G'day Mate!

So here I am in lovely Sydney. It's fantastic here! Such a beautiful city, full of wonderful contrasts. We spent yesterday afternoon walking from Kings Cross, where we stayed last night, around the main harbour front, and around the area surrounding the Opera House and Circular Quay. Along our meanderings, we took in:

• Mrs. Macquaries Chair - A rock that is shaped like a chair on the edge of the harbour where a Mrs. Macquarie liked to sit and enjoy the view around the early 1800s. Exactly who Mrs. Macquarie was and why she was important, I'm not too sure, but apparently you're supposed to sit in the chair and make a wish. There were actually two rocks that looked like chairs and we couldn't figure out which was the actual chair, so we sat in both (took pictures, of course) and made our wishes...just to cover our bases. There were fantastic views of both the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House from here, so of course we stopped and took a rediculous number of pictures. It was totally surreal to see this in person, after having seen it so many times in photographs, posters, and on T.V. It was quite spectacular.

• The Royal Botanical Gardens - This is a beautiful public park with a nice path to stroll along the harbour front. It was full of wonderful trees and plants that I don't know the name of, as well as cockateals.

• The Sydney Opera House - Wonderful, of course. I decided to splurge and bought myself a ticket to a play for last night in one of the smaller theaters in the complex: "The Importance of Being Ernest". It was done by two guys, who played all nine characters ... including all the women. It was really funny!

Anyway, I'm running out of computer time, so I'll post the details of todays wanderings later. Sydney is really beautiful and I love it here! The weather is great...mid 20's and not nearly as humid as Thailand!

Cheers for now. I'll post more later, with some pictures if I can!

Some Final Thoughts on Thailand

Wow, it's hard to believe that our month in Thailand is over. Although it was a bit of a challenge (not to mention my own personal struggle), it was a great adventure! The country was beautiful, the people were fantastic, and the food was great.

From Krabi, we took an ovrenight bus to Bangkok, which left us standing in the middle of the backpacker's district bleary-eyed early on Sunday morning. We made our way to our guest house in Chinatown and then spent the day exploring the weekend market and Siam Square. The weekend market was incredible! It was absolutely massive; a person could very easily get lost in the maze of stalls and tents. Just about everything under the sun was for sale: cloths, jewelery, food, plants, crats, supplies for crafts, pets, pet supplies, home decore, material, artwork.....and we only saw a small fraction of it! It was jam-packed with locals and tourists alike, and was pretty hot and close under the heat of the sun.

In search of other shopping experiences and a little A.C., we went to Siam Square, a posh area with modern-style malls. Some of the stores were really high end, while others had cheap knock-offs of the high end stuff. There were restaurants, an aquarium of sorts, food market, department store, opera hall, bowling ally, and outdoor concert venue where a public concert of sorts was on into the night. Along the walkways between the various buildings, vendors were hawking their wares. It was an interesting mix of the modern and traditional, inexpensive and very pricey, shopping styles. Part way through, we succumbed to temtation and treated ourselves to (gasp!) iced mocha's from Starbucks. I'm such a sucker for coffee shops!

We had a very hot and rather uncomfortable and restless sleep at our guest house (because of the heat) and were up at 5:30 the next morning to catch a train to the airport. Although our flight didn't leave until 4:00pm, we wanted to use the train to save money (only 10 Baht per person instead of 400 Baht per person for a taxi!) and to make sure that Corinne could get on the flight. We had a little mix up when we booked the tickets and didn't realize until we were well into Thailand that the date on Corinne's ticket was March 30 instead of March 27. Luckily, there was room on the March 27 flights, so we both flew together.

After seven hours of waiting at the Bangkok airport, a 2.5 hour flight to Singapore, a 1 hour stop-over in Singapore there's free internet at that airport!), and a 7.5 hour flight to Sydney, we arrived here in Sydney bleary-eyed but very happy to be here. We've yet to explore the city (doing laundry right now), but from first glance, it looks wonderful!

Our trip to Thailand was an excellent experience and I met a lot of really wonderful people there. It was also a time of self-discovery and personal growth that at times was not very easy. But all in all, I'm very glad we went there and I'm taking alot back with me. However, I'm very happy to be in Oz!

Islands of the Andaman Coast

May and Malee at the Drunken Sailor

Our Guest House Room in Krabi. What Luxury!

Our Bamboo Bungalow on the Island

From Lanta to Krabi (again)

Just to give you a glipse of some of the (mis)adventures when traveling from one place to another:

About 5 days ago, Corinne and I asked the guys who ran our bungalow on Ko Lanta if they could book us tickets for the night train from Trang to Bangkok for the evening of March 25, hearing that they tend to book up really fast. They said "Sure. No problem. No worries. We do everything for you". Great!

Well, the next day I asked them if they had booked our tickets yet. No one seemed to remember that I had asked yesturday, but they said "Sure. No problem. No worries." Okay.

This dance continued for a few more days, until yesterday, I asked again about our tickets and they again did not seem to remember my asking for them. They said, okay, sure, we'll call. So I sat and waited for them to call. Then they came back and said they think they had 2 tickets for us, but not sleeper, and what day was it you wanted to go?

