Thailand... Sawadee ma krup. Hitting the ground in Bangers is always an assault on the senses. The blow was softened by our very good friends Kate and Enrique, who kindly put us up and took us for drinks. Thank you. Cold Tiger beer, large- 60baht. Certainly is nice to be back.
One of the highlights of our trip came a few days later... The Tiger Temple, near Kanchanburi. Although the beasts seemed doped up to me, it was a fabulous experience, to have a tigers head in your lap and scrunch it's ears, is pretty special. Didn't have to tell Mezzy to cheer up.
Amazingly enough the dogs were playing the tigers that weekend, so I wore my colours and have a great photo for you Col. Hehe. I should add folks that the tigers are rescued orphans, hand reared by a monk who is world famous for his handling techniques. [Abit like Robin Hood at mr.crix's place I reckon]. Theres a few helpers walking around with serious scratch scars on various parts of their bodies and faces, which could be a little disconcerting. But well worth the trip and admission fee. We stayed at 'Little Creek Resort' which was excellent. Say hi to Nam for us if you're ever in the restaurant. They do great Som-tam too.
Hooning around the streets of Thai towns on scooters is alot of fun, and sometimes dangerous. Just ask Mez, she'll tell you.
Chiang Mai was our next destination. The north wests regional capital. Very nice. Well impressed. My favourite meal of this trip was had at a traditional Thai bbq here. Basically a massive shed without walls in a car park. 85baht and you eat as much as you like. Thats not quite 3 bux. Theres a huge variety of stuff to cook on your own little bbq, and to put into the soup that surrounds your bbq. Alot of if was of unknown origins, but that was half the fun. Not for vegos. Theres no touristics, but a young Thai pop group who belt out really bad covers. Excellent. The chilli sauce there IS hot, and the beer ice cold, but the waiters will try and put ice in it. Beware. Finding it on the scooter is a journey in itself. Head towards the zoo and ask for 'Sakonta'. Well worth it.
The panda bears at Chiang Mai Zoo were another highlight. Fascinating creatures. Kept in a huge air-conditioned glass enclosure. The zoo is enormous, and set over pretty serious terrain. Theres a vast amount of enclosures, with pictures of the animals on the handrails, but no actual animals. [Maybe thats what we were eating at the bbq] There were some monkeys, a couple of parrots, a rhino, 2 giraffes, some emus, lots of lizards and quite alot of crocs in sadly overcrowded cells. 'Mainly people come for the Pandas' the fella said.
The scooter ride beyond the zoo, up the mountain to the temple overlooking the city is worth the time. Resist the urge to buy a 'Chiang Mai' sausage from the lady at the scooter parking zone. Head up the dragon staircase and marvel at the beauty of this golden temple. The life size jade buddha would look nice in my living room. Awesome.
From Chiang Mai we headed northwest again towards the Myanmar border, to a little town called Pai. First impressions of this smoky dustbowl, were not great, but it grows on you. 'Rim Pai Cottages' is the place to stay in town. They do an excellent fruit salad with yoghurt for breakfast. While in Pai we took the opportunity to ride an elephant, which I have to admit is damn scary. A huge beast, who at any stage, could knock you off and trample you to death. The man assured us that this doesn't happen very often. Elephants love the water, and swimming around with them is alot of fun, in a terrifying kind of way. Another highlight indeed.
With less than a week left we decided to hit the beach, so we made our way to Koh Pipi, an island that was mostly knocked out by the tsunami. The scars are well evident, and the prices reflect the devastation and desparation. It wasn't cheap, nor was it particularly desirable. 3 nights around the other side of the island in a bungalow on the beach restored our balance. Frosty banana shakes for breakfast are a Thai delight. Check out the view from our bungalow. Hard to say goodbye to that, but the show must go on.