Claire & Melanie's Global Trek

Saturday: Day 28- Early rising for both of us after only 3 hrs sleep! Didn't feel the best to say the least! But night was well worth it! Great bunch of people they were! Long day ahead of us, and the journey to Bangkok was an experience of a lifetime! We were due to leave Siem Reap at 7a.m. and get a bus to the border of Cambodia and Thailand, so we walked down our dirt path and waited at the corner. There were only two other people waiting there also so we presumed that we were getting a lift to the bus stop and that is why there were only 4 of us. Shortly afterwards, a car picks us up and says that the bus that was to take us to the bus had broken down and he was going to give us a lift to the bus. We all piled our bags in the back and hopped in. After about 30 mins and leaving the city to enter the bumpy zig-zag ride to the border, we thought to ourselves that the bus stop couldn't be this far away! Of course our driver wasn't informative at all, and you have to guess yourself, but he said he was actually bringing us to the border! Delighted to hear this as we originally looked into getting a "shared taxi" instead of the Cambodian bus! But it was too expensive! But it was the case! No A/C though just the fresh Cambodian air!
The road to the border was one long dirt path made of potholes! We drove mainly in a zig-zag line to avoid the pot-holes that were the size of an Olympic swimming pool. The journey was about 4 hrs long! We found out the reason they don't fix the roads there was because the airlines are paying the government NOT to upgrade the roads! So they get more business!! But the locals are the ones that lose out because they can't afford to fly!

Interesting petrol stop story- We stopped at a "gas station", no pumps or store as such, just a couple of guys standing around sheds and not sure how he knew they sold petrol but anyway, we pulled in and stretched our legs and got the usual stares and waited while he filled up. This consisted of opening the trunk, and feeding through a tube into the trunk somewhere and filling it with gas! Very strange but the car was so old, perhaps it was man-made! Then we heard this loud, piercing, squealing sound coming from across the road!!! We looked over and it was a Cambodian struggling to strap a........pig on his moped! Upside down!!!!! The pigs legs were kicking in the air, his ears were twitching, he was squealing as loud as he could but it didn't make a difference to his situation! There was already one pig strapped on upside down with his legs kicking straight up in the air. His friend's destiny was the same! After 20 mins- he managed to strap him on! The poor pig! I swore I would never eat pork ever again!......(until I was in a country where I knew it was safe to eat!!)

Made it to the border after our long crazy journey where half of it was in the "shoulder" of the road as there were fewer potholes there or in the median swaying back and forth. Here we had to cross the border and walk in the blistering heat to get our bus which we thought we'd definitely be getting this time to the city as we were lucky already! But....it was a nice air conditioned mini-van! This was the rolls we were looking for! Another interesting story, well not interesting, unfortunate I should say. The journey was about 2 hrs or so to Bangkok and the passenger in the front seat was violently sick. He must have been sick every 5 mins all the way to the city. He had to roll down the window and when the driver stopped he would also get out! Of course the driver had no sympathy for him so i'm sure he felt isolated. When we got to Bangkok, we felt sorry for him and asked him what was wrong, where he was staying and could we help him. He was from Scotland and he said that he had been sick for 2 wks now and wasn't really sure what was wrong but he lost 15 lbs. He said Dr said he had gastroenteritis but I don't think it was because I had that when I arrived and I didn't get sick at all like he did. Then we asked him was he drinking the water and eating fruit&veg... & he said for 2 months he was!!!!!! DON'T drink water & eat fruit!!! We checked him into where we were staying and he went straight to bed. We checked on him an our later to make sure he was still alive and gave him a few bottles of water! He was not healthy& he has to fly home the next day. I wonder was he allowed on the plane?
Anyway, arrived at 5, checked into the D&D Inn on Khoa San Road and went to meet my friend Colin! Was great to see him again & swap stories! We went to the Irish pub across the road and a few other places. Claire and Colin got a big pitcher (a yard of ale I think it's called?) and I had warm vodka's! Had a great night and unfortunately we were leaving tomorrow to Koh Phagnan and Colin was going the opposite way!

Sunday: Day 29- Spent the day shopping on Khoa San Road as we wanted to buy some fake runners for Koh Phagnan and few other souvenirs. Also treated ourselves to a 30 min facial (for $5)!
Our overnight bus for Koh Phagnan didn't leave until 9p.m. so we had some time to kill & breathe in the last bit of Bangkok's smell!
So we left Bangkok and went on our merry way following the multitudes to Ko Phangan! Got our green stickers and waited with over 100 other people all waiting to do the same trip! The bus journey wasn't that bad actually, comfy recliners and managed to get a few hours kip! Arrived at Chumpon really early in the morning and we were ferried across to the islands, one of the last stops being Ko Phangan!

