Phew! OK so after our adventures in WA, off we went to Thailand! Well first things first.....Thailand is HOT! Wow.... my recommendation is make sure you can afford air-conditioned accommodation (learned this the hard way in Koh Samet!) Hot but very beautiful and so different from Australia that it is a pretty big culture shock. I don't think 10 days was nearly enough time to get used to all the ins and outs of it but I had a great time all the same....
After an overnight stay in Bangkok, we flew straight up to Chiang Mai where we had some obligatory cocktails....
After an overnight stay in Bangkok, we flew straight up to Chiang Mai where we had some obligatory cocktails....
Then realising we were starting a 4 day jungle trek the next day we got a good nights rest, ready for an early start! Day one with our guide Sunny was pretty easy going....visiting the famous Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep temple and going to local factories to see where and how local silk, umbrellas, jewellery etc is made....even got my phone and Maria's wallet pimped!
Then the next day it was off into the jungle for real, for 3 days of trekking. I have decided that instead of giving you a day-by-day account of the trek, I will leave most of it up to the pictures! But I will tell you that it was an incredible experience and we did a fair bit of walking, saw amazing scenery, stayed with the hilltribe people (where the toilet is a hole in the ground and the shower is a hosepipe!) and rode on an elephant (they are actually MASSIVE). We didn't realise that the elephant ride would be down the river so I was slightly nervous when we headed off towards the water but once I realised this was the plan all along it was very fun to watch him pull all the branches from the trees and carry them along with us.....very sweet in a 'wow how strong is your trunk?!' kind of way :)
We also went on a bamboo raft ride, which was very very fun - definitely a good way to travel! And every night we had a delicious dinner cooked for us by Sunny.... yum! I have to admit though.....when we got back to the hotel I don't think a real bed has ever felt so good!! Our last evening in Chiang Mai was spent at the Night Market buying souvenirs and soaking up the atmosphere before it was time to head for a well-earned rest on the beaches of Koh Samet!
We also went on a bamboo raft ride, which was very very fun - definitely a good way to travel! And every night we had a delicious dinner cooked for us by Sunny.... yum! I have to admit though.....when we got back to the hotel I don't think a real bed has ever felt so good!! Our last evening in Chiang Mai was spent at the Night Market buying souvenirs and soaking up the atmosphere before it was time to head for a well-earned rest on the beaches of Koh Samet!
Koh Samet is an island not too far from Bangkok, a short ferry ride from Ban Phe. It was very beautiful and about as far as I could go with my little remaining time in Thailand. We found a 'rustic' hut to stay in, which had all the essentials of a bed, mosquito net and fan :) and proceeded to spend every day on the beach and the evenings trying the different local cocktails and attempting to win connect4 against the barman... And then all of a sudden it was time to leave Maria to continue her travels through Asia while I headed back to Melbourne! An amazing 3 week adventure, with so many great memories...
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