Chiangmai city
The city town here is awesome, really nice city with a relaxed vibe, heaps smaller that Bangkok but heaps cultural. We met up with Shaye n Lee who r travelling through Asia on the way to live with us in France, well meet up with them in Paris in a few days. Was heaps good swapping stories n hearing what they’ve been up to on their travels so far.
We’re staying at the nicest place in the city, a 2 story wooden Thai house run by young artists n musicians, really relaxed and so chilled it’s horizontal. We met them out the other night when we went for a few drinks in an area called rege street was heaps more than just rege tho, jazz bands on one bar old school cover band in another, and a Thai metal band! So epic, Thai punks everywhere doing fire shows n creating chaos! Haha ended us drinking with the Thai guys from our place till the early hours! So much fun! The weekend market was so big with food and so much cheap clothes and souvenirs, went there 2 nights in a row and ate o much I felt sic, but the food is so good I just don’t realise I’m full n just keep eating. Haha
We hired scooters n headed up to a temple on the mountain near chang mai city, was a fun scooter trip but the temple was a but ho hum, seen a few n there all the same. The temperature is so mild it’s sometimes cold as, up the mountain was soo cold in the shade, hooking along on the scooter wishing I had brought a jumper with me. We also went to the tiger kingdom, awesome! We decided to pay n go in the cage with 3 tigers, so so good to see the magic animals up close n pat them. We hired a photographer to take photos of us! So worth it all up bout 10$ aus! Saw baby cubs and the old huge male ‘Rambo’ weighing in at 350kg! Such a massive creature, n so glad we went to see them!

We had to regrettably leave chang mai and head back to Bangkok for out connecting flight to France. We arrived in the city in a place called kasan road, Wow bout 5 am and lady boys n drunk tourists everywhere, rank! Got a shitty as room, it didn’t even have a power point! And on the 5th floor but load of stairs, waaa! Not even slightly bad compared to what happened to matt n jess. They had 10,000 bart stolen from them at sum stage on the bus trip to Bangkok. And they only just realised when they went to pay for the room. It’s about 350$ aus, really shit seeing we will be in France in 2 days, we all need all the money we can get!
We headed out on out last night in Thailand, thought we might go out with a bang n we we did that in style! Night started at a bar with a live band, which was really good, thai blokes doing covers of old classics, they love it! Met a heap of ppl all on the way throught Bangkok, hearing stories n telling a few of my own, Funny stuff. Went exploring the town a bit later on n found a club, which I had to be patted down to get in. was so huge, a really basic unassuming entrance with all the lights off, opened up into an epic space with a really high sealing stone bar with couches, and a huge DJ stage, lasers, good music, so nice. After that finished bout 2 causeof the curfew headed to a street stall to drink a few more beers, then another bar back in town. Just stayed there drinking n chatting till 11am! Didn’t bother going to bed, haha so much fun! Part from I got my camera stolen at sum point! Waaa only lost a few snaps n the camera was a bit buggered anyway, still ******* annoying. Later on that day bout 9pm headed to the airport, next stop France!

Chiangmai
After 22 hours on 2 busses 1 border crossing we’re back in Thailand in chiangmai, the first overnight bus was pimp as, nice chairs, blankets, TV, double Decker, all good! Well till they turned on the tv! First we watched a bond move from half way with laos dubbing and no subtitles TWICE! Cause the dvd stuffed up, then we watched some Asian sope opera! Random but funny to watch, then the driver put on a mixed cd!… haha the bus was pimp as but not this pimp, r’n’b gangster dance music really loud!! Hahaha the bus was half full n everyone just wanted to go to sleep cause there was noting else to do! But no the driver n his mates up the front had diff ideas. Gets better! After they played that fro a bit! Karaoke anyone?? To bad your going to get it anyway! Hahaha so shit but in a funny way, this was in the space of me waiting for my sleeping pills to kick in, thank god I bought them!
Rudely awoken by a massive jolt as the bus hurtles along a shitty as single lane road, to find we’re on gravel! What? Dbl decker pimp as bus on a gravel mountain road! Waaa so rough! Was so strange sections were sealed n others just gravel, like someone had stolen sections of the tarmac! So strange! It’s like 2 am at this stage, n managed to get back to sleep.