You can well imagine that I wasn't terribly impressed at this point, although now that I've safely made it to my next destination, it's kind of funny. So I told them to cancel the tickets, as they obviously did not have a clue what I was asking for. Corinne and down the hill to the little "town" and approached one of the travel agencies. The man there phoned the train station and informed us that the tickets for the night train from Trang to Bangkok were all sold out for March 25.

Hmmm. Okay. Now what.

Well, how about a bus?

Yep, the travel agent said he could book us a night bus but it would have to be from Krabi to Bangkok, instead of from Trang. Okay, I guess we're going back to Krabi. One problem. We had already bought minibus tickets for March 23 (today) to take us from Ko Lanta to Trang. Thankfully, this was the same travel agent that we had bought the minibus tickets from, and he said he could change the tickets for no charge. Whew!

Now, previous to this whole bit, we had informed the guys at our bungalow that we would be leaving on March 23 to catch a minibus. We also asked if they could drive us to the place where we needed to catch the bus. "Sure. No worries. Okay. 11am" .... I should not have been surprized by what happened. 11am rolls around this morning, we're waiting for them to drive us to catch the bus, and they choose this time to inform us that they will not drive us because we did not book our minibus tickets through them. At this point, I was more than a little mad. Pissed off, actually. So we phoned the travel agent from "town", explained our dilemma, and asked if he could arrange a ride for us. He wasn't terribly happy about it, as we had told him the day before that our bungalow would drive us. Not to mention it was more than a little last minute. We had to leave immediately. Bless his heart, he got us a ride.

That over with, we experienced a rather exciting drive in a minivan with a driver that was an angry little man with no front teeth who was weaving in and out of traffic like a maniac in order to shave a few seconds off his commute time. And the van itself sounded a bit dodgey.

I'm happy to say that we've made it to Krabi safe and sound, having met a new friend along the way. A Danish girl, Kim, who's on the last 2 weeks of her 7 month trip to South America, Australia, and SE Asia. She's on her own, so she's sharing a room with Corinne and I at the same place we stayed at the last time we were in Krabi: the Chan Cha Lay Guest House. This place is spotless with toilets that flush. We even treated ourselves and got a room with a private bathroom. Such luxury! After our bungalow, this place feels like a 5 star hotel (not that the bungalow didn't have a rustic kind of charm)! The shower's kind of cool. It's open air (no roof), so we get to shower under the stars tonight.

We're planning on keeping a relatively low profile for our remaining 4 days in Thailand. It's gone by both quickly and slowly....but with all the personal and travel struggles, it's been an amazing experience. However, I am looking forward to heading off to Australia.

Now it's time for supper at that wonderful (and cheap!) night market.

Kantiang Bay

Sawadee kah ("Hello")

I'm having a quiet day here today and want to take the opportunity to give my general impressions of Kantiang Bay, where we're staying on Ko Lanta.

The area itself is a small bay of white sand and rocks. The beach is split in two, one side for the really fancy resort and the other side for the rest of us, although there's really nothing keeping us from using the fancy side. There are about 3 or 4 little "resort" opperations besides the fancy one, all clustered on the north side of the bay at verious elevations up a hill that overlooks the bay. Our "resort" is on the top, hence the name "Top View". It's quite a hike up to it from the beach, but it keeps us in shape!

Outside of resort area is a small strip of shops that service the tourist industry. Only about 300 people live here and the nearest town is the main town of Saladin where the ferry docks from the rest of Krabbi and Phuket province. It's about a 15 - 20 minute drive from Kantiang Bay. The vast majority of the locals here are muslim, with a few budhists. The running joke here is that the budhists serve the alcohol and the muslims serve the food. All the people here are really kind, with laid-back, sunny dispositions. Wherever we go, everyone always says "hi" and asks how we're doing and where we're going.

In addition to the human population, there are a variety of small animals; domestic cats, monkeys, geckos, and the odd lizard. The cats here are really funny. Because it's so hot all the time, the cats are both very lazy and quite skinny. They're like rag dolls, sleeping most of the time. The monkeys provide quite a lot of entertainment, scrambling around the trees at evening, night, and early in the morning. However, they can become a little frustrating when they bang around on the roof at night. Not to mention the occasional theft of some possesion from an unattended balcony. The gecko's are quite sweet, small little creatures that scurry around and chirp during the evenings. Although Corinne doesn't think they're terribly cute when they occasionally poop on her when she's lounging on our balcony in the evening. I told her it's probably good luck, but I don't think she was impressed.

We've met some really wonderful friends here. Most of our time is spent hanging out at a local cafe called the Drunken Sailor. It sounds like a pub, but it doesn't serve any alcohol. When I asked May, the owner, about it, she said that it's named after a flower vine called a "Drunken Sailor". May is really sweet. She's 24 years old and owns and runs the cafe on her own, with a little help from some friends. It's a small place, and she lives with her boyfriend, Jim, on the second floor. On a lazy afternoon or evening, you'll find us hanging out in May's cafe, visiting with May, Jim, Malee (the tatoo artist that gave Corinne her tatoo), Sandra (a Swiss artist that has been here for a while), and Alex (a Swedish guy that has also made this place a second home), to name a few. All really sweet and wonderful people. It will be sad to leave them. Not to mention May's cooking, which I will miss very much, too!

