Travelling / Backpacking / Flashpacking the World!

Up nice and early a quick shower and down stairs for an English brekki. With the rest of the group ready to go we got in the back of the truck and drove for about an hour to a little market to pick up anything else we might need. Bought a poncho just in case we get caught in a typhoon and all us lads bought Vietnamese hats for a laugh and handy for keeping the sun at bay too. From the market we then drove for another hour into the mountains where we stopped for lunch at a little village where everything was built on stilts. 8 bowls of fried vegetable rice later and some pineapple, I’m not joking I kept eating and it kept coming, just the way I like it, its time for some trekking. Cool stuff lots of walking up hills, through paddy fields and into the jungle. The tour guides were impressed with my fitness, even asked if I was a soldier back home because of the way I was marching up the hills, had a little race with one of them it was pretty much a draw.

We had 3 tour guides with us, the main one who was in charge is called Somboon although I renamed him Rambo because of the way he walks around with a huge knife cutting down bamboo looking for bamboo worms which live inside, one of the other tour guides ate one raw which reminded me of Jordan in ‘I’m a celebrity get me out of here’ Apparently there full of good protein. Throughout the day we were collecting these bamboo worms to eat tonight, cool, I’ll try anything once. Also in the jungle the ants are massive, I got bitten by one on the ankle which stung for ages.

After about 2 and a half hours of trekking we ended up at a waterfall where there was a little hill tribe village, it’s crazy to see where these people live it’s seems quite unbelievable, they were selling hand made necklaces and bracelets etc, although personally after that walk I’m sweating like a pig so I was more interested in the waterfall. Shirt off and straight in, it’s not that high but the force coming down from it was unbelievable, trying to walk towards it you just get pushed back, when you manage to walk under it there is a big cave at the back of it which is pretty cool. One of the tour guides had a bar of soap so we had a quick wash under it. We stayed at the waterfall for about

2 hours before we set off into the jungle again for about another hours walk all of which was up hill, proper good little workout! We then arrived at another little village, this is the Karen Tribes village and it’s where we are staying for the night. Cool, a wooden hut on stilts, all in one room, sleeping bags on the floor, mosquito nets around us and no electricity, a proper bit of hill tribe living. The shower is a metal drum of water with a bowl to pour the water over yourself, that’s cool, I’m just not sure about the toilet it’s definitely the worst one so far, I would rather xxxx in the woods.

So after a lovely shower its time for some dinner which was cooked by Rambo, 2 different dishes one was chicken and vegetables and the other was tufu and bamboo shoots, a dash of chili sauce. Beautiful! The rest of the group can't believe how much I can put away, all that walking builds up the old appetite. After dinner we just sat around playing games into the night with the only light coming from candles or torches that we had with us.

O'DEAR, try squatting down over that thing called a toilet in the pitch black with a torch in one hand, a bog roll in the other and trying not to pee over your trousers. It’s a NIGHTMARE.

We actually had quite an early night because its so dark it seems a lot later than it is.

Well I’m the first up not much point trying to go back to sleep on that hard wooden floor, especially with the amount of noise the cockerels, dogs, pigs and insects are making. Didn’t sleep that well the noise that the insects in the jungle make throughout the night is unbelievable, it sounds like a proper high pitched scream which goes on for about a minute then stops dead, wait 5-10 seconds and off it goes again till daylight. It can still be heard in the day it just doesn’t seem as bad with the other noise from the village. It’s surprising how cold it gets in the jungle too, slept fully clothed so not to get bitten, in a sleeping bag and I was still cold. This is what its all about though, it’s wicked. Some coffee and 10 slices of toast or barbecued bread as Rambo calls it, with jam, followed by fried bamboo worms, they’re actually quite nice.

All sorted and off we go, yesterday was nothing compared to today, we climbed some serious, serious hills today, everyone is absolutely dripping with sweat, got to keep on swigging the old water which we can buy on route when we pass the little hill tribe villages. Walking through the jungle we see loads of termite mounds with flies or termites buzzing around them, I’m assuming this is what the old ant eaters stick there hooters down. Anyway 3 and a half hours later we stopped for some lunch, noodle soup and plenty to go round, got to stay strong. It was here that we see the biggest spider so far, it’s massive, it bites but it’s not poisonous. Rambo/jungle boy picked it up, cooked it for a bit then ate it. NICE!

From here it’s off again, this is a proper good workout, it started raining too so the old poncho's came in handy. After another 2 and a half hours of walking we arrived at our camp for the night, pretty much the same as last night just smaller and more isolated with the only washing facilities being the waterfall. Cool!

So after a nice wash in the waterfall and some fresh clothes its time to see what’s on the dinner menu. I see one of the tour guides cleaning and pulling the wings off of a bowl full of crickets, I’m guessing there for desert. Anyway for dinner we had rice and Thai yellow curry, it was beautiful and followed by fried crickets, they’re actually quite nice, taste a bit like crispy bacon. We all tried them and even asked for more.

At the back of our accommodation there is a little wooden hut with a leaf roof and a fire/ barbecue area inside. This is where 2 Thai men, I’m guessing father and son, permanently live looking after the paddy fields, when walking past they beckoned me in to try some of there food, as if I’m gonna say no. Some sort of spicy meat dish, not bad, I was shortly followed by Andy and Christy who too tried the food, they then gave us a shot of homemade rice whiskey each to try, it’s got a kick to it! The 3 of us stayed in this hut with the 2 Thai men for the next couple of hours, playing games and watching them do magic tricks, some simple, others totally baffling, under the candle light, they seem to know loads of them. We were gradually joined by Alex, Stan and Rambo, so now very little room in the hut and just carried on into the night.

What a quality couple of guys, they were so funny. They were talking to us in what we thought was Thai until Rambo told us that it was there own Karen Tribe language, somehow we were communicating. Cool hey?. Christy asked Rambo if they minded us being in there hut for so long, he said no, they are pleased to meet us, they spend so long here all on there own the only time they see other people is when they walk into the next village. Apparently they normally go to bed as soon as it gets dark then get up at first light, I guess because there is nothing to do other than play games with each other and make up new magic tricks to keep themselves entertained.

They live such a simple way of life, sleeping in a hut, no electricity, washing themselves, clothes and dishes in the river. Catching fish with bamboo rods and keeping chickens for eggs or meat. They grow there own rice and make there own whiskey, they use banana leafs or news paper to smoke tobacco through, these are just a few examples of the simple but QUALITY lives they live. I think its brilliant, we had such a good night.

Had a better sleep than the night before, all I could hear was the waterfall which is consistent not like those damn insect noises although there is less crickets around today ha ha. Well apart from Rambo and the 2 Thai guys who are up and singing, literally, I’m the first up again. Every time I take a picture it comes out with dots all over it, it’s happening to the others too so it must be the moisture in the air from the waterfall. Anyway 9 slices of toast and 2 boiled eggs before hitting the road. Whilst walking we see a poisonous snake across the path, when Rambo poked it with his stick to get it to move, it turned out to be dead.

About 2 hours later we stopped at another waterfall for a quick 10 minute rest. I was sweating it up so decided to get in, the current from the waterfall above was so strong that I ended taking a trip down the next bit of the waterfall, COOL it could have ended in tears though, so a quick scramble up a bank and back to the group for more walking before stopping at the elephant camp. On my elephant Andy and Christy sat in the seat and I sat on the elephants neck, pretty cool but it gets painful after a while, because I only had shorts on I’ve now got elephant hair stubble rash between my legs. I also smell like an elephant because he kept putting his trunk over his head and blowing in my face, gee there breath Stinks! Whilst on the elephant, it absolutely chucked it down, so unfortunately the cameras had to go away, managed to get a few pictures though.

We then had lunch where once again I showed everyone how to eat! I ended up eating sticky rice and spicy dips with the tour guides too, Beautiful. From here we then drove for about 20 minutes to the river Wang for some bamboo rafting. The rain has stopped. Different rafts to in Kanchanaburi there longer and thinner. The rafts are just 9 long lengths of bamboo held together with tyre inner tubes. Only 3 people to a raft and no cameras for obvious reasons. I was on a raft with Christy and Stan plus the driver. Totally different to in Kanchanaburi, not quite as peaceful and this time there is little rapids to go down, pretty cool. Stan fell off right near the end which was funny, he managed to save his hat although its a bit battered. From here we had a 1 and a half hour drive back into Chiang Mai to the River View Guesthouse, it’s raining again. Got the same room as before, straight in the shower and some clean clothes and then met the boys downstairs for a drink. The rains stopped so we decided to go out for something to eat, up the main strip we found a road full of food stalls with tables and chairs in the street, what a surprise. Had rice and Thai green curry followed by rice and Thai red curry, together they cost 30b (50p) how good is that.

We decided to have a look for the night market which should now be open now that most the flooding has gone. On the way we passed a stall selling insects so now that we have got a taste for them we all chipped in. We bought water beetles and locusts to eat back at the guesthouse. We couldn’t find the market so ended up stopping at an area with lots of little bars for some beers and a few games of pool. It took a while for the penny to drop, O' dear! it turns out we are in the Chiang Mai gay district. Thai boys everywhere proper mincing around and checking us out. In the toilets there was 2 guys discussing a price and at the bar there's an older guy buying 2 Thai boys drinks. NICE! Obviously they know that we have ended up here by mistake so they left us alone, although as we were leaving one of the Thai boys who had been eyeing up Christy all night gave him a white rose, Arrr how sweet, it was well funny.

We found the market it was literally 20 seconds away. It’s massive, it’s a long street with stalls on either side and more stalls coming off down side roads. We didn’t even look around half of it before getting lost, so we decided to get a tuk tuk to where there is some heterosexual night life, all five of us and the driver in one tuk tuk. Crazy! We got out and all the bars turned out to be Go Go bars, lots of Thai girls and overpriced beer so we decided to go back to the guesthouse bar which is open till 2am to eat the water beetles and locusts. I quite liked them, the locusts were the better of the two, the others ate them but weren’t too sure. We sat drinking beer till 1am and it’s time to say goodbye to Alex and Andy who are leaving early in the morning to go back to Bangkok before flying home.

