Chiang Mai

Thailand is split into three distinct areas. The south is dominated by beaches and famous resorts, the centre by Bangkok, and the north by the cultural hub of Chiang Mai. If you want to learn how to do Thai massages, speak the language, trek to remote hill tribes, Chiang Mai is the place people come. We made a stop here on our way into Laos.
We passed on seeing a Muay Thai, Thai Boxing, fight in Bangkok solely due to the outlandish prices they were charging foreigners. However we were lucky to get to see a fight for a much more reasonable sum while in Chiang Mai. We arrived at the 'stadium' to see the fights and were very surprised to see 14 year old kids kicking and punching each other to bits in the ring. After overcoming our initial shock we really enjoyed seeing the national sport in the flesh. We even got to see a knockout and a female match where a Chinese girl destroyed a Thai girl much to the crowds horror.
Food is integral to Thai culture, you simply cannot escape it. There are street stalls on every corner of every city. One thing you can be sure of is that the famous Thai chillies are never far away. So, we decided to treat ourselves to a 1-day cooking course run by a famous Thai TV Chef who has done shows for the BBC. It was great fun and very fulfilling both physical and emotionally. We got to cook 6 traditional Thai dishes ranging from fried noddles in sweet soy sauce to chicken in yellow curry. All our dishes came out reasonably well and we still haven't experienced and symptons of food poisoning so things look good.
Tomorrow we are off the Laos, which we are told feels like you have stepped back into the 1970's.

Coup d'Etat

Ok, hands up who has lived through a military coup. As most people know a military coup occured in Thailand last week with much fanfare. Leighanne and I arrived back into Bangkok early on the morning most Thais were waking up to the news that their country was under martial law. As the bus moved through the city we noticed large numbers of soldiers on the streets, but it never crossed our minds that a coup had just occured. However, in true Thai style it was extremely peaceful and full of smiling faces and flowers. The images on the local news showed little Thai ladies giving the soldiers yellow flowers to attach to their camouflage. There had been lots of news coverage of the former Prime Minister in the paper, especially after the tragic bombings in the south of the country. So, most people supported the coup, especially when the unbelievably popular King decided it was the right thing to do. The Thai King is celebrating his 60th year on the throne and is the longest serving monarch in the world. The Thai people love the King with enthusiastic emotion. The Kings' colour is yellow and everyday the majority of people throughout Thailand wear yellow shirts in honour of the King. So, regardless of what the sensationalist Western press was reporting, life in the Thai capital went on as usual.
Bangkok is a huge city full of cars, buses and pollution, but it is great fun. There is a certain energy in Bangkok that other major cities lack. You are never far away from an engaging market, glitzy shopping centre or peaceful temple, which are all dying to be explored. How can you not love a city where you can sit in the largest traffic jam you have ever seen and not a single person honks their horn.

The Islands

After submitting Leighanne new passport application we headed directly to the famous islands in the Gulf of Thailand. A decision had to be made, which piece of paradise do you pick. We opted for Koh Pha Ngan and ended up being extremely pleased that we did. After a long tiring bus trip from Bangkok full of just released military duty Israeli we boarded the ferry for Koh Pha Ngan. We based ourselves at Bottle Beach an idyllic strip of white sand only accesible by long boat. It was the perfect place to do absolutely nothing. We spent an enchanting week sitting on the beach, swimming in the crystal clear water, and sampling the extensive range of Thai food on offer. After our week on the beach our batteries were sufficiently recharged and we headed back to Bangkok.

Taj Mahal and India

After a couple days recovering from jet lag in Bombay we hoped a night train to Agra and the home of the Taj Mahal. The train was our first taste of the fabled Indian rail system. Night trains and me don't really go well together. Inevitably I'm to tall for the bunks, so my feet stick out into the walkway and get continually knocked. Along with the multitudes of staring people the constant sound of 'chai, chai, chai' echoing through the compartment, the journey didn't lend itself to a relaxing night sleep. When we stepped off the train the next morning we were in much worse shape then when we had left 21 hrs before.
Agra itself is a total dump, not disimilar to the rest of India. However, probably the one thing in India that exceeds all the billing, the Taj Mahal, is nestled within the madness. The Taj was built by the ruling king in the 1600's as a mausoleum for his deceased wife who died giving birth to his 14th child. It is simply stunning. I won't even try to describe it. It is an architectural gem of brilliant marble and semi-precious stone, probably unparalleled on the planet. The four perfectly symmetric sides glisten in the sun.
After Agra we headed west into Rajastan to Jaipur. Jaipur is the so called 'pink city' due to its painted old town and fort overlooking the city. Unfortunately by this stage India had run its course with us and we made the difficult decision to seek greener pastures. We got a flight back to Bombay and headed to Goa and the beaches.
Goa is a lush area of meandering rivers and forests falling onto palm fringed beaches. We spent a few days in the capital Paniji while I recovered from a hefty dose of 'Delhi Belly'. You have to stop and wonder why after 5 months of street food in Africa with no ill effects I all of a sudden get a shocking case of the runs within a week of landing in India, hmmm? After I had sufficiently recovered we moved onto the beach at Palolem. Undeniably, the beach and water is beautiful, however it's all tainted by the rubbish on the sand. We were told it takes a small army of women to clean the beach each day in the high season so that it looks respectable for the tourists.
After Goa we spent a couple more days in Bombay before flying out to Thailand. Our last couple days coincided with the finish of the annual Ganesh festival. Millions of people bring statues of Ganesh (Elephant God), small and large, down to the beach and put the statues into the sea. Its quite a site seeing the people singing and dancing while they transport their cherished idol to the seafront.
It's unfortunate that we didn't enjoy India, I'm sure it has many wonderful things to see and do. However as anyone who has ever visited will tell you, you either love it or hate it, and we tended towards the latter.