Last Updated 1st July 2001

We left Nepal on the monday before the friday of the shootings in the palace. On our last three days there werestrikes where everything was closed and protesters against the government were on the streets. The only bus running was the one to the airport and we had four armed guards on the one we took!

Bangkok is an instant hit with us as is the most westernised/civilised place we have been so far and it seems so clean and modern. We spent 5 nights here , mainly due to the wait for our Vietnam visas but also because we vist the Royal Palace and Wats (temples), Wat Arun, Wat Pho ( bumped into our dutch friends from nepal there), Vimanmek Mansion, National Museum, River Boat Trips, Shopping, Markets (day and night), Chinatown, Patpong Road (here be go-go bars), Crappy Irish Pubs etc etc..

We decide some more culture is required and spend a few days in Ayuthya and Sukothai on the way to Chang Mai in the north. These are both ex-capitals of Siam in days of yore and have lots of interesting crumbling Wats and Buddhas... Well interesting for a day or 2 anyway...

Then in Chang Mai we spend 5 nights enjoying the food (there are lots of good places to eat) with a bit of sightseeing such as the Doi Suthep Wat (you guessed it) and nearby national park. We also did one of the treks to see the hilltribes who look very bored of seeing lots of tourists tramping through their villages and talking photos. The best bit was a visit to a bat cave where to get out we had to crawl on our hands and knees. There was only one bat in the cave though; our guide explained that the Hill tribes had eaten the rest. Speaking of food we did an enjoyable 1 day thai cooking course where paul learned new ways with tofu..

We caught a night train to bangkok and then bus to Koh Chang (Chang Island), Thailands 2nd Biggest island which has some of the best preserved rainforest in Asia. It's also the easiest to get lost in so we didn't venture beyond the lovely quiet beach. Passed the time sunbating and swimming and reading.

We then headed to Koh Samet nearer bangkok which was a bit livelier. There we signed up for our diving course. After 4 days of intensive training (and lots of salt water swallowed) we are now card carrying padi open water divers (no not that type of padi...check out www.padi.com).

Margarets sister Louise and her fella Patrick were on there way to Oz to watch some of the Lions tour and had arranged a stopover in Singapore. So we headed down on a friday evening out of Bangkok to meet them for 36 hours in Singapore. We had a great time eating, drinking beer, catching up on the family gossip, camcorder shopping (Patrick), Singapore Slinging, Crazy golf on sentosa island and wrapped it up with a visit to Little india (which gave margaret a bit of a flashback but she is alright now).

Then we nightbussed it back to thailand arriving at Koh Samui 25 hours later on a deserted beach. We move to a slighty busier one the following morning for the rest of the 5 days. Once again it's relaxation time with a little bit of sightseeing. We did do one day trip by boat to the marine national park of Mu Koh Angthong which had loads of islands with scenic viewpoints, caves, a salt lake sourrounded by island, dolphins, reefs for snorkelling etc etc.

Finally back in bangkok for one day and have visited a weekend market and saw the king drive past in his rolls royce.

We will be sad to leave thailand where we have had such a good feed..err I mean time.