Woken up by Christy for a bit of brekki, had a good old chat and decided that as we are heading in the same direction it makes sense to stick together. Had a chat with the guesthouse management and done a deal on a twin room with air con for us to share, it didn’t cost me anything as I’m all paid up, Sweet!

Found an internet cafe and spent 2 hours just replying to messages. Had a wander around for some lunch, I just had rice and Thai soup, not bad. A bottle of water and it’s back in the internet cafe, another 6 messages to reply too before starting to type up my diary. Crazy! Another 3 hours later and its time to head back for a shower and a little chill out whilst waiting to meet Stan who is on a day tour.

Met Stan and the 3 of us went for dinner in the same street as last night; so much to choose from just had soup then crispy chicken on rice, lots of chili sauce. Lovely! We then had another walk around the night market and bought a couple of pairs of ‘Diesel’ 3 quarter length trousers not bad for a fiver. Stopped at a bar for a beer before walking back to the guesthouse, it’s 11pm and it’s so hot, I can't even be bothered to have another beer I just want to collapse somewhere. Just sat in the bar playing chess with Stan before going to bed. Air con is so good.

Straight out of bed and downstairs into the pool! It’s 9am and already its roasting. A quick shower and walked up the road with Christy for some brekki at the cheap place I found on my first day here. Found an internet cafe which is half the price of the one I used yesterday so that’s a result. It’s so hot its crazy, not gonna do anything today apart from eat and sit in that air conditioned internet cafe, it’s to hot to do anything else. Back to the cheap place for lunch and that meal is probably the hottest so far, my mouths on fire, bought an ice cream but it didn’t seem to help. I spent the best part of the day in the internet cafe before heading back to the pool to chill out with Christy.

DAMM its so hot and humid I can't even be bothered to walk upstairs and put my swimming shorts on, gonna put the air con on and have a siesta instead. 2 hours, later another shower and its time for some dinner! Its too hot to walk into town so we found a street just around the corner, again full of food stalls. Not as nice but had rice and red Thai curry then a massive Thai sausage made with rice and meat with salad followed by a Thai peanut cake, all for 30b, less than 50p so I'm not complaining. Chiang Mai is the best place for food so far, there is so much more to choose from and it’s so cheap.

Me and Christy were gonna check out the night market again but its a bit of a trek and we just can't be bothered. We said goodbye to Stan who was leaving tomorrow and heading to Ko Samui, he's off out for the night on his own check out the Go Go bars and to get himself another birdie. He's a strange old character but a bit of a boy on the sly. He was in Bangkok 8 days and had 9 thai birds, he also had 5 massages 2 of which were naughty. He must have spent a fortune.

After cooling off under the air con we decided to go down to the bar and watch one of Stan’s dodgy DVD’s that he bought yesterday on the night market. Sin City! Never heard of it but it’s got Bruce Willis in so I'm guessing its probably pretty good. Definitely not, it’s absolute pants. That’s going down as one of the worst films I’ve ever seen.

Up bright and early, breakfast at the cheap place then an hour in the internet cafe. Thought we would do a bit of site seeing today which basically means temple spotting. They are everywhere a lot of them are small and not worth taking pictures of, loads of them seem to be having lots of work done to them too. After a good wander around the town it’s back to the pool for some chilling out. It’s a bit cooler today which is good. Had a chat with the tourist information where we are staying and I have booked a flight from Bangkok to Vietnam return, it cost 80 pound which is pretty good. We also bought tickets for a Muay Thai boxing fight tomorrow night, only cost 400b (5.50) transport included so that should be good.

A shower and a change of clothes and its up the road for some dinner. Had 2 meals again, rice and crispy chicken then a fried chicken curry followed by some weird but nice coconut cake things, all for 50b (80p) not bad. After dinner we had another walk around the night market, a Thai girl came up to us and was trying to sell us some bracelets, we started chatting to her but we didn’t want to buy anything. As we said goodbye she gave us each a bracelet for free which was nice. As we were walking up the road I felt well guilty so we waited for her and gave her some money, she wouldn’t accept it at first but we insisted. Anyway we then decided to go somewhere for a couple of beers, we thought about it and thought that wherever we go we are just going get hassle from Thai birds. xxx that so we decided to go back to the gay bars to play some pool.

As we walked in they all cheered us, they obviously remembered us from last time, I’m sure they think that me and Christy are a couple but who cares. We bought a beer and as soon as we started playing pool a couple of white roses got sent over to us. Thanks boys. Whilst we were playing there was an old guy at the bar all over this young Thai boy, the boy looked nervous but they still ended up leaving together. Not a nice thought. Anyway it turned out to be a proper weird night, after getting the roses I had a drink sent over to me from a Thai bird who was sitting at the bar. Strange but thanks very much.

We ended up playing pool with a gay Thai guy and another Thai girl, they were ok but it was such a weird situation I don’t really know how to explain it. Basically them and the girl from the bar kept buying us drinks and wouldn’t accept any back. Thanks but we were thinking what’s going on here. After a few games of pool I got chatting to the Thai bird that had originally bought me a drink. She kept telling me how nice I was and what a lovely smile I had, I was thinking I bet you say that to all the fellers. I’m guessing she’s a hooker although in conversation she told me that she was a virgin, that’s a bit hard to believe considering she is 27 years old. Anyway the night got weirder and we just couldn’t figure it out, I thought she must be a hooker looking for some business! It’s time to find out. She kept asking me to go to a club with her, I said no I’m going home to bed, she kept on so I said why don't you come back with me. She then told the Thai guy that we had been playing pool with and he got all moody saying that she is not that type of girl. I was like well sorry mate but what is the situation here. Anyway we shook hands and left none the wiser.

I still don't know what was going on, I don’t think she was a hooker I think she was just being genuinely friendly which makes me feel like a ????. How am I to know? it could have been some sort of scam or set up, better to be rude/safe then sorry. In England with our culture its is extremely rare for a girl to buy a bloke she doesn’t know a drink so maybe I just misread her kindness. The gay Thai bloke was buying us drinks too and he knows we are not gay so what’s that all about. Maybe they just get so many dirty perverts in there sniffing around them that when they get a couple of genuine blokes who are just there to have a good time maybe they just really appreciate it. I don’t know I can't explain it, it’s baffled us. Anyway it’s our last night here on Saturday so we are going back dressed up for a laugh, hopefully the Thai bird will be there and I can apologise and explain why I said what I did.

Up bright and early and breakfast in the cheap place again. Met a taxi driver who said he would be ours for the day for 400b (5.50),could be dodge but there is only one way to find out. Anyway we got to spend the day in an air conditioned taxi, beautiful. We were going to check out a snake show but we are a bit early so on the way we stopped at an Orchid farm. Lots of pretty flowers but more exiting, although cruel was the butterfly farm. Basically a large greenhouse area with lots of butterflies everywhere, they’re a nightmare to get a picture of and it’s hard work trying to get them to stay still. Outside there is a big souvenir shop which sells pressed dead butterflies in glass fronted picture frames, I could never buy anything like that, it’s not right and all it does is encourages them to do it.

Next stop was the snake farm, lots of different snakes in cages or tanks. More upsetting was seeing some of the beautiful birds and animals that are kept in small cages and used as food or for laying eggs which the snakes then eat. Lots of mice and rabbits too, there was even a poor crocodile in a concrete pool. How cruel is that, what is the point. The snake show itself was alright but not really my cup of tea. It’s cruel seeing the way the snakes are teased to perform and the way they are handled and dragged around for fun, the poor things have to do that 4 times a day. I was just hoping to see one of the snakes bite one of the handlers I would have found that funny. Bet your thinking this all sound a bit depressing ha ha.

From here the driver took us to the arts and crafts factories where they make all there souvenirs and stuff. Everyone you go to you are greeted by over friendly sales people, shown around the factory floor for about 5 minutes and then led into the showroom where they then try and sell you the finished products. They must think we are on holiday! Some of the gold/gems all 18ct were beautiful and not a bad price but no good to us we are travelling. Imagine going to Laos or Cambodia with a nice new gold ring, we would probably have our hands cut off. The silk factory was pretty good seeing how they use silk worms to make the silk thread. Basically the butterflies lay the silk worm eggs which then hatch into little silk worms and as the worms get bigger they eventually weave a cocoon from the silk that they produce around themselves. With the worms inside turning into butterflies, the cocoons are then boiled and the silk thread extracted. Interesting stuff! Obviously this led into a silk/suit shop. No thanks!

From here the taxi driver took us to a few stupid places the worst one being a carpet shop. Sort yourself out mate what the xxx would we need a carpet for, obviously he is getting commission which means he won't be getting our agreed fare. On the way back into the city he stopped at a big temple for us to look at, if it wasn’t for the fact that he knew where we were staying I would have done the off. So instead we thought we would make him wait so we walked off for a late lunch. Fried rice with chicken, so simple but so nice.

After lunch we walked back into the temple grounds for a slow walk around, it was here that we saw the taxi driver looking for us ha ha! Back at the guesthouse and he wants the 400b that we agreed. No Chance! After a little debate he settled at 300b, it’s the principal not the money. TIT!

A walk up the road for some internet action and then across the road for some dinner! Had a chicken dish I’m pretty sure it wasn’t what I ordered but it was Lovely. Be back tomorrow.

Back to the guesthouse and a little relax before meeting in the bar to be picked up and taken to the Thai boxing stadium. At the stadium you could sit anywhere you like so we got seats on the second row from back from ring side. Wicked! It’s a nightmare trying to get a picture in that place what with all the lights and the speed at which the fighters move, everything just comes out blurred, we gave up trying in the end! The 8 fight themselves were good. There were 2 kids fights they could have only have been about 10 years old, they were proper going for it, proper good little fighters. Quality! Makes you wonder how dangerous they will be when they are older. Scary!

The adult fight were good, you could hear the slapping noises of the shots landing, as they left the ring we could see the bruises on there bodies coming out, bet they will be black in the morning. Painful stuff, I think all the fighters were limping as they left the ring. Tough boys but that sort of punishment can't do them much good later on in life especially the kiddies they probably end up cripples. Makes you wonder if it’s all worth it.

