A short taste of OrganiKH Farm

The last picture at the farm!

                                       

If you’ve already read my last marathon post then congratulations! For those of you who want to know what the last three weeks have been like but don’t have the time to read an epic then this post is for you!

I’m a great believer in the universe taking care of us if you take the time to notice the little things then it’s obvious but every so often we need the universe to really throw us something fist pumpingly awesome to realise how much it looks out for us. Recently this happened to me and the experience that followed couldn’t have been greater.

With my travels in India coming to a close and not wanting to head back to the real world but also not having a super fat bank account I decided that I would need to get a job, my obvious choice was to teach English for a while and I even had some great contacts but I wasn’t really feeling it. Teaching just seemed too much like a job (because it is one) so I went to bed sending the universe a wee ask for some inspiration.

The next morning I woke up with a grand inspiration. I was going to work on a farm. (You might remember a little while ago I posted about my trip to an astrologer who said I would be happiest working with my hands…) I immediately looked on the WOOFING website (working on organic farms) and there looking me smack bang in the face was an ad for OrganiKH Farm. A small organic farm in Cambodia that’s still in its infant phases (its little over a year old) the best part was that I didn’t even have to join the WOOFING website (and pay a fee) as I could contact the farm on FB. I sent a message to Olivier not holding any hopes (since I have no experience) but within an hour I had a response and it was positive.

After a few exchanges back and forth it was decided I would arrive on the 6^th July after a few days in Siem Reap. I headed to the farm by share taxi and arrived to two dogs running and jumping on me and a house full of people covered in mud building shelves with mud bricks.

My first impression was that everyone clearly loved the place there were smiles all round and happy banter going back and forth (although most of it went over my head as when I arrived most of the volunteers were French) I had a tour around the farm and pretty soon it was time to eat.

                      

                                                         Living the dream childhood

The next three weeks turned out to be one of the best things I have ever done and certainly one of the most amazing travel experiences I have had. Every day was completely different from gardening, to building with mud, to building bamboo structures, digging waterways, planting rice and turning compost. You name it we did it and all with a smile and a laugh

The farm is off the grid with all power coming from two solar panels and the water being pumped from an underground well. All the shower and dish water is filtered and goes back to the earth (did I mention the shower is open air looking out over green waves of rice fields?)

 

                Darin chilling in a hammock                                 Olivier surfing on the counter top

The buildings are all constructed of mud brick, bamboo and grass roofs and construction continues with another few bungalows planned and walls on the house to be completed as well as the oven which we started but when I left wasn’t finished (but I’ll be back for a pizza!)

The farm also has ducks chickens and geese. As well as two beautiful dogs (who speak more languages than I do) and the latest edition of two tiny kittens who arrived days before I left.

There’s something truly beautiful about being so close to nature it’s refreshing to the spirit to be able to enjoy every day so fully. Every day was spent with my bare feet touching the earth, with my skin feeling the rain and going to sleep with only the sounds of mother nature to sooth my dreams.

                          

                           Silvan cooling off in a water tank              Arun showing the camera his best puppy impression

That’s pretty much an over view of the OrganiKH Farm but I couldn’t end this post without giving a huge shout out to Olivier, Darin, Silvan and Arun, the beautiful family that make OrganiKH such an amazing place. Every day they open their home to the many volunteers that pass through and embrace them into their family. It’s such an amazing place to learn and to grow and this family encourage everyone to do just that which is what makes it such a truly magical place. Peace and Love to you all and thank you for all you have given me. Xxx 

Volunteer selfie!!

Lessons learnt in India

As my third trip to India comes to a close I’m faced with reflecting on the many lessons that this amazing country has taught me.

Patience- As in many other countries I have visited India moves at India’s pace and there is no rushing things if a bus or train is due to leave at a certain time then maybe it will but equally maybe it won’t. I’ve also come to expect unexpected stops for long periods of time and waiting often times for hours in train stations bus depots and airports (as I write this I’m sitting outside Delhi airport I’m so early for my flight I’m not even allowed into the airport yet) patience is something we forget back home, we are always rushing here and there and I know for sure that in the past I have been upset at even small delays. India has taught me that we are all exactly where we need to be.

