Three weeks in sixty minutes!

My little hole-in-the-wall bangkok (BKK) internet cafe is closing in 30 minutes, my keyboard sticks, and i have lot to fill in. thus, no edits will be made.

I left off at bottle beach. it was rainy for a few of the days, but when it rains in paradise...you're still in paradise. our little travel crew of six took a 4x4 taxi from the north of ko pha ngan to thong sala for a boat ride. that taxi ride cost maybe 3 dollars and was far more exciting than anything disneyland or six flags could legally call a ride! the term "road" simply means "dirt that is devoid of jungle growth."

I arrived on the next island south, ko tao, with the intention of sunning myself for a few days seeiwhile kyle ended his trip. that plan was swept under by the collective enthusiasm for diving that I saw on every new SCUBA diver's face. seriously, EVERYONE I spoke with about diving said "get your open water cert here, it is incredible." it took a sample dive in my resort's pool (I was staying free with a friend who was enrolled in the dive course) and the slow, deliberately-spoken english of a french man named oscar "it will sound cliche when i say, but you must do the diving. it will change your life," and I was hooked. four days later, I had disco danced on the sea floor at 23 meters, I had busted my camera, I had seen a sea turtle (which is apparently so rare it takes some people 20 dives to see one), I had made an amazing group of friends, I had partied with a whole island, I had air-guitared to Guns 'n' Roses Paradise City on my knees in the surf, I had swam over a shark, I had eaten one of the most amazing buffets of my life, and I had gathered heaps of travel tips and suggestions from my friends who had come from the northern loop.

----> fast forward to a several-day stop over in Bangkok. a dodgy little camera shop in pantip plaza said they would try to fix my camera. 2000 baht (~60 bucks) if fixed, no pay if not. a three day wait was made better by the fact that I acted as gatekeeper for three friends who were ending their trips from Bangkok. Made even better by my introduction to Alex Tuptim, a connection through my aunt and uncle. Alex is half thai, which means he has the know-how to get tour some of bangkok's least accessible treasures, AND negotiate through foreigner overpricing. we had drinks on a patio 64 floors up the world bank tower (I think) overlooking 10 million people, strolled the lesser known side streets, and watched the madness that is bangkok and kaosan road. A Slovenian woman I'd met on Ko Pha Ngan and I spent her last day touring through BKK on a 12 epic adventure that included a railyard ghetto pad thai meal and an entire day using local thai buses. we found that a laugh and a smile overcomes all language barriers...and that knowing just a few words in thai opens you up to a flurry of activity as everyone wants to get a word in. just smile, nod, and repeat what they say was my approach.

the camera wasn't fixed, so I bought a new one. blessing in disguise as the Canon Ixus 70 (similar to the SD 1000) is lightyears ahead of my old steadfast SD 450. I met up with Aunt Vicki and Uncle Jim and their friends for a delicous serloin meal with REALLY good wine! big step up from street food and Beer Chang. as a side note, I will never tire of street food, nor will beer chang ever lose its place in my heart.

From BKK, headed to Kanchanaburi on the river kwai for some rest. a silly roundabout ride on a tour office-organized van ride later and I realized two things. one: i probably wouldn't get rest because i met new fun people on the van. two: never, ever, rely on tour offices, unless absolutely necessary.

On kanchanaburi: central thailand, made (in)famous for the death railway bridge over the river kwai. made memorable for me after meeting Sonni, the 21 year old Aussie who'd miraculously used up his nine lives, but is still going. The two of us rented motobikes and headed to "the three hillside temples" as told by a guy at our guesthouse. After nearly killing myself (sorry mom, but it was only nearly), I very quickly became a skilled motobiker and we clocked in dozens of kilometers in rural kanchanaburi. the three temples (wats) included Wat Tham Mongkon Thong...a big dragon body snaking up a hill whose tail ends in a cave with buddhas aplenty. We bonged the big bells and gongs on a mountainside mini-wat, played with bats in a cave, and climbed to the top of the peak.

Had we not pushed on to the top of that peak (it was a mountain, we were halfway up, why not get to the top?) we wouldn't have seen the massive wat off in the distance. bearings set, we hit upon a largely deserted chinese wat, conveniently at the end of the chinese new year. for 35 baht (a little more than a buck) we each had our past deeds sent skyward with candles, AND were given a braclet and blessing for a year's worth of good luck. beat THAT catholic church! we made short work of jeoparizing that spiritual cleansing by closing down the local thai nightclub that evening.

The next day I held a tiger cub. that's right, I actually HELD and played with a tiger cub! This and diving have been the greatest experiences of my trip thus far. The so-called tiger temple is really just a tourist ploy to make big bucks and I have several complaints about it, BUT, I held a tiger cub. Sonni, the israeli, and I naturally did what the little guided tour group lazies wouldn't dream of doing and wandered around the grounds. we stumbled across an asian black bear, two lions who had been abused as young cats, and many very unhappy tigers. all were in concrete and iron prisons and all broke my heart. I was very conflicted as the feeling of a tiger on my lap mixed with the reality of their situation...but I only have a few moments more for this post.

That night, I pursuaded an American girl to join me on my moto and make a day trip out of Erawan falls, some 60 km outside kanchanaburi. really great ride on a really bad bike. bought some road side tamarinds (the same type that Sonni had, without announcement and much to my amusement, knocked out of a tree on our guesthouse grounds for a quick snack), and hiked to the top of the famous seven-tiered waterfall. not one to pass up a new experience, I spotted a little cave beside a pool. torch in teeth and camera in case AND ziplock, I wiggled prone through a tight two meters before illuminating a cavern decorated in drippy stalactites. neat stuff, that cave. I guess Molly the American didn't mind my company because she agreed to spend the next few days with me in Sangklaburi.

On Sangklaburi: I'd gotten word from two trustworthy travellers back on Ko Tao that sangklaburi was the "real thailand" that so many people sought. turns out it's largely burmese as the Mon and Karen groups of myanmar have been settled there for over 100 years. anyway, Molly and I were two of maybe 10 farang (light-skinned foreigners) in this city who were not volunteering or working at one of the many schools, social rehabilitation centers, or refugee camps. in fact, EVERYWHERE we went, we were watched and smiled at. We took the opportunity to learn Thai from anyone we could, just as an ice breaker. We informally toured Baan Unrak (www.baanunrak.org) for a first-hand understanding of the social situation of the Mon and Karen Thais. A weaving and sewing center produces incredible pieces and provides funding for the children's and women's center. Anywhere else in SE Asia I will bargain until I am happy. I felt I wasn't giving enough when I bought the few items I did.

The trek east wasn't all humble, though, as Molly and I tore off on the moto to three pagodas pass and a nearby waterfall park that was entirely deserted. the three pagodas are more historically significant in their location, and certainly not their...grandeur. The park, however, was amazing. through bamboo jungle and spongy roots and mineral deposite shaped rock, a series of low, wide waterfalls made for a refreshing retreat.

Currently, I am in BKK and about to close down my browser. tomorrow morning, I rise early to catch the 5:50 3rd class train from Hualamphong station to Chang Mai. I expect to sleep there one night, wake early to make the trek north to Mae Sai simply to cross into Myanmar. I was teased at three pagodas (the border there is closed) and now I want that Myanmar stamp in my passport. From there, I'm tentatively thinking about a night or two in Chang Rei before heading to Chiang Khong on the Mekong River. That shall mark the next chapter: Laos.