The best fight of the night was the last fight which was a title fight between a Thai and an Irish guy which got the old atmosphere going. I would have said the Irish guy was winning, the Thai guy was a better kicker but the Irish guy was punching him silly, he got a few elbows in too. In the end the Irish feller slipped and the Thai guy kneed him in the face on the way down, it seemed like the Irish guy was just staying down on 1 knee for a rest while the ref was counting, but the ref stopped it. What’s going on, the Irish guy was fine, I think there was a mix up in rules or language. Never mind!

I think I’m turning into a Thai, the spicy food is awesome, I think I’m addicted to chillies which must be what’s keeping the mosquitoes away because apart from when I fell asleep in the hammock in Kanchanaburi I haven’t been bitten at all. Bit of a late start today didn’t get up until midday. Sorted ourselves out and had a walk up the road for some brekki. I think by now you can guess where.

Done pretty much sod all today apart from getting wet in the rain, out here when it rains people ride there motorbikes whilst holding golf umbrellas, how mad is that? At dinner time we walked back to the food stall that we ate at last night. Had 2 meals again, definitely the best food stall so far, the food is amazing and its cooked in front of you while you wait. We thought about going to a restaurant for our last night in Chiang Rai but what’s the point, the food is exactly the same it just costs 5 times more, all you’re paying for is the service and the restaurants overheads. Dinner was followed by another Thai peanut cake and I’m stuffed.

Back to the guesthouse and a tart up before heading back to the gay bars for a night out! Check me out in my gay blue top, should tease and confuse them ha ha. On the way to the bar it’s amazing how many people grabbed my arms or poked my tattoos asking me what they meant. Tattoos aren't really part of Thai culture so I don’t think they see them that often, weird. In the bar they are so pleased to see us, it’s such a friendly atmosphere. Whilst we were playing pool a couple of Thai lads kept taking our pictures with there phones so we asked them if they wanted to join us, which they did. They’re so funny, so camp. We had such a good night they know we are not gay although I keep telling them that I swing both ways, they get so exited its well funny.

I ended up having a proper deep in depth conversation with one of the barman, War, who pretty much answered everything I wanted to know about gay sex, lady boys, Thai prostitutes and Thai culture and beliefs. Cool, if you don’t ask you will never know. He was telling me how much gay Thai men and Thai women (not prostitutes) love westerners and white skin. He even said that he found my looks and body such a turn on ha ha. Obviously I was like well do you find us more attractive because of the money, Not at all it’s not even an issue. I told him about the Thai girl the other night and it sounds like she genuinely liked me and she is not here so I can’t apologise. Never mind it’s all a learning curve. He also said that I could make loads of money in Thailand as a male escort but I would have to go both ways. Well it’s something to think about if I start to run out of money ha ha.

Not all the boys in the bar are rent boys, some are entertainers, they are paid by the bar to keep the perv’s happy and drinking. Which reminds me, while we were playing pool with the 2 Thai lads Bon and Hin, there was a white guy I would say being nice in his late forties who was proper sleazing over Bon, touching his legs and that. He was getting some proper dirty looks off me. At one point he was sitting near me, I was just waiting for him to say something or crack some sort of joke and he would have got some serious verbal. Who does he think he is sleazing over our boys. PERVERT!

Anyway later on in the night we mentioned that we were leaving in the morning and making our way up to Fang on the way to see the long neck hill tribe village. They couldn’t believe it, they too are going to Fang, apparently the bar is closing for the night and they are all going there for some sort of party at a temple which they invited us too followed by a night club. Cool, so we arranged to meet, what a coincidence. It should be a good night especially as they are all going as lady boys. They showed us some pictures of the last party they had. O' dear, they really do look like birds, it’s scary. I better not have too much to drink or I might end up taking one home ha ha.

Anyway its 1am and time to go, we left the bar and totally lost our bearings as all the market has been packed away so we went back to ask for directions and they gave us a lift home on the back of there motorbikes. Another quality night.

Early start, some brekki, you know where and back to the guesthouse to pack our bags. The guesthouse management gave us a lift to the bus station and we got a mini bus, basically a 10-seater people carrier to Fang which is at the top of Thailand a 3 hour drive north of Chiang Mai. There is nothing here to see its just a stop off for a night out, it’s right off the usual tourist route, hardly any internet cafes and very few places to stay, it’s just a small village with nothing interesting to see. O' DEAR, State of our accommodation, it’s dirty, it’s got a squat toilet and cockroaches thrown in, they better hope I don't get hungry. Beautiful!

Had a good walk around, there is nothing much here other than surprise, surprise another temple. As you go north you can see how the temples change with much more Chinese and Burmese influence.

Grabbed some munch, sliced pork on rice, well nice and headed back to get ready for tonight. Haven’t they heard of pavements in this town not seen one yet, just have to walk in the road, Great! Ready to go and War and some others picked us up from our hotel, they are all dressed as lady boys so don't recognize anyone, it’s quite confusing! The party at the temple is outside in the temple grounds and is for all the locals as a way of saying thank you for all the money that has been raised and donated towards the redecorating of the temple. The boys are dressed up as they are doing some sort of cabaret show.

It’s packed and me and Christy are definitely the main attraction of the night. We were absolutely bombarded all night with people coming up to us, trying to talk to us, shaking our hands and giving us drinks mainly whiskey and wanting to look after us. It’s CRAZY, most of them don't speak any English. Apparently westerners in this village are extremely rare and so the fact that we are at a local party is quite something. Can’t really put into words the reception we got it was unbelievable, this is what travelling is all about. I loved being the centre of attention which is unusual for me, Christy wasn’t so keen. I wonder what sort of reception 2 black guys at home would get at a white party. Not the same that's for sure, definitely makes you think. At one point in the night we were sitting down drinking shot after shot of whiskey with the head of the village and a group of Thai police. In Thailand if someone offers to drink with you its rude not to drink, but it’s also very offensive to get drunk. Work that one out, good job I’m hardcore.

We also met a group of young Thai boys and I think somewhere down the line Thai boxing was mentioned, they ended up forming a queue to hit me in the stomach, Christy had a go and nearly cracked a rib ha ha.

We both had offers of sex from Thai women some older than my mum, I even had a Thai guy introduce me to his young daughter and he was asking me if I liked her. Where's Christy? HELP!

Its midnight and we are leaving for a club, we just can't get anywhere near the bar everyone is giving us drinks, we did eventually manage to buy a bottle of whiskey for everyone to share. As soon as we put a glass down another one is handed to us. Lots of dancing on the podium with Hin and the rest of the night is a blur.

O.DEAR!

What happened last night and how the xxxx did we get home? I have absolutely no idea, can't even remember leaving the club. I said goodbye to War, Hin and Bon who too are in our hotel although in a much, much nicer room. Packed our bags and got a bus to Tha Ton which is another 23km north and its from here that we can get to the long neck hill tribe village. Walking up the road looking for a place to stay and 2 little kids come over trying to sell me bracelets, there so sweet. I bought one mainly because I just wanted to give them the money. They followed me for a bit and when we went to walk into one of the few guesthouses the little boy said, much money, much money obviously meaning that it was expensive and to be fair it did look it. They led us up the road and down a little side road and showed us a place to stay, they waited while we looked at the rooms to see if we liked it then waved goodbye. The kids out here are making me broody ha ha. All the kids I have met are so friendly, clever and happy just the way kids should be. Back home the kids have got so much but the majority are little xxxxx and would probably be shouting abuse or throwing stones at us rather than helping us. These kids are just so happy, they probably pass time by sitting down and making things to sell, they’re Quality!

Apart from the squat toilet the hotel is pretty good with a lovely garden view. We ended up getting a room each as it worked out cheaper than getting a twin. Had a walk up the road for some food to soak up the whiskey and then headed back for some sleep, we are both suffering and the heat doesn’t help, my head feels fine, my body just feels drained.

After a nice well needed siesta we had a walk up the road and booked a trip to see the big ear and long neck hill tribe villages, only 3 pounds each. We then had a walk up the mountain to the temples that can be seen in the distance, damn these hills are steep, there is little monk houses all the way up so I feel sorry for the postman. We eventually got to the highest temple and it turns out that it is still being built. Great, good exercise though. There is nothing else in this village to see, it’s just a main road with a few guesthouses and shops, plenty of food stalls and no sign of an internet cafe. It’s a nice little village though, mountains all around and the Mekong River running through the middle. Found a place for some dinner obviously I had the normal 2 meals and then headed back to the hotel to chill out and finish recovering from last night. The old temperature has dropped its actually pretty chilly.

It’s funny how every food stall we go to, not just here but all over Thailand, when we ask for rice they don't understand us but if you say lice they understand 1st time. They also really struggle to say my name. Apparently V and R are not in the Thai alphabet. Interesting!

Up bright and early, slept like a baby. Woke up to what looks like a baby version of that big centipede thing in Kanchanaburi crawling down my wall. Nice! A hot shower then a walk down the road for some brekki, thought I should get some fruit as its been a while since I had any, bought a whole watermelon sliced and diced and a bunch of mini bananas, they’re only about 3 inches long and they sell them everywhere out here, there good, taste more banana’ee than the big ones back home. Whilst sitting on my little patio area I got chatting to a Scottish bird called Jill, she is on her own and heading in the same direction so I told her what we were doing and asked if she wanted to join us so she did, the more the merrier. At 10am we got picked up by our tour guide and he drove us to the big ear and long neck hill tribe villages. At the entrance to the long neck village you have to pay 250b (3.50) each to get in, I think this is to stop the kids from begging and it’s better than handing out sweets or cigarettes, which people used to do.

Nothing exiting about the big ear village, just a few women with big holes in there ears. Great!

The long neck village was more interesting although a bit of a tourist trap. Now for some history: The Padaung tribe people had not worn neck rings until there golden age during which the tribe was attacked by tigers. Bitten at the neck several tribe members were killed, from this day tribal girls and unmarried women were ordered to wear the rings to prevent themselves from bad luck. The rings were originally made from gold which eventually became too rare and expensive so they opted for the brass rings which are worn today. The girls of the tribe start wearing the rings at 5 years of age, starting with 8 rings and weighing 1kg.Every 3 years another 3 rings are added until the women is 25 years old or gets married, with all the rings on they weigh a total of 5kg. Once all the rings are on they are never removed, they make the neck muscles longer and weaker and so taking the rings of would be extremely dangerous which is why they are left on until the women dies.

