My base camp is the home of a Thai friend/interpreter who has asked me to come to this hill tribe as the majority have not seen farang before and nobody has stayed there since some missionaries came to buy wood 30 years ago. She's childhood friends with a kind-faced, young man named Surt who teaches about nature and the environment at a school which serves several villages and has just under a hundred students. Her house is also the location of her parent's resta...

Few days since my last entry and much to tell but I don't have time so I'll keep it short. Road trip with three Thai girls to Kho Ka which has an amazing temple and is near Lumphang an area rarely visited by farang. I have been taught the proper way to show respect in a Buddhist temple as well as prayer and rituals. This has set me in good stead for temples since then as Thai's have commented to my Thai friends that it's beautiful to see farang showing respect ...

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...

I hit Chiang Mai after giving up waiting to hear back from the gibbon sanctuary near Mae Sot. If I didn't already tell you about this place check out the History section of their website www.highland-farm.org. I know they're isolated and don't have the internet up there but I had to get out of BKK. Chiang Mai is a much smaller city but still not small enough for a country bumpkin like me. People have recommended Chiang Rai but there is a potential opportunity for...

Fresh back from a two-day trip to the Kanchanaburi area. Jumping off rickety rope bridges into the River Kwai with the locals, elephant trekking surrounded by mountains, climbing Erawan falls and spending the night aboard an isolated rafthouse drinking Chang with a good mix of Norwegian, French, German and Irish travellers. On arrival back in Bangkok I almost stomp my way back to my guesthouse - being stuck in a city surrounded by binge drinking Westerners really...