Lang probang
Headed off bout 10am n only just made it to the bus stop on time! Oops. Buss trip was about 10 hours n slept for a heap of it, waking every half an hour or so to my head hitting the window or chair in front as we smash over ditches and ruts in the road. The countryside was so beautiful steep as mountains and hectic dodge as roads, average speed of about 40kmh! The bus broke down but the Laos bus driver sorted it out tho pulled something out n had it fixed n back in within 20 mins!
Matt n jesses mate soph is starting out on her 4 month SE Asian holiday n came to meet us in Lang probang, nice to see a familiar face. She lived in Jindabyne last season and gave us a lift to the airport in Sydney. Lang probabg is such a nice as place loads of culture n really nice atmosphere, we went n saw the monks do their parade at 6 am one morning, theirs about 100 of them snaking through the town in single file with ppl giving them food, flowers n gifts. Was amazing to see them all with their shaved heads n orange roabs, huge range of ages some really old, to young kids bout 12.
We went n checked out the silk weaving n spinning over the river, was interesting as to see how It’s done so painstaking. On average takes one lady about a month to make a 2m y 1m piece of silk. Pending on the quality of the silk all really cheap and couldn’t find anything over 100$. Sorry mum only thing I could afford was to take photos! Hehe. Saw a lady making paper by hand in a screen like grade 4 art style. They make all sorts of lanterns n books n albums, the kinds of things your mum n grandmother would froth over.
Went to see a waterfall (another one) but this one made up for the other dud ones we couldn’t find! Wow! So massive, and the water running down was a aqua milky blue from the mineral content, there were pools lined with mineral deposits formed for millions or years, there was a rope swing at one point (wofle compared to tubing hehe) but made a really nice place for a swim, nice n cool n didn’t matter it started to rain.

It’s a hard life!
So yesterday was my 3rd day tubing, no tube tho, just swim to the bars cheap as, bout 1.20$ for a taxi there, beers are 1.20$ big as long necks! Nice! There is a bottle of whiskey on every bar! It’s free help your self! Haha to the point where you can just take a whole bottle to your table! Not that you’d want to have too much cause its pretty rubbish, taste ok but the next day hangover, so bad! Controlled myself with the drinking, n powered through 12 hours of dancing n water sports! So good! But today no good at all I’m sic as can’t hold anything in, gut cramps n can’t sleep! Waaaa! spent the day in bed! N I was meant to go tubing again n meet up with mates form previous days! Waaaa! So sore from dancing my arms n legs Cain along with a sore gut! It’s been a good run 5 weeks eating everything and anything, first time sic! O well tubing tomorrow if I feel ok! Hehehe loving life!

All a bunch of wasters!
So that’s 4 days tubing n still loving life! Bought 1 drink all day! Got a job! Well sorta, had to give out cotton bracelets telling ppl that cheap as drinks at bar 2 and before 9 thirty they can get buckets for 10,000 at Q bar in town! Yep that’s right ppl third bottle of whiskey concentrate redbull and a dash of sprite or coke! Yep you guessed it that’s like 1.15$ aus! Hahaha most irresponsible service of alcohol since full moon party, only for helping out! got a few free drinks n danced n rope swinged myself through 7 bars along the river! Best time ever pitty I have to go tomoro off at 10! Out n about tonight meeting up with a heap pf ppl for dinner n then off to Q bar! See what tonight will bring! O YEAH!

(there are 3 blokes in this pic! one of them is wasted, can you tell which one???? HAHAHA)

