06 May 2006

Guys what can I say

how about BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thailand is fantastic, have I said that yet? This could be time to
interject some songs into this long written and very sweatily done letter
home as today it is far far hotter than yesterday but apart from don't stop
me now I am having such a good time what else is there to write?

My good friend Joe who always felt better around me as he thought he had no
tan until he met me would I believe be envious as I have now got a tan which
is dirty brown in places and it still improving. So Joe it takes time thats
for sure but definitely worth it and you would be so proud.
Mum, even my back is brown so thats you happy although in this heat, I don't
wont go skinny just let the sun burn me through my chang or singha t-shirts

So before I endeavor to write the last week up I must say hello to James and
Becky and apologize for not meeting up. I have been on lonely beach for a
week mind but its a big place and dark at night but beautiful so keep
smiling and living the dream. I must also need to say hi to Belinda and Big
Dunc who are real good friends and it will be good to see them soon. When I
say soon I will be in England before my visa runs out and before I need to
go to spain as I have some things to sort in the uk.

Right then where did I get to about last week. Oh yes Vicky arrived with Jet
lag, the shits and general tiredness and I managed to get her out of that
quite quickly.
Skip to Friday last week, you remember it was cold and rainy and windy,
right? Really were you in chang Mai as well!
Hot Shots at Porn Ping was always worth a return visit for those that know
and Thursday night was no exception. We got there a little early and maybe a
little too sober but still it was great fun especially when the whole band
had a fight and then walked out of the club leaving us with jack daniels and
euro dance you know the latest one - When you go to san franciso, ensure you
wear flowers in your hat to a techno beat loud and fast and another top 70s
song ruined by thai dance and no doubt in spain later this year. This went
on for about an hour and then finally the band all came back on looking not
too happy with things and carried on. You had the feeling that their hearts
were not in it tonight. We left about 12 midnight and it was pouring with
rain and so had an early night as big adventures awaited us.
Friday was hot here in Chang Mai, its always hot mind so not much difference
really. We were off on a craft trip, you know how silk is made and how
silver and gold jewellry is made and how laquered wood is produced. For
those yawning it was actually quite (stress quite) interesting.
The silk farm producing centre/place was good as we saw from catepillar
through to being boiled as pupa the way silk is harvested, spung together
and then woven into scarfs, hats, ties, bed spreads, cheese oh i dont know
anything they want to weave.
The wood centre was ok, basically they get some wood, covering in laquer
from the laquer tree then add gold leaf or egg shell or engrave etc onto it.
Amazing. Really
The silver centre was better and those who have checked ringo will see
silver ring moulds and that is how they make or rather mass produce rings
and then hand finish them through polishing and adding gem stones and we saw
all that going on there.
The gold place was apparently the largest jewellry shop in the world and it
was very big full of gold and jade and other stones which we had the tour of
and then again someone walked us round trying to convince me to buy stuff
(same same) which naturally I never. So there you go, I managed to make that
sound dead exciting and well after an hour and a half that was that and so I
wanted to do something else so I asked our guide if we could go to a local
waterfall as that sounded fun and once he checked with his boss yes we were
off to some falls near mae rim about 18km away.
I said its hot yes, I was in a 4x4 with a tour guide in the heat with air
con (ring any bells). Yes we got halfway there and in the middle of not much
and yes thats right the 4x4 stopped. It had run out of petrol. Fancy that.
The guide, sorny legs up the road shouting he will return with fuel. So me
and vicky sit in the heat sweating alone by the side of the road waiting.
That was marginally interesting as some thai guys maybe working for a power
company were putting up electricity cables by hand so I watched that. After
20 mins I was hot and thirsty and hot so I walked off leaving vicky alone
and headed towards some to see if there was a shop etc. What I did discover
was a leisure resort with pool, sauna and gym and half a dozen thai people
not doing much. I got some water after a while, I did not want a swim, I
wanted a drink!!!! you work it out.
I headed back to the 4x4 and then got vicky got in some shade and waited for
Sorny which he did on the back of a motorbike with about 2 pints of petrol,
good lad.!
We headed into Mae rim town and Storny I think was hungry so we went into a
bar and ate which to be fair was good and cheap.
Afterwards we got to the waterfalls. Luckily it had been raining so they
were inclusive of water and that was good. There were 10 waterfalls here and
so off we went to see them all.
Something to note, the heat in the city is different to the heat at the
beach which is different to the heat in a rainforest. This heat by the falls
was steamy and damp. Vicky stopped at fal number 7 and I carried on upto
fall number 10 which was great and although I have not posted many pictures
on Ringo there is a couple on there and I have no idea what numbers they
are, doubt its that important.
Walking back I started to melt and I met back up with vicky and we headed
back down stopping along the way to see some crazy thai standing the other
side of some big falls wondering why and how he got across but then as the
thai feel no fear and the kids were swimming in them I could eventually see
why.
We got back to Chang about 4pm and after some MORE errands for Tony (hi
mate) I wrote you guys letters from the moon for the previous week.
Later that night we ate in the Changmai Saloon which was great and then we
headed to the Star Bar so I could beat vicky at pool all night.
The star Bar was next to the kick boxing and lady boy show and so was always
fun except tonight we had big long heavy rain from the moment we got there
(about 10pm) and the rain never really stopped till sometime saturday
morning.
The star is up for sale big boy so theres an opportunity...........
Bjorn and Pim are going home to belgium once its sold and so no more killer
ice tea cocktails which is a shame.
Tony you were right about the lady boys, my final night there (perhaps they
knew) we had a topless show which made me choke on my singha somewhat.
Anyway that is final memory of Chang Mai at night, far too rainy to do the
bars and had to get up early for the flight to bangkok.
The flight from Chang to Bangkok was a flight from Chang to Bangkok. Great.
The airport was the same, the people were different.
The 45 minute flight from Bangkok to Trat was great. Propellor plane,
turbulence and a packed lunch and we landed at an airport smaller than
samuis in the rain. Ace.
The tram from the plane to the wooden hut (called arrivals) had to go across
the mud and grass as there was a plane blocking the road.
We got a taxi bus from the airport to Koh Chang and directly to Lonely Beach
in Kon Chang.
The ferry was another form of transport, roll on and roll off. No safety
ropes so you can stand right at the front or back. It was a 30 jaunt across
some water to Koh Chang. The ferry drops you off at a pier and then your
transport joins the traffic up a 1 in 3 hill back to the beaches or
whereever you are going. There are no other buidings just a hut with a lorry
stoved into one side of it, which had obvisously lost control.
Hey but no one seemed to mind/notice/worry everything carried on!!
We got to lonely beach without resort and first of all tried the white house
a bay further down and it looked ok but we walked around and saw no sand and
no bars so we went to an internet cafe looked up lonely beach and then
walked in that general direction until a taxi had stopped and carried us to
the resort we are at. We walked though to golden sands, sea and palm trees,
fantastic. This is where we will stay. And have. However Vicky and I (mainly
Vicky) decided we should share a room at the Bhiyuama beach resort at 1000
baht a night, may be more, I dont know.
The resort has 3 pools, aircon, fridge, free water, towels and is very
expensive for a budget traveller like me, but to be fair in this heat its
worth it and I am a little tired of huts for the moment and this is one way
to spend my time enjoying one of my final few weeks lying in the sun by the
sea under sky and palm trees drinking gin and tonic and eating bbq every
night at nature rocks or at treehouse.