The other haunt that we frequent at night if we're not watching movies at the Drunken Sailor, is the Why Not Bar. This is a ramshackle little open-air bar right on the beach. It's full of low tables and cushions for lounging on the floor and the place has a very rastaferian air to it. Alex works here when he's in Thailand. There's always someone to chat with into the night there.

Life here progresses at a relaxed, leisurly pace, and music is never absent long. Soft jazz coming from cafes, just about any type of music coming from the small bars, someone lazily strumming a guitar, people singing to themselves. Even the muslim call to prayer that can be heard 5 times a day. It's all wonderful to listen to, and never intrusive. Even the sounds of the Thai people talking has a soft, lyrical, and cheerful sing-song sound to it.

Although I am still struggling with homesickness, I will miss this place when I leave. The place, the sounds, and most importantly the people have been a balm to my soul.

Now it's just after 2pm. I think I'll wander back to the Drunken Sailor, lounge in a bean bag "chair", have a snack, and stick my nose into a copy of a Harry Potter book that I found.

Four Island Tour

Today, Corinne and I, along with a few other people, took a longboat tour of 4 nearby islands. We left our beach (Ao Kantiang) at 9am and went south along our island (Ko Lanta) to pick up a few other people staying at other beaches. From there, we headed to Ko Ma for some snorkling. The boat trip there took nearly 1 hour and was pretty choppy in places. We got more than a little wet from the spray, but it was fun. The snorkeling was really good, too. Lots of different kinds of fish and coral, and not as many other tours there as my trip to Phi Phi yesterday.

We then went to the Emerald Cave on Ko Muk. We had to swim from our longboat through the cave, which was pretty low and quite dark right in the middle. Our guide had a little trouble with his flashlight when we entered the cave, leading to more than a little confusion and a little fright at the pitch black of the cave. We made it through to the other side to find ourselves in a a beautiful little lagoon, completely secluded. It was surrouned by very high cliffs; the only way in or out is through the cave. It's a popular place for tours to stop, and today was no exception. There were several other tours there, making our passage through the cave a little cramped at times. When we got to the lagoon, it was funny to listen to the calls and uncertain sounds of the tour groups approaching. There was one group of Asian tourists that were really cute, singing and calling out relplys as they came through the cave and out into the lagoon in a long string of yellow life-vested swimmers of all ages.

We wormed or way back out through the cave and back to our longboat, heading next for lunch on a stunning white-sand beach on Ko Kradan. We hung-out on the shore for about an hour, eating, sleeping, swimming. Corinne built sand castles while I snoozed under the shade of a tree. The water was post-card picture-perfect blue green and the sand was amazingly soft. The water was perfect for swimming in, with only a light surf.

After lunch, we headed for our last island, Ko Chuek, for a little more snorkling. I think I'm getting the hang of this! Although I shortened my time snorkling there when I spotted some jellyfish. With all the bug bites I have, I didn't really feel the need to add jellyfish stings to the collection.

We made it back to our bungalow around 5pm to find that we both had gotten a little more sun then we should have. I bare a striking resembalance to an over-grown lobster...not that I expect much sympathy from those of you enduring the lovely white "spring" of the frozen north. But still, ouch! I tried to stay in the shade when I could and I re-applyed my sun screen twice. But that was no match for the combination of sun and water. Now I've got those really sexy tan (or in my case burn) lines that all the bikini babes our here have...although I don't feel particularly sexy with them!

Now to close out the day, I'm going to watch Corinne get a tatoo, using the traditional bamboo technique (don't worry, I'm not going to join her). After that, supper and bed. And maybe a short hunt for some aloe.

Cheers from the very patriotic red and white skinned girl.

Ko Phi Phi

Today Sarah (the girl from California who is staying at the same place as me) and I did a day-trip to Ko Phi Phi. It's actually two islands, Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh. Phi Phi Don is a really resorty little island that was devistated by the tsunami 15 months ago. There was still some rubble lying around from the effects of the disaster, but it appears to be recovering quickly. Phi Phi Leh is the smaller of the two islands and is a national park with no accomodation or development on it.

We got up early to catch an 8:00 ferry ride to Phi Phi Don. Sarah and I both thought that we had simply purchased the fare for the ferry and that we would wonder the island on our own. To our surprise, we were herded off the ferry to a tour group. Apparently we had paid for a longboat tour of Phi Phi Leh! We joined two couples on a longboat, one from Poland and another from Italy, really great people.

The boat took us on a trip around Phi Phi Leh. We passed by what's known as Viking Cave to take pictures of it. I'm not entirely sure what the significance is of the cave, but it looked like the kind of place that pirates would have used to stash their booty. Then we went to a lagoon to do some snorkeling - my first time! I had a little trouble with my mask, which kept filling with water. It was neat, but I came back to the boat after struggleing with the mask and swallowing a fair share of salt water.

