This morning I had had enough of Thailand. I threw ALL my toys out the pram and had a proper tantrum. The last 24 hours have been pretty disastrous and I had reached my limit. Thankfully, after a couple of hours sleep I am feeling a little calmer but it was touch and go for a minute! It all started yesterday when we were waiting for our bus back to Bangkok from Kanchanaburi. Not only was the bus half an hour late, but when it arrived it was absolutely jam-packed - the total opposite to the way there! This meant Sarah and I cramming in the front seat together, which left me sitting on a sort of seat that was a bit like the arm rests which used to fold down in the middle of the back seat - quite narrow, very low back, no head rest. Okay, not ideal, but I probably could have coped with that. The problem was that this little non-seat was above the engine.....and therefore nicely heated. What heat wasn't being used to heat my seat was escaping out a vent on to the back of my legs. I can honestly say that I have been so uncomfortably hot - by the end of a seemingly endless journey I had overheated so badly it made me sick. And that was after just 2.5 hours! So of course I was really looking forward to the 12 hour bus ride up to Chiang Mai...... This part itself wasn't too bad - it was pretty cramped and the air con could have been better but we made it ok. The problem came when we had to get from the bus stop to the guesthouse. This involved little vans a bit like cattle trucks - by the time Sarah and I got to it it was full, so we ended up being perched very precariously on the end, the rail at the edge of the van sticking into my back rather than preventing me falling out. My bag got hoisted on to the roof, Sarah's was dumped on the tailgate, leaving us to cling to it for dear life. As it was, it turned out we should have been more worried about my bag! Thankfully after we'd left the motorway and not before, or God only knows what would have happened, we hit a speed bump a bit too fast and my bag went sailing off the roof and crashed down onto the road. How it managed not to hit anyone I don't know! The driver was oblivious and it was only my screams that made him stop! I then had to charge back down the road and grab my back, and then stick it in the front seat with the driver. I will admit to losing my temper a teeny bit and possibly letting loose with a few sweary words......I think he was a bit surprised! But obviously not too impressed, as he started driving off again just before I got back round to the back of the van - I had to leap on as it started moving and just hope for the best! My bag doesn't seem to have suffered terribly for its ordeal - my padlock was broken open, but so far I haven't noticed anything too destroyed, not that I've looked very closely!! The really scary thought about the whole thing is that if we'd hit the bump any harder it could easily have been me or Sarah that went flying. So by the time we got to the guesthouse, I was pretty damn stroppy. We got given our room, seemed pretty nice, by the pool.....thought we'd lie down and get a few hours kip to recover. Sarah's bed consisted of a mattress on a board, whereas mine was more of a board.....on a board. Mmmmm.....comfy! I think the driver already thought I was a bit of a pain in the neck but when I went and asked to change rooms I think that was the final straw! Of course by this point I'd ceased to care and was already plotting my escape from Thailand. As I said, having slept a bit and sorted out what we're doing the rest of the time we're in Chiang Mai I am now feeling more positive, which is a good thing cause I don't think I could have taken any more!! Fingers crossed for the trek tomorrow.......