Kindness – it’s so easy to overlook others and focus instead on ourselves but India is such a generous open country it forces us to be kind. On several points of my travels I was tested with situations there were two ways I could react but I knew the lesson for me was to react with kindness.

Charity – in a country of such poverty it never ceases to amaze me how generous people can be. At home we have conditioned ourselves to ignore all that we do not wish to see in India it is always on your face but even those who seem to have nothing will give to those who have even less.

Love – India is a great place to mend a broken heart as I learnt on my first visit but it can always teach you more. Everywhere you look in this vast country you can see families expressing their love, devotes expressing love towards their gods and feel the vibes in the air. So many travellers in India are looking for something no matter what it is I think everyone leaves with their Anahata chakra well and truly unblocked.

These are just a few of the many things learnt from this beautiful diverse country everyone should visit at least once if not over and over again.

The start of my second Indian Adventure- Birthday and Christmas in an Ashram 2014!

Thursday 11^th December 2014

I started my day today in Myanmar and flew to Bangkok.

I slept the entire flight to Bangkok and woke up in a bit of a daze I had to cross town to the main Bangkok airport via the free shuttle and thankfully Ganesh was on my side removing all obstacles we landed at 10.20am and I had disembarked, cleared immigration and collected my bags all in time to board the 10.40am shuttle! At BKK check in hadn’t even opened so I had to wait in line with all the other keen beans.

When I was eventually through to the gate I bought a ridiculously overpriced sandwich and sat and read my book until boarding was called.

I hadn’t remembered to ask for a vegetarian meal in time (I never do, it should defiantly be an option when you buy tickets online!) but lucky for me since we were heading to India the choice was veggie or chicken and it was pretty darn tasty. About halfway through the flight my e-reader ran out of battery much to my distress so I slept the rest of the flight.

The flight arrived into Mumbai early and I was soon reminded how time slows down in India it took an age to get through customs and immigration collect my bags check back in and then head to the domestic terminal. The bus is supposed to come every 10mins I waited almost an hour but it didn’t matter since my flight was delayed by a little over an hour. When finally I boarded I was exhausted and soon fell asleep only to be woken up by the air host asking if I wanted dinner, does a bear shit in the woods of course I did! I ate and was soon out cold again.

I arrived into Bangalore at about 11.15pm hoping it wouldn’t be too hard to find Maezee as I should have arrived before her. I looked around the terminal and there was no sight of her so I went out and searched but there was still no sign of her and they wouldn’t let me back into the airport to look, wouldn’t do a call out over the PA and wouldn’t send someone in to look. I was at a loss as the staff just kept telling me to call her… kind of difficult with no phone or phone number. My tablet was flat and my laptop wouldn’t pick up the Wi-Fi which wouldn’t have mattered anyway since you needed a phone to receive a txt with the password, half an hour at the customer service desk and the lady still tells me to call her.

Eventually I met the most obnoxious, insulting, skin crawling, racist American man I have ever met (mate if you’re reading this and you don’t like India or Indian people what the fuck are you doing here? I’m sure they would be happy to see the back of you!) as much of a prick as he was he did let me use his iPad and a quick look on FB and I saw a message form Maezee that she had missed her connecting flight after a delayed flight and so would be spending the night in Delhi.

It only took about two hours but at least I now knew the deal and headed by taxi to our hotel. It was in the arsehole of nowhere and took an age and a very frustrated lost taxi driver to get there but eventually I was in a room in a bed sleeping y little heart out.

Friday 12^th December 2014

The morning came and so did Maezee after a brief chit chat we decided to head to the train station and try and get night train tickets to Madurai city.

