Picking Up Essentials

Hola

I'm in Chang Mai. I arrived on this morning's overnight train from Bangkok on which I met some interesting, older people. I can't say that I had a good night sleep but nonetheless I actually feel fine. Amazing what being on holiday does to you!! Just outside the train station, I found the office that organises Mini Buses (I so hate mini buses in Thailand - worst way to travel but ain't got no choice, other than motorcycling it - backpack 'n all, not having had enough much sleep.... ummm nah) I've booked the 2pm one to Pai, a town 3.5hrs North West of here. Direction Burma but on Thai soil. Pai is supposed to be quite a cosmopolitan hippie hang out - one that is tipped to get trendy so I'm off to see it before it does.

Feeling quite happy with the decision taken, since my arrival at 10am this morn, I've managed to see enough of Chang Mai to agree that one should get out of here ASAP and b) I've picked up the most important supplies: travel hammock (a camping one), rope for the hammock (ironmonger's) my favourite perfume: L'Eau D'Issey (my other fav is out of stock) and a book I had in London that I stupidly left at home: Ant Egg Soup - a travel book by a French food tourist called Natacha Du Pont De Brie. Its all about traveling in Laos and getting that yummy meal. The perfume was the result of having to enter a shopping mall (to get to the camping store) yep it felt like I was back in the western world for an hour! I saw things that I left at home and was well enough behaved just to fall for the perfume, well hey, its a present to myself! Apart from that, I have a sneaky feeling that what happened earlier last month with the accumulation of shoes from 2 to 5 pairs is about to happen again only this time it'll be books haha! Ahhhh the joys of living out of a 60 litre bag.. I should post a picture of my beloved backpack soon :) It deserves it.

Yesterday I went back to Bangkok and Khaosan Rd to picked up my passport complete with visas :)) Was ever so happy to see it again!!

I'll be having dinner with Matt tonight. Quite luckily I have 4 friends up here at the mo: Mike (Michael), Silvia and Cecilia (two Italians 36yr olds I met in Ayutthaya) and Matt who on my recommendation has done what I am just about to do... get out of Chang Mai asap.... I hope to see the others (who are based in Chang Mai) later this week when I travel through en route into Laos.

OK that's me done! I hope you're all well. Once again thanks for all your emails - it brings such joy to read them and get your news too. Keep in touch. Noelle unfortunately I'll probably still be in Vietnam or Cambodia when you fly into / out of Thailand but feel free to meet me in Vietnam or Cam if you like - flights here are so cheap 25STG inclusive of taxes, best way to travel in and around SE Asia. Em get booking that holiday, I hope the airline sites I sent over were off help. Noelle should you need any, look at: Nok Airlines and Thai Airlines, both of which are on google. Helen, Anne come on over, Helen with your publication, shouldn't we be able to create Fam trips? I'll be the photographer, you can be the journalist and we could keep this trip going for a long while!!! hehe cheeky me!

Hope to see you all at some stage - in the meantime, keep in touch!
T xx