbike driver who asked if I wanted a lift into the old town. After bargaining for a while I got it to half the price I had paid to get a taxi there but since I was putting my life on the line in Hanoi traffic I didn't think it was less than fair.
During the ride I asked him if he knew of any restaurants where they served snake (since I had heard about this one). He suddenly stopped the bike by the curb, turned around and looked at me. "You want to go snake restaurant?". "Sure I said without thinking about it and a arrangement was two minutes later made where he would pick me up a couple of hours later and I would be taken to the best restaurant in town.
So, said and done. At 18.00 in the evening I found myself on the back of the motorcycle again dodging around traffic. We drove off the center of Hanoi, over a bridge where we stopped "You take picture, very beautiful" and I had to agree that it was despite the fact that I felt a bit unsure of what I got myself into. Continued along small winding roads (I'm sure these roads aren't in any guide books but I can't confirm it) and finally stopped.
The sight in front of me was unbelievable. He had not taken me to a restaurant that served snake, the restaurant only served snake! Everywhere in the restaurant were hundreds of jars with pickled snakes and I got a slight feeling I was in over my head.
I was taken to a glass box filled with live snakes and they took one out and showed it to me asking if it was ok. It looked alive and healthy, tried to bite the owner twice so I said yes.
Was taken up some stairs up to a table where I was sat down and two men came up to my table with the wriggling snake, two small shot glasses and a metal bowl. Seconds later the heart had been cut out, still pounding in the mans hand it was pierced with the blood flowing into one of the shot glasses and then the remains of the heart went into it as well.
Then came the moment where I suddenly sat there with a shot glass of snake heart and blood in my hand while people were standing around watching me in anticipation. I was told that gall would me very healthy and the heart would make me incredibly strong. There was not much to do, raised the glass in a toast and down it went. Texture was like thin honey and had a taste of salvia and I didn't chew.
There was another shot glass left and the gall bladder of the snake was also cut out, pierced and put into the shot glass. This one was clear green and it tasted horrible but I tried to keep a straight face and asked if I could get a beer since I felt a bit hot.
The remains of the snake were then brought to me in loads of different kinds and forms. I had crispy snakeskin, grilled snake meat, powdered snake liver rice and so on. Since I pretty much had snake all to myself (I offered some to my bike rider as well) I was absolutely stuffed afterwards.

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Good evening Hanoi!!



Got on the plane from Vientienne to Hanoi since I decided to treat poor back to something after going trough all them buss rides in Laos. Tom the tuck-tuck driver took me out to the airport and after having some food I boarded and was off to Vietnam. The flight was 45 minutes instead of 24 hours by buss so it was money well spent in my opinion.
After landing I got a bit worried since everybody had Visa's and I didn't since I had read that Scandinavian countries didn't require any and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was true. Sailed trough customs and prepared myself for the onslaught of hawkers that I've read would assault you as soon as you stepped outside. The thing is that they only go for backpackers and since I'm wearing the bloody thing on my back there's little in trying to disguise it. Fortunately I met a couple at the money exchange desk who had already booked their hotel and wanted to share the cab fare in to Hanoi. Said and done, of I went and this is where I started noticing how weird the traffic system is in Vietnam. The horns on the cars and mopeds are constantly being pushed. It's like it was going out of fashion or something and the whole town of Hanoi has got a soundtrack of constant beeps and honking. It seems they use to raise awareness to other each other that they are there. The thing is that I'm sure I've read that ants do the same thing...weird.
Got myself a nice $2.50 hotel (or as nice as a $2.50 comes. I think you understand what I mean) and threw myself into the hustle and bustle. Took a cab out to the Ho Chi Min mausoleum only to find out that it was closed. Apparently Vietnam's favorite Uncle Ho had specified that he should be cremated when he died but the people loved him so much that they kept him in a glass box for display. They even send him off to Russia once a year to fix him up. Walked arround the compund for a while and checked out the museum which I expected to be really boring but turned out to be great with weird designs and layout.
After that I went down to a bar I read about in the travel guide called "Funky Monkey" and it turned out to be just like the run down bars in Shoreditch. So, it was really like a home away from home.Was promised that they would serve food but that turned out to be a lie so I had to wonder down to the big lake in the middle of town and grab some food from one of the evening markets. It was bedtime.