We Rickshawed to the station and spent the next 90mins being sent from one counter to the next to the next. Eventually we had two tickets but only one bed on the train but had applied for another and were told it was a 99% chance we would get it.

We then took a rickshaw to Cuban park and had a stroll around before picking up another rickshaw who took us to a nice (but overpriced) place for lunch and then (as always in India) onto his friends shop. I got some wee Christmas Ganeshes to hang in the rickshaw and Maezee got a scarf.

Back at the hotel we got snacks then chilled until we had to head to the station. We went into the office and were told we had another berth but that it was in a different carriage. Our train left at 9.15pm but was on the platform at 8.40pm so we clambered aboard and made friends with our sleeper mates. A dude on his own kindly swapped beds so we didn’t have to split up.

We spent a wee while eating our train snacks chatting and reading before heading to bed to sleep away the rest of the journey.

Saturday 13^th December 2014

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!

We both slept rather well on the train apart from a brief moment when Mae needed the loo and woke me up to look after her bag in the dark I couldn’t see a thing and she scared the bajesus out of me but it was all rather funny.

We had about an hour till we were due in Maderai City but the train pulled in slightly late. From the train station we walked 10mins to the bus station and found our bus to the ashram. It took about an hour to get there then a 10min walk arriving just in time to dump our bags and have breakfast.

After food we registered made up our beds in the dorm and then chilled out until tea time after which was our first lecture which didn’t overly make sense as it was towards the end of the last series. Next was asana class and I was delighted to find that after three weeks of no practice I could still comfortably stand on my head. (Probably my greatest achievement of 2014)

Class finished and there was just enough time for a shower before dinner, after which I spent reading some birthday messages before Satsang.

As it was a Saturday it was the weekly talent show which was rather entertaining but bedtime couldn’t come quick enough and I had a great sleep.

Sunday 14^th December 2014

Today was our first full day of Ashram life. Every day the schedule is the same to teach self-discipline and what not it goes as follows

05.30 (yes you read that right 5.30qam every day!) wake up bell

06.00 Satsang –silent meditation then chanting (awesome start to the day!)

07.30 – chai (or for those of us who don’t drink milk black tea)

08.00 – Asana class (for most of you that’s yoga class)

10.00 – brunch

11.00 – Karma Yoga (that’s cleaning sometimes sweeping sometimes mopping other times toilets and if you are really unlucky it’s sticking your hand down a drain and pulling out the hair)

12.00pm-13.00 free time

13.30 – Chai time

13.45- Philosophy lecture on all things body mind and spirit

15.30 – Asana class

18.00 – Dinner

19.00- 20.00 free time

20.00 - Evening Satsang

22.00- Lights out bed time

This morning we started the day with a silent walk we sat in the middle of nowhere on a giant rock and chanted for a while until we headed back to the ashram other than that it was the scheduled events

Monday 15^th December 2014

Instead of satsang this morning we had a fire ceremony I’m not really sure what we were celebrating but it was awesome we sat around the fire chanting for about 90mins and then made offerings into the fire one by one whatever it was for I felt extremely energised and uplifted even if my legs were completely numb with pins and needles form sitting on the floor

As it was change over day for the yoga vacationers (the programme works in two week blocks) we watched a documentary for the lecture

Tuesday 16^th December 2014

Today was ashram business as usual but with a bajan group performing for us at Satsang

Wednesday 17^th December 2014

We had another silent walk this morning I was feeling pretty drained as I have developed a cough that seems to be worst at night when I’m laying down.

I found some clippers today and shaved most of my hair off leaving just a pony tail on top like a weird monk, one of the guys here said I looked like a Berlin techno person I’m not really sure if that’s a compliment or an insult so if you know shed some light for me!

Thursday 18^th December 2014

Today was a blegh kind of day in the morning asana class I was getting so annoyed with the tone of the teacher’s voice that I had to get up and leave. But the afternoon class left me feeling a bit charged up.

