Hi All,

Just me again with the latest update. Last time I think I has just started with Chiang Mai so I will carry on where I left off.

Chiang Mai was awesome, when I first arrived I booked a couple of tours, a cooking class and a trek to a hilltribe where the longneck people live. The chick who booked my tours was really great, her name was Ant. I had dinner with her and a couple of Korean people on the first night at a local market, the food was nothing short of brilliant and exceptionally cheap. Next day I went up to a place called Doi Suthep which has great views of the city and then did a cooking class. You will see some of my creations in the photos section. The cooking instructor was quite funny, when explaining the difference between normal rice and sticky rice she stated that "sticky rice is short fat and white, you will end up like this if you eat too much of it" I found that to be quite amusing.

Next day I was due to go on a two day tour which involved an overnight stay at a hill tribe, except they forgot to pick me up, well went to the wrong location. By the time I had tried to take corrective action they were gone!!!

The tour company arranged for somebody to pick me up at lunch time and I was taken directly to the village where we would be staying. I arrived two and a half hours before everyone else, I see this as being an advatage and was glad to have had this experience. I pulled out a pen and paper and played with kids demonstrating how bad my drawing skills are, they got a giggle out of it, some of them actullay spoke pretty good english. I then helped out a little cutting firewood with one of the older women in the village. It almost felt wrong taking photogrpahs (in fact I only have two which show the girls with the rings around the neck, and they were taken for another reason ie a cute kid trying to help out). These people are basically put on show and made out to be freaks in the name of toursim. Several things did not add up at this village, there was only one man, no boys over say 10 and the females did everything. The reasons for wearing the rings also no longer fits (it was to protect the females born on a certain day of the month from being eaten by tigers) there was no tigers anywhere near the village and all the females were wearing rings. I basically concluded it was a sham and was left to ponder exploitation in the name of tourism. Anyway that's probably more than enought about that, the whole thing made me a little angry.

After the trek I had one last dinner with Ant and jumped on a plane the next morning for Luang Prabang in Laos. Arriving in Laos is like stepping back in time hundreds of years. This place is world heritage listed. Everything closes at 11pm and the streets are left empty, guesthouses lock people out after 12. Unlike other areas of Asia you can easlity cross the roads, bicycles predominate over motorbikes and there are temples and monks everywhere. I love this place it is so laid back and relaxed!!

The local beer "BeerLao" is awesome probably better than any other beer I have had and the markets have the most beautiful silk wear. The food is also quite good, I had fried Meekong weed and buffalo sausage the other night and that was great. Met a few cool people from the UK, Germany and Australia and after speaking to a guy from Israel, really came to appreciate why Australia is called the lucky country. Everyone in Israel has to serve in the army when they turn 18 (both boys and girls) unless they are medically unable. This guy also worked 5 days weeks where he would work for almost 20 hours a day, it truly is insane. He has no time to do anything, the army is basically his life. I personally couldn't think of anything worse.

I was supposed to get on a bus this morning to go to Vang Vieng, but after eating a bad batch of noodle soup last night decided it was best not to embark on a 6 hour bus journey. Have been in bed for most of today trying to decide whether or not its worth taking the medicine prescribed by the doctor this early in the trip given I haven't even been to India yet. So far I have resisted. I have rescheduled the bus trip for tomorrow, so hopefully my stomach settles a bit before then.

I will ahve a few days in Vang Vieng and then a few days in Vientianne before I fly to Siem Reap in Cambodia.

Thats about all I have for now, have probably written a bit more than I thought I would.

Hope all is well at home.

Wil give you another update when I arrive in Cambodia

Cheers