Monday, May 15, 2006

To the capital of Laos

Got up early to catch the morning bus to Vientienne (which is the capital of Laos) and was very happy to find that the bus was in much more modern one that the previous ones I’ve experienced. Six hours later I was there and myself, Don and Rebecca had the pleasure of meeting a really nice Tuck-Tuck driver who took us around the town and dropped us off at the hotel.
Walked around town for a couple of hours and realized that most of the stores and restaurants were closed since it was Sunday…bummer. Eventually found a nice place to eat and then headed off to the Laos National Museum which was a pretty interesting place. It started off with an historical aspect with artifacts but turned into a big propaganda machine the further it went. In the end it was all about how Laos had struggled against the American imperialists and their puppets (their exact words, not mine) and I just thought it turned into a joke.
Got out and went down to the Scandinavian bakery which pretty much was exactly like a bakery in Sweden, they even had snus. Had a nice Ice latte and a cinnamon roll while I thought about how weird it all was to be sitting in the middle of Laos with a Swedish flag next to me.
Walked around for a while checking out some of the stores that were open and then went for some more food and beers before hitting the sack.
Woke up early since Don and Rebecca had the foresight of pre-arranging a rendezvous with Tom the tuck-Tuck driver which had agreed to drive us around a couple of temples for a small fee.
Came to the first one (just forgot the name but I’ll fill it in later) and took half an hour before I got templed out and went to the second one where I went for a great massage. Don and Rebecca went for a sauna as well but I felt slightly hung-over and thought I would shrivel up into nothingness if I went for that one as well and instead opted to chill out with a soda pop outside.
Were driven back into the center and had lunch and then checked out the shops for a while. Were shown how the Laos women wove the silk fabrics which can take all a day up to weeks and was happy that I had bought some in Luang Prabang where it was considerably cheaper. Since I was quite tired after all the massage and bone cracking and decided to go for a kip for a couple of hours before meeting up for dinner. Watched “From Russia with Love” which seemed appropriate for communist Laos and then had a quick shower before dinner where I said goodbye to Don and Rebecca (who were taking the early bus to Thailand the following morning).
I’m flying out to Hanoi and Vietnam tomorrow. More updates soon.

The long hard road to Vang Vieng




So I jumped on the late bus at Pak Beng to Vang Vieng since it was so little to do in Pak Beng. The bus was supposed to leave at 15.00 but it wasn’t enough of people so it left at 16.00 instead but as soon as the bus started rolling we stopped and waited for another twenty minutes outside the bus stop and a monk suddenly jumped on.
The bus ride would take eight hours and I got the privilege of having a seat on top of one of the back tires so there if there usually is little leg room there was an almost non existent one now. It could have been a problem if I haven’t watched all those old ninja movies and I instantly assumed lotus position and were actually quite comfortable.
The bus stopped a couple of times, nothing major though, people with hens in cages and stuff like that. If you ever wondered how the aviation spread you have your answer right there.
Eventually got to Viang Vieng at twelve in the evening. I had met a really nice American couple (Don & Rebecca) on the bus to Phansavan and we stood there bewildered wondering if they had decided to pull a fast one on us and dropped us off in the middle of nowhere but we soon heard some bass blaring out of a night club in the distance and knew we had come to the right town.
Vang Vieng has gained a reputation for being a place where tourists hang out and just get drunk and high and getting there at night it seemed to be correct. I wasn’t too fussy with where I was staying that night and pretty much walked straight into the first place that said guesthouse and it was pretty good since it had both polyester pillow and blankets and both stalactites and stalagmites in the bathroom. I slept like a little baby though and woke up feeling happy I wasn’t on the bus.
Hooked up with Don and Rebecca, hired some bikes and cycled out the cave with the Buddha. We had been told that there was a great place to swim there as well and it was so warm that it was the only thing I could think about.
Eventually got there after cycling 6 kilometers (which felt like 600, reminder to get in better shape soon) and immediately jumped into the little pool before checking out the caves. I had only brought a little torch and I soon realized that it was insufficient for the caves. I got the first one with the Buddha which was fantastic but couldn’t get any further and decided to turn back where I chatted to two little boys who were guides which took pity on me and feed me some fruit.
Don and Rebecca got out a few minutes later and we went down for another dip before heading back where it turned out there was a local rocket festival. What it entailed was a competition where gangs of locals had rockets which they fired off into the sky (to promote the rain of coming) and the reaching highest won. Haven’t got a clue how they measured it and I’m pretty sure the locals didn’t care either because they were all cheering regardless of how high the rocket got. I guess the severe amount of Beer Lao (the local brand) being consumed had something to do with it. Went for some food and then early to bed since I had to get up early to get the bus to Vientienne.