Friday 19^th December 2014

Happy one month on the road! I have officially been travelling for a month today! Fridays are days off in the ashram so after Satsang and the morning chai we heading into Madurai City on the bus.

The bus was crazy full of mostly school children all crammed in like chickens with hardly any room to even breathe!

When we arrived in town we hit up a local restaurant and got some masala dosa for breakfast before going to the Meenakashi temple the security there was crazy strict and you couldn’t take anything in and we were frisked like nobody’s business.

Inside is absolutely outstandingly beautiful but I didn’t feel like it was a spiritual place at all as there were so many hawkers trying to sell (mostly crappy) trinkets and more food vendors than could be imagined. It was also full of people worshipping and visiting but the whole effect was more like a street market with all the yelling and food smells.

The best parts are strictly for Hindus only so we were a bit dispirited about the whole thing.

Maezee and I needed to get train tickets to Kochi so we headed to the train station where we were told there were no tickets available until the 8^th Jan!  Our only option was to go back the day before and apply for emergency quota but since we didn’t want to do that we got tickets through a travel agent which is the exact same process but we pay them to apply on our behalf and saves us a trip into town. Fingers crossed we will actually have tickets when the time comes!

After the ticket situ was somewhat resolved we headed into another town that’s partway between Madurai and the ashram where we got more food then ice-cream and snacks from the supermarket before arriving back at the ashram just in time for dinner!

Saturday 20^th December 2014

All day I was dragging myself along until the afternoon asana class when I absolutely came alive and made quite a bit of progress!

It was the last day of the Yoga teachers training course that has been going on for the last month and so we had an absolute feast for dinner

The evening satsang was mostly the graduating ceremony for the ttc which was pretty cool followed by the weekly talent show. Maezee and I got up and spoke about the Rickshaw Run resulting in a few donations which is awesome! By the time we finally got to bed I was absolutely shattered!

Sunday 21^st December 2014

Sunday morning silent walk and chanting under a big shady tree was the perfect start to the day. The ashram was pretty empty with students leaving and also because there was a big trip out to some temples.

In my free time a wrote a bunch of postcards and the lecture was super informal which was good for my tired brain

Monday 22^nd December 2014

This morning I was on Struggle Street after so many sleepless nights coughing so I slept through Satsang and got up in time for tea. My biggest accomplishment of the day was sitting completely still during meditation in the evening.

Tuesday 23^rd December 2014

Happy Christmas Eve Eve!!! Apparently that’s not a thing but it totally is! Tonight we had another fire ceremony in the temple which was wicked. When everyone is chanting together like that you can really feel the power, the energy and the vibrations!

Wednesday 24^th December 2014

Happy Christmas Eve!!! Today was awesome it was business as usual until Satsang which started at 9pm and finished close to 1am! We spent the whole time singing carols, listening to readings and stories and watching Christmas skits at the end we all got a candle and sat in silent meditation for the 10mins leading up until midnight then we all cheered and wished each other Merry Christmas and had an enormous cake and Christmas cookies and the most heavenly chocolate balls! What a way to ring in Christmas!

Thursday 25^th December 2014

Merry Christmas! This morning we had a sleep in and Arti at 7.20am then after tea we went to the local old folk’s home and gave them some gifts and Christmas cookies and sang carols with them. Back at the ashram we had a short yoga class and then a slightly late lunch but then from there the day was a regular ashram day.

After dinner we had a candle light carol service walking around the ashram grounds were we all got a bit silly singing in ridiculous high pitched voices. We finished the walk in the satsang hall where we had Arti and from there it was free time for the rest of the day so we headed to the library and all crowded around my 10 inch laptop to watch a movie!

Friday 26^th December 2014

Friday day off! We had planned on going into Madurai to watch a Bollywood film but it didn’t finish till late so threw a spanner in the works instead after tea Maezee and I set off to the ice-cream town (I call it that since we have no idea of its name and everyone goes there for ice-cream)

The bus was absolutely rammed and going so fast I was convinced we were going to go around a corner and someone would be flung out the open space where the door used to be! Thankfully this didn’t happen and we got there unscathed.

