08.11 The morning is here at Diamond Park Inn in Chiang Rai. It is time to get things together again, myself and my belongings that is.

09.45 Breakfast is a good way to start the day. Weíve just come back from it. Christer has just poured out his beverage from last evening, Siam Sato. He suspects that it is in fact rice wine.

10.34 We took a slow stroll to the bus terminal. Here weíve arranged with bus tickets to Chiang Mai, departure 11.45. Now we are seated at Baan Chivit Mai Bakery. Weíve ordered banana cake and cinnamon bun with orange- and passion fruit juice. An Englishman got up from his chair as I made a joke to the waiter about needing some passion. The place as I understood it, is run by Swedes. (http://www.baanchivitmai.com/en/ministries/thebakeryinchiengrai/)

Time to leave Chiang Rai and head for Chiang Mai.

11.16 We saw some signs that the bakery was owned by Swedes, a Dala horse stood on a shelf, a carved wooden horse painted in bright colours. Now we are back on the bus terminal and on a bench. Our bus is here but we will wait to get onboard. There are a lot of people here. There is a young lady in a car. She announces things through a loudspeaker.

11.22 A bus hostess has showed us our seats. Thai music comes from the loudspeakers and there is a monk in the seat in front of Christer. It is the time of the year when ìregularî men can become a monk for a short while. It is also time for the lent for the monks. I wonder what the next city, Chiang Mai, and the next home, MD House has to offer.

12.51 The bus struggles to get up a hill. I struggle to write readable. Since the bus rattles and goes on neither of them is easy. I just had some crackers that I got from our hostess. There are two hours remaining on the trip and we reached the top of hill. Thatís great, now the writing and riding will get smoother.

13.22 The bus has stopped and some of the passengers with me included have taken the chance to stretch our legs here in Ban Mae Chedi.

13.50 The police just stopped us. A policeman is looking through some of the passengers papers. He just took a quick glance at our passports. Are they looking for illegal immigrants from neighbouring countries or just a routine check since we went into a new province?

An enthusiastic tuk tuk-driver taking us towards the centre of Chiang Mai.

MD House, Chiang Mai

14.49 Weíve reached the bus station in Chiang Mai, one of Thailandís most tourist dense cities. It is time to ride a tuk-tuk again. We are on our way to our prebooked home MD House and my handwriting is back to bad again.

15.13 We were driven straight to the entrance of MD House. We passed the swimming pool and got inside. We found a man asleep at the reception desk. He woke up, checked us in, gave us a quick guiding, loads of information and showed us to room 215. The room is excellent and has a small balcony just big enough to dry our clothes on. We¥ve also got access to free internet in a small room here at MD House.

16.48 It is time to leave the room to get to know the surroundings. We also need to get something to eat.

Thai flags at Thapae Gate.

Confused westerners walking around in Chiang Mai.

Peter taking notes along Moon Muang Road.

17.19 There is no lack of places to eat at here. But it all felt like some kind of tourist ghetto with places serving Italian pasta, British pub meals and German beer. We finally sat down at The Corner. Here we will have Thai food.

17.50 It wasn't such a culinary experience but it eased the hunger. We watched the street as we had our meal. Out there we saw confused tourists with maps. Inside the restaurant there was a strange woman who seemed to think that the restaurant was some kind of tourist information. She asked for help with bookings, the way back to her hotel and so on. Now we are having a bench break down by the moat which surrounds the older parts of the city. A man just took a swim in the very same moat.

Christer in front of a moat in Chiang Mai.

19.45 We saw more of the city before we bunkered up for the night and went home. We are out on the internet here on the place. We will soon relax and try to find out about tomorrow and how and when we will leave from here on Saturday.

21.06 Our internet visit straightened out some of our question marks. Thailand starts to count their years from the birth of Buddha, but I am a sceptic here. I donít think that it is that way. Last night Christer drank just as he suspected, rice wine! New question marks have appeared though. Among them; where are we going to eat and what will it be for dinner?