We then went to another little bay and went onto a tiny beach for lunch. From there, we went around the remainder of the island and then stopped at one last beach to do some more snorkeling. This time, I found a mask that fit properly and discovered how much fun it is! The tour guys through left-over friut from lunch into the water, which caused the fish to swarm around it. I swam through clusters of fish, and even saw a nice big baracuda (about 2 feet long)! The coral was really beautiful, too.

We then headed back to Phi Phi Don to wander on our own. The longboat trip was good, but a bit short. It felt a bit rushed, but the scenery was just spectacular. Great towering cliffs that decend into clear blue-green lagoons.

We took the ferry back to Ko Lanta at 3:00 and arrived at the main town at about 4:15 to find ourselves in a downpour. I didn't mind, since we had been wet all day anyway. It was actually really refreshing. I think it's the only time I've felt a little chilly on this whole trip, and it was a welcome feeling.

Now it's time for supper and another movie ("Walk the Line" tonight).

News from Ko Lanta

Hey everyone,

Well, I've come to the edge and found my way back. Although I teetered over the edge and I'm still stumbling somewhat. Yesterday I made it over a threshold. I woke up with the intense need to come home as soon as possible. I spent the morning running around like a fool trying to contact Singapore Airlines to try and change my tickets to fly home at the end of March. Fortunately, I was unable to do it, due to the lack of fax machines on this little secluded beach. Thanks to that, and another traveler much more experienced than me, I've made peace with my backpack for the time being and have decided to carry on to Australia, at least for a bit.

We've been staying in a little bamboo bungalow overlooking a bay on Ko Lanta, one of the islands on the Andaman coast. The atmosphere here is really laid back and people are genuinely warm and friendly. It's quite a little community of locals and carefree travelers, where you soon get to know everyone. We're staying here for at least 3 more nights, maybe more. Neither of us feel any immediate desire to continue moving. If we're happy here, we'll finish our last week and a half of Thailand here. If we get bored, we'll move on.

After my little freak-out session yesterday, the day settled down and quickly filled itself with not much. I tought Chip (the owner of the resort), Corinne, Arron (from Australia), and Sarah (from California) how to play the card game Zap. It was an instant hit! After that, the five of us climbed down a steep slope to the rocky shore below to swim from the cliffs to the beach. We then slowly made our way back up the big hill to our resort. By the time we got to the top, we had a little thunder storm. Nothing too big, but really refreshing with some lovely lightening. The rain must have knocked out the power for a bit, because when we went back to our bungalows to shower and change, we found ourselves in the dark. I'm glad I brought my head lamp with me!

Us girls then made our way down to a little cafe called the Drunken Sailor for supper and to watch the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha". Although a little different from the book, the film was one of the most visually beautiful films I've seen. Really stunning! We then finished off the night at a local bar on the beach called the "Why Not Bar" (a very rastaferian feel), chatting, drinking cocktails, and (yes) singing. We stumbled home at 3 am and crashed. A very satisfying day.

So, I'm going to continue on to Australia. I'm looking forward to visiting with Angela and David in Canberra and with Falicity in Melbourne. That will take about 2 weeks. Around the time I'm in Canberra (first weekend in April), I'll take another look inward and decide if I want to continue on to Cairns or go back to Calgary. I think that the decision will be much easier at that time, regardless of what I choose. I'll have seen two countries and have visited with the people I wanted to see. It will be a 6 week trip by then. Okay to continue and equally okay to head home. The next time, I won't be in this place of panic and I won't feel any guilt or remose regardless of my decision.

Things are good. (despite my several dozen mosquito bites!)

P.S. I use the term "resort" very loosly in this posting, simply because that's what it's called: the Top View Resort. However, it's very basic accomodation, with it's fair share of dust and bugs. Still the people are taking very good care of us and the views from the place really are "tops". I would like to post some pictures for you, but internet is very slow here and I'm not sure that it would work. I'll have to wait until we get to a more urban area.

Self-Discovery

I've had an important bit of self-realization over the last couple of days, thanks to everything that I've been experiencing personally. I've discovered that I am a purpose-driven person. It's not that I need to have things to do to occupy my mind and hide behind. It's more that I'm a goal-oriented person, and when I take up something big like this, I need to have a purpose in mind. This trip was all about running away, making a clean break after my life as a student, and to let go of all responsibility for a while. Much to my amazment, I've discovered that I like having some responsibility, I get energized from having somthing to work towards. The last time I backpacked throughout eastern europe, it was with a school course. So every day, I had a purpose. I was always working towards something. This time, I'm not. True, there has been culture shock and it is very tiring moving around from place-to-place without a base, but I'm wandering aimlessly. In europe, we moved around constantly, always on the go. And there was some culutre shock, although I'm much more familiar with eastern european culture than asian culture. But still, we spent most of our time in places where we didn't know the language. What anchored me was having a purpose.

And so, I've pretty well come to the conclusion that 4 weeks of aimless backpacking is enough. I'm not very good at being listless for a long period of time, espetially if I'm not in familiar surroundings or situations. I think it would have been different if I had come here for work or for some kind of a project. I don't have any regrets. In fact, this realization has been a true gift, and I feel content and happy. Yes, I'm homesick, I miss family, friends, a kitchen and a closet. But I'm also ready to grab on to my next goal and to move forward.