First stop was masala dosas for breakfast and then as the ice-cream shop wasn’t open yet a wee walk around town. We found “India’s best hair and beauty salon” and got our eyebrows threaded for a grand total of 60 cents (NZD) what a bargain!

By then the ice-cream shop was open so we headed back there stopping to pick up some samosas for afternoon tea. Back at the ashram no one was around as they had all gone out for the day so we relaxed away the afternoon until 3.30pm when we did asana class and then dinner etc. etc…

Saturday 27^th December 2014

Our last day in the ashram… it was so sad to leave we got up early and had our last satsang and cruised through the day until afternoon tea after which we had to motor to the bus stop.

We got into town a little after 3pm and went to pick up our train tickets from the travel agent there was a bit of confusion about who had it and had we paid but in the end it was sorted and we rushed across to the station to find our train was delayed by about an hour.

When we were finally on board we were lucky enough to be sharing the berth with a creeper who sat too close and openly stared at our tits. Every time the ticket man came past he kicked the guy out yelling and beating him with his ticket book but he always came back. It transpired that our berth was “ladies only” and that the guy had no ticket anyway he was persistent though and always returned.

Maezee and I watched a movie on my laptop (having to close the screen every time anything remotely sexual happened least we stir old pervy tits into a frenzy) when at last we went to bed it was a fitful sleep as we had to get off at 3am. In the middle of the night old pervy tits shook me awake yelling and pointing about something but then the train stopped and he ran to get off while his wife tried to steal first my pack then Maezee’s rather unsuccessfully since her husband had woken everyone up with his screams.

We were glad to see the back of them! We arrived in Cochin and got a rickshaw to our accommodation for “the night” only to find they didn’t have our booking even though we had paid in full online but it all worked out when we were bumped up to the much nicer place next door and didn’t pay a cent extra!

Twenty seven and failing at life?

A few days ago it was my birthday and I turned 27 that’s only three years off 30 which is three decades which is rather a long time. It got me thinking about what I have and haven’t achieved with my life and I came to realise that by traditional society views I’m somewhat of a failure.

• I don’t have a husband or even a boyfriend and have only actually ever had one serious relationship
• I don’t have children
• I don’t have a job let alone a career
• I don’t have any useful skills or qualifications, I dint even finish high school
• I don’t own property, a car or furniture. basically I have no assets and almost no material possessions

Good thing for me I’ve never been one to run with the crowd and the things I do have and have accomplished are far more valuable to me than any of the above

• I have travelled the world seeing about 60 countries along the way
• I have been privileged enough to live in different countries and experience different styles of living
• I have a loving supporting family (even if I do hardly ever see them because I’m gallivanting off somewhere)
• I have amazing beautiful friends all over the world
• I have freedom to be where I want when I want without the structure of a working life
• I have learnt far more from the people I have met and places I have visited than I ever could have learnt in school
• I’m not tied down to a place or things and as I have less I appreciate what I do own so much more.
• I have excellent health

All in all I love my life I love my lifestyle I love the opportunities I have been given and the experiences I have had I love the people I have met and I love the places I have been I love learning and loving and living and for the foreseeable future I think I’m happy to continue failing at life.

The first few weeks in Thailand. Bangkok and the north

Tuesday 29^th October 2013

I slept in this morning and then chilled out at the hostel for a bit getting some personal admin done before wondering about and exploring the neighbourhood. Back at the hostel I got chatting with a Dutch girl and in the afternoon we went on a sightseeing adventure of Bangkok. We took a rickshaw around enjoying the drive before stopping by the river and taking a cruise on a longboat. After that we went to the golden mount which is a Buddhist temple atop a hill the view from there is quite cool unfortunately y camera battery was dead so I didn’t get any photos. That evening we got dinner at a local restaurant which was pretty tasty before getting in an early night.

