Well, I finally made it to Thailand after a lengthy and problematic journey through Mumbai. As my connecting flight wasn't until the early hours of the morning I was refused entry into the international airport terminal by a surly looking guard at the door. I wasn't about to wait on the streets outside and there was no point in checking into a hotel for only a few hours, so after kicking up a fuss and talking to the airport manager I was finally allowed in.

I arrived in Bangkok very tired and managed to negotiate my way through the new airport to my hotel which is near Siam Square and miles away from the backpacker's area of Khoa San. So far I've not seen much of Bangkok as I've been trying to sort out visas and onward travel arrangements. I did make the mistake yesterday of letting a Tuk Tuk driver show me the sights as long as I went to a couple of tourist shops. I explained beforehand that I wasn't going to buy but he took exception when he didn't get any comission and we eventually parted ways when he wanted to take me to yet another shop.

I'm not sure I like Bangkok much, although it's probably too early to make my mind up. The hotel is great, the food is lovely, but it's a really confusing place to work your way around without some local knowledge. Tomorrow I have to brave the Vietnamese Embassy for a visa and then move to a hotel near the Khao San Road so I hope I will meet a few more people in the same boat.

29/11/06

OK - maybe I was a little hastey. bangkok is growing on me now that I've spent a few days here and found my bearings. It's still crazy but you get used to it. I decided against moving to the Khao San Road as I quite like it here in Siam Square. It reminds me a lot of Hong Kong with small communities surrounded by huge modern shopping malls and it is full of young trendy Thais.

Yesterday I went on a day trip to Kanchanaburi near the river Kwai. The first stop was at the war museum and cemetary before taking a walk over the bridge. We then took a train ride along the 'Death Railway', named as a result of the thousands of POW lives that were lost during it's construction. Finally, after lunch we went for a ride in a fishtail boat down the river. I've always wanted to go in one of these ever since seeing them on a Bond movie when I was little. It's a strange vehicle - a really long narrow hull with a car engine and propeller strapped to the end. It was great fun!

After collecting my Vietnamese visa today I leave Bangkok tomorrow to head up north.

3/12/06

From Bangkok I went to Pitsanulok which is close to the Sukhothai Historical Park. Sukhothai used to be the ancient capital of Thailand and contains some of the best preserved monuments in Thailand, dating back to the 12th Century. It is such a beautiful place and because the park is away from the city it's really peaceful and atmospheric. It's also not that busy and at some points throughout the day it felt like I had the place all to myself. I took the advice of Lonely Planet and hired a bike to get me around the park as it's set over a large area. I'm glad I decided not to walk as it was so hot and humid.

Pitsanulok is quite unremarkable in comparison but it's larger than Sukhothai and is suipposedly better for accommodation and food. I ended up staying at the Youth Hostel which was a really strange and run-down place surrounded by trees and wood stores. I felt like I was in the middle of the jungle!

After only one night in Pitsanulok I caught the overnight bus to Chiang Mai. The bus was really good actually - the air-con and fully reclining seats meant that I managed a few hours sleep before arriving in Chiang Mai first thing in the morning. My first impressions of Chiang Mai are that it's a really relaxed and laid back city - quite a contrast to Bangkok. The old part is surrounded by an ancient moat and the remains of the city wall. I plan to stay for a couple of nights before going off trekking into the hills.

6/12/06

Just returned from a fantastic three day trek into the heavily forested hills around Chiang Mai. The first day was spent trekking through the 'jungle' to one of the many villages enhabited by the Karen people. There we stayed for one evening in a bamboo hut which was a great experience despite being woken at 4am by a rooster with a faulty alarm clock!

From there it was more jungle trekking to meet our transport for the rest of the day - three Asian elephants. After a thankfully short and very uncomfortable ride through the forest for an hour we only had a short distance to walk before we reached our second camp. It was in a beautiful spot at the base of a freezing cold thirty foot waterfall - just the ticket to cool off after another hot and humid day.

On the final day it was more trekking followed by a trip down the fast-flowing river attempting to safely steer a twenty foot bamboo raft through rocks and tree roots. Fortunately, I didn't fall in, although I came close a few times!

7/12/06

My final day in Chiang Mai was spent at the Baan Thai cookery school where I learned to prepare and cook several Thai dishes in the traditional way. The day started with a tour of the local market to buy the food and we got to try some traditional Thai fruits, vegetables and snacks before we were let loose in the kitchen. After we'd cooked the food we got to eat it so by the end of the day we were all really full. The food was fantastic - compliments to the chef!