Swimming in the stream on a hot afternoon - very refreshing!

Prehistoric cave painting

Shack on the water to catch fish and shell fish

Kayaking in Krabi

Hey Everyone.

Thanks so much for all the love, support, and advice that you have sent my way. I will certainly make my decision with great care and trust my heart.

Today was a great day! We went on a kayaking trip through the mangroves and caves nearby. We were picked up at our guest house at 8am, taking a little while to drive around and pick up other people for the tour and then on to the restaurant at Bor Thor, our base for the day, situated on the mangroves. There were 9 people taking the tour including Corinne and I. There was a couple from Sweden, a couple from England, and a couple from Germany with their grown son. Corinne and I were quite surprised to find that we were the youngest by quite a bit. But it was a great group of people. The tour guides were all wonderful people, always smiling and quick to joke and laugh.

We paddled through the mangroves and through a number of limestone caves, lincluding Tham Lod Tai, Tham Khoa Wong, and Tham Lod Nua. These limestone caves were full of wonderful stalactites and stalagmites, and were open to the mangroves on either end, so we did not need any artificial light to get through (although it did get a bit dark at times and hard to see....all part of the fun!). Any description I give about the mangroves and the caves won't do them justice, so I'll see if I can attach some photos for you (although no promises....downloading photos can be a bit of a challenge at times!). Everything was very lush and green. We passed sheds on the water that were set up to catch the oysters, crabs, fish, and clams that are found in the mangroves.

The last cave we visited, Tham Pee Hau Toh, was full of prehistoric paintings. Really cool to see. This cave was a bit higher than the water line, so we got out of our kayaks and explored on foot. It was interesting to see the lack of protection these paintings had. We could walk right up to them and touch them if we wanted. Nothing to protect them. Plus, some people had left a little art of their own on the walls quite close to the paintings!

Halfway through the day, we returned back to the restaurant for a bite of lunch before continuing on to the remainder of the caves. At the end of the day, they took us to a local swimming hole, Tha Pom, where we jumped into the stream and swam with the locals. Being a very hot Sunday afternoon, the place was packed! A couple of Thai girls were comparing the brown of their skin to the white of mine, laughing. It was pretty funny. I stand out a bit here, but everyone is very kind.

At the end of the day, they dropped us off at our guest house, where I showered and tried to doctor my sunburned legs. They're pretty red! Although with the combination of open air kayaks, sun, and salt water, I'm not that surprised. Hopefully it will turn into a beautiful tan, and not peel. We'll see.

Tomorrow morning, we're off by boat to Ko Lanta, an island about 2 hours away, for a little lounging on the beach. We'll be there for at least 5 nights.

With regards to the length of my trip, the more I think about it, the more coming home after Thailand feels right. I'm not upset. I'm writing this with a clear, relaxed mind. And I don't think I'll regret coming home early. It's not so much about missing home and family (which I do, of course), so much as it's about not wanting to travel any longer than the 4 weeks. I think backpacking in Thailand for 4 weeks, a truly wonderful experience, moving around and living out of a 60L bag, is enough for now.

Corinne and I have talked extensively about it, and she fully supports me. She does not feel that I'm abandoning her and she has no ill feelings about me going home early. In fact, she completely understands, having gone through the same thing when she traveled after school. Plus, she feels perfectly safe continuing her travels on her own, meeting up with some friends in Australia. She also mentioned that my leaving early may be better for our friendship than if we continued together. After 4 solid months, we may not have liked eachother very much! In any case, I know I won't be abandoning her or giving up on her. We're simply taking different forks in the road. And I'm so greatful for her support and friendship. I would never leave her if she or I felt that she would be upset or feel uncomfortable with our splitting up.

I'm not making this decision lightly, on the spur of the moment, or in an upset state of mind. In fact, I havn't made the decision 100% yet. But I am leaning in the direction of coming home in 2 weeks. It just feels right. And I don't think I'll have any regrets. It just feels like the right time.

Personal DNA Map

After reading Evelyn's blog, I decided to do the test myself.

I'm a Faithful Artist.

Here's the link to my results:
http://personaldna.com/report.php?k=PjKixtGxUZQCkQg-DH-CDAAD-1568
What do you think?

Time for a little honesty. Advice, please!

Hey guys,
I've been censoring this blog quite a bit, only talking about the great things that are going on. But I have to be honest that I've been feeling really homesick throughout this whole trip. Some of you already know this, having received long e-mails from me about it. I thought that, given enough time, everything would settle down a bit. But it really hasn't. Every morning, I wake up and have a private battle with myself to keep going, when all I really want to do is come home. Maybe I took on too big a challenge too soon after school, not giving myself any time to decompress. My poor family had to endure a sobbing phone call on Thursday night, Calgary time. I've planned this trip for so long, and paid a fair bit of money for it. But I don't want to waste my time in these beautiful places feeling sad. I've felt so lost, lately! I keep asking myself what I'm doing here, and I can't seem to remember the answer. I hate to worry you guys, or sound like a whiney, spoiled child, but I could really use some advice. I'm seriously considering coming home early. This morning, I told myself that I should plan to go home after Thailand. After that, I felt much, much better. But I don't want to give up too early.

