Third time in Thailand -- January 2004
We crossed from Laos back into Thailand (third time's a charm).
Once back in Thailand we stayed in Sang Khom for four or five days and got back to a relaxed--but not quite so boring--attitude. There's really not all that much to do, so it's hard to explain exactly why it's so much better than Thakaek had been. It was somehow just more welcoming and pleasant. We had most of our lunches at the nearby market where people spoke just enough english to figure out what we wanted. (I'm still not quite sure what flavor some of the drinks were.) One day we rented bikes and went to a waterfall 15 km out of town. Another day we walked out of town the other direction just to see what was there. Other days we did next to nothing--just playing cards and reading the hotel's eclectic collection of golf, Beatles, and science books.
From there we headed back down to Bangkok (again!) to meet up with Angela's uncle. We also stocked up on a few warmer items of clothing to get ready for a detour from our original itinerary to meet up with a friend in Tokyo.
November-December 2003
We came back to Thailand a second time.
We met up with Tom and Delphine and took a three day trek from Mai Seriang along the Thai-Burmese border.
First trip to Thailand -- September 2003
The Thailand update hardly counts. We just stopped in for a couple of days between Singapore and China. We got to spend a couple of days with Angela's mom as well as aunt Virginia and uncle Peter. (Peter speaks Thai, which was much appreciated.)
We stayed in a four star hotel in Bangkok as part of our flight/tour package. The first morning we got a city tour where saw the floating market, a famous temple (I forget which, but it was more Cambodian style than Thai), and got to do a little shopping, of course.
At the weekend market we picked up some new shoes to make up for the boots we sent home. Very cheap shoes (and inexpensive as well). After that we went down to Pattaya to stay in a friend's condo. The condo was great, but Pattaya was a bit boring. The definite highlight here: the fried bugs that Peter got for us to sample.
After that it was time to say goodbye to all family and strike out on our own again. This time in Red China.
Last modified: 10 February 2004