"Is this your 1st time on a train?" An American woman asked me as I scrambled bank onto my top bunk.
"No. Well, in Thailand, yes."
"Let me give you a little tip: You can use the normal toilet!" Ah! 3 weeks in India and I unquestioningly accept a hole in the ground as standard. Even rigid laws of personal hygiene begin to slip over there: Shower? But I had one yesterday... Thailand brought me sharply up to standard again, my grubby feet and tent-like clothes suddenly seemed very unfitting as I watched the immaculate, glamorous Thai girls sashay passed me. Time for a re-think of wardrobe and cleanliness!
Jerry was a very dedicated guide and I explored shiny shiny malls and visited the Royal Palace and Wat Phra Kaew - an orgy of glittering mirrors, coloured glass and gold. All stifling in the airless Bangkok heat which seems to hover breathless over all the central tourist attractions and Khao San Road, seemingly punishing tourists for being unimaginative. I also explored some of the cool backwaters through canals to where the houses are on stilts and little wooden shacked restaurants twinkle fairy lights over the breezy water. A welcome relief!
No trip to Bangkok could be seen as thorough without at least a glimpse of the Red Light District. Mum and Dad might disagree with me here... However I went and peeked and had the whole system explained to me:
I am told that a true connoisseur of the Sex Tourist Industry has a knowledge of the farming calender. When the rice has been harvested and work on the farms dries up, there is an influx of 'fresh meat' straight from the villages flooding into Bangkok. The law states that Prostitution is illegal UNLESS you are suffering from 'economic hardship.' A fairly large loop hole.
Sooooo, you go to a bar, chose one you like and pay a small fee to remove her. The indelicate question of her fee only becomes an issue when say, her rent is due, or she is hungry. Apparently what the girls really want is security, someone to look after them. And they repay in kind. This is what I'm told anyway, I wasn't about to test the theory. Clearly, to me, the whole thing is a bit gross.

On Sunday afternoon I boarded a slick train that swept me up north to Chang Mai, a cultural haven of massage schools, language, schools and Thai cooking classes, as well as a jumping off point for mountain trekking, white water rafting, elelphant rides and the Golden Triangle (yes, another one).
The town has a nice feel to it. The walled town itself is mainly populated with guide shops, Internet cafes and 'farang' (that's what they call us) bars, westerners wander about aimlessly fingering postcards and negotiating tours. The rest of the town is still buzzing with normal life and everyone is friendly. It is calm, cool and breezy after Bangkok and my dirty feet (the dirt is a permanent feature I discovered when I tried to scrub) don't seem to matter so much here.
Tomorrow I shall hop on a bus to Pai, another chilled out destination perfect for less crowded mountain trekking and a bit of a hippy hang-out. Then I have 3 weeks to get myself to Phnom Penh and I shall strike away from the tourist trail and plunge into North Eastern Thailand, follow the Mekong River down through Thailand and Laos and hopefully be in Cambodia by April! Can't wait to get going.
Today, on a whim, I hired a bike and am enjoying a touch of moderate exercise and exploring the little backstreets of the old town.
More when I'm on the road again! x