I don't want to live with any regrets. I don't want to regret giving up on this trip. I also don't want to regret continuing with this trip and not enjoying it. The thought of staying longer makes me panic a bit. Although the thought of leaving early makes me sad and a little disappointed in myself for not being stronger.

I'm not sure what to do. Any advice?

Ayutthaya and Hua Hin

Yesterday we took the train from Ayutthaya to Bangkok and then another train from Bangkok to Hua Hin. Our time in Ayutthaya was pretty relaxed. Just wandered the streets a bit by bicycle (although that wasn't terribly relaxing, although quite fun as long as we didn't think too much about all the traffic zooming past!). Corinne and I took separate turns to bike down to the ruins and have a look. I didn't spend much time there. They were nice and historically impressive, but not much different from Old Sukothai, which I liked more, and so I didn't take any photos.

We met some great people at our guest house, which was a friendly, cozy place with a patio, small bar, and a balcony. I met travelers from France, the U.S., Thailand, Czech Republic, and Wales. Nice people. The young Czech/Thai couple we met had travelled extensively throughout New Zealand, and gave us some good ideas. They were a funny couple, and the Czech guy had been traveling for over 1 year! He was lamenting having to go back home, but I guess the world cup (soccer) is going to be held in the Czech Republic this year and, being a big soccer fan, he had to be home for that. When asking about things in the past, he counted years based on the World Cup and knew where each of them had been hosted for the past 20 years. Pretty funny! His Thai girlfriend, who was really sweet, made fun of him for it. I think he may be an even bigger fan than you, Stephen! (little cousin Stephen, that is).

We went out for supper on March 7 at a little street vendor run by a Thai family just down from our guest house. The smell of good food, the friendly cook who wouldn't take no for an answer, and the general lack of little wild dogs that roam the place after dark and protect their territory was more than enough to entice us. The food was great, of course, and the people we're wonderful! They had a little boy who sat with us and played a game of "what's this called" in Thai and English. For example, I would point to a chair and say "chair" and he would then give me the Thai word for it. It's things like this that really make the best of traveling! We then had drinks and exchanged stories with a middle-aged couple from Wales, braving the misquitos to enjoy the company. The wife was origionaly from Australia, and they were on vaction to visit them, spending 2 weeks in Thailand first. The husband (Welsh) tried to scare us with wild stories of poisonous spiders under toilet seats, killer jelly fish, sharks, and snakes that attack. But the wife just shook her head and said that the thing we have to worry about most in Australia is the Auzzie boys!

Hua Hin was quite a shock to the sences after our travels north. It's extremely touristy! It's developed into a beach/golf resort for rich europeans. In the northern cities, we were stared at as we walked down the street beacuse of our (and mostly my) fair skin. Here, we're were stared at by the rich europeans because we were backpackers. I prefere the first kind of attention we got! We find that the locals here are not qutie as friendly as the Thais up north, probably because this place is overrun by caucasians. It's hard to find a Thai restaurant here and the wonderful street-side food stalls are almost non-existant except in the market areas. Lots of "european" restaurants, especially Italian! We're avoiding that, aiming for the little places away from the major tourist center instead. There's even a Burger King and a Subway! We're avoiding that, too. Although we did crumble off our high horses last night and bought some Gelatto (Italian Ice Creme). It's much more expensive here, too. However, the night market was fun. We're planning on eating there tonight. Between markets and higer prices, our wallets are getting quite a work-out here and we're looking forward to finding a quiet beach somewhere that's a bit cheaper. Although we may be fooling ourselves. Some of the beach activities look really fun and I think I'll have to indulge. I figure Thailand is the place to do it, since it is still relatively cheap. Plus, it's activities that I couldn't really do back home.

Cheers for now!

Old Sukhothai

Yesturday we took a bus to Sukhothai Historical Park, about 2 hours west of Phistanulok for a day trip. Sukhothai is considered to be the first capital city of Thailand and the historical park is full of spectacular ruins. We met a guy, Chris, from Chicago on the way up there. It's true that when you travel, you meet up with other travelers all the time, pack on back and Lonely Planet in hand. I guess we're all pretty predictable! We rented bikes for the day to cycle around the 7 km squared park. At the entrance, we were approached by young girls attending a weekend english camp. As an assignment, they needed to ask us some questions, like "What is your name", "What do you like best about Thailand", Where are you from", etc. They were so sweet! All shy glances and giggles. I guess little girls don't differ that much the world round.

We decided it would be a good idea to split up to give ourselves some alone time for the sake of sanity and our friendship. It's great that we can be so honest with eachother about when we need to be on our own and are quick to forgive our little spats. The ruins are interspersed wtih green space, moats, lakes, and trees. I wandered around for a while and then, when the heat got to be a little too much and I noticed even the locals heading for shelter, I found a quiet spot near a moat under a tree to read and nap.

