Interlude

Today is Saturday 28^th September.  I know I am slipping behind with keeping my blog up to date.  So much so that my roommate for the past 6 months (Yvonne – you can read her blog at www.nojourneytofar.blogspot.com ), is gloating she is just about to overtake me on our blog post updates.  I have been up to date since the start, always ahead of Yvonne!  However, since my last post we have travelled Bangkok to Bangkok via Laos, Vietnam & Cambodia in a month!  I’ve been so busy I’ve had no time for blogging.  Right at this minute I am sat on our hotel balcony in Lamai, Koh Samui, Thailand watching the sea & pool drinking a gin & tonic.  A well earned rest as I have been endlessly searching the web all day by the pool to try & book accommodation in Bali with a Jacuzzi!!!  Tomorrow is my 38^th birthday!  Only 1 week to go until our Odyssey Expedition ends in Singapore.  Keeping up to date with my blog can wait.  I feel I’ll for fit a $200 day trip to Krakatau volcano from Jakarta on 12^th October & update my blog then, but maybe I’ll find the time before.  I just don’t know.  I’ve got some brill photos & things to write + advice for anyone who is doing this expedition in the future.  For now it’s back to the gin & massive prawns at the night market for dinner.  Best wishes.  Jo

Fresh food

We landed in Bangkok at 2.30pm local time on Monday 19^th August.  That evening we all went out to the hundreds of restaurants & street food stalls all on offer.  I had a whole red snapper fish = lovely fresh food.  Then found a great street bar.

 

Tuesday 20^th Yvonne & I did our own tour of Bangkok using public transport.  1^st a river taxi & then the Sky train.  Had a wonder around the very expensive & large shopping centres.  Found ourselves in a lovely food court.  Then a tuk-tuk ride back to the hotel.

 

 

Wed 21^st I wandered around the Khaosan Road tourist area.  Dinner was Phad Thai at a street stall.  At 7.30pm we all met back at the hotel to head to the train station in taxis for the 10pm overnight sleeper train north to Chiang Mai.

Julie & Andy looking after the bags in the train station

 

 

It was a fab train journey.  I was about the only one who was pleased the air-con & lights packed in.  (Air-con makes me thirsty as the air becomes too dry, I hate the draught units make & they are too noisy.  Total darkness without the lights = at last sleep).  It was very hot though!  In the morning I sat in the buffet & non sleeper carriages with the windows open.  Nice breeze & great jungle views.  We arrived in Chiang Mai about 3.30pm.

Mary sitting at the open door enjoying the view

 

Friday 23^rd I wandered around the city area surrounded by the moat.

 

 

Getting in the local taxi for a few cocktails

Saturday 24^th some of us did a 2 hour jungle trek & then a one & a half hour mountain bike trail finishing up with a float in Lake Huay Tung Thao.

Coffee beans

 

 

Sunday 25^th was a 6 hour coach drive to Chiang Khong.  On the way I got very close to a hot spring (I’ve been trying to swim in at least one since Istanbul-I thought they’d be loads along this mountainous 6 month journey)!  We had a toilet break in the car park area of a hot spring complex.  The fountain & pool were hot.

 

 

Another stop off at a weird place called Wat Rong Khun aka The White Wat.

Huge bags of crisps

 

 

Our hotel in Chiang Khong was lovely.  It was on the bank of The Mekong River.  The other side of the river was Laos.

 

 

6 of the group were not happy to pay the local agent money for our Lao visa forms to be completed & passports to receive exit stamps the day before we actually left – so we could bypass all this & get a quick/more efficient border crossing.  Mainly because it was illegal, $15 more expensive & low season suggesting minimal border queues.  Considering many of our previous border crossings had taken forever I was surprized some of the group were not taking local help.  The vote resulted in the group getting the exit stamp correctly on the morning we actually left & then filling out our visa forms on arrival in Laos.  Let’s see how the border crossing goes tomorrow…