The rings are basically a long continuous piece of brass which is wrapped around the ladies neck like a spring, the only time they are removed is when more coils are added. I asked one of the girls if they hurt and she said sometimes, I shouldn't think they are very comfortable. The rings are worn as a sign of beauty and rather than stretch the neck they actually push the shoulders and ribs down giving the illusion of a long neck. Who the hell thought of that? Apparently it doesn't do any damage to the skeleton, I’m not too sure about that. The girls in the village are not allowed to go to school wearing the rings so they have to learn at home. Took quite a few pictures so hopefully I got the classic picture The Dude back home wanted!

From the villages the driver then drove us to Mae Salong our next stop and dropped us off at a guesthouse. Only 50b (70p) a night and the rooms are actually alright although it’s the shared squat toilet and washing facilities that are pretty ropy. Mae Salong is within spitting distance of the Burmese border and is apparently the most northern part of Thailand although on the map Mai Sai is further north, somebody find out and let me know.

Time for some more history. Mae Salong is a village built along the spine of a mountain, it was originally settled by the 93rd Regiment of the Kuomintang Nationalist Party (KMT) which fled from China after the 1949 Chinese Revolution. The ex-soldiers and their families crossed into northern Thailand with there caravans and re-created a society like the one they left behind in Yunnan. The Thai government has now given them the land. Chinese rather than Thai is more commonly spoken here and the lands severe inclines are good for tea and coffee plantations.

Dumped our bags and found a place for a bite to eat and then had a wander around. At the top of the highest mountain there is a big temple and in the distance right over the other side of the valley there is what looks like a big silver tea pot, so it’s time for another mountain mission/hike to find the silver tea pot. What a beautiful village the views are unbelievable, quite dusty though with lots of chickens. There are tea and coffee shops / factories everywhere, I don't know why because they can’t get many customers, they must export a lot of it. Everywhere you go there is tea leafs, beans and corn laid out in the sun on tarpaulin sheets to dry. There are kids all over the place playing badminton, they all wave and say hello, it’s quality. The kids seem to speak more English than the adults which isn't hard as they don't seem to speak any at all. The fields / hills that are farmed here are just ridiculously steep and obviously all farmed by hand, quite incredible.

We eventually got to the big tea pot and it is quite literally a big silver tea pot halfway up a mountain, quite strange, although there does seem to be some building work going on around it so maybe I will have to come back some time in the future and check it out.

We headed back to chill out and to wait for it to cool down before climbing the mountain to the temple at the top. On the way up the mountain we had to climb 800 concrete steps, can you believe I actually counted them? For some reason my knee is absolutely killing me, not from the steps because it was hurting earlier for some reason. Anyway at the top of the mountain there is a big temple, then a smaller temple building behind it. From here we can see over the whole village so some more quality views. We then headed back down to the bottom, although I hobbled for some dinner. No Thai food here it’s all Chinese, wicked food, had fried Chinese vegetables and rice, big old portions, Jill didn’t finish hers so obviously I polished it off, can’t waste good food. Ordering was a bit of a struggle they don't speak any Thai or English but I can always get around the language barrier when food is concerned. I had a big pot of Mae Salong green tea too, Beautiful!

After dinner we had a walk around looking for a bar, there only seems to be one in the village and it’s an empty karaoke bar so we headed back to the guesthouse for a beer. It’s a quality little village, there is a lot of satellite dishes picking up Chinese tv and all the road signs are in Chinese, Thai and English. The further north we head it seems to be getting hotter during the day and a lot colder of a night, the last few places we have stayed we have had proper duvets. No fan needed.

There is meant to be a really good morning market here so we will check that out in the morning before moving onto Chiang Saen.

Well its 5am and I’m up showered and changed. Quite possibly the worst nights sleep ever, don't know why but just wasn’t tired, maybe that big pot of tea had some serious amounts of caffeine in it and O' DEAR my knee is killing me, it’s alright until I bend it or put weight on it. Took some Ibuprofen yesterday which done absolutely sod all so I’m not even gonna bother, just gonna put up with the pain and soldier on, I’m sure it will sort itself out although it’s making going to the toilet incredibly painful. How the hell do the elderly use these toilets? According to the Lying Planet the morning market here is really good. It’s just fruit and veg stalls with a bit of poultry thrown in. It’s Pants!

With that we grabbed our bags and got a bus to Mae Chan where we had to change and get another bus to Chiang Saen. We found a place to stay for 1 pound a night and a normal toilet. Great! It’s a bit of a crap hole though and baby kittens everywhere.

Chiang Saen is a small town on the Mekong river just outside the Golden Triangle. There are lots of temple ruins here but I have seen enough of them to last a lifetime. I’m standing in Thailand looking across the Mekong river at Laos, which is no more than 250 meters away, seems weird to think its gonna be another 2 days before I get there. We got a bus 9km up river to a place called Sop Ruak officially in the Golden Triangle, more history. The 3 point border between Thailand, Burma and Laos, split only by the Mekong and Ruak rivers is what forms the legendary Golden Triangle. A mountainous frontier where the opium poppy became an easy crop for the regions ethnic minorities and hill tribes. In the 1600s opium joined the Asian trade route and the world soon had an opium addiction with morphine and heroin also being made from the drug. Today Burma and Laos are still the leaders in worldwide opium production, the Thai side of the border has successfully stamped out its opium cultivation through crop-substitution programmes and aggressive law enforcement.

In Sop Ruak there is an Opium Exhibition Hall which we had a look around, it gives a bit of an insight into the background of opium growing and smoking, again not as good as the Lying Planet makes out. From here we walked up some steps to a view point where you can see the Golden Triangle, us being in Thailand looking up the Mekong river with Burma on the left and Laos on the right. Cool!

A quick wander around then flagged down a bus for a lift back. Had some beautiful spicy fried rice then spent a few hours on the internet! Grabbed some more food then headed back to chill out before going to sleep.

Out of bed, packed our bags and grabbed some brekki before getting a packed mini bus/van to Chiang Khong 53km away. Some nice views over the Mekong River but some of the roads are terrible, proper unmade gravel roads, dust everywhere. Jill left us in Chiang Khong, she is crossing over today she is going to head north with a Spanish guy we met on the bus. The roads in the north of Laos are not recommended, unmade dusty roads full of potholes, what would be short journeys take hours, good luck. We found our guesthouse which is already paid for, breakfast and dinner included and then had to sort out about getting a Laos visa, 1500b (22 pound) for a 15 day visa which we pick up first thing in the morning. We are getting a slow boat up the Mekong which again is already paid for to Luang Prabang which takes 2 days with an overnight land stop in a town called Pakbeng.

We then had a walk up the road to see what's here, not much really it’s just a long road which runs up the Mekong River with lots of guesthouses, bars, food stalls, temples and banks. It’s very quiet, the only reason for coming here is to cross the border into Laos and it’s not peak season at the mo. Check out the do it yourself motorbike rickshaws, bet they don't come with an M.O.T.

Had a walk up the river bank then cut through back onto the main road, walking back to the guesthouse I bought a book, not something I would normally do but I thought I might need something to keep me occupied on the boat journey. Back at the guesthouse and had chicken curry, yellow curry for dinner, so good. A nice refreshing shower, it’s proper hot and humid here and then a walk down the road for some internet action before finding a bar for a few beers and some pool on what could be the most uneven pool table in Thailand, the balls just roll all over the place all good fun though. This is a proper ghost town all the bars are empty how the hell do they survive? Also everything is more expensive here, like any port I suppose!

Sorry.History lesson.

Laos is the most bombed country in the world. During the Vietnamese war America illegally bombed Laos and Cambodia from bases in Thailand, more bombs were dropped on these 2 countries then both sides dropped during world war 2. Both countries were neutral so the bombing of Laos and Cambodia was kept secret, even from the American people. From 1956-1973 the US devastated eastern and northern Laos with non stop carpet bombing to counter the presence of the North Vietnamese in the country. In this time the US conducted one of the largest aerial bombardments in history, flying 580 344 missions over Laos, dropping 2 million tons of bombs, costing 2.2 million dollars a day. Around 30% of these bombs failed to detonate leaving Laos littered with unexploded ordnance or UXO. Between 1975-1996 there were 11000 UXO accidents and today there is still 200 accidents a year. At the current clear up rate it will take more than 100 years to make the country safe, which is hampering agricultural development due to local people being unable to use the land.

Up bright and early, some brekki then picked up our passports and visas from the agent. Got a lift to the port on the Thai side then got a speed boat across the Mekong to the Laos border, with our passports stamped we then got a free lift to the boat port. Look at the state of our boat, all wooden with a 5ft high roof which is covered in sheet metal, what a sweat box the temperature on the boat is unbelievable and the wobbly wooden seats are pretty uncomfortable to say the least. I thought xxx this I’m getting on the roof, went to climb up and there is no way in this world I could have sat down on there, that is seriously HOT! When the boat eventually got moving the air flow cooled it down considerably only trouble is we are sitting right at the back, literally 5ft away from the uncovered incredibly loud smelly engine, no chance of a conversation in this seat. Spent most of the next 5 hours either sat on the hard seat reading or hanging off the side of the boat, which was actually more comfortable. Lots of beautiful views on the way, green mountains and cliff faces on either side, after a while it all starts to look the same, it’s good though. Got chatting to a few people and even bumped into a French couple that I met 2 weeks ago in Kanchanaburi, small world hey!

At about 3.30pm after it had cooled down a bit, whilst hanging off the side I noticed 3 Laoasian guys and a guy called Andreaj sitting on the roof, obviously I climbed up and joined them. So much more comfortable, laid out on the roof, wind in my face looking at the mountain scenery, Quality!

Six hours after leaving the port we eventually arrived in Pakbeng, off the boat and the hotel touts are out, not to mention the drug dealers, they’re everywhere, it reminds me of Amsterdam. This town is tiny, just a couple of roads with guesthouses, shops and restaurants which are all overpriced, hopefully due to the fact that it’s just a 1 night stop over and they know that we have no other choice. Obviously it’s still cheap but at the moment it’s dearer than Bangkok, that can’t be right. If it wasn't for it being a stop over this town probably wouldn't exist. All the buildings here are of wooden structure and to be honest pretty lame. People in Thailand had told us about there being holes in the ceilings that people climb down and nick your stuff, turns out that what they meant was that none of the walls meet the ceilings so you could actually climb from room to room, O' Dear.