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Phansavan and the temple of Jars



I had stayed in Luang Prabang for four nights and it was time to move on. Had initially decided to go to Vientinne directly but decided to take a detour to Phansavan and check out the archeological site on the “Plain of Jars”.

Soon as I stepped on the old public bus which should have been commissioned in the beginning of the last centaury I knew it was going to be a great ride. The driver had a bag of old cassettes and the good ‘ol Lao music was soon blasting out of the hotwired stereo.

Went trough some amazing landscapes along the way and finally got to Phansavan which was…like a nowhere town in the middle of nowhere (or the town that god forgot some might say but that title has already been taken by my home town Boras).

Got myself a good hotel and booked myself in for a guided tour for the “plain of jars” and had some good food in the evening.

Following morning a little strange fellow knocked on my door and said it was time to go on tour. Due to there being no tourists what so ever in the area so I had my own guide which was very cool.

Got up to the plains and the first thing I saw was there red and white signs on the ground. When I asked about it I was told that it was the path cleared by the Mine Agency group. I was completely unaware of the secret war that had happened in Laos during the Vietnam War but apparently two million bombs were dropped in Laos by the Americans even though Laos was neutral. America had seen Laos as the gate for communism to enter to Thailand and created a CIA operation that sent in civilian soldiers who then flew small planes and directed the fighter jets of where the Vietnam soldiers who hid in Laos were. Even today up to hundred people die every year from mines and buried explosives and the majority of those are children. Very sad indeed!

The actual plain of jars was also very cool even if there was little information about it. The archeologist believe that the urns were used for ceremonial funerals while the Laos people think it was an old Chinese king who created them to ferment rice wine in celebration of a war victory.

Since the Laos government doesn’t allow excavations there will be another twenty years before we probably know for sure…or even then.

I initially decided to stay in Phansavan for two nights but since there was absolutely nothing to do I decided to jump on a buss the following day to Vang Vieng. Will let you know more as soon as I’ve been here long enough.

Waterfalls and kayak down the mekong



While in Luang Prabang I took one day to check out the waterfalls. I had met up with some people from the boat earlier in the days and we agreed to go together so we could get a cheap deal on a Tuck-Tuck. Said and done, at one in the afternoon we met up and managed to negotiate a decent price and then set of with some beers in hand. Forty minutes later trough bumpy roads and across three rickety bridges we came up to the waterfall and it was bliss.

It literally took two seconds before I was in the water swimming around like there was no tomorrow. After cooling down we diced to climb to the top and even though we had to stop three times (maybe to have a beer or two) we eventually got to the very top only to find a single hammock hanging between two trees. Some one knew how to have a good time for sure.

Went back to Luang Brabang, had some food and then checked out the local nightlife at a bar called the Hive and the clientele pretty much consisted of everyone on the boat. We later found out that it was the only place that was open until twelve and we didn’t notice until the lights came on. Walked home briskly and noticed the hotel gates were closed. Five minutes a very surly portiere rumbled out and let me in while I tried to explain how sorry I was and that I forgot how late it got. Shamefully I walked to my room but slept like a baby.
I had booked myself in for a kayak trip the next mornign down the Mekong river and was a bit sluggish when I got up but ok. Got picked up and headed down the river where the Kayak waited.

Now I don’t really know what possessed me to go for a six hour kayak ride since I haven’t been in once since the scouts when I was about eight years old but done is done so I went with it.

The scenery itself was great but the best thing was the guide I had in the back of the kayak. First off he started off asking if it was ok if he sang some songs since he wanted to be in a band. Seven songs later to which I was giggling the whole time (I get like that sometimes when I’m hangover) he said “Sorry sir, can I ask you a questions?” to which I said “Yes Of course”. He then said “Have you ever have your heart broken?” and I replied “sure, a couple of times. It’s life”. This was the start to how he came to explain his three broken hearts. He had met one girl whom he loved but she went off with another guy because he only had a bicycle and the rival had a moped. The second time he had a moped and the other guy had a 125cc. The third time he had a 125cc but the he had a 250cc.

So the lesson for all you guys out there. When you travel to Laos it doesn’t matter if you have Mike Jagger’s fame. Get a Honda 500cc and you got it made.

Luang Prabang and the surreal encounter



Eventually got to Luang Brabang after being put in an even smaller boat than before. I guess that it was due to the fact that the river is shallower but it was a relief to get of it I’ll tell you. Several hours on that boat sitting on a wooden bench turned my bony little ass to pure pain. Worth the ride though.