Its great on Koh Chang. It really is. Once the rains passed it has been as
you already know hot, sunny, great views, cheap to eat and drink, fun to get
around and very laid back and really peaceful. With the locals and the
holiday makers and backpackers very friendly.

Not really done too much been to a few beaches and drank into the next day
most of the time, got up just in time for the midday sun, ate a lot and
escaped sun burn as I had a tan. Vicky is a multitude of colours from red to
white and brown in between. But from White comes colour I guess and this is
the place to come for a tan when you are that far away from home.
We have had a dvd player in the room and so for the evening siesta a film
and a beer very nice.

Seen a lot of lightening and storms and amazing sunsets. Tonight (for it is
Saturday) we are off to Tree house at 6 (bar opens) to sit and watch the
sunset then to Nature rocks for BBQ party and happy hour (7-10) all drinks
very cheap cheap.

Yesterday I had a highlight of my tour so far out in Thailand. We went
snorkelling around Ko Chang and it was amazing. Tony my old friend, Fear got
the better of me in Ko Tao I am afraid that is why I never went with you
(that and the drink). This is because I have fear of drowning and sunburn
and drowning alot.
But I went out and snorkelled around coral reef seeing many a fish, sponge,
coral etc and it was good. The boat was full of thai and not farang as
Friday here the start of the weekend (what a good idea) and so every one,
baby, kids, dads, mums, grandparents were on the boat with their food bags
and all sat with their life jackets on a very amusing sight. 20 minutes they
had all eaten then were asleep.
I did snorkel with my life jacket on but I felt safer that my so dont take
the piss. I also improved my tan on my legs and arms and next while vicky
went bright pink.
Now being on a tour boat out in the middle of the sea, in the heat, guess
what.............


YES THE BOAT BROKE DOWN, IT STOPPED WORKING, IT BOBBED IN THE SEA OUT
WITHOUT ANY POWER

How lucky am I that is out of the 4 guided trips I have so far done (Off to
Mae Hong Song, Pai and the day trip round the temples, Mae Rim Waterfalls
and this one) 75% have resulted in the vehicle breaking down. I love it.
Still nothing death defying happened whilst we were all out to sea
(literally) and so that was a great day to be had.
I must mention that we went from a curious place called Bang Bao, a village
entirely on Stilts and set into the sea. Very strange but quite pretty.

And so there we go again another 7 days of fun and odd adventures. I had
forgotten how different the islands were to the mainland but also how laid
back and fun they are. There lots of different bugs and big scary webs with
big scary spiders, bright coloured catepillars walking about, butterflies
the size of sparrow, lizards, crickets, frogs. In our garden in our bathroom
(really there is dirt bamboo and all sorts growing out of it ) we have frogs
and crickets and spiders and a lizard. Its ace.

You wont not be allowed that at home in the safe concious UK. But here its
all ok.

So my friends thank you for your patience at reading this drivel and I look
forward to sending you more letters from the moon next week.
I must also with mother happy retirement as she leaves work on wednesday
next week and I hope you have a relaxing time.

Bye Bye have fun and remember life is a journey not a destination. George,
Neil keep smiling. Mr Williams dont forget to my last email

Ching Ching my Son

Luke