Is there a monkey on my back?

During my travels in Thailand I happened upon a town called Lopburi. It is situated on the northern railway about 2 hours from Bangkok. A word of warning when you depart the train station be wary of tuk tuk drivers asking extremely high prices to travel extremely short distances. Lopburi is a town noted for its monkey population which is only outnumbered by the hordes of teenage schoolgirls whose only English is "I love you" which seems to fit in well with Thailands advertising that revolves around a relationship between young couples regardless of the product they are promoting. Finding a place to sleep in Lopburi is not difficult if you are not fussy however I stayed at a place called Nett Hotel. The price was right but the comfort was not. Being a vegetarian it was challenge to find appropriate food but a litre of ice-cream, a large bottle of Chang beer and some KFC fries sufficed for dinner. Ancient Khmer ruins are a feature in Lopburi as are the monkeys which literally have the run of the town and the place where these two attractions are similtaneous is Monkey Temple. the ruins are remarkable but it is also wall to wall monkeys who as I found out have an affection for digital cameras and like to jump on your back while you are concentrating on taking photos with the intent to relieve you of your camera. Lopburi is amust visit location in Thailand but I cannot guarantee total enjoyment.

Fascinating Phitsanulok

One of my favourite cities in Thailand is Phitsanulok. Situated in northern Thailand on the railway line between Bangkok and Chiang Mai it has a lot to offer in terms of shopping, a great night bazaar which features the famous Flying Vegetable Restaurant and a great insight into regional Thai life. The night bazaar is more relaxed than that on offer at Chiang Mai and offers a variety of eating choices and drinking choices one of which is the Flying Vegetable Restaurant in which they cook morning glory and fling it into the air for a waiter to climb up a van to catch it if your lucky. This show is best viewed during high season. For more on Phitsanulok and other Thailand destinations visit http://www.orientingtravellers.com.au/

Bangkok Billboards

An unusual feature I noticed in my travels around Bangkok was the larger than life billboard advertising. The advertising technique involves transposing a basically two dimensional format that erupts into three dimensional giving an outstanding. Attched are two examples which may help describe this effect better. For more information on Bangkok and Thailand please visit http://www.orientingtravellers.com.au/

Craving for caving

North western Thailand is a great place to satisfy that urge to lose youself in total darkness while getting your feet wet. One of these places is Tham Lot which is about 9km from Pangmapha but the experience was well worth the expense of hiring a driver to get to the caves. Tham Lot consists of a main chamber and three side chambers Column Cavern, Doll Cave and Coffin Cave. Part of your adventure includes a bamboo raft into the main chamber and takes around 2 hours to explore all the offerings of Tham Lot. For more information on Tham Lot and other Northern Thailand adventures go to http://www.orientingtravellers.com.au/

Hot springs in Pai

One adventure in Thailand that put me out of my comfort zone was a motorcycle trip to the hot springs south east of Pai. The part that was out of my comfort zone was not hiring and driving a motorcycle of which I had had no previous experience but having a dip in the hot springs when there is no cooling water from the mountain stream will put anyone outside their comfort zone. Some of th pools reach temperatures in excess of 80 C. That is hot enough to boil an egg. For more information on Pai and its surrounds visit http://www.orientingtravellers.com.au/ and click on CONTACT US

Visit to Karen hilltribe village

One of the many highlights of independent travel in Thailand is visiting hilltribe villages. In the Pangma Pha district in north west Thailand I visited a village which is home to the Karen hilltribe. The dwelling structures are all very basic and contain one room in which the room serves as bedroom and kitchen with a roof made from teak leaves. All the animals are kept under the house in pens. Each village has its own primary school and in this particular village the school had approximately 40 students for which I provided morning tea at a total cost of US$1. For more information on hilltribe visits go to http://www.orientingtravellers.com.au/ and click on CONTACT US

Giant Pandas and more

A must do for any traveller going to Chiang Mai is a visit to Chiang Mai Zoo but be sure to allow a full day for this outing. Situated to the north east of the city with commanding views of Chiang Mai this is one of the best zoos I have ever encountered. The range of animals form all parts of the globe and an eclectic of exotic birds is second to none but the real highlight is the 2 giant pandas, Chiang Chiang (the male) and Lin Hui (the female). They are housed in a special building that is temperature controlled and the security does not allow flash cameras. Visitors can stay for hours watching the pandas eat, sleep and play in a habitat that is close to their natural environment. Other highlights include the hippos one of which fully flexes its jaws when you raise a camera to take a picture, giraffes, zebras and flocks of flamingos. For information on Chiang Mai go to http://www.orientingtravellers.com.au/ and click on CONTACT US