Spot of sight seeing today while I'm in limbo. Instead of going for the easy option and join a group I know I need to be away from the madding crowd so I conquer an old fear while re-joining an old friend - the motorbike. I'm told a moped will struggle to make the climb to Doi Suthep and before too long I realise why. Reluctant to aggravate my back; I'm thankful I didn't chance the trekking on this one.

Doi Suthep is home of a very old temple but further up the mountain are the Mhong tribespeople and you can quickly tell the ones the tours visit frequently from the ones they don't. I head further and know that the majority of trips don't get this far by the fact that I'm really wishing I was on a trials bike for the tracks I'm on. I get to a dusty village and stop. A 6 month old puppy catches my eye and I wander over to say hello. As I get right up to him I realise he's completely emaciated and can barely walk. Walking back down to what appears to be the village shop I buy a half dozen sausages (meat unknown) and start walking back. A proud 'Hello' comes from a grandmother and a four-year-old boy. Hello is apparently the only word they know and becomes more apparent as the child's eyes don't waiver from the sausages. Giving him one I hurry back to the pup that has made it a couple of metres. It seems completely dazed and it's only when I hold out the sausage that I realise; I'm no vet but this little b***** is blind he's so weak with starvation. The eyes are perfectly clear but don't see and it's only when I hold the food a couple of inches from his nose does he realise it's there. Already welling-up I throw pieces as far as I can to keep two healthier dogs at bay but as I do this I notice that the little fella has peed with excitement and I crumble. The tribespeople may be amused or bemused at my actions but I finish giving what I have and leave hoping for the best.

Maybe I'm just tired but I can recognise that even though you may think I'm well intentioned with wanting to help refugees or hill people with learning English, my compassion lies more with the animals. It's fairly common I admit. The elephant trek near Kanchanaburi; I was told the animals are ex-logging elephants and have been rescued. Rescued from hard work is one thing but I was suspicious from the outset as we were told the ages of the elephants and knew that it wasn't pasture time. The mahoots have