South East Asia
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Goodbye Thailand. Hello India!
Today I ended my adventure in Thailand to head off to explore India. The train left at 5 pm and so I had a final chance walk around Chiang Mai during the day. The evenings and mornings were much cooler and even the cast were wearing jackets. I caught the overnight sleeper train to Bangkok which left at 5 pm from Chiang Mai station. I had an upper bunk bed on the train and it was a relatively comfortable journey except for the air conditioning. It was already cool at night in northern Thailand and with the air conditioning it was freezing. The Thai travellers came prepared with thick winter…
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Last weekend in Chiang Mai
This was my last weekend in Thailand before flying to India. I was surprised when I woke up on Saturday morning as the temperature at night had dropped to 10oC which is the coldest it’s been while I’ve travelled through Thailand. I warmed myself up by hanging out in Buak Hard Park in the old city where the early morning sun made rainbows in the fountain spray across the lake. The park was full of people practicing yoga, running and older people doing Tai Chi next to the lake. It was also fun watching a Brazilian Capoeira being held in the middle of the park. At lunchtime I explored the…
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Thai massage course in Chiang Mai
This was the first time since I started travelling that I spent more than a couple of days in a single place. It was great to get to know the city better and gave me an opportunity to take a course while I was here. I enrolled on a Thai massage course at the Old Medicine Hospital. Thai massage is different from other forms of massage as it focuses on pulling, stretching and compressing various points on the body. The person receiving the massage remains fully clothed during the session. There were eight of us taking the course all from different countries (Spain, France, Canada, Taiwan, Mexico, USA and Italy).…
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Wat Umong Chiang Mai
Today I cycled out to Wat Umong which is on the outskirts of Chiang Mai on the edge of Doi Suthep – Pui National Park. On my way to the temple I stopped for lunch. The temple is located close to Chiang Mia University and I stopped off at a small restaurant popular with students. The menu was only written in Thai and it was fun trying to communicated with the waiter (who was no more that 10 years old). I was not sure what I had ordered but when the food came it was very tasty and really cheap. The Wat Umong is located within the forest and is…
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Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai
Today I travelled the short distance from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai by bus. The trip was very straight forward leaving from the central station in Chiang Rai. The journey took four hours and was longer than expected as the road over the hills between Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai is being improved from a single carriage to a dual carriage road. Much of the way the road was reduced to a dirt track whilst the expand the old road. I arrived in Chiang Mai where I will be spending 10 days until I fly to India. I’m looking forward to staying in one place for a longer time as…
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Chiang Rai Day 2
Today I did a very touristy thing and went on a organised sightseeing trip of the countryside around Chiang Rai. Most of the main attractions are 20 – 40 minutes from the city and so you need transport to get around. I booked myself onto a one day trip organised by the hostel. A car arrived to pick me up at 8.30 am. I was surprised that there was only two of us taking the tour along with a trainee guide Jenny and our driver. The other guy was a structural engineer from Gangnam in South Korea (as in the song Gangnam style) who was called Soo. He was 64…
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Huay Xai to Chiang Rai
Today I crossed the border from Laos back into Thailand via Friendship Bridge. I brought a cheap bus ticket to Chiang Rai from the hostel. A tuk tuk picked me up at 8.30 am and took me to the bus station where I boarded the Chiang Rai service. The tuk tuk driver explained that the bus would first stop on the Laos side of the bridge where I would need to get out and complete the immigration control and then get back on the bus to cross the Thai border were I would obtain a Thailand visa. The bus would then continue to Chiang Rai. The first stage of the…
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Slow boat from Luang Prabang to Huay Xai
Today I started a two day slow boat journey along the Mekong river from Luang Prabang to Huay Xai on the northern Thailand border. The journey started at 7.30 am when I was picked up from the hostel by a tuk tuk van. After picking up several other tourists we arrived at the slow boat pier just outside of the city. We boarded the local boat service for the first leg of the journey from Luang Prabang to Pak Bang. The boat route is very popular with tourists but is usually taken in the opposite direction taking the river down stream from Huay Xai as this is much faster. The…
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Huay Xai to Chiang Rai
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Luang Prabang Day 4
On my last day in Luang Prabang I went to the visit old Royal Palace in the centre of town. It seemed strange to me that a communist country would preserve reminders of the old monarchy and colonial rule which was abolished in 1975. I was not allowed to take photos inside of the palace which was built in 1904. It has a very simple interior compared to European palaces with many french influences and gifts from the US on display. The palace grounds also house Wat Ho Pha Bang which contains the sacred Pha Bang (a solid gold statue of the Buddha) from which the city gets its name.…
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Luang Prabang Day 2
I hired a motorbike to explore the countryside around Luang Prabang. The main attraction is Tat Kuang Si waterfall. It was a 40 minute drive from the city and I headed out early before the main tourist buses and vans arrive. The falls have many tiers cascading over limestone formations. The limestone had turned the water a beautiful turquoise blue. The falls were great with a high series of tumbling cascades. Within the national park is Kuang Si Rescue Centre where wild asiatic moon bears captured from poachers are rehabilitated. The bears were very cute and it is sad that they are poached for their bile which is used in…