A wander around but nothing at all to see, crap wooden buildings, quite a few of which are still being built. We had a curry and a few beers with Andreaj and another guy called olli in an overpriced restaurant. The beer here is so cheap, a big bottle of beer Lao is 50p and it’s apparently the best beer in South East Asia, it’s got to be said it is good. In the street there are kids everywhere and they seem to love letting off fireworks. The drug dealers are a bit of a nightmare not friendly at all and very pushy, they’re idiots I can get it cheaper in England. So far first impressions of Laos are not good, I’m sure it will get better though. In the restaurant and at 8.30pm all the lights went out and candles were brought to the table, turns out there is no electricity in this town, everything is run off generators which normally start running out about 9pm, Great!

Basically after dark there is sod all to do apart from go to bed, we were in bed at 9.30pm unbelievable, the walls in this place are so thin that if the person in the room next door farted, not only would I hear it I would probably smell it too and the corrugated metal ceiling makes it another sweat box. Good luck sleeping!

O' Dear, who managed to sleep through the rain last night pounding down on the metal roof, not me that's for sure, then at 5am the cockerels started, shortly followed by motorbikes going up and down and fireworks going off, what's all that about? Got out of bed and saw what could be the biggest spider in the world on the wall at the end of Christy's bed, xxx me it’s quick, had to chase it to get a picture, it’s not far off the size of my hand its legs are massive. Packed our bags ready for the off and downstairs you can order a packed lunch for the journey. We ordered 2 tubs of fried rice each and a big tuna baguette, not cheap, Christy paid for his and I managed to get away without paying ha ha, result! If they charged the proper price I would have been honest and paid it, it’s not the money it’s the principal, there loss.

On the boat it sounds like our spider was a blessing, heard a few stories about rats in rooms, one girl Niamh, left a banana in her bag and a rat chewed its way through, nice! A much bigger, faster an quieter boat today for some reason, more leg room and leather pads on the benches, so much more comfortable. O' Dear, half an hour into the journey and we went passed a body face down in the river, no one seems to care I suppose in all fairness it could have come from any of at least 4 countries so it will probably never be identified, still not nice though. Apparently we passed another body yesterday but I must have been lost in my book, which by the way is pretty good.

Now for some information about our trip to Laos -

From talking to people in Thailand and from reading the travel books it doesn't sound like a safe country to travel in mainly due to armed bandits boarding busses and shooting people, these attacks are most common on 2 routes, south and east of Luang Prabang. The route south of Luang Prabang is route 13. In 2003 13 people were shot dead on a bus (hence the name) and then 2 weeks later another 12 people were killed and 31 injured. Going east is route 7 apparently this route is so dangerous that its now closed to tourists, that's a shame because we were planning to go to a place called Phonsavan to visit the Plain Of Jars, a large area of huge jars of unknown origin scattered about in over 60 groupings. Sounds like we are better off staying in Luang Prabang, xxx that, that's not exactly what you call travelling, the old fear factor will make it more exiting. Now for some basic history - During the Vietnamese war a tribe from Laos called the Hmong Tribe/rebels assisted the Americans with there invasion on Vietnam. When America lost the war they basically wrote off this tribe, which by now were no longer wanted by the Laos people/government. This tribe is still living in Laos and is now very isolated and hostile towards the Laos government and westerners. It is these bandits that when they want to attack the government board busses and shoot westerners, American or not.

8 and a half hours later and we are in Luang Prabang. Off the boat and the touts are waiting, we formed a group thinking that the more of us there is the more bidding power we have when we turn up at a place and ask for 5+ rooms, they’re bound to do us a deal and they did 100b (1.40) per night for a twin room. Had a shower and then we all regrouped for a drink downstairs there is Andeaj from Slovenia, Sarah and Niamh from Ireland, Federico from Brazil, 2 girls both called Anna from Sweden, Sarah and Silas from Australia, a Canadian couple and 2 women from Switzerland who's names I cant remember. There are also another couple Emma who's English and Gregg from Belgium and another Australian couple Ainsley and John who are staying elsewhere, all in all a good international group.

Had a walk into town for some food, I don't think I’ve ever seen so much fruit and veg, there are stalls everywhere. We found a food stall with various dishes, it’s 5000 kip (25p) for as much as you can pile into the bowl they give you, good food obviously mine was stacked right up, Welcome to Laos! The food here is very different to Thailand, not spicy at all and meat is quite expensive in comparison. After dinner we all had a wonder up the night market, loads of stalls selling the same things, mainly silk, jewellery and t shirts, again how do they make any money surely there is just to much competition. We eventually found a bar for some beer Lao and a chat getting to know each other before walking back and hitting the sack.

A few of us met up and had some brekki, the food seems to be a bit dearer than Thailand but the portions are bigger, still damn cheap though, the water is dearer but the beer is cheaper so that's easily sorted, just have to drink more beer. The tout from the hotel called Mee showed us where the bank was so we could change some money. Im a millionaire, changed 70 pound and got more than 1.3 million Kipp, all notes there are no coins over here. Dealing in thousands is a nightmare to convert and makes everything sound so expensive when actually it’s just pennies, 1000 Kipp is 5p. I had a good walk around the town with Federico, Sarah and Silas, lots of French looking buildings and lots of work being done to the roads, I get the feeling it’s very up and coming, lots of improvements being made, all in all a very nice town. Yesterday whilst I was with Sarah and Niamh a tramp came up to us begging, as he was smoking Niamh offered him a cigarette but he wasn't interested he only wanted money which he didn't get. Obviously not genuine it brings meaning to the saying beggars can’t be choosers. Anyway I’ve seen the same bloke today dressed in an army uniform with a gun, what a tit.

Whilst walking along the river we could see lots of stalls and hear music being played from the other side of the river so we ended up getting a boat across the river to see what its all about. Definitely not a tourist event, we proper stand out, it’s some sort of big rowing competition with lots of Laoasian people singing and cheering, we bought a beer each and watched in the shade. We then had a walk through the village behind, a proper little Laoasian village, wood buildings and dirt track roads, it seems a bit like this is the Laoasian side and the other side is the built up tourist side. We found a little place to eat we got papaya salad and a noodle salad to share, very spicy, not only were the people surprised to see us on this side of the river but they were even more surprised that we were eating there food.

After a walk around we got a boat back across the river, where did all these motorbikes come from, there's hundreds of them all parked up, it’s no surprise really because there seems to be very few if any cars here, it’s just vans, tuk tuks, scooters and bicycles. Back at the guesthouse to get ready before going out for dinner, same as last night only this time I got a big fish to go with it, washed down with a beer, not bad for 1 pound. The food market sells all sorts pig heads, chicken heads and feet, tiny cooked chicks, buffalo intestines and all sorts of other weird and wonderful things. We then found a bar called Hive bar, it was empty till us lot walked in, proper cool little bar we all sat outside drinking beer and cocktails and doing shots of this stuff called Lao Lao whiskey, it’s disgusting. After a good few drinks we then moved to the bar across the road where there is a lady boy show, lots of boys dressed up as girls miming to English love songs, obviously there was a few old pervs there too.

We all left the bar pretty merry and on the way home scored a great big bag of Lao tobacco for (2.50) so cheap. Back at the guesthouse I sat in the garden with Christy, the 2 Sarah's, Sylas, Niamh and Federico drinking and smoking till the early hours of the morning, had such a laugh!

6am and I'm up and ready, there are 17 of us today all going to the big multi-tiered Kuang Si Falls waterfall which is 30km south of here, Mee has organized us a couple of tuk tuk vans for the day, (1.40) each, sweet. Stocked up with some food and drink and now it’s just a case of waiting for the others. Last night we were talking to the tout from the guesthouse, Mee, he speaks really good English and is really helpful I thought he was about 30 years old. He was telling us that he works 18-20 hours a day so that he can pay for his English school so that once he has passed his exams he can get a job as a tour guide, he sleeps behind the guesthouse reception on the floor under a little mosquito net and it turns out that he is only 24, obviously had a hard life. Anyway yesterday he was telling us how he was cycling around the market the night before looking for a fish for dinner, the fish are 15000 Kipp (55p) he didn't have enough money so had to get something else. How mad is that he works 18 hours a day fancies a fish for dinner and he can't afford it, I'll have to buy him a fish before I leave. It’s surprising too that Laoasians pay the same price for food as we do, in Thailand the locals get things cheaper and we pay our tourist tax. With everyone ready it’s off to the waterfall, it’s only 30km away but takes an hour to get there, as soon as you get away from the town the roads are just dirt tracks with pot holes all over them.

The waterfall is amazing, it’s so high there's no chance of getting a good picture especially with all the spray in the air and the light through the trees. The main waterfall itself has got 3 levels to it all of which we climbed up too via the mountain not the waterfall itself. The views at the top are unbelievable. Back at the bottom there are lots of smaller waterfalls and pools to swim in, obviously lots of jumping and swimming going on. Some of the water currents are unbelievably strong, in one pool Christy got dragged down a section hitting his head and grazing all his side, Sylas was next to follow and grazed his arm up followed by me and Andrej who managed to grab hold of some bamboo, the water power is unbelievable there is no way we could go against it going back the way we come it was just a case of hanging on and working our way down and out, everyone is ok. Quality! A bit later on Anna, one of the Swedish girls nearly got pulled down the same section, luckily I managed to grab hold of her with one arm whilst hanging on with the other. Slightly dangerous but all good fun! Spent the whole day here and up until about 1pm we had the whole place pretty much to ourselves, Such a good day.