Corinne and I met up later in the afternoon, she having run into Chris again. The three of us then went out of the main park to explore some of the other ruins near by. All in all a good afternoon, although I did struggle with the heat mid-day. You know it's hot when the locals are heading for the shade and the air-con buildings!

Last night, we found a little soup stand to eat at outside the Phistanulok train station where a local market sets up everynight. For a great bowl of soup and a litre of water, it only cost us 15 Baht.....less than 50 cents! Then we split up again, Corinne to go check out something at the night market we had been at the night before by the river, and me to try to find a phone to call home...which did not work.

This morning we took a train (5 hours) to Ayuthaya, only about 1 hour or so north of Bangkok. It's another former capital with more ruins. After this, we'll head south and find some beaches! We're both looking forward to finding a beach, staying put for a few days, and doing nothing in particular other than soaking up the sun, reading, watching beautiful sunsets and checking out beautiful people!

Picures of Sukhothai Historical Park

Phistanulok

We are now in a city called Phistanulok. We traveled south from Chang Mai this morning (a 6 hour ride) and it was the first chance I got to really see the country-side. Very beautiful and very different from anything I've seen before. We traveled from more hilly/mountainous (although not like our mountains!) land in the north to more gentle land here. The hills were all misty, like a picture, becuase of the humidity. The last part of the trip went through farm land, growing rice. So green! But the buildings are ramshackle and many people are poor. Everything is a little on the dirty side, and the smells of food, flower, car exhaust, and garbage are quite strong due to the density of the people and the heat. It is very HOT here. I have to be careful to not get overheated, although Corinne thrives in this temperature.

There's not much in this city. We're using it for a jumping ground to get to Sukothai, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is about a 2 hour bus ride away. We'll go there as a day trip tomorrow and then come back to our guest house in Phistanulok.

All the places we have stayed in have been nice, although simple. So far, my favourite was the one in Chang Mai. I miss it already!

Another new experience for me is I'm a very visable foreigner. I do not blend in at all, with my white skin and blonde hair, I stand out like a sore thumb. Not to mention being a tourist as well. Most places, people have been polite and have not stared. But in the short time I've been here, I've got a lot more open stares and calls than I'm entirely comfortable with. I think it's a very good learning experience to be a visible minority. Hopefully it will help me to better understand what others go through back home and to be more sensitive to it. It's always good to walk in another's shoes for a bit.

On a side note, I'm finding that I'm struggling with homesickness a little more than I did the last time I backpacked. You would think that it should be less, as I'm a little older and I've done this before (although different countries and a shorter time). I think I'm experiencing culture shock more, not to mention the release after the struggles of last year and maybe a little the realization of how long this trip is. I'm thinking of it as a semester abroad, which helps as semesters always go by fairly quickly and it's a time unit I'm VERY familiar with. It's a bit silly, really. I'm a grown women and many friends my age have lived away from home for much longer. Maybe this is something that everyone has to go through. It's not bad, just always present. I think it will ease in Australia.

Miss you guys lots and I'm thinking of you.

Pictures, finally!

A wat in Bangkok

Doi Suthep

Akira, our Japanese friend, at the falls in Doi Pui National Park

More Chang Mai

Today we decided to take it easy, do some laundry, plan our trip south, and a few other small errands. A good idea, as today is very hot, and we're both moving at a sloth's pace. So now's a good time to catch you up on what we did yesterday. We had quite a wonderful day. Started the day lazily (pretty common for us these days!) and after breakfast, caught a mini-bus from Chang Mai to Doi Suthep, a peak about 16 km outside of the city, to visit Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. A mini-bus is a pick-up truck that has 2 rows of benches in the bed, one along each side, and a cover that can be open-air. At the bus stop we met a Japanese guy, Akira, who had just finished university and had spent the last month traveling around SE Asia. We shared the mini-bus up to the wat and then sort of kidnapped him for the rest of the day. From the wat parking lot, we had to walk 300 steps up to the temple grounds. The grounds were quite large and very beautiful, mostly open air with some indoor sanctuaries along the perimeter. There were many people worshipping, and it was interesting to respectfully watch them ringing the small bells around the stupa pagoda for fortune, lighting incense and yellow candles, and worshiping with bamboo sticks (I think) and lotus flowers. There was a nice view of Chang Mai and the surrounding valley from a view point outside the proper wat grounds, although it was very hazy.

After the wat, we hired another mini-bus driver to take us up to a hill tribe village (Meo) on Doi Pui (another peak). It was lined with stalls were locals were selling handicrafts, fairly touristy but still worth while. And very inexpensive. I bought a small purse for 30B and a larger one for 120B (about $1 and $4 respectively). The people live in ramshackle houses made of whatever materials are available; tin, tires, leaves, cardboard, wood scraps. The hill tribe people have a special license from the Thai government to grow opium for their own use, and we could see the plants encircling the village. Maybe that's why the village people were so nice and happy!

After extensive browsing, we took the same mini-bus (the driver waited for us) down to an entrance into Doi Pui National Park where we got out and took a hike along the Mon Tha Than falls. This was a series of 6 pretty little waterfalls along a dirt trail that was pretty steep in places. It was hot, humid, and we were dripping by the end. But it sure felt good. If I'm going to be sweaty, I would like to earn it! We finished off a good day chatting at a patio pub back in the city, enjoying a well-deserved beer (which tasted so good!) and a good meal.

