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Pai Day 2
I woke early and joined a yoga class at Bodhi Tree Studio. It was a great class and I met a lovely Norwegian couple. We had a long chat over a homemade kombucha. They were coming to the end of a 10 month trip and enthusiastically told me about all their amazing adventures and experiences. I picked up some great tips and ideas from them. I hired a mountain bike to explore the countryside around Pai. I headed out south stopping at the iron memorial Ta-Pai bridge which was built by the Japanese in World War 2 in their attempt to capture British held Burma. I next turned off the…
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Chiang Mai to Pai
After a couple of very relaxing days in Chiang Mai I decided to head north to the backpackers paradise called Pai. The town is a three hour bus ride from Chiang Mai and is located in a plateau up the forested northern hills close the Myanmar border. I set off early but ended up going to the wrong bus station not realising Chiang Mai has three bus stations. A couple of Spanish guys made the same mistake so we caught a long Sorng-taa-ou (cross between a taxi and local bus service) to the other station. At first there were 5 of us sat in the back but by the time…
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Chiang Mai Day 3
Another chilled out day in Chiang Mai. I started the day with breakfast at the hostel before heading to a square at One Nimman for an open yoga class. I was surprised at how many people turned up for the free class and there was not a single free space left on the floor by the time the class started. The class began by the teacher saying it would be good for beginners however I was surprised at how physically demanding the class actually was. I met cool guy call Zag during the class. He offered to show me around the city market in the afternoon. The market was down…
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Chiang Mai Day 2
I woke up early this morning to explore the old town before all the tourists woke up. Chiang Mai is such a peaceful and relaxing place. I visited Wat Ket Kram which has beautiful intricate carvings on the outside of the temple and is dedicated to the worship of dogs. I returned to the hostel for a light breakfast before joining a yoga class at the Wild Rose Yoga Studio. The teacher Jear was very funny and his class very challenging. He had us all doing handstands and forearm balances towards the end of the class! After the yoga class I went for a Gong Bath Meditation session. This is…
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Chiang Mai Day 1
Woke up this morning to an announcement by the conductor saying that the sleeper train would be pulling into Chiang Mai at 7.30. I slept surprisingly well on the train so the journey passed quickly. For the last hour the conductor folded away the beds converting the carriages back to standard seats for passengers to eat their breakfast. I walked from the station into the old town. I could already tell the difference in architecture between the north and south which was most evident with the style of the temples. Chiang Mai temples are ornately decorated with intricate wood carvings. I found the hotel/hostel I was staying at which was…
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Ayutthaya to Lopburi
This morning I woke early to see the sunrise over the Ayutthaya temples. It was a beautiful morning and it was great to see the temples with only a few locals about. Whilst cycling through the park I came across many storks and cranes hunting in the canals around the temple complex. After the cycle I returned to the homestay for breakfast before packing and heading for the railway station to catch a train to Lopburi where I would spend the day before catching the sleeper train to Chiang Mai in the evening. Lopburi is another historic town with main temples from the same era at Ayutthaya but is less…
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Kanchanaburi to Ayutthaya
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Kanchanaburi to Ayutthaya
Today I set off for Ayutthaya which was the capital of Siam from 1350 until 1767. The city fell into ruin after being invaded by the Burmese. I read online that that I needed to catch a bus from Kanchanaburi to Suphanburi and from their a second bus onto Ayutthaya. The first bus to Suphanburi was perfectly air conditioned and took the main highway to the very functional city of Suphanburi. As soon as I reached the bus terminus I was greeted by an enthusiastic bus attendant who rushed me across the station into another bus. She didn’t speak any English and I could not recognise any words but I…
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Ayutthaya to Lopburi
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Kanchanaburi Day 2
I woke up early to see Death Bridge before all the crowds arrived. It was great to see the bridge deserted except for a couple of sleeping dogs on the tracks. The river looked great in the early morning sunshine. I went back to the hostel for a lovely breakfast of fried rice and a selection of fruits. This set me up for the rest of the day! Today I explored part of the Erawan national park and falls. I was able to catch the local bus to the national park which took me deep into the hills towards Myanmar. The bus passed by a number of hydroelectric dams before…
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Trang to Kanchanaburi part 2
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Trang to Kanchanaburi part 2
I missed by original connection from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi which departed at 7.50 am. I had to wait until 1.55 pm for the next train. The train left from a different station on the other side of Bangkok so I caught a taxi to the other station. Opposite the station was a fresh fruit and veg market so I stocked up on fruit and had a nap on a bench at the station. The train left on time at 1.55 pm. The train stopped every 10 – 15 minutes as it is a main commuter route. We passed hawkers who boarded the train trying to sell passengers food and drinks.…
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Kanchanaburi Day 2
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Trang to Kanchanaburi
Today I left my friends in Trang. I had originally planned to continue south to the island of Koh Lipe but the weather is still very unsettled and so I decided to start heading north towards Chiang Mai. I will hopefully return to south Thailand later in the trip once the weather is drier. I had my final breakfast with Christian, Jane and Nemo. I finished packing and was due to catch the 1.30 pm train from Trang to Bangkok which normally should take around 15 hours. They drove me to the station to buy my ticket. The only seats they had left where in third class carriage as all…
Mark's year of world adventures
