From Mae Sot - Chaing Mae - Bangkok, Thailand

Hi All!

I am actually updating this one on the 7th of January, although I have been chillin' out in Sydney for the last 3 weeks I didn't 'find the time' to let you know what has been happening with me! So anyway, I have been told to stop rambling and get to the point with my updates!...Aye right like that is going to happen. Well it might today coz I am tired, anyway.

Thailand, it was sad to leave Mae Sot and the lovely school there, those kids are the best - they just showered me with so much love, affection and happiness. I will never forget them and I hope that I will see them again. Before I left I got 'Dengue Fever' which you get from a mosquito - I am just glad it wasn't malaria, and so had to miss a week from work. But luckily I had met someone in the Bai Fern restaurant who just got to Mae Sot and was looking for something to do - I introduced him to the school and he fell in love with the children and that was that and so 'Mr Aaron' did the work for me that week. Although I hear he played 'Simon Says' and didn't know how to play it so just kept saying 'Simon says put your hand on your head, simon says, etc) and then at random times he would point to one of the kids and say 'your out mate!' I wish I was there to see that. Luckily the children eventually explained to him how the game was played! Another girl I met told me how she was asked to help out at a school and thinking it was like mine, she agreed, only to find out it was a high school with 30 teenagers in each of 12 classes that she was required to teach every week, 5 hours per day...and so on her first day she walked in to be told she should wear a skirt, that she needs to be on time, and then she was given a microphone! She said she nearly fainted! She tried a bit with the kids but they really werent' interested so eventually she gave them the microphone and got them to sing karaoke in their own language and then she gave some excuse as to why she couldn't go back!!!

Back to our school in Mae Sot, Mr Aaron and Miss Sylvia as we are called! We had a Christmas party and bought food and clothes and presents and all sorts for the party. Each child got some new piece of clothing, a gift, some cake and some sweets. It really was Christmas for them. And pretty much after that Mr Aaron went his way and Miss Sylvia went to Chaing Mai. We left after many hugs and kisses and gifts from the children and the school. It was too sweet!

To Chaing Mai, further north, I had a wander around there for a few days. I visited the padogas (buddhist temples) and I shopped a LOT at the 'night market' buying things I didn't need but were beautiful and very cheap. I went on a wee boat trip that wasn't that great but very relaxing, ate some good food and shopped some more at the 'night market' - one night they had some festivities and I have put a photo on of there 'miss Chaing Mae' competition (I was surprised there was no lady boys in the line up - but then again...maybe there was!)

On my last day in Chaing Mae I decided to do something a bit more 'touristy' and I booked an all day activities package. Well for those of you who know what I am like...I do love to try new things. And so I went with 5 other people...elephant riding, mountain biking and last but not least white water rafting. It was seriously good fun. I enjoyed being on the elephants but I didn't like the fact that the guys working with them had sticks with a metal spike on the end that they would stick in to the head of the elephant. The elephant in front of mine was bleeding, if I knew they did that I wouldn't have gone on the elephant part of the day to tell the truth. The mountain biking was fine, only cruel to myself really. I enjoyed it immensely and think I suprised most people by my lack of use of brakes down hills and my biking through the river without a second thought and up the hills without too much hassle. But as I explained to those who questioned me - I am a youth worker after all and usually I am doing this and at the same time telling someone to stop 'kicking/hitting/swearing, etc'! And so after that we joined some others for some white water which was an absolute blast as the group I was with were a good laugh and also worked hard, one guy was from England and now works in Baghdad as a security guard (!) and the other 2 a couple on honeymoon (awww). And so our 'captain' was a Thai with very little english and would only shout 'forward', 'back', 'left side', 'right side', 'middle' and 'well done' - anything you asked him he just looked blank and would say 'well done!'. We laughed until we got stuck on a rapid between a rock and a branch, it was a bit scary but exciting at the same time. The 3 of them actually got off the raft and sat on the rock while we tried to pull the raft back and then they jumped back on again...yes meanwhile we are sitting on a rapid and the raft has a mind of its own! One comment was made 'this would never happen in Britain, they wouldn't let you out the raft for one thing...health and safety? Well I suppose we are in Thailand!' Yeah, it was a good day - we lived! We also spent most of the day with 2 guys from Israel, one of them kept shouting my name all the time and asking how I was doing - it seems he has an 'uncle Sylvia' - how very nice!!

And so to Bangkok...not my favourite place in the world. Its a bit of a dive, really created for the tourists these days. The Thais in Bangkok will do anything for a few Baht (money). Again only a couple of days here and so I went around the temples and I went to visit the palace - which I would recommend immensely as it is so beautiful - I loved the palace there, really loved it - it has several beautiful buildings and temples inside the grounds all bright colours, sparkling and out of this world. One thing did happen in Bangkok, I met several people all wanting to help me with my visit, only to find that they were only out to see how much they could make from me. I found that very sad as the people in Mae Sot and in Chaing Mae were so nice. And so I was well and trully scammed by one guy and lost a load of cash out of that, he promised me I would make money for my travels. Instead he made money and the people he works for. And so if in Thailand and anyone trys to tell you how you can do something or make something or that some place is closed and you should go on a tour via some 'emporium' or other just say no! No matter how genuine and nice they seem, wolves in sheep's clothing. I felt like a sap after that, thought I was getting to be a bit of a world traveller and found out I was the same old gullible person just hoping that I could trust people! But I was stupid to get in to it in the first place! Got to move on!

Anyway, now I am in Australia, have spent some time in Sydney and I will tell you about that next time I get a chance.

I just want to wish you a Happy New Year and all the best for 2006! I hope its a good one for you and yours! And thank you for your comments, as always!

Love and hugs
Sylv x