On the way back we stopped off at a little Laoasian village, they obviously don't use contraception there are kids everywhere and as Sarah noticed most of them are girls, strange. In the village there was a boy who had caught a little bird and he had tied it to a stick with fishing line around the top half of its beak, he kept throwing it up in the air and teasing it, little prick. I was trying to tell him to let it go but he just shied away, Andrej who speaks Thai also told him to let it go but he didn't. On the way out there was loads of kids around the vans not begging but it was obvious what they wanted, they’re so sweet, Sarah and Niamh gave them some cakes before leaving. As we drove off I felt like a complete xxx for not giving them anything but after seeing that boy teasing the bird on a stick I sort of switched off from the whole affair, I just think if your gonna catch a bird kill it and eat it, don't play with it. I should have give them some money but what's done is done it’s to late now.

Back at the hotel and some chill time before heading off out! Its funny how at home we use umbrellas to keep the rain off us, over here they use them to keep the sun off them, they are everywhere so many motorbike riders are holding them, Crazy. It’s also funny how you see people walking around with carrier bags full of money at home it would be so tempting to just grab and run, but over here there's probably not even 50 pound in the bag. We found a restaurant on the river front for a meal, very nice but the service was well slow, paying for the meal for all us is a bit of a nightmare, this money is a joke. Walked back to the Hive bar for another nights drinking and then after closing walked back to the guesthouse and chilled out in the garden under the moonlight.

Seriously hot today, spent the morning chilling out in the L'etranger book shop with Christy, Sarah and Niamh which is next to the Hive bar. It’s a book shop downstairs but upstairs there is a really cool relaxing bar, little coffee tables with mats and cushions on the floor, fans blowing and funky chilled out music in the background, just laid round reading, chatting etc and drinking there seriously nice fresh fruit and ice shakes, so refreshing.

It’s such a quality little bar/cafe I didn't want to leave, proper chilled out atmosphere. Back outside and it’s still roasting, we tried to find a hotel with a swimming pool that we could use but no joy. Walked into town with Christy, the 2 Sarah's, Niamh and Sylas and booked a mini van for tomorrow down to Vang Vieng which is on the famous route 13. Back at the guesthouse and we got talking to Mee, quite sad really it makes you realize how lucky we really are. He was telling us that he works for 2 guesthouses and he gets 20 dollars a month (I think from each one but not sure). We spend that in a day and think nothing of it, he was also telling us that in his 24 years he has never been outside Luang Prabang province, can you imagine that? We are all travelling the world doing what we want when we want, eating good food, sitting around drinking beer and spending money on the markets etc, and day in day out he happily watches us and people like us come and go. Could you, I don't think I could. He is such a nice bloke it's upsetting to think that although he wants to travel the chances are he will never get the opportunity. How hard must it be for people like him to accept their limited opportunities in life when they see us with so many, and the sad thing is we don't even realize it. Don't waste them, life's too short and they will be gone before you know it. Never be stuck somewhere in life you don't want to be, there are so many great things to do and see.

Anyway before walking into town for some dinner I asked him if he wanted anything, he said yes and asked if I could get him some fruit. On the way back I bought him a big dragon fruit and when I gave it to him he said that I could have it as he doesn't like them. That's cool I’ll walk back and change it. Respect for being so honest, these people are, they tell it how it is and don't care if you get offended (sounds familiar). At home if someone buys us something we don't like we are like Oh Thanks That's great, I’ve wanted one of them for ages thanks so much. False as xxx. With Andreaj's help I changed it for a bag of potato looking things, nice, juicy and sweet he loves them. We then had a good look around the night market, the people on the stalls don't hassle you at all its so different to Thailand the people are so much more quieter and more shy, probably because they are not as used to foreigners, they just sit there and are happy to let you look and walk on by, such a relaxing laid back place.

Up early, a pork baguette for brekki then packed our bags ready to be picked up at 9.30am. Sarah and Sylas have decided to stay here for one more night and so have re-booked for tomorrow so we will meet them there. Me, Christy, Sarah and Niamh got picked up and spent the next 6 hours in a mini van. No chance of sleeping to pass the time the roads are terrible, holes everywhere. See a bloke with a machine gun on the side of the road, he was either a soldier or bandit, who knows?

Some proper nice mountain views we must have been at quite an altitude because my ears popped twice. Passed lots of little villages on the way, houses all made out of wood with thatched roofs, a lot of them are on stilts as there is very little flat land here and it's the only way of getting a flat surface. Wildlife all over the roads, cows, pigs, chickens and buffalo everywhere. Had a food stop on the way, Me, Sarah and Niamh all had fried rice, it was alright but I said as we were eating it that there was something not quite right about it.

In Vang Vieng a girl from the mini van who had been here before showed us a cheap place to stay. Little huts on stilts with mattresses on the floor, it’s right on the Nam Xong River with limestone mountain scenery, not bad for 60p each per night. It’s another hot one so it’s trunks on and into the river, it’s not deep but pretty fast flowing it’s cool just laying back and floating down the river. Niamh was quite funny she couldn’t stand up because her legs kept getting swept from under her so I had to keep grabbing hold of her and pulling her up. Showered and changed and we walked up to the main strip, Sarah has been sick so she is resting in the hut. This place is just a dirt track road with lots of pubs, restaurants and guesthouses on it, a few of the bars are playing friends back to back on the box, Cool. We found a friends bar and had a green curry, nice but not spicy at all, the food here is ok but not a scratch on Thailand, I’ve got to the stage now where if it hasn't got and chilies or spice to it I just find it boring, it just needs something to give it a kick. After dinner we just chilled out watching episodes of friends and Niamh too is starting to feel funny.

Vang Vieng is one of the biggest drug centers in the country. Pretty much all the bars and restaurants sell Happy Shakes or Special Shakes, basically milkshakes with marijuana, opium or magic mushrooms in. They also sell Happy Pizzas, pizzas with magic mushrooms on and also a selection of opium or mushroom teas.

Walked back to our little huts and sat outside chatting for a couple of hours, Sarah is still being sick, Niamh's stomach feels dodgy and I've just had my first dose of the two bob bits, its got to be the rice, didn't trust my instincts. Hopefully I won’t be running to the toilet in the middle of the night!

Woke up early to the cockerels, slept alright last night and feel fine I’ve just got dodgy guts. Had cereal for brekki for the first time since leaving, no milk though had to have yogurt on it. After brekki we said goodbye to Sarah and Niamh, they are flying to Vietnam today. Walked up to one of the friends bars and pretty much spent most the day sitting around watching friends and eating, this place sells quite a lot of western food and its good too, got to keep eating and drinking to flush myself out. At about 4pm we saw Sarah and Sylus go passed in a mini van so we walked up the road, met them and walked them back to our guesthouse, they too are both ill. Whilst walking back we bumped into Andreaj who arrived here a few hours ago and who too believe it or not is staying in the same guesthouse, how mad is that, coincidence or what. No rooms available for Sarah and Sylus so they found a place just up the road, we arranged to meet later on but they ended up crashing out.

Back at the guesthouse me and Andreaj went for a swim in the river to cool down, we actually walked up the river a bit and then crossed to the other side which was hard work, trying to stay on your feet. On the other side there is another little village and people washing and cleaning there teeth in the river. We wanted to have a walk around the village but everyone seemed to be looking at us so thought it might be a bit intrusive, so instead we walked further up the river and floated back down. After a nice shower and whilst getting changed outside my little hut, I got chatting to a Spanish girl, called Eva. Me, Christy and Andreaj met up in the bar and Eva and her friend asked if they could join us. The 5 of us then walked up to the main strip and found a restaurant to eat in, had red chicken curry, asked for it to be extra, extra spicy, it was beautiful but not exactly what I would call spicy, getting spicy food here is a mission.

After dinner Andreaj left us and we had a wander around checking out the bars but in the end decided to go back to the guesthouse bar on the river for a drink where we chatted till about midnight before hitting the sack.

Up and sorted by 6am, the old stomach seems to have sorted itself out now so that's good. Met Andreaj in the restaurant who too was up early, had some brekki and then went for a walk and we ended up bumping into the 2 Swiss women from Luang Prabang, they were just moving on but told us about a cave and blue lagoon on the other side of the river that they had been to, they said it was really good. So we headed back to find Christy and on the way met up with Sarah and Sylas who are now feeling better, Cool everyone is up for it. After a bit of wondering around we eventually found a spot where we could get a boat across the river, then on the other side we got a tuk tuk, look at it, it’s basically a ploughing rotivator with a trailer fitted to the back of it, good though it goes through rivers and everything.

On Arrival we weren't that impressed with the lagoon although the water is beautiful, proper blue in colour with lots of fish in it. Over the lagoon there are a couple of rope swings and a tree that can be jumped off but we decided to check out the cave first. Another mountain mission on the way up to the entrance, not overly impressive just a big cave with a Buddha in the middle, apparently the cave goes back about 1km but we haven't got any torches so after a quick look we headed back down to the lagoon. The water is so refreshing we spent the next couple of hours jumping off the rope swings and tree. The tree has got 2 jumping levels to it, the highest one being about 6m high. Now that doesn't sound much but when your up there for the first time, balancing on the branch and looking down, it looks a lot higher, it gets the old legs shaking. First time I jumped I had my arms out, they’re red and stinging now after a nice slap from the water.

After a good old mess around we dried out and then got our tuk tuk back to the river which we then had to cross. Back to our guesthouses for a shower and change before meeting up for dinner. As it was so good we ended up going back to the same place as last night for another curry, this time it was spot on. Whilst eating the 2 Anna's from Sweden turned up, they have just arrived and spotted us, how cool is that. After dinner and a few drinks we moved on to a place called the Full Moon bar for some happy shakes. Happy Shakes all round and some of the longest games of pool ever. Everyone started to getting paranoid and slipping off leaving me and Andrej nicely chilled in bar before getting up and walking back. Early start in the morning the 7 of us are going to do a day trip which includes kayaking, tubing and caving.

O' Dear, the old milkshake had a bit of a delayed effect last night, definately had mushrooms in it URRRR. Up early again and met Andrej in the restaurant and waited for the others. Sylas turned up and said that Sarah was a bit worse for wear, ummm! I wonder why, so they would not be joining us today so 7 is now 5. Got in the mini van and drove 20km upstream, we then Kayaked down the river for a while and then stopped at a water cave. We messed around in the water whilst the guides were sorting out our rubber tubes, which are tractor tyre inner-tubes and our headlamps. Sitting on the tubes, headlamps on and it’s time to enter the water cave, a bit low in places got to keep the old head down. Inside the cave there is a rope line rigged up to enable us to pull ourselves through the cave. Inside the cave where the water is shallow we stopped for a walk around before getting back on the tubes and working our way out of the cave. Cool stuff.

