In Chiang Rai On Thursday we travelled to Chiang Mai bus station and bought tickets for the 3 hour journey further north to Chiang Rai. We ate our cheapest meal yet (in fact our cheapest meal ever) at the bus station - pad thai for 10 baht each (approx. 15p!!). The stall may not have passed any strict (or even un-strict for that matter) health and hygiene regulations but the vendor did keep the flies at bay with a plastic bag tied to the end of a stick and 4 da...

Heading north Just a quick one - will add to this later. Been in Chiang Mai for a few days and get the bus further north to Chiang Rai today. P.S. It's damn hot. ADDED ENTRY On Thursday 20th we caught the overnight train from Bangkok's Hualamphong station to Chiang Mai. A different set up again; you sit in your allocated seats until around 9pm when the guard starts coming around to turn your seat into either a top or a bottom bunk. Matt and I had a top bun...

Back in the Land of Smiles A quick note to say we're now back in Thailand for the last bit of our trip . Left Brisbane on the 17th and flew to Bangkok via Singapore where we actually bumped into Matt's other sister Lorraine as she was en route to Brisbane!! Mad world. We're staying in Chinatown in Bangkok which is a WHOLE different experience to staying in Banglamphu (where the majority of westerners stay) as we did last time. Staying in a reasonably dingy p...

Next stop Ko Samui This morning we checked out of the hotel on Ko Tao; not much to report from there, we just took advantage of the nice weather and pottered about the town, called Sai Ree. I wanted some summer clothes as my limited wardrobe doesn't cater much for this weather but things are creeping up in price again as we hit touristy spots so I didn't bother. We took another boat this morning the 2 hour journey to Ko Samui. We were given sea sickness tablet...

Arrived in Ko Tao on the 28th, we leave tomorrow for Ko Samui. Will write some more soon. Wednesday 28th November The journey from Hell So we arrived on Ko Tao this morning at around 9.30am. We got on a bus last night and travelled the 7 or so hours to a place called Chumphon. Us and a few others were going to Ko Tao while the rest were going on to Phuket. So, we were deposited at the side of a road at 3.30am where another bus driver met us. We sat outside...