I met a really nice guy in Chiang Mai who recommended a hotel so instead of waiting around being shown places I went straight there (after asking some Russian tourists for direction…now that is stupid). Eventually found the hotel and it was fantastic. Really good rooms that looked great and it had good aircon and big bathroom.

Grabbed a quick shower and then walked down to the night market which is full of textiles and handcrafts. This is where my surreal experience happened. The first person I see is Mick Jagger and entourage. I considered taking a picture but the look I got from the bodyguard said “no, no” so I just smugly walked along for a while.

The next day I walked around town. Luang Prabang is a lovely little town which I recommend anyone to go to. The tourism hasn’t kicked in yet as it has in Thailand and you don’t get the hassle from touts but you can still have a great time there. There a lot of things to see and the nightlife is not bad either (although there is a twelve o’clock curfew for foreigners). Even though there are a lot of places that serve western food there are lots of traditional Laos food places and I tried quite a few, the Lao beef curry won!

Pak Beng and the early morning market



So we eventually got half way wit the boat to Pak Beng where we had to stay for the night. I had met a guy on the boat called Martin who had already booked himself in on a hotel and he asked me if I wanted to go halves since it was a double room which I did.

Pak Beng in itself was a bit of a dire town since it seemed to have grown solemnly by the fact that the tourists had to stop there overnight everyday so we got hounded by people trying to get us to their guesthouse but I was safe since I had booking already.

Got into the guesthouse and checked out the room which was basic but alright with a fully working bed and pillow.

Went and had a shower straight away and as soon as I was done the electricity went. The owner walked trough the corridors making an announcement that there were to be no more showers that night…catch me next time suckers!

Got out and grabbed some food and then went for a kip while Martin met up with some friends and tried the selection of drugs that were for sale around in the town (which I might add was a lot). Woke up by a noise from a plastic bag and thought it was Martin who came back but he was nowhere to be seen and the noise stopped. A minute later the noise came back but this time I was prepared with my torch. Turns out Martin had left a half eaten baguette in a bag on a floor and there was a rat as big as a baby trying to pull it in underneath his bed. Classy place! I considered soaping up the legs of the bed for a while but was too tired.

Was woken up the following morning by the owner who said it was seven in the morning and that the boat would leave at eight. Got up pretty quickly to grab some breakfast and while we sat down we realized that it was actually six instead of seven. Guess the owner was trying too much of the towns special merchandise.

I knew there was a market so I decided to go up and check it out. Looked pretty cool and all these Thai hill tribe people were down there so it wasn’t a wasted morning after all.

Tooke some pictures and then it was time to get back to the boat for another eight hours.

The really slow boat to Laos



So it was time to get the slow boat up to Laos. I was picked up early by a mini van and for some reason I’ve been having the tendency to be the last one to be collected. This was no exception and I had to sit in the front with the driver and his girlfriend. I didn’t complain though since the bus was packed and with a barely working AC it was way more comfortable in the front with the windows down. After leaving Chiang Mai we headed up for Chiang Khong and got the there five hours later.

Apparently we were spending the night there as well and we were whisked of to a hotel that if it had been any more basic they would have given us a blanket and asked us to sleep in the middle of the road. A lot of people complained about bed bugs but I slept fine (or it could have been that I stank after sweating in that bus for so long that they didn’t want to taste that pale Swedish flesh).

Woke up and jumped into another truck that took us to Laos immigration office and since I already had sorted out my thirty day visa in Bangkok I was whisked trough.

Finally got over to the Laos side and was eventually taken to the boat which appeared full. I was mistaken, there’s no such thing as a full slow boat and people were sitting wherever there was a bit of space. I managed to find a seat on of the benches (one of the lucky ones) and was amazed to see another group coming on as well.

An hour later we set off and were floating down the river. It would take two days with a stop over in Pak Beng for the night and then we were off.

The scenery was just stunning. Everywhere around us was jungle and the crept down to the water and it was amazing to see these fishermen throwing out their nets and pull them up with all sorts of things.