Up early for taxi to the Chiang Mai airport departing to Bangkok. We decided to go directly to Vietnam so we were hoping to get a flight same day from Bangkok Airport to Hanoi Vietnam. Arrived at the "old" airport which was domestic so we got a taxi over to the new airport and got a flight for 70 Euro to Hanoi, but didn't leave for 5 hrs. Hung around the airport for the day! Only one strange incident to report- a guy came over to us after we left the internet cafe and said he was in a "difficult" situation and that they missed their flight and needed another $200! We couldn't comprehend what he wanted and was he serious! But he was 100% serious! So of course we said no!! But he asked us a few times still after that! Some people!
Arrived in Hanoi quite late and got a taxi with 2 other girls travelling on their own. We gave the taxi guy our guesthouse address and then we arrived at one guesthouse where a guy came over to the taxi, opened the door and tried to get us to get out and "welcomed" us to the guesthouse that looked like the same name as ours! But luckily we knew about all the scams that these people are doing! And the taxi man was getting commission! We told taxi driver this wasn't the address and to leave. He drove further down the road and same thing happened again, we locked the doors, he unlocked them and another guy opened the taxi door! We were getting quite annoyed so we told taxi driver a firm NO!
Finally arrived at the correct guesthouse! Where we got out and realised Hanoi is crazy! Mopeds beeping, taxi drivers beeping, and all the noise was so overwhelming! We were confronted with about 5 guys trying to get us to go on their "moto" but once again firm NO! There were families sitting out on the street next to their "home" eating, children running around everywhere, people trying to sell you everything, women walking around with long sticks on their shoulder with baskets hanging off either side filled to the top with all sorts. Looked like it weighed a tonne! It is a crazy city!
Booked into the Minh Dung Guesthouse but found out they were full that night but we had a room across the way, the room was 5 flights upstairs! I was fit to collapse at the top! Straight to bed!

Went on a day trip to see the Mong tribe and the Doi Suthep Temple. Again it's back to basics with toilets and huts!! Although one hut that the guide brought us into had a tv!!! which we thought was pretty bizarre! The lane ways were lined with little stalls with silk goods, from a local factory, with mong people trying to make a sale at any price to tourists! The guide then carted us off to a nearby temple, Doi Suthep where we were blessed by a monk - you are not allowed to touch the monks so a lay person placed a white bracelet on our wrists which we later found out is not to be taken off for 7 days as a good luck thai tradition.

Later that night we headed off on a traditional Khan Toke Dinner, where you sat on the ground to eat your platter of thai food whilst watching traditional Thai dance. We finished off the evening in Chiang Mai's night market where we just couldn't resist an hour long Thai massage -- Bliss!! Tuk tuk home. All in all a good day

No need to set our alarms for 7:30 breakfast as we were awoken quite rudely at 6am by what sounded like 1000 cock's crowing! I think every single cock in Karen tribe was crowing! Had our "continental" breakfast, got dressed, and said our goodbye's to the other tribe family and were on our way back to civilisation. Although, this day's trek was much harder then yesterday's! Whoa! Used muscles in our legs that I don't think I've ever used! Were uphill walking for most of the 3.5 hr journey. The last hour I thought I was going to go on strike! But on the way, we visited the "school for small kids foundation", where we had a peek in and there were 3-5 year old's sitting on the ground with no shoes singing along with the teacher! Was very cute! Just down the "road" was the older school that consisted of 1 outside corridor with about 8 classrooms. We were told that the village kids go to school here until they are 12 and if they want more schooling after that, they must become a monk.

Arrived half way to another waterfall to cool off for 30 mins and then on our way again. We arrived back to our starting point for some lunch and then onto another village for bamboo rafting down the river. Our "driver" was quite entertaining scaring us by showing us all the river snakes and trying to knock us off the "raft"!

Back on the truck to our accomodation and said our goodbye's again to the Dutch and French family. Decided after dinner to walk around Chiang Mai and found a strip of bars, where we found Thai boxing tournament, that was quite entertaining! Couple of cocktails and then back to "Top North Hotel" for bed as we have a very early start in the morning for more Thai sightseeing!

Collected on a truck and drove 50km North of Chiang Mai to Mae Wang. Were presented on arrival with our elephant's! Claire and I got our own elephant and driver! Went through different villages where each of the locals sold bags of banana's for the elephant. We bought one and fed our hungry elephant! He kept throwing is trunk back everytime we fed him a banana! We went through the river, up dirt treks, and through jungles! After trek, we had "thai lunch" and then started our trek with bags on back!
There were two other families with us including an 8 year old who seemed to be more fit then us! Worked up 2hrs worth of sweat and arrived at a waterfall where we had a dip to cool off! After 30 mins back on the trek again, uphill and through the jungle!

Arrived at the Karen tribe at 5:30! There were two manmade huts with the roof made out of leaves tied together with what looked like strips of bamboo! Quite Amazing! They also had a pet pig!
The dinner was at 7:30 so we had some time to relax and talk to the locals! We checked out our bedroom suite, (see pictures), which was "upstairs" with 10 sleeping bags and few mosquito nets to protect us!

Dinner was quite nice, after that we talked to other families and got ready for bed which was an experience! In the pitch dark we had to go to the "toilet" with our flashlight and toilet paper!