We then had some lunch which was prepared for us, fried vegetable rice with barbequed chicken and vegetable skewers, beautiful. After lunch we then kayaked another 2 hours down the river and stopped at a bar on the river front which has got a Flying Fox aerial slide and a big rope swing over the river. No one else was up for it leaving me to do it on my own, the rope swing is awesome, you start 10m high hold on to the handle and jump, when the rope pulls tight you swing right up in the air over the river and then let go at the top, it’s quality. When watching people do it so many of them fall off from the jolt of the rope pulling tight, landing face first in the river, it’s well funny. After about an hour here we then got back in our kayaks and continued down stream back to our guesthouse. What a workout, I think I’m gonna feel it tomorrow.

After a nice shower we walked back to the curry place again, this time I had a yellow chicken curry, the curries in this place are so good. Just as we had finished Sarah and Sylas turned up and we headed back to the Full Moon bar for a drink, No milkshakes today just a quite drink and a game of pool.

Everyone's very quite tonight we are all knackered from the rowing, I can hardly keep my eyes open so it’s off home for some shut eye.

Up bright and early and said goodbye to Andrej who is leaving today. We then walked to a Friends bar for some chill time and some food, spaghetti bolognaise for breakfast, lovely. At midday we met the others as arranged and walked back to our guesthouse and hired some rubber tubes for the day, we then got a tuk tuk 4km up the river to where the tubing starts. In the water on the tubes and off we go floating down the river. Along the river there are various bar stops selling refreshments and beer and a few of them have got Flying Fox aerial slides over the river so it wasn't too long before we made our first stop. On the flying fox you are meant to let go before you reach the end, but boys being boys if you hold on till the end the force that you hit it with throws you forward, spinning in the air and landing awkwardly/painfully in the river. It’s all good fun and a good way to get whiplash.

Back on the rings and off down the river again, it’s so relaxing, floating down a river under the sun, swigging beer and awesome mountain scenery, it don't get much better. We stopped at the bar we stopped at yesterday in the Kayaks, the one with the big rope swing, I love it. Unfortunately we haven't got cameras with us for obvious reasons, but Andrej took a picture of me yesterday flying through the air so hopefully that will look good. Off down the river again and it didn't take me long to lose my sunglasses, it’s the first time I’ve worn them since I’ve been away, I’m a nightmare every pair of sunglasses I buy I lose. They were on my head whilst I was attempting to stand up and balance on the tube, I managed to stand up although not for long before stacking it, and that's another pair of sunglasses gone. Another bar stop and this one’s got a rope swing hanging down from a tree at the top of a cliff. It’s basically 2 ropes hanging down with wood in the middle, you stand on the wood and hold on to the ropes either side. There is another rope attached to the back of it that 3 men hold and run backwards with, pulling you quite high in the air right back over the river bank, they then let go and you swing and jump off into the river, it’s good fun but it don't beat the big rope swing. From here we then got back on the tubes for about an hour back to our guesthouse, the old sun’s gone in and it’s actually getting a bit chilly which isn't surprising considering we have been in the water most the afternoon.

After sorting ourselves out we all met up and had dinner in a Pizzeria, nice pizza it was well needed. After dinner we just moved to a Friends bar and laid around watching friends till closing, 11pm. On the way back we said goodbye to the 2 Anna's as me and Christy are leaving in the morning and heading to Phonsavan on the famous route 7 to see the Plain of Jars.

Up early bags packed and met Sarah and Sylas in our guesthouse restaurant for some brekki. After brekki we said our goodbyes and walked to the bus station ready for our 6 hour bus journey to Phonsavan. It’s horrible saying goodbye, 17 of us in Luang Prabang has now gradually become 2 again. Had such a good time over the last week or so, met such a good group of people and had such a good time together it’s been awesome. Unfortunately the time has come to say thank you very much it’s been a pleasure meeting you, Goodbye. It’s a shame to say but that's the travelling way. It’s a weird feeling travelling you meet so many good people, have quality time together and then have to say goodbye knowing that realistically we will probably never see each other again. Thank you for the memories.

What a journey, more ear popping and unbelievable mountain views. A few Laoasian people on the bus were being sick, one women especially who was sat opposite us and done nothing for the whole six hours other than throw up and spit into plastic bags, should have heard the noises she was making. They obviously don't travel that often, we were fine. Andrej said last week as a joke that the busses here have the horns changed more often that the brakes, I can see what he means the drivers are non stop on the horns getting the cows, chickens, pigs, dogs, buffalo and kids out of the roads which seem to be everywhere. At one point 2 blokes with machine guns got on the bus, they just sat down then got off a few km up, FEWW.

Seven hours and a numb arse later and we are at Phonsavan bus station which doesn't seem to be anywhere near the town and what is with the temperature drop its freezing, must be the altitude. As soon as you get off the bus the touts are waiting so we picked one that had twin rooms for 2 dollars a night and got a free lift there, cool. It’s actually alright, in the reception there is a xxx load of disarmed bombs, grenades and guns etc from the war.

There's nothing to see in this place it's just another 1 street town the only attraction here is the Plain of Jars sights around the area. Only a couple of places to eat here so not exactly spoilt for choice, just had fried veg on rice, not nice at all the food here is so boring I cant wait to get back to Thailand. After dinner back at our hotel we met a tour guide and told him what we wanted to do, basically he is picking us up at 6.30 tomorrow morning, taking us to one of the Plain of Jar sights and then dropping us off at the bus station so we can get the 8.30am bus back to Luang Prabang. A short trip I know but we have got a mission to get back to the border before our visas run out on Friday, originally we were going to do a big loop north but because of the roads and all the bus journeys taking forever we have decided it would be easier to go back to Luang Prabang then go north for a night before making our way back to the border and crossing back into Thailand. From Luang Prabang we could get the 2 day boat back but we have already done that journey so it would just be boring. With that sorted we walked up the road to see what's about, absolutely nothing so it’s back to the hotel for a very early night.

Met our guide at 6.30am and drove to site 1 of the Plain of Jars. The Plain of Jars is a large area extending around Phonsavan where huge jars of unknown origin are scattered about in more than 60 groupings, all of which are positioned in prominent areas normally on the tops of mountains, 1000 meters above sea level. In 1990 bones were discovered under the jars indicating that they may have been used for burial, the fact that they are scattered in groupings may be that they represent different villages or ethnic groups. Interesting stuff!

Site 1 is a 2.5 area with sandstone jars randomly scattered all over the place, lots of the jars are damaged from where the area was heavily bombed and walking around you can see huge bomb craters everywhere. On the sight you must stick to the paths due to unexploded UXO still being present. On this site there are 250 jars all of which are numbered, most of which weigh between 600kg and 1 tonne the biggest weighs 6 tonne. These sights are over 2500 years old which makes you wonder how the hell they got the jars to where they are, looking at it today it looks like it would be hard work let alone 2500 years ago. On this site there is also a cave, there is nothing in the cave but when inside looking up there is 3 big holes in the top from where the Americans bombed it because they thought there were soldiers hiding in it. On the way back our guide said that we could go with him to Luamg Prabang in his mini van for virtually the same price as getting the government bus, which will be a lot quicker so we agreed.

We stopped for breakfast in town before leaving, again very little choice. I ended up having rice soup, Urrrr not to sure about that it’s weird, not disgusting but certainly not nice, just about edible.

Back to the mini van and what a result, we are transferring to a brand new Honda 4x4 for the journey, soft seats and air con not that it’s needed its cold enough. The mountain scenery in this country is out of this world, for 95% of the journey all you can see fantastic views everywhere and not a building in sight apart from when passing through the remote diversely spread little villages, all of which are set back from the road quite often on stilts right on the edge of a mountain. All the villages are constructed from wood with thatched or corrugated metal roofs and with no electricity.

There is so little flat land here which is why all the houses are built on stilts, I’m not sure I would want to live on the edge of a mountain but then I guess they have got to be near the road which by the way is the only one here. The children in the villages definitely out number the adults there's loads of them and they all seem to be happy just playing on the side of the road, as we drive through they all wave, quality. If we passed a dozen vehicles in the 6 and a half hour journey I would be very surprised, the roads in this country are empty, there are hardly any cars at all just lorry's, mini vans, and the 1 government bus a day. To have a motor like the one we are travelling in you must have to be considerably wealthy in comparison to the majority of the population, which is probably why there is a box of bullets in the front he has obviously got a gun for protection, and this is bandit territory after all. We stopped in a small town for lunch and the amount of people that look at the motor is unbelievable, people walk passed it then keep looking back at it like I would at a fit bird, crazy.

The roads up, down and around the mountains are so windy it’s like being in a roller coaster, especially the way this geezer is driving getting thrown around all over the place. There are no barriers on the bends just a sheer drop off the side of the mountain and quite a few areas of road are covered with gravel and mud from where the mountain has collapsed.

Six and a half hours later and we are in hot Luang Prabang, travelling in style is worth every extra penny the government bus takes 9 hours. Walked back to the same guesthouse we stayed in before and got a room and after a quick shower we walked into town to check out the bus timetable for tomorrow, we are heading north to Luang Nam Tha. In the next couple of days we have got some serious bus journeys but it’s either that or the boat which we have already done. With that sorted, it's back to the all you can eat food stall, I’m stuffed but still managed to squeeze in a bit of banana cake. After dinner we walked to the L'etranger book shop/tea rooms for some chill out time and a film. Watched the City of God, it was ok, lots of violence, we then headed back to the guesthouse, had a chat with Mee, and then went to bed.

Up early, a bite to eat then a tuk tuk to the north bus station. We got a bus to Udomxia and then another bus to Luang Nam Tha. Talk about pack them in, on both busses all the seats were taken and there was people sitting on little stalls down the centre isles for 5 hours at a time, I’m so glad we were early and got a seat even on a soft seat the journey is not exactly comfortable. Ten hours later I’ve finished my book and we are in Luang Nam Tha, cant see much of the town because its already dark mind you it is 9pm. Found a hotel for the night and then popped out for a bite to eat.

