Bangkok to Hat Yai

The flight from Mumbai to Bangkok was great - we were back in Western modern comforts and made use of all the freebies available on the plane. We took full advantage of the free wine, orange juice and softdrinks, as we'd had 6 weeks of drinking water and not much else - the stewardesses must have though we have drinking problems! Our flight landed at 10PM local time on 10th March; we caught a bus into the city centre and wandered down the main backpacker street, Khao San Road, which was still lively and noisy with street food vendors, market stalls and Westerners spilling out of the neon-lit bars even at midnight - a huge contrast to India. We got the impression that the city never sleeps, which made accomodation that night quite easy.

We spent a few days in Bangkok seeing the sights and adjusting to a new country. Thailand feels a lot more laid-back than India, the people have a playful and friendly nature and it took us a while to get used to the fact that a lot of people here offer help without a hidden agenda. The city itself is quite built-up and modern, with new air-con buildings and shops, good roads and fast communication connections. We saw a lot of great things while we were there: the gigantic outdoor Sunday market (shoppers' paradise), the Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, Chinatown, the Golden Mount with its panaromic views of the city, and also the party atmosphere at Khao San Road. It was quite strange to suddenly be surrounded by tourists and backpackers after all those weeks in India where we stood out like sore thumbs.

We took a government-run air-con bus up to Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand, renowned for its cultural experiences and night bazaar. It's a lovely ancient city surrounded by moats and felt very relaxed. We hired bicycles one day and cycled out to a nearby reservoir, where locals go for a day out picknicking and swimming. We were surprised at how quick and easy the 12km ride was - after our experiences in India the wide flat tarmac roads and bike with actual gears were lovely to use. Another day we went for a daytrip that involved an elephant trek, visiting hilltibe villages, trekking through the jungle to a waterfall, and a ride down the river on a bamboo raft - literally huge lengths of bamboo tied together into a narrow platform. It was so much fun, we got very wet but had a brilliant time. Gluttons for punishment, we hired bicycles again and cycled the 16km winding road that leads up to the summit of Doi Suthet, 1676m high. It was a relentless uphill cycle in the blazing sun without any flat bits to relieve our legs, but the temple at the summit was worth it. Unfortunately the view of Chaing Mai below was obscured by haze caused by forest fires and land clearing, which was a shame as we'd seen postcards and it was meant to be really good. Free-wheeling down the mountain took us no time at all and was great fun - almost the hightlight of the day! Our evenings in Chiang Mai were spent browsing and shopping at the hyped-up night bazaar... we got ourselves some decent buys but the shopping wasn't as good as we'd been led to believe and bartering was really tough. Maybe we're too nice and Chiang Mai market sellers see too many tourists...

Unfortunately on the way back down to Bangkok we, along with all the other tourists on the bus, were robbed, the wretches going through our backpacks while they were in the hold of the bus. They systematically unlocked our bags, looted them for money and anything else they thought was of value (plus random items, e.g. Jess's playing cards and one guy's entire washbag), and then locked the bags up again as if nothing had happened. We only twigged something was up and checked our backpacks on the pavement when we were dropped off in Bangkok because Sara had realised that money had been stolen from her wallet and moneybelt within her small hand-luggage bag, which had been firmly placed between her legs all night as we slept. It's still a mystery how they manged to empty and replace the wallet without Sara noticing - it was obviously a well-run operation, as they made use of the 12-hour overnight trip to take everything they could from the passengers and dumped as quickly as possible in Bangkok, driving off before most people realised something was wrong. This wasn't a government bus, but a 'Tourist VIP' bus, booked through a travel agency in Chiang Mai - the price and convenience had tempted us over the government bus, which is what we should have used and have done since. Although we'd done everything by the book, keeping money seperate to passports and cards, locking our backpacks and keeping our valuables on us, we still fell victim - so a word of warning to anyone planning on travelling in Thailand: be careful about the modes of transport you use, and be extra vigilant about your belongings. Don't take any chances and don't assume a hefty padlock will deter thieves!

It was really upsetting to have so much money and personal items (mostly of sentimental value) taken from us, and trying to report the theft to the police turned that day into a bit of a nightmare. But we're moving on and not letting that one case of bad luck hold us back and affect the rest of our time in Thailand. If we had to robbed it could have happened under worse circumstances, and the important thing is we still have our vitals like pasport, cards and cameras. We're not going to let one small group of thieving b******s make us suspicious of everyone else in Thailand or change our outlook on the country...

Our next destination was Phuket, which is an old haunt of Jess's from her sailing days. She spent about a year in the area and our own few days there were a real trip down memory lane for her. An old yachtie friend of the family had kindly arranged for us to stay in a nice air-con room in Ao Chalong, which we used as a base to explore the rest of the island. We hired a scooter and Jess showed Sara the lovely beaches; we went to see a waterfall and Gibbon Rehabilitation Centre in a national park, getting caught in the most torrential downpour when we went into town to do some shopping. One day was spent on a dive boat, Jess FINALLY getting to do the diving she's been looking forward to since we planned this trip, and Sara swimming and relaxing on the boat. Peter, Jess's friend, was really good to us, taking us to a party the night we arrived, and also treating us to a meal out and a 'lady-boy' show in Patong which was really entertaining and great fun. Phuket really is a lovely relaxed place, and Sara can easily see how Jess had such a great time there as a teenager and why she was so excited about returning.

We were reluctant to leave Phuket but had the prospect of meeting up with Sara's parents while they were on holiday in Ao Nang, Krabi province, to spur us on. We arrived there by (government!!) bus on the 23rd, and spent the best part of a week with them, being spoilt rotten and exploring the region through some fantastic daytrips. We spent a day out on a speedboat zipping out to the idyllic Phi Phi islands where 'The Beach' was filmed, snorkelling in crystal clear warm waters, and relaxing on powdery white beaches... it was a perfect, gorgeous day in the most picturesque setting.... words will never do it justice. Another day was spent visiting James Bond Island by long-tail boat (where The Man With the Golden Gun was filmed), sea-kayaking around the amazing rock karst formations and hidden lagoons of Phang Nga Bay (Sara couldn't help herself and took over the paddles a bit), and going for an elephant ride and show. It was here that Sara and Jess were treated to a 'massage' by a 6-year-old elephant. It's quite sttrange having such a heavy animal kneading you so gently on your back! We spent some great days with Sara's parents visiting lovely beaches, making use of their hotel's pool, eating well and witnessing some lovely sunsets... Unfortunately the time seemed to fly by and it wasn't long before we had to say goodbye. It was upsetting for both of us - hard for Sara to say goodbye to her mum and dad after such a perfect time with them, and also difficult for Jess who'd been made to realise just how much she missed her own family. Ao Nang had been like a holiday from backpacking, and now it's time to get back into the swing of things of the traveller's life.

Right now we're in Hat Yai, 50km north of the border, from where we're getting a bus to Penang in Malaysia. This isn't goodbye to Thailand, though. After a week or so on Malaysia's west coast we'll be back to sample the beachlife of Koh Samui and Koh Pha Ngan, and to celebrate the Songkran water festival. Hat Yai doesn't have much to offer in the way of sights and temples, but we're enjoying being in a busy transport hub with lots of different cultural influences. The food night market is interesting to browse and worth a visit - we'll stroll along tonight but aren't sure we can be tempted by the live grubs on sale at some of the stalls!

It's hard to believe we've been here nearly 3 weeks; and although we're looking forward to Malaysian adventures we're glad we've got the chance to come back soon...