Leaving adventure behind, I headed further north into Thailand to visit the beautiful Pai region. The drive was stunning as we wound our way up the forested mountains and then down again into Pai. A small town, based a long the river but surrounded by green mountains, it is the place of easy-living and being at one with nature. I met up again with Eefje and this time Ash who had been rafting with us. They had hired motorbikes and driven from Chiang Mai to Pai. D...

I left behind the hustle of Bangkok to head north to arrive in Chiang Mai at daft o'clock in the morning. The main destination for backpackers appeared to be Julie's hostel, which I had the foresight to book in advance. This is the only hostel I have seen where backpackers are prepared to wait until the reception opens in the hope that there might be a bed. Normally, you would tootle off and find somewhere else but not in Chaing Mai! Chiang Mai is a beautiful ...

We left the paradise of the beach behind and headed back to the madness that is Bangkok. First stop was finding some accomodation near to Khao San Road, the famous backpacker area. If Dubai is the introduction to the Middle East, then Bangkok is the introduction to South East Asia. Most signs were written in Thai and English, everyone could speak English and there were recognisable shops such as Tesco's, Boots and for the first time since Hong Kong - a McDonalds...

Leaving the delights of Luang Prabang, I had a mission set to get to Bangkok by 8am on 10th June to meet Elaine again. The journey involved an overnight stay (including a bucket party once more) in Vang Vieng, before a bus and overnight train to Bangkok. My first impressions of Thailand were of pure delight. Passing through passport control on Freedom Bridge, the first policeman I saw actually smiled at me and told me voluntarily where my train to Bangkok would ...