The mood got even better when the boat crew came around with beers, even though they were a lot of Thai bath for each it was worth it. Spoke to a nice New Zeeland couple who had a ski resort in the middle of the north island close to three volcanos. They said they would give me price if I came around. Still four months away but I might give it a shot. After another eight hours we docked at Pak Beng.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Uphill and the flying squirrel soup



Got up early for some breakfast and then jumped on the van that picked us up for the hiking up to one of the hill tribes in the north of Thailand. There were nine other people on there already, two Canadian girls, three Japanese ladies, two Korean guys and an Australian couple so I knew I was in good company.
After two hours of driving up the mountains and stopped for some elephant riding. We all got seated in pairs and I had the pleasure of having a little Japanese girl sitting next to me who kept on saying “ Oh, my God” and a lot of Japanes I didn’t understand every ten seconds.
After the ride we got our rucksasck on and started walking uphill. It immediately became clear to me that those hours that I didn’t spend in the gym before leaving paid off. I was completely exhausted after half an hour and drank so much water I could have been a fish.
We eventually came up to the village and most of us pretty much fell to the floor instantly gasping for air and food. Luckily we were served a beautiful green curry with rice as the sun sets and the big cooling box filled with beers were opened. Sat and chatted with our guides for a while in what at best could have been described as a mixture of sign language and guttural English sounds….great!
The kids in the village came down and sang a couple of songs for us jjust as it started raining but they didn’t seem to care at all.
Went to bed and tried to get some sleep but soon noticed that the roosters in the north were on a different time that me. 4.15 they started their cackling and that was the signal for every other creature, insect and bird to start theirs as well. Had to leave "walk over" to getting some sleep forty minutes later and got up to take pictures in the morning which I did.
Two hours later the rest of the group woke up and a gargantuan amount of coffe was consumed. Speaking to people I realised that that prety much none of us had got any sleep. It also turned out that most people of the group had signed uf for a two day trek instead of three and it was only me and the australian couple who were coming along for the extra day. I didn't mind but the thought of walking again somehow didn't have the glorious appeal as it did the day before. But as they say "You can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs".
Said goodbye to the other people in the group, set off walking and got into it quite quickly. Just before lunch the sky opened up and rain flooded down but within minutes our guides had a great shelter built for us made by huge banana leaves....fantastic!
We had some food that was served up on freshly made bamboo plates that came with matching cups and then hit the road again. While walking one of the guides suddenly banged on a big tree trunk and a flying squirrel flew from the top and landed on the next tree. One of the guides immediately pulled out a sling shot and an accurate stone later the squirrell laid dead on the ground. I asked him if he kept it for for the fur and he replied "meat for tonight".
Walked for another two hours and then got to our evening basecamp which was bliss. There was a little waterfall and a natural pool which I jumped straight into and then changed my clothes and put myself in the hammock and relaxed.
Almost fell asleep but were woken up by pots slamming. Walked over to the tree hut and saw the little squirrel already being rosted on a little stick over the fire. We were indeed eating the little creature.
Had a beer while watching our guides cook up vegetables and was suddenly supplied with a bowl of flying squirrel soup. Took a tentative sip on the broth which tasted lovley. Picked up some some tiny little pieces of meat and started chewing. It tasted like....duck!
Walked for another day the following morning and were then driven back to my hotel. Took it easy for a couple of hours and went down town to the night bazar in Chiang Mai wich was amazing. So many stalls and great things to buy everywhere. Shame I couldn't bring it with me though since my rucksack is pretty full already.
Met up with the austrailan couple I walked with for an evening drink and then headed home to pack. Taking the two day slowboat tomorrow down to Laos and Luang Prabang.
Will post again when I get a chance.

Chiang Mai



So I jumped on a train from Bangkok that took me to Chiang Mai over night. Bought second class tickets and made sure that I got AC in the cart to stay away from the heat. The trainride was good, great views and the comfort of the bed surprisingly so and I woke up quite refreshed the following morning despite some americans having a party a few beds down. Apart from the train being two hours late I would recomend the ride. Got a cab to my hotel which was in Bali style and next to one of the bigger temples in Chaing Mai. When I looked out of my window I have a great view of the temple ground and a monk was banging a big bell as I opened it. Great welcome! Chilled out at the hotel while watching the first Rocky movie before I heading into town. First thing that struck me was how different it all was to Bangkok in atmosphere. The city had a great calm about it in comparison (even though it's still busy) and overall it felt more friendly straight away. Walked around and checked out a few temples and sat down and had some great green curry in one of the local restaurants while reading my first english newspaper since I started my travels. Managed to down a couple of beers and talked to some candian guys who had been here for a week and half and still loved it. Had to leave them since I had to get back and pack my rucksack for the trekking the following day. Things are looking better as we speak!