Wednesday 30^th October 2013

I mucked about this morning feeling pretty unmotivated to do much. Late morning I hired a rickshaw for the day and did some more sightseeing first stop was the golden Buddha then I went to the amulet market where I lost the rickshaw driver for ages and was considering leaving and walking back to the hostel when he appeared out of nowhere. We drove about some more and went past the palace etc. so I could see them from the outside. Back at the hostel I got my bags from the luggage room and waited for my bus to Chaing Mai after a while it appeared it wasn’t coming there were a group of us who had been left behind as the mini bus driver that was to take us to the bus station didn’t take everyone just the people for the south which was weird. We got a taxi to the mini bus station which was stressful as we left an age after everyone else and there was so much traffic. Eventually we stopped at a petrol station ad were ushered into the minibus along with a bunch of locals we got to the main  bus station and turns out we had over an hour to kill before the bus left! Eventually we boarded the double decker we had great seats right at the front with a ton of leg room and they provided us with neck pillows and blankets it was by far the most comfortable night bus I have been on. We reclined and went to sleep stopping once for a food break and to stretch our legs at about 1am and then we were on the road again.

Thursday 31^st October 2013

The night bus last night was so comfortable that I was still fast asleep when it pulled into Chaing Mai. I didn’t have a place to stay so went with the two girls Olivia and Katie who were on my bus to the place they had booked when we got there it was closed but had a cell phone taped to a bit of string tied to the door and a note that said to call a number from that phone if you were locked out. We called and the woman kept asking “do you see the pig?” there was about 10 pig statues about so yes we did she kept saying the key was under one but there was no key. After a while someone came and let us in but we couldn’t check in yet when someone eventually arrived we went upstairs the hostel itself was not the worst I’ve stayed in and I would have been happy there but the girls wanted to move and the location was a bit far out so we all jumped on the local bus/taxi thing and went to a hostel in the old town which was much better. The place lacked a real atmosphere but there were loads of travellers staying there so it was easy to meet people. We checked in and showered and then I went and got food with Brian a guy I met In Bangkok. That afternoon I joined him and his friends at tiger kingdom I was somewhat reluctant to go as I have heard really bad things about the place but the tigers were all happy and healthy and had a really good bond with their trainers. I went in with the babies which was cool they were the size of a smallish dog but had so much character it was just like playing with a big kitten.  That night we made a half arsed attempt to dress up for Halloween and went out for dinner and drinks ending up at some weird lock in at a lady boy bar.

Friday 1^st November 2013

Today I visited all the temples in town it was a real spiritual day out I stopped for a juice late afternoon and after one more temple got a massage from an inmate at the Chaing Mai woman’s prison it’s all part of their rehab into society I had reflexology on my feet and it was by far the best I have had I walked out feeling like I was walking on air. That night after we had some dinner we hit up the night Bazar and I got a t-shirt with a panda on it to wear to the zoo in a few days’ time.

Saturday 2^nd November 2013

This morning I got picked up around 10am to head off trekking in the jungle for two days. Compared with the trek up Rinjani this one was a walk in the park we drove for about 30mins then stopped at a market to pick up all the food and supplies for our trek before getting back in the truck and driving  a few hours to stop for lunch by some rice fields we ate and then got back in the car and drove some more we didn’t actually start walking until quite late in the day. Our guide knew everything about the bush and kept stopping to show us different plants and explain their uses. We stopped by a waterfall and had the option to swim but by this stage it was late in the day and feeling a bit cool so no one was up for it. We continued on to camp where we were staying in a hut on stilts the camp was just a few building our hut another one that seemed to have no purpose (but there was a dog with tiny puppies underneath) and the kitchen which was where the guide slept. We put our bags in and changed into warmer clothes and sat round the fire chatting while dinner was cooked. The food was amazing and there was so much of it no one went hungry. After food we hung about for a while before heading to bed. I was the only one without a mozcito net which I wasn’t too pleased with but there didn’t seem to be many mozzies and the only interruption to my sleep was when I woke up with a huge spider on my face!

