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Heyho, I am using this journal as much for my own diary so i can look back at it at a later date. Well, the 11 hours in the train station went very quick. As we were bored i bet Chloe that i could run 20mins without stopping with my backpack on my back in the bangkok heat, he thought i couldn't so i timed myself, i wasa running round the platforms for 20mins with my backpack on, everyone was staring at me thinking i had something wrong with me, and Chloe was looking at me as if it wa completely normal what i was doing, anyhoos at the end of it i had Thai people cheering me on and i managed to do it, however when i took my backpack off i was layered with sweat from the humidity of the heat and the amount of running i was doing. I was so proud of myself but was a completely useless waste of time... We then got onto the train at 6pm and made our beds as it was a sleeper train, lept like a baby as we had our own little bed den thing with curtains and widow and the slow rocking of the train sent me right off! Then when we woke up it wa about 7am and we were approaching Chiang Mai, the capital of the north. We then checked into a hostel (after running aroud the place as most were booked) called 'Lek house', best room weve had, very comfortable and clean. That day we went to a silk market called Bo Sang where we saw how silk was made from the worm to a silk scarf, got to touch some silk worms which were tres squidgy... then from there we went to Wat Phrah Singh temple, which was lovely, and thi Thai family insisted that me and Chloe were in their family picture in front of the Buddah, and we were like oookkk, and they kept going "falangs falangs" which means whiter foreigner in Thai.... nice.... Then from there we tried finding the cultural arts show, got hideously lost and basically never found it, then we went back to our hostel, got ready and went to the night bazaar night market. The night market was absolutly wicked, so many people, absolutly HUGE market, and me and chloe bought eachother crimbo prezzies that we will exchange on crimbo day. The next day we looked around some more, we went to the nation museum which was very interesting and learnt some interesting history of the north of Thailand. That night we went to the night bazaar again...oh the shoppaholics we are!
Then we got a bus to Pai, a little village near the Burmease border, it was a 3hr bus journey, that twisted and turned round this small road which made me feel quite sick... Then when we arrived we found out it was distinctly colder than anywhere we had been so far. We arrived in Pai at about lunch time, we checked in and spent the rest of the day looking around. Very pretty and sweet place, great mountain views and has a very travellers feel to it. The next day we rented out a scooter, this time just the one and i was the driver whilst chloe sat on the back, we went (as advice from an old american) to go to Pai canyon, a 20min scooter ride away. Well worth the visit, spectacular mountain views and the canyon was lovely. Took many picis, then from there we went a km down the road the natual hot springs, which were 80c in heat, and smelt of rotten egg (that being the sulphur i am sure). But then there were some pools further down where the hot spring water met with the fresh water river, which were like a hot bath and we were kicking ourselves for not briging our coosies, so instead we just bathed our legs and stayed there for a while.
That night we went out, got quite drunk on chiang, had emotional convos through the drunkyness, had dinner then went for ome cocktails.... hehe... had cocktails. then met ome people, had a joint with them (mum a joint means a leg of lamb in youth terms), then headed home. By the time we had made it home, i, as i am a very funny person with uch great ideas at times of drunkness, played knocked down ginger on some isralies in the same hostel as us, thye came out thinking what the hell, and we couldn't stop laughing (the giggle fits had kicked in), then we sat and chatted with them for a while, they were quite funny, but also a bit wierd as they insisted on putting party hats on for the duration of our stay with them.... we were like oookkk..... then we went to our room and slept...
The next dy we had an early start as we had booked ourselves onto a 2 day and one night trek in the jungle around the tribal villages. Now i want to stress this... i don't think i have ever had such a hard test on my endurance, it was the hardest exercise i have ever done. We set off at 9am, walked constantly till the night time. We were a group of 9, 3 girls, rest guys, no one older than 24, best group ever, so funny and such a laugh. We went through one tribal village called 'Lahu' where people were constantly trying to sell us stuff, then we went through another village called "Karen' which is where we stayed. AMAZINGLY cold of an evening, and that night we had a camp fire and drunk their home made whiskey which was rough and a lot of chang beer, yes yes another sort of pissed night, then we went to our shack and slept, we all huddled for warmth as it was just so cold. Then the next morning we had an early start and carried on walking, we went on a short elephant ride form the Karen vialle to a point in the jungle when we got off and carried on walking. This was the hardet point of the walk, no like set path, it was just pure jungle, at one point we had to wade down the river, which was so painful as we had to take our shoes and sock off and the stoned on the river bed literally cut into ur feet, o so painful, then we had to walk bare feet through the jungle till our feet were dry. We then stopped for a rest and had lunch and the guide made us a bamboo cup each out of some bamboo wood using his huge knife (michetti? dunno how 2 spell it), which is now my prize posession, i will forever drink out of it, was just amazing how they did it. Anyways, there were some parts of the trek where u literally had to climb up it with ur hands and feet and roll down the other side practically, the amount of times i almost sprained my ankle.... Merits to chloe who hates trekking and did very well. Such a test on endurance it was unreal, especially during the heat of the day, i also have never sweat so much, literally, the t-shirt was soaked, almost dripping... i didn't think it was possible to perspire THAT much... at the end of the trek we went to a cave, and saw lots of swift and bats, amazing cave, but was a bit too tired and cold to appreciate it, but was brillant all the same. Also we found out during the trek that the guys had specifically asked for a difficult route, longer walking time, and something to test thier endurance... so me and chloe were like great thanks... the guide had only done it once thi year with a previous group, and thats why thier wasnt a marked out path, so we were extra proud of ourselves. To be able to do the trek we did on such little sleep and finding energy from places we didnt know we had... was just immense... when we were near the end we had got drunk with fatigueness and i was pretending i was in saving private ryan and shooting people with my bamboo stick, i was also doing gun rolls on the floor..... hmmm..... then tht night we met up with our trekking group and went out for a farewell indian, was a great laugh, but went to bed at about 11 as we were shattered.
This morning chloe is feeling the strain from the trek.... i am not so much as i was yesterday (btw can i also mention, the pain i had to endure on my feet was to great, many times during the secong day i thought i was spent and i cudnt do ne more, but persistency carried me through! My feet were wollen cut up and bruised from the boots, from constantly up and downess of the hills, it was SO painful). We are now heading down to bangkok today, our bus leaves from pai at 3pm, then we are catching the night bus from chiang mai to bangkok, on the 'VIP" bus, which here stands for "very increased prices"....for s*** all difference from a normal bus...
Also this morning i washed my hair with some wild beans that we found on our trek that the guide said was very good for the hair.... so i stuffed my pockets with them, mashed them up this morning and it made my hair very silky and soft.
Anyways, won't be updated until we are in australia as we leave on boxing day and we are only 4 days away from crimbo. I hope everyone has a very merry christmas and everyone has a fantastic time, sorry for the loing entry for those who could be bothered to read it! Love you all lots and dont miss me 2 much, as i know that christmas is a time of year where you will all notice my absense greatly and well all your lives will feel pretty poo without me, but i am sure you will all pull through.
MERRY CHRISTMAS GUYS!!!!!
Muah xxxxxxxx
(Don't worry mum and bro, i will be ringing, also Ric, would be nice if you left me a message or an e-mail - at least show that u care that i am gone!) Muahx
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