After a full ray recovering!
Hired some scooters bout lunchtime, headed in search of the caves on the island an a place called blue lagoon, wow so epic! The lagoon was this epic water whole, rope swings, the usual bars n such, the water was a turquoise colour cause of the minerals running out of the cave up the hill. Was nice to swim in cool water for once, the ocean and rivers so far have been like a bath! Up into the cave with one torch between the 3 of us, so huge like natures cathedral. 35m atleast to the top and 60 across n headed back into the black bat cave! Mat cut his foot when tubing n was limping bad so we didn’t go in to far but still so amazing! On the way up to the cave wasn’t to bad, like a ladder but on the wsy down, jeeez! Controlled fall! Haha dense as jungle with a cool breeze flowing out of the cave was a nice change. On the way home tried heading to another cave but was a 30 min walk to get into it, n with matts foot we decided against it. But wild life wow, herds of cows on the gravel road with young ones in tow, it’s the time of year I suppose. Puppies dashing across the road made the drive interesting almost crashed into the back of Matt’s scooter cause of baby chickens! Haha. Awww! Got off the graven in search of another cave n belting on a thin as bush track come around a corner n full on into about 15 water buffalo! Huge animals, quick u bolt n into the trees for cover, fearful as animals so epic to see them in the wild! With babies and 2 albino buffalo would have been a sic Kodak moment! O yeah that’s right we got wasted n broke our camera yesterday! haha O well one for the memory! On the way home stopped for a snack, really close to the start of the tubing bars! Couldn’t resist! Do it again! On my own! Met up with a few mates form yesterday. Hahaha epic few hours n didn’t do to large cause I still had to drive. Driving a scooter is hard enough on these roads with pot wholes n no apparent road rules! Now have to drive on the right had side! Laos was colonised by the French, thus driving on the right! Haha. All good tho, organised to do it all again tomorrow! I love tubing! Haha wish you were all here!

A day to remember
OMG!!! The most scared I’ve been in my entire life!!! No joke!
Rolled into getting sorted for the tubing experience aboat mid day, bit hung over form the epic last night I had smashing buchets n dancing my ass off! Haha just can’t help myself haha. Jumped on a tuk tuk n headed to the start line getting pumped up by the randoms who were raving about it n were going for their 2nd day in a row! Not to mention the guy who has been every day for 320 days!! Another bloke 108, Swedish chic I met 18 days, the list goes on! And I can see why!! I’m finding it really hard to put it into words! But basically the biggest rope swings I’ve ever seen + a river + alcohol + defining loud music + mud pits + body paint = AWSEOME!! Ppl say it’s like Ibiza on water! can’t remember having a better time anywhere! ….. But then!
19 hours later! 7 am! Shit! my head hurts, I’ve lost an earring, my bathroom is covered in mud, I had to smash the loch off the door to my room cause matt n jess had my key, wow what an epic day n night! Thought better go see if matt n jess r ok, I lost them at sum point in the arvo. They didn’t answer the door after me bashing on it. Got a key from reception to check if they were just passed out asleep in there! Nope not in there room! O shit where are they! Waited about for an hour, went looking in town, went o sunrise bar where they might be passed out sum where! Nope! Shit! So scared cause when I last saw them we were heaps pissed! 3 ppl this year have died doing tubing n heres me thinking it’s going to he 5!! Stressing big time, almost to the point of being sic. Sitting I my room peaking out trying not to think about it, passing time n thinking where the closest police station or hospital was!…. bout an hour n a half later, tap tap on my door! Awesome mat n jess r ok! They lost each other down the river jess was sitting on her own with a Laos bloke round a fire when she heard matt yelling help from the river! No idea how they found each other! Completely lost n no one around! And in the dark now! They ended up sleeping on some deck thing in the middle of nowhere! With a friendly as Laos fisherman! They got up n floated for an hour before getting back to town! Not before doing shots with their new found friend! I was so happy n relived they were ok! Never been so scared in my life! Totally doing it again! See how I feel in a few hours! Waster! Hahaha loving life! Small bad incident tho, matts camera is stuffed! Water n mud not such a good idea! Bummer.

I love Laos!

Spent the night in viet tani in after getting out visas at the train station, my first impressions bout Laos were mixed, stoked to b in a diff country but as the capital viet tani wasn’t that good, the vibe just wasn’t there. Loads of buildings being built but no real signature laos culture, well not yet! The tok tok drivers still always harassing you for rids even tho the town was tiny and I’m very capable of walking, o yeah n by the way, there all drug dealers! No shit, I heard of another traveller at sum point about it but didn’t believe it.

Driver; ‘tok tok?’

Me; ‘nah thanks’

Driver; ‘smoke?’

Me; ‘nah mate’

Driver; ‘opium?’

