Leaving the cultural joys and excitement of China behind, the trek headed south to Thailand, a wonderland that we were both familiar with and eager to return to. Mlungu Darren has seen Thailand as recently as last new year while mlungu Brett hadn't been back since 2005, the notorious year of the tsunami. We weren't alone for this leg of the trek and our friend from back home in Jozi, Craig Segal, came to join us. We officially welcomed co-mlungu trekker Dr Segal when we met up at our hotel in Bangkok, all of us excited and looking forward to heading down to the Andaman islands of Thailand. Given that this was Craig's first time in Thailand, we thought it a good idea to open the stage to him and let him write us a guest post for Bangkok, Railay Beach and Phi Phi Island.

Segal, it was great having on board the trek and it's a pity you had to duck out early to get back to Joburg. Thanks for the great blog post below and we look forward to catching up again back home after your stint at sea - or in the US

Trek on…Brett and Darren

P.S. Keep up to speed with where we've been staying and how we've been getting around in our blog posts from Johannesburg

My first experience of Thailand was to be on the Mlungu Trek. I trusted in the wealth of travel knowledge that is Stein & Sacks and I joined them in Bangkok, Thailand.

Throughout the trip we were inundated with news reports of flooding in Thailand but thankfully none of these disasters befell us. The roads were manageable and everything seemed in working order despite the occasional sandbag. Anyway, the mlungu's felt better with a Doctor on tour!

In Bangkok I witnessed the new age backpacker: we found a wi-fi hotspot at the closest coffee shop and the mlungu's went to work! Out came netbooks and a fury of google searches produced flights and accommodation for the next leg of the journey. The centre of Bangkok is just like "China-city" on steroids - locals in stalls selling anything and everything. Even the shopping malls were full of every type of shop. And everything is open to negotiation!

We attempted to find the Chabad of Kao San road for a night of partying with the local Jewry for Simchat Torah but we were too late and we arrived to a darkened building?! If anyone did go to the celebrations we would be interested to know where it was?

We were then content to visit the bars of Kao San and fend off locals who tried to tempt us with promises of "ping-pong" shows. A good night was had by all.

It is amazing how Asian countries have functioning, affordable public transport which puts South Africa to shame: the airport train stopped just a short walk from the our hotel and proved an efficient way in and out of the city.

From Bangkok we flew into Krabi to an unwelcome torrential downpour. (Note: Havianas have no grip in the wet.) Then took a short long-tail boat ride and we arrived in Railay Beach. (Note: if travelling to islands in Thailand, take a backpack, not a wheely-bag, makes getting on/off boats on the beach easier.) We then scoured the island for our hotel.

In Thailand, "luxury" consists of: air-conditioning, flushing toilet, hot water and, these days, free wi-fi. So we stayed in luxury in Railay. Railay is a laid-back location. The mlungu's took time on Railay to catch up on sleep since the heat and humidity make activities during the day unpleasant. We were met there by another blast from the past: Sarah Lewinsohn and fiance Byron. A welcome addition to the tour.

Railay's attractions include rock climbing and blog-worthy beaches. We frequented the local pubs and bars which were highlighted at night by the amateur fire performers of the aptly named Last Bar- they put some professionals to shame!

On to Phi Phi: a short ferry ride to one of the party islands. Backpackers and travelers flock to Phi Phi for its beaches and night life. The local bars and restaurants have unique qualities like foreigner-on-foreigner bucket induced muay thai fighting. Some of our favourite spots were: Papaya (best curries), Cosmic, Dojo Bar, Pirate Bar, Falafal Corner, H C Anderson and, of course, Rolling Stoned Bar where the Made in Thailand band continue to pump out great live rock music. Everywhere offers buckets and free wi-fi and, of course, the street markets offer the best quality imitations that Baht can buy. Our best attraction was probably the pool at our hotel overlooking the beach which was well stocked with israeli tourists who seem to have overrun the island!

We managed to take in the tourist attraction of the island and did a long-tail boat tour of the near-by islands with snorkeling and a compulsory visit to Maya Beach a.k.a "the beach" from the same named movie. A good time was had by all.

Back to Krabi for a stopover night before heading out of Thailand and an evening with the locals at the night markets which provide all kinds of local dishes and cuisine (most of which are some kind of pork).

Unfortunately, my Asia experience was cut short and I left the mlungu's in Bangkok. Thanks for the buckets and remember rule #2! Trek on!