Thailand

Gemma and I arrived in to Thailand at midnight. We finally got to Khao San Road, Bangkok at around 1.30am. The weather was dreadful. The rain was coming down so hard. The guy that sat next to us on the plane shared a taxi with us and lead us to a great hotel. Not sure if we could have made it there with out him. We both went straight to bed.

Next morning it was so hot and humid with the air full of smog. The heat just took me by surprise. We headed out in to Bangkok. Khao San Road looked totally different from when we arrived. Everywhere we went we got lost. I guess I had gotten so used to blocks and the streets being so well organised and tidy, and Bangkok is just chaotic. The traffic does not obey the rules of the roads so you just have to walk out, and everywhere looks same same but different.

We took the passenger boat on the Ping River which cooled us down a fair bit, but walking around Bangkok was so oppressive. We were a bit scared to get a tuk-tuk or a taxi anywhere so we walked everywhere.

We went in to a travel agent to book a trip to Chiang Mai. We needed to get out of Bangkok.

The journey up was almost unbearable. I could not stop sweating. There was no air con on the bus. It was an over night journey and took 10 hours. It amused us both that we were just given stickers to wear on our shirts which indicated where we were staying.

When we arrived at Chiang Mai we were greeted by a kind of truck. People just took our bags and directed us to get in. So we did.

The accommodation was great and there was a pool. First thing I did was go for a swim to refresh myself from the journey. Then I think just stayed by the pool for a while. We were supposed to go on a trek the next day, but there were not enough people so we had to delay it by a day. We went to a Thai cookery class which was great. Ate so much. I made 7 dishes and ate them all.

I love Thai food. It was great to look around the local food market and see what spices and vegetables are used. I loved eating all the food too. I love Thai food.

Next day we set off for the trek. There was 8 of us in the group plus the tour leader who was great fun and wanted to be David Beckham. We were dropped off somewhere in Pai for our trek. We started the trek on someones farm. There were lots of piglets and chickens running around. We passed through soya fields and banana plantations. We walked for 2 hours and we were all sweltering. I was so worried that I would not be able to walk the next day in the heat. The path was so steep.

When we arrived at the first village we played football with some of the children. I managed to pull my calf muscle pretty badly, so was even more concerned that I would not be able to walk the next day.

We stayed in a bamboo hut. We slept on blankets and were covered with blankets. All eight of us shared the hut, although there were enough beds for 16. We were comfortably spaced out, and a little snug. We were not sure if the blankets had ever been washed. We were all so tired anyway that it did not care too much.

Next day, my leg still hurt and our lovely tour guide took my bag for me which was great. One of the guys in the group, who also had a few injuries gave me a support bandage and some deep heat. I was so thankful, though I did not stop moaning about the pain for a while and think I have him a headache. It was kind of funny too. Especially as we were both hurt.

The jungle was great. waterfalls, bamboo, butterflies, creepy crawlies. Each village we stopped at had cockerels and chickens. The cockerel would not just make is sound in the morning but whenever they fancied. The other noises in the jungle were amazing too. I could hear crickets and a locust type thing. The sounds were so loud and powerful.

My leg was fine by the afternoon. The tour guide still took my bag for me. The walking was hard work at times. Just very steep. We were all so happy to get to the bamboo hut that night. After dinner we played some Thai games and I just kept loosing and so did everyone else. We were being tricked all the time or maybe we were just not observant enough.

Our last day of the trek included an elephant ride and bamboo rafting. The elephant riding was calm and relaxing. There was a baby elephant which was beautiful. The elephant I was on just wanted to eat. The bamboo rafting was the total opposite. We fell in the water a few times. The water is full of leeches and other creatures. The current in the water was fairly strong. One of the guys was not a confident swimmer. We were heading for some low lying branches which caused us all to fall off the raft. The guy ended up in the tree, whilst the rest of us were trying to swim back to the raft.

Our tour guide was also on my raft, and was always trying to get us in the water. He was always rocking the raft, and eventually it came apart.

The group all got on well. We stayed in Chiang Mai together for a while. We all had massages, looked around the temples and went out together. It was quite sad when it all came to an end, but equally time to move on.

We took two night buses to Koh Tao. The bus journey was much more comfortable and less busy. We were given stickers again, no paper work or tickets. We were transported all over the place and finally got on the boat.

Koh Tao was beautiful. Calm, relaxing, sun, beach and hot weather. Just what we needed. The pubs all had movie nights, so my daily routine was get up, get breakfast, head to the pool for the morning sun, head to the beach for a swim and the afternoon sun, dinner and a movie.

I did walk a lot on the island too and got chased by dogs. There are loads of stray dogs there, though many of the dogs are actually owned. I was trying to climb one of the big hills on the island to see one of the other beaches and was getting so hot and bothered. A guy came by on his moped. His moped could not make it up the hill, so he got off and we walked together for a while and got to the look out. All the scenery was wonderful- of the island. I could not bare to walk back to the beach we were staying on, so I took a lift from him. It was so much quicker and a lot more fun then walking... and he was hot.

Koh Tao was such such a contrast from Chiang Mai and Bangkok. It was full of divers, it was really quite during the day as everyone was in the ocean. It was very touristy. Chiang Mai was a real mix of tourists and locals and Bangkok was just chaotic.

Although Koh Tao was so quite compared to the others I think it was mating season for the frogs as they were so very loud at night.

The weather suddenly changed in Koh Tao the night before we were due to leave. Rainy season had started. We took the boat the next day and thought we were going to die. We got on the boat at 2.30pm. The roads had become rivers. We had to walk though knee high water to get to the ferry port. The sea was black and not calm at all. The sky was heavy and grey. The crossing was so rough. I wanted to wear my life jacket the whole time. I even worked out what to save of my belongings, then realised that the sea rescue would not have come out, so either way I would die.

When we arrived at the ferry port I was so happy. I ran down the jetty, away from the sea. The ferry ports are very basic. Just some bamboo and palm trees nailed together. It would fall apart at any moment. If we had stayed on Koh Tao any longer we may not have been able to get off the island. I was thinking back to the time in Kiakora in New Zealand when I was stranded due to the rain. I was so pleased to get off the island in the end.

The calm tranquil water and beautiful beaches were only beautiful when the sun was shining, and too be fare we had great weather when we were there. The sunsets were perfect and the heat was just what I needed. The contrast in the weather on the final days was just like being in a different world. Such dramatic contrasts.

When we returned to Bangkok, the weather there was great. The temperature had dropped and was manageable. The traffic, and all the noise of Bangkok was still there, but the air felt lighter.

Getting to the airport became a bit of a problem. The King's sister was being buried the day I needed to fly and all the roads were closed so I had to go the airport early, which worked out well as Gemma left before me, so I saw her off at the airport. Tried very hard not to get emotional. It was sad to see her go.

I am now in Hong Kong. Its organised, the traffic obeys the road rules, there is an energy about the place, but the aircon is a problem for me. Its 25oC outside and inside 15oC. I will get used to it, but its a bit of a shock.