Me; ‘huh?…… Nah thanks’

Matt; ‘did he just say what I thought he said?’

Me; ‘I think so!?’

Sneaking suspicion that if you were to make a purchase they’d take you on your tuk tuk ride n just happen to drop you off at the cop shop, haha shazam! in a laos jail awesome fun! Not! Hahaha! Happened like 5 times since we’ve been there! Crazy. Spose it’s like Amsterdam only the tourists get wasted n the locals know about it n don’t go crazy with it haha!

Got a minivan trip to viet vien, over some of the most beautiful countryside I’ve seen since I’ve been here, plains of rice growing with farmers tending to it with water buffalo scattered throughout, with amazing ruggered mountains in the background! Epic! The van trip was cramped as, 3.5 hours over crazy mountain roads going fast as round blind corners, overtaking at the worst times! Haha kinda used to it now.

Viet vien is famous for ‘tubing’ an epic day where you float down a fiver with bars on the shore yelling at you do buy drinks with pumping music, water slides, rope swings, mud pits, o yeah n mix that with a few buckets of booz! I’ve been told it’s like Ibiza on water! I’ll see for myself later on today! Hehehe can’t wait.

Went out last night, so good! Biggest party town, middle of the most amazing mountains that remind me of the walls of Jerusalem in Tas. heaps of tourists and the most epic vibe, with awesome friendly locals, heaps of bars n lounge areas. Met heaps of new ppl, a bloke from Hawaii, girls ‘sisters’ from Holland, giggity! Drank n danced the night away, again! Haha Had a local Laos spirits, for the came cost as a long neck beer 10,000 kip ($1.20) we ordered a bottle to share, came out to the table in a resealed glass pepsi bottle!! Dodgy as but I’m all about recycling n the environment n stuff! haha Was rank strong but between 3 of us we shotted the lot! Haha this place is awesome!… Tubing today can’t wait!!!!!

A day to remember

OMG!!! The most scared I’ve been in my entire life!!! No joke!

Rolled into getting sorted for the tubing experience aboat mid day, bit hung over form the epic last night I had smashing buchets n dancing my ass off! Haha just can’t help myself haha. Jumped on a tuk tuk n headed to the start line getting pumped up by the randoms who were raving about it n were going for their 2^nd day in a row! Not to mention the guy who has been every day for 320 days!! Another bloke 108, Swedish chic I met 18 days, the list goes on! And I can see why!! I’m finding it really hard to put it into words! But basically the biggest rope swings I’ve ever seen + a river + alcohol + defining loud music + mud pits + body paint = AWSEOME!! Ppl say it’s like Ibiza on water! can’t remember having a better time anywhere! ….. But then!

19 hours later! 7 am! Shit! my head hurts, I’ve lost an earring, my bathroom is covered in mud, I had to smash the loch off the door to my room cause matt n jess had my key, wow what an epic day n night! Thought better go see if matt n jess r ok, I lost them at sum point in the arvo. They didn’t answer the door after me bashing on it. Got a key from reception to check if they were just passed out asleep in there! Nope not in there room! O shit where are they! Waited about for an hour, went looking in town, went o sunrise bar where they might be passed out sum where! Nope! Shit! So scared cause when I last saw them we were heaps pissed! 3 ppl this year have died doing tubing n heres me thinking it’s going to he 5!! Stressing big time, almost to the point of being sic. Sitting I my room peaking out trying not to think about it, passing time n thinking where the closest police station or hospital was!…. bout an hour n a half later, tap tap on my door! Awesome mat n jess r ok! They lost each other down the river jess was sitting on her own with a Laos bloke round a fire when she heard matt yelling help from the river! No idea how they found each other! Completely lost n no one around! And in the dark now! They ended up sleeping on some deck thing in the middle of nowhere! With a friendly as Laos fisherman! They got up n floated for an hour before getting back to town! Not before doing shots with their new found friend! I was so happy n relived they were ok! Never been so scared in my life! Totally doing it again! See how I feel in a few hours! Waster! Hahaha loving life! Small bad incident tho, matts camera is stuffed! Water n mud not such a good idea! Bummer.

i'll put more pics when matts camera dries out! oops there should be some epic ones!!!