All-together a very satisfying day! I'm so relieved that things have gotten better. We're hitting our groove, getting accustomed to the climate, culture, and time zone. Tomorrow, we're going to start heading back south.

Keep the comments coming. I really enjoy reading them! And feel free to drop an e-mail or two.

Cheers

PS Evelyn, it looks like we won't be doing any elephant trekking. After talking to a guy on the train to Chang Mai, it sounded like it wasn't really worth the 8 hour bus ride to Chang Rai just for a 1 hour trek.

Chiang Mai

Well, today has been infinately better than the last two days, although yesturday wasn't bad. We spent yesturday morning looking for the Canadian Embassy in Bangkok to register ourselves...took us forever to find the place because we kept getting lost (who, me?). By the afternoon we decided to lay low and hung out at a park, trying to beat the heat and the noise. Then we went back to our guest house, got our packs, and rode the bus to the train station to catch an over-night train to Chang Mai. We decided to be cheap and took the 2nd class sleeper with air con instead of the first class. It was basic, but comfortable and full of fellow travelers. The seats on the train folded and a compartment over each seating pair came down to make rows of bunks along the walls of the train, with a little curtain for privacy. It kinda felt like being back at summer camp! Plus, each train car was locked after 10pm and there were guards on the train that made sure nothing was stolen and all the passengers were kept safe while we slept. The staff on the train were very nice and took good care of us!

We arrived in Chang Mai at 9am this morning and, after a little bit of confusion, managed to figure out how to use the public phones and called a guest house to book a night. The place we're staying at is called "Lamchang House", a converted wooden house that has a rustic feel, with a really nice Thai family running it. Nothing fancy but cozy and comfortable. Much nicer than our place in Bangkok, although tonight will be our first night without A.C. and it is HOT here! (30-35 degrees C). Not to mention humid. We're pretty well sweaty and smelling all the time. I don't know how the local Thais look so clean and fresh!

We wandered around after we settled into our room looking for a place to rent bikes. 1.5 hours later, we settled for some old street bikes that our place was renting out for 30Bht /day. To put it in perspective, 1 Canadian dollar is about 33 Bht...so we're doing really well here. Our 13 hour train ride here only cost us about $25 Canadian, and the guest house we're staying at tonight is only about $5/night for both of us combined! We took our rickety bikes and cycled around the city. It's small enough that just about everything is within bike distance. We visited the "Three Kings Monument" and then went on to Wat Phra Singh, a temple recommended by the Tans. The design is really beautiful, both inside and out. I have pictures but I forgot to bring the cable I need to down-load pictures from my camera to the computer. Hopefully I'll have pictures here on my next post. There were some monks sitting in the temple that were there to talk to visitors. It's a way for novices to practice their english and for us travelers to find out about Thailand, Thai cuture, and Buddism. We chatted with a novice for a bit, who was just wonderful. It turned out that he was our age (24) and had commited himself to being a monk for life.

A Thai man was chatting with the monks there and told me that he had been a monk also and had tought novices for 8 years at that place. He left that practice and took up other employment as a taxi-driver. He offered to take Corinne and I and back from Bo Sang for only 100Bht...cheap. Bo Sang is a village (street) outside of the proper city of Chang Mai where the making of local hand crafts is shown to tourists, with the opportunity to buy stuff, of course. After our experience in Bangkok, we were fairly reluctant to take him up on his offer. But the monk supported him and after humming and hawing, we took him up on his offer. It turned out well. We went to a place that makes jewlery with precious gems, a place that specializes in lacquered items (boxes, vases, furniture, etc), a place that makes Thai silk, and a place that makes persian-style rugs with silk. It was very touristy, set up to show visitors first how these products are made and then bringing you into a very nice shop to show finished items for sale. There were tour busses that had broght in people at each of the stops except that last one. However, it was all very interesting, and I managed to get out of there without too much damage to my wallet. No small feat!

My favourite was the place where woven articles were for sale, including Persian rugs. We were the only ones in the shop, full of high-priced items that we obviously couldn't afford. Still, one of the owners (it's a family-run business) took the time to explain everything to us and answered all our questions. The rugs were the highlight of the place, hand made and incredible original works of art. An averaged-sized rug took 16 months to make! And when a rug is finished, the weaver never does the same one again. They truely view each rug as a work of art...which they are. Each thread on these rugs is individually knoted, with as many as 2000 in a single row! The tradition of this art form is passed on exclusively through family lines, and there is worry that as younger generations look for ways to earn money now, unable to take the years necessary to complete single rugs, that the art form is starting to fade and may be lost. Although this is a Persian form, they work here in Thailand because they can get silk and labour cheaper.

It's now evening here and we're going to head off and find ourselves some supper. I'm much relieved that our experience in Bangkok was not a prelude to what was to follow. Even locals here said that 2 days in Bangkok was enough and that Chang Mai is a much nicer city. I agree.

Take care all and thanks for the encouraging comments. Hopefully I'll have some pictures for you posted soon.

Cheers!