21.43 It is plenty of cars, places to eat and tourists here. A bus just came with more of them, tourists that is. We are still thinking about where to eat. Shall we grab a hamburger at Mikeís or local food at some of the other places.

21.53 We chose Mikeís. Who can avoid a place with a slogan that says îConverting vegetariansî? According to our guidebook they have the best hamburgers outside the United States.

22.56 Nothing wrong with the burgers but I¥ve had better. It is time to go to sleep.

Friday 11th of July

08.40 I am back from the world of the dreams, back from the shower and still in Thailand. Next in line will be to find a place offering breakfast. If it will be American, Continental, English, Thai or who knows... remains to be seen.

09.20 It will be pancake breakfast at Thai Thai Kitchen. It is peace and quiet around us. Today we will take a dip in the swimming pool and take a walk around the old town. The restaurant is just a few metres from the entrance of our home.

Ratchawithi Road, Chiang Mai

Ants taking a walk in Chiang Mai.

10.23 Weíve begun a forenoon walk to see more of Chiang Mai. We almost forgot one of lifeís necessities, the bench break. Some red ants are marching on the pavement below us. They carry on up on a stone wall and a tree.

10.36 In front of us is the Buddhist temple Wat Dok Kham and a man who is fixing, mending a tuk-tuk. Behind us is the moat and under us yet another of those benches that we tend to sit down on. This is when you feel you are on vacation, no musts, no stress, just slowly watching what happens around where you are sitting.

Tuk-tuk problems in front of Wat Dok Kham.

11.44 We are back home at MD House. After some reading it is time to drift out into the waters of the swimming pool. I am looking forward to take a dip. A couple is sitting by a table and seem to plan some kind of trip.

13.58 Weíve stretched out in the pool, splashed the neighbouring area, had a shower and just recently washed the clothes. Now we will head back out on the streets. Our laundry hangs on our little balcony.

14.27 Our old town walk hasnít taken us to a bench but to another classic piece, Starbucks. Right now outside of here a monk passed in wine-red clothing. What state of ripeness is he in? How is he compared to the saffron yellow and brown monks we¥ve seen before?

The northeastern corner of the squareshaped centre of Chiang Mai.

15.03 We are walking along the moat and we¥ve just came to realise that all the maps with recommendations about what to see have been left behind. I had forgotten to pack them. Not very good. I hope we will make it anyhow.

16.02 I found one map in my backpack. Weíve walked around and seen different temples. By Wat Chiang Man we met a tuktuk-driver who was anxious to take us on a trip. He showed us references from different Swedes who had been pleased customers. He couldnít understand that we preferred to walk. At one of the temples I was offered to buy some small birds sitting in wooden cages that looked like strainers. Now I am standing with bare feet in the Wat Phra Sing temple. I¥ve got bare feet since you shall leave your shoes outside before entering a temple. Before we came here we got some information that the buses from Chiang Mai to our next destination leaves often, very often. I donít want to get out from here right now. It is raining heavily outside.

Three kings monument, the founder of Chiang Mai king Mengrai and his
pals Ramkamhaeng of Sukhothai and Ngam Muang of Payao.

Wat Chiang Man

17.04 The rain stopped and we started to walk home and to find a place to eat. We also watched a beautiful rainbow. Just before we got home we entered the breakfast place. Here we will eat before going home. The rain returned just as we ordered.

18.03 No hunger and just joy. It is time to relax.

A mighty Buddha statue inside Wat Phra Sing, the largest and most famous temple in Chiang Mai.

Buddhist monks, a common sight in Chiang Mai.

19.25 No, enough of being lazy. It is time to get going again. We need to check about the next home, we need a little to eat now and also something to bring for tomorrow¥s journey.

20.34 Two glasses of juice was just put on our table. It is time for dinner at the restaurant Aroon Rai. It is a strange mix of people here out in the open with a roof above