The young country

Well it's been a long time between posts and I must admit I'm starting to get a bit weary so I think it's a sign that it's nearly time for home.
I'm posting this blog from Dili, East Timor and the internet isn't so fast here and most of my things are in Bali so unfortunately no photos just yet..
Going back I made it to Bangkok and spent a couple of days by the pool which was nice. It really is a big city though and I found it a bit overwhelming. It probably didn't help that I found out how much a city of the night is really is - particularly after 2 am when all the bars close and people move onto the street to eat and drink at little portable bars. I met some really interesting people there but maybe could have slept more!
Luckily my friend Berenice who I met in Laos and Cambodia flew over to meet me and we spent some time looking around the city. We caught a boat up the river to the Grand Palace and also went to Wat Pho which were both amazing places and absolutely beautiful. We also found a meditation centre before meeting up with my Spanish friends Rendo and Olalla and had a bit of a big night. It wasn't difficult for them to convince us to move across to to the Khao San area which was surprising much nicer than Sukhumvit where I stayed previously - maybe a bit more touristy but quieter too.
My visa had actually expired so I was illegal for a few days before I jumped on a flight to Bali. My old friend Jim's family live in Bali so they can go to school so I spent 1 night there before getting a plane for East Timor - the youngest country in the world(?).
I arrived in Dili and had a good afternoon catching up with my old mate and having a bit of a look around town. We ended up at a nightclub that night and I was blown away by the live band there. I think music is the only outlet for a lot of young people here and the music was great.
After a bit of a late start the next day we hired a 4 wheel drive and headed up out of Dili to have a bit more of a look around the island. We arrived at Baucau around dusk and stayed in what is a luxury hotel for East Timor which Jim was looking at for his East Timor Hotels website. It is a lot higher up that Dili and so was a bit cooler (but still warm).
The next day we headed even further east and it was great driving from up in the mountains down to the beach and back up again. We went to Tutuala which is the far east of East Timor and went down to the beach where you can get a local fishing boat across to Jaco Island. We didn'y actually go across but the beach was lovely.
We then headed to the town of Lospalos which is in the mountains to the east. It's rainy season over here and the rain kicked in just after lunch and it poured down for hours. Coming from Melbourne I haven't seen rain like that for years but I tried my best to send it home!
Jim has a mate Carlos who runs a hotel in Lospalos and it was Carlos son's christening which is a big, big affair in East Timor. I was lucky enough to experience a Timorese party with lots of locals and Portuguese.
The next morning we headed off early to beat the rain to Dili.
We're heading to Bali tomorrow and I think I will do a quick trick to Yogyakata before doing some bodysurfing in Bali and heading home.
Sorry to say that means that soon it will be the end of my blog for all those living vicariously through it! Thanks for your support though - and maybe there will still a post or 2 before I get back..

What Wat??

Well since leaving Chiang Mai I'm beginning to feel a bit Wat'ed out! I just visted Sukhothai historical park - the ruins of the first capital of Thailand and where the Thai language comes from. I arrived in the New Sukhothai the early evening and checked in before making my way down to the weekend food festival. There were stalls from many businesses and small opeartors and I ate delicious food for really cheap prices. After an early night I headed out the old city of Sukhothai and hired a bicycle. There are hundreds fo ruins around and riding a bike around the area was a great way to see all the different areas and visit nearly all the ruins.
There were many Chinese celebrations going on in New Sukhothai that night - a family celebration for the new year I think.. I ate yummy street food before another early night.

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The following morning I got myself a motorscooter and headed out for Si Satchanalai which was another important city in the area during the time Sukhothai was the capital. It was a 60km ride and seemed to take longer to get there than get back but I thought it was really great. Although not as big as Sukhothai it was a lot more relaxed and had a much more natural setting. Of course there were much less tour groups and other vistors and it was layed out over a larger space and was great. The temples were in better condition and also showed more architectual styles. There is some local styles as well as Khmer and Sri Lankan temples in the area. It didn't take me too long to look around on the scooter so I was back to New Sukhothai in the afternoon and got a bus to Arruthaya arriving late that night.

Arruthaya I think was the second capital of Siam after Sukhothai and there is a UNESCO Historical Park situated throughout the current city. I had a bit of a sleep in but again hired a scooter to get out and have a look at the many Wats and temples around the city. The temples here are in better shape than those in Sukhotahi, but they are a also bit newer. There are some great Buddha statues here - one is the largest in Thailand and some other beautiful old ones. It's funny but I tried to take photos of the one I liked the best and the same thing has happened that occurred in the historical park I visited a few weeks ago and the shots have come out all blurred (maybe I'm shaking too much!). So as mentioned I'm nearly overloaded on the Wat and temple stakes and are heading to good old Bangkok to relax by a pool for a couple of days. Of course I will have to visit the major Wat's there too but the further south I get the warmer it is getting too and I'm stuggling a bit with the heat. All my friends in Melbourne are probably jealous of the fact that I've been a bit cooler and the fires down there sound pretty full on so I won't complain too much! I must admit I'm not enjoying Thailand as much as my other destinations.. It's much further developed and I can't help but feeling a bit like I'm just lloked at like a wallet. Of course there are some lovely local people but also plenty looking to make money!

Northern Thailand - Chiang Mai and Pai

Chiang Mai is a nice town. It's hard to think that it's the second city behind Bangkok because it just doesn't feel very big at all.
We had a couple of relaxing days just looking around which was nice, I found the 'trendy' art gallery area. There are very many good food options in this town so I made the most of that too. There are also nearly as many Wats in Chiang Mai as there are in Bangkok and considering the size difference they seem to be everywhere.



We decided then to visit Pai which is in the mountains to the north of Chiang Mai. It is also a 'boutiquey' little town and probably not really like anywhere else in Thailand. I get the feeling that Pai has changed a lot in the last few years as there were quite a few Thai tourists there and apparently going to Pai and camping 'in the cold' is the thing to do at the moment!
It also used to be a bit of a hippie haven but it seemed to me that that side of things was dying out - maybe I just wasn't there long enough..
The food is great in Pai as is the live music scene and we saw some great music in the 3 days that we were there. Adam made friends with Cat (from London) in the bus on the way up so the 3 of us hung around and looked at some of the many sites on offer out of Pai. After a long hike not quite to a waterfall on day one we got motorbikes and went and found some waterfalls the next day.

We visited 'Coffee in Love' which is a coffee shop that is very popular with Thai people (I think it was in a movie) but the best places we found were heading north out of Pai into the countryside. This is getting into local tribal areas and the landscape was beautiful. We also visited a national park with some hot springs that we could bathe in which was great.






After a few nights I decided to head back to Chiang Mai to sort out my visa. Thailand has recently changed its visa rules and if you cross into the country on foot you only get a 15 day visa. I had to buy an extension and could only get 7 more days so I won't be spending too long here! A relaxing day or 2 here back on my own for the first time in a while and then onto Sukhothai..