Sunday 3^rd November 2013

We woke up this morning and had breakfast before heading to the waterfall for a swim he water was freezing so we didn’t stay in long and headed back to camp where we packed up our things and continued on.  We stopped at a village and met the locals who showed us their homes before moving onto another waterfall with a natural water slide we swam again but the water was icy so only a few of us went in and it was only briefly.  From the waterfall we trekked down to the lunch spot where food was waiting for us. From there we walked along the road for a while learning about and tasting all the fruits that grew beside the road then we veered off and walked through the rice paddies to the end of our trip at and elephant farm we met one elephant and got to feed her before getting on the truck and driving back to Chaing Mai. I checked back into the same hostel and got my stuff out of the luggage room showered and put things away. Later on I went to the Sunday night market and had a good walk around I bought and ate a lot of street food but mostly just looked at the handicrafts my favourite stall was one where you could get your name written on rice as a pendant or get a crack pipe! By the time I made it back to the hostel I was pretty exhausted and fell into bed.

Monday 4^th November 2013

I woke up early this morning full of excitement as I was going to the zoo to see pandas! I got some munch and then flagged down a share taxi to the zoo I had to pay extra to see the pandas which was a bit shit as you can only go in once and also there are normally three pandas but two are on load somewhere so there is only one. Nonetheless I had a great time there chilling out with my panda buddy. The rest of the zoo was a bit hit and miss some of it was really cool and modern other parts the animals looked neglected and their living conditions were less than ideal. After the zoo the plane was to get a share taxi the rest of the way up the hill to the temple but the drivers were being dicks and wanted to wait until the taxi was full so I had to sit about for a while waiting for others I met a girl who had been volunteering at a school and was on her way home so we chatted while we waited eventually we were on the move we went in and checked it out it was beautiful but super load and busy with obnoxious tourists. The ride down was super windy and rough and the guy dropped us on the edge of town we decided to walk the rest of the way in which turned out to be further than we thought but was good exercise. On the way back to the hostel I stopped at a vegetarian place and had a curry before finishing the walk. Back in the room Andy and Anna were back from their trek and in the same room as me which was cool. I spent the evening uploading photos off my camera and organising my bus to Pai tomorrow.

Tuesday 5^th November 2013

I got up and packed up this morning then went for breakfast with friends before waiting for the bus to Pai it was late and got later and later until It was clear it wasn’t coming at all no one seemed to take responsibility for it and it all just seemed to be a joke eventually we got to the travel office and over two hours late got on the road. It’s supposed to be a rough journey but I found it fine and slept most of the way. The driver was completely normal until we stopped for a toilet break where I think he smoked a crack pipe because suddenly he was mental driving with no hands and yelling at nothing, pointing out elephants (cows), tigers (dogs) and pandas (small dogs) he also declared his love for everyone and called Andy handsome stressing he wasn’t gay and that he had many girlfriends. As we drove into Pai he pulled over and aske a girl for directions to Pai she was so confused. It was a bizarre journey. When we eventually arrived we waited or our hotel transfer which turned out to be a motorbike with a cage on wheels attached we all piled on with me and Anna in the cage with the bags and Andy on the back of the bike. It was a hair raising but fun journey to the Pai circus school where we were booked in for two nights. We hung about for a bit before walking into town (in the near pitch darkness) we had dinner in a disappointing Falafel shop and then had a few drinks in a bar on the river which had a fire competition happening which was cool to watch. We were almost taken out by a fire poi which came flying in our direction! Back at the hostel I got into bed and promptly froze all night.