All I have seen all day is green mountains and jungle with the odd little village in the middle of nowhere. Between place to place there is absolutely nothing, there are no solid buildings anywhere, where can they build it’s just all mountains, no wonder this country has only got a population of between 5-7 million. Passing the villages there are kids everywhere just playing on the side of the road, I can't help but wonder how their parents explain to them that they can't go off exploring or playing in the woods as we would at home, because 35 years ago America bombed the xxxx out of us and there is a good chance you will be blown up. How can this country ever be 100% safe from unexploded bombs it’s just so vast and mountainous they could be absolutely anywhere.

I think it’s quite remarkable how the adults who grew up during the war and the kids growing up with the effects of the war are not hostile towards Americans or westerners. It could be said that they can't really afford to be because they need all the aid and tourism they can get, but even still I don't think I would be so forgiving. 1 American B2 bomber costs 6 billion dollars, just imagine what that money could do for the poverty and infrastructure of Laos and Cambodia, but instead the west dominates world trade and overwhelms poorer countries with its economic power. The rich get richer and sit back and watch the poor get poorer.

After dinner we went back to the hotel and O' Dear I’ve just had a slash and blood come out. No I haven't eaten beetroot and yes I’m worried, not so bad at home but here, Not Good. Well there's only one thing for it gonna drink a gallon of water and see what happens next time I pee. All good so I’ve got no idea what that was all about. Goodnight.

Another early one no blood to report so decided to have a wander around the town seeing as it was dark last night. Not very exiting, just a square town with a market and a bus station and little villages around it. With that done we stocked up on some food for the journey and headed towards the bus station where we bumped into John and Ainsley from Luang Prabang, they are crossing into China small world hey? Only about a dozen people on our bus today so I had a double seat to myself, Result. What a journey, 11 hours to travel 195 km how mad is that, it actually turned into a little adventure, where do I start?

The road, I mean muddy, bumpy, dusty unmade dirt track is still being laid and cut through the mountains, the whole route is basically a huge building site. Virtually the whole route has been cut through the mountains, quite impressive to see, there are diggers and trucks everywhere. The amount of earth and vegetation that has been removed is unbelievable must be millions of tonnes and it will be a good few years yet before it’s complete. Most of the track goes through the mountains but some of in has been cut in around the outside of the mountains, which looks like it could collapse at any time. Anyway about an hour into the journey and we hit our first stop, the road is blocked with dirt and rocks which have fallen down from where the digger is working above, didn't have to wait too long before a bulldozer cleared a path and we were on our way again.

Our next stop was where the road goes through a river, no bridge just straight through, the vehicle in front got stuck so our bus driver and co-driver had to get out and help him through before preparing the track for us. They love it, they are walking around bare foot in the mud looking for rocks and putting them in the mud so that the tyres have got something to grip on, it’s just an everyday event for them. A little run up and we are through first time, well done boys. It wasn't to long before we got stuck in the mud though, we all had to get off and push. Back on track for the next couple of hours and O' Dear the bus has overheated, Luckily we had just passed some contractors working on the road so the driver and his mate managed to get a load of water to pour all over the engine to cool it down before topping the engine up with dirty muddy water, Nice, and off we go again.

The rest of the journey was ok just very slow and very bumpy, I didn't think it was going to end. Eventually we arrived in Huay Xai bus station which turns out to be 8km away from the border crossing which is now closed. Tuk Tuk, and off we go again on the bumpy road but not before he reversed into the bus, crazy! At the border crossing we found a nice place to stay, a little luxury is well needed. Nice big room, soft beds, hot shower and soap, towels and bottled water provided, not bad for 1.50 each.

Everywhere else is shut so they opened the restaurant for us and we had a chicken curry each, don't get that sort of service back home. We then went back to the room for a shower and a chill out before hitting the sack. Got another early one tomorrow, got to cross the border back into Thailand then get a bus back to Chiang Mai to chill out for a few days before going to Cambodia.

Slept like a baby on what's probably the best bed so far, sorted ourselves out and then walked to the border crossing. Another stamp in the old passport and a boat across the river to the Thai border! With our entry sorted we got a tuk tuk to the bus station and got a coach to Chiang Mai, leather reclining seats, air con and music, after yesterday's journey a bit of luxury is well needed.

Six hours later and we got a mini van to the Nam Khong guesthouse, a quick shower then down the road for some internet action to let everybody know I’m still alive before dinner. You do not know how much I have missed Thai food and Chiang Mai is the best so far, Ummmm Beautiful. Had a walk up to the night bazaar and on the way bumped into Federico, We had arranged to meet up back in Luang Prabang but as we had only just arrived we hadn't yet arranged anything, how mad is that. The 3 of us then headed to the gay bars for a warm welcome and lots of pool. To the back of the night bazaar there is a big outdoor climbing wall, when chatting to the bloke that runs it I asked him what the record was for the most amount of climbs in 1 hour, He said 10. Now that's a challenge, see you Sunday, if I match it I get my money back, it’s not going to be easy.

Pretty much just ate and chilled out all day. Planned our route to Cambodia, we were going to fly but you can't fly there from here and from Bangkok it's a lot of money compared to the land option which is going to be a mission, but that's what makes it all the more memorable. Traded my book in at a book shop and ended up buying another 3, 2 of which were highly recommended by fellow travellers, I’m going to need them on the long bus journeys and whilst sunbathing on the islands after Cambodia.

We also booked a day Thai cooking course for Monday so that should be good. Back at the guesthouse we got ready to go out, first we had a power cut shortly followed by a serious downpour with thunder and lightning. We sat downstairs watching it and within 20 minutes the street was flooded with about 6 inches of water and there is no sign of it easing off. We were going to put our poncho's on and go for it but look at the state of the water it's a dirty horrible brown colour and all the pavements are under water so it wouldn't be long before one of us stacked it, so instead it's up to the room for some reading time.

Well the streets are not flooded any more just lots of big puddles everywhere. It’s Sunday and it’s still raining so I spent most the day eating and on the internet, before meeting Federico in the evening who too was up for the rock climbing at the Peak. The bloke I had the bet with is not here but the challenge has still been set. On the wall there are 3 routes going up, 2 of which have got small overhangs. Alternating between them I done the 1st 5 climbs in 25 minutes, bring it on I'm on target and my forearms are seriously pumped up. O' Dear one of the instructors has disappeared which means only one of us can climb at a time, taking it in turns, no chance of doing it now. Seven climbs in 50 minutes and I’m done, I’m soaking wet from both sweat and rain and my left calf is starting to cramp up. I’m well happy with 7 it’s raining which makes it a lot harder on the foot and hand holds and the delays didn't help. I do think I would have seriously struggled to do 10 in the hour, it’s hard going, although if I was as fit now as I was when I left I would have pissed it.

A change of clothes and then dinner in a Chinese restaurant, a mixed seafood dish with noodles, beautiful!

After dinner it’s back to the gay bars for the last time where we ended up meeting another 2 English fellers, Steve and Ollie, they seem like proper university nerds, they’re alright though. At midnight War and Bon asked us if we wanted to go to a night club called Bubbles with them and the others from the bar, it’s our last night here course of we do. In the club and straight on the cocktails, xxx me they’re strong, loads of western and Thai birds in here too. Proper funny, me and Christy spent most the night explaining and demonstrating to Steve and Ollie how easy it is to start dancing with or chatting to birds, they’re blatantly a couple of virgins. After lots of encouragement Ollie's off, look at him go, he’s loving it!

Steve can't believe it he has known Ollie since primary school and has never seen him pull a bird. Get a load of this, we can't believe it, one lesson and he is leaving with her, Steve is totally gob smacked. 5 minutes later and he is back, what are you doing? He said that she seemed a bit put out when he told her that he couldn’t go with her, why can't you go with her you nutter? He said because he wouldn't know where to start and that he couldn't anyway because he has got their room key. xxx the room key the reception will have a spare and if not Steve can stay at ours, go and find her you got to do it sometime. Too late she's gone!

Towards the end of the night me and Christy got chatting to a couple of beautiful little petite Thai birds, Joy and won, who spoke exceptional English slang and everything, they could understand everything I said which is funny because no lie I have met English people that can't, it’s the dodgy southern accent. At closing (2am) they said that they would take us to another club, I'm up for it but Christy, Steve and Ollie think it sounds a bit dodgy, the same as I did a few weeks ago with that Thai bird that kept buying me drinks. I'm like come on, what could possibly happen we have got xxx all money on us, there are 4 of us, and I know I can have a row if I have to, just go with the flow boys. With that I'm on the back of Joy's scooter in the rain and the other 3 are in a tuk tuk with Won. We ended up in a club called Spices and as soon as we walked in the girls bought themselves and all of us a beer each, how nice is that. We were in the club till 4.30am and I think I only went to the bar once, every time I finished a drink Joy handed me another one.

Steve and Ollie left earlier and when saying goodbye Ollie said, you guys are brilliant we have had the best night ever, you 2 have really shown us the way. How funny is that, they obviously don't get out much! Inside the club Won was all over Christy and Joy was telling me how much she liked me.

Outside in the rain at 4.30am me and Christy split up and went our separate ways.

I'm ruined! Well it’s 7.30am and with less than an hours sleep it’s time for me to try and work out where I am and mission it back to the guesthouse, we are being picked up at 9am for our Thai cooking course. I literally walked 10 seconds up the road, Christy and Won walked around the corner, crazy.

Turned out our guesthouse was only a 5 minute walk away, a quick shower and then packed and checked out before getting picked up and driven to the local food market for a run down on all the different fruits, vegetables, herbs and other ingredients used in Thai cooking. From the market we then drove to the Thai cooking school. It was a proper good day even though there were times when I was struggling to keep my eyes open. The cooking itself is so easy it’s getting the ingredients back home that could be a bit of a mission.

Throughout the day we cooked and ate 6 different dishes including 1 desert dish. We made green curry paste from scratch and at the end did some Thai fruit tasting, I'm proper full up now. Back at the guesthouse and we had an hours wait before getting the overnight double decker coach to Bangkok.