Wednesday 6^th November 2013

Today we hired scooters from the place we are staying first stop was town for breakfast before heading back ad picking up swim stuff ready for a day out. We started by driving up to the big white Buddha that you can see from town we had to park and walk up about 200m it was quite steep but easy going up there the Buddha looked huge and we took a bunch of photos unfortunately you don’t get much of a view from up there as the tree line blocks it. We didn’t stay long as there was no shelter and up there the sun was blazing. We got back on our bikes and rode and rode we missed the turn off for the water fall but didn’t really mind as we had a cool drive through some really awesome scenery eventually we turned back and got back on track. We arrived at the waterfall and took a bunch of photos but didn’t swim in the afternoon shade it was pretty cold there. Back on our bikes we headed back into town. We got back to the hostel and left the bikes there walking into town for some street food and a few drinks at the jazz bar and the reggae bar.

Thursday 7^th November 2013

We checked out of Pai circus school today and into a place called riverside which was on the riverside for not much more money it was much better than freezing on the other side of the river. After breakfast we rented scooters again and drove to the hot springs we were the only ones there which was cool we relaxed in the heat for an hour or two before heading to Pai Canyon we walked on the edge of the canyon and took heaps of photos before heading back to town via Strawberry world which was this weird roadside shop thing that sold juice and sweets and had a weird fun park out the back. We took the scooters back to the hotel and then got some street food before meeting Becky and Abbie in the Jazz bar for some drinks.

Friday 8^th November 2013

This morning we all had breakfast together and then Anna Andy and I drove up to the Chinese view point it was a steep ride and I was shitting myself a bit at the top they charged us to come in which was a complete swiz but it was only 20Bhat the view was stunning especially with clear blue skies above us. When it came time to leave I was too scared to dive the first part of the hill which was the steepest so Andy had to walk back up and drive down for me, the rest of the descent I dragged one foot along the ground as extra brake! We returned our scooters and were just in time to meet Laura checking into riverside with some girls she met on the bus up. We dumped our things and then all headed into town as we were going tubing. It was such a laugh in places the river was too shallow and so our arses dragged along or smashed into rocks, we frequently crashed into the side or got stuck in the middle with fallen branches and other debris it was a good way to spend several hours and the best part was when Andy flipped in his tube the sad part about that was we lost many of the drinks as he was attached to the cooler. I would have had a perfect graceful dismount but got dragged further along by rouge tubers and almost missed the finish. We clambered out ungracefully and pulled clothes on we had to walk our tubes back to town. That night we grabbed some food and then had drinks on our balcony before hitting up the late night bars.

Saturday 9^th November 2013

This morning there were so many of us at breakfast we had to have two different tables after eating we all went our separate ways Anna Andy and I once again hired scooters an drove back to the waterfall but went during the morning when the sun was out. The water was still freezing so I was reluctant to swim I soon remedied that by accidently falling in much to everyone’s amusement!  We climbed out and lay on the hot rocks to dry off and warm up before driving back to town for a munch we met Laura and all had lunch together then she jumped on the back of my bike and we got some errands done. That evening we walked about the night market eating street food and looking at all the crafts. Later on we all met up on the balcony for drinks.

Sunday 10^th November 2013

Sadly today we had to leave Pai Abbie, Becky and I had the long journey all the way from Pai to Bangkok and then I was getting another bus south! We went to get breakfast and on the way saw Laura who was out and about looking for her camera which she lost last night (she did eventually find it yay) she was really upset as she hadn’t had much luck and so wanted to be alone. The rest of us got food. After eating I helped Laura search her room for the camera we didn’t have any luck but I did find her missing iPod. I then took her out on the scooter to all the places they had been last night but most of them were closed and we didn’t have any joy. Eventually we had to say goodbye and head to the bus stop we all went together as far as Chaing Mai this time the drive made us all card sick I was really struggling not to throw up. Back in Chaing Mai we said goodbye to Andy and Anna who were staying there we had a short break to get food before getting a share taxi to the bus when we got there most of the seats were gone and it seemed to be a first come first serve basis so we ended up right at the back the only bonus was I was in the middle so had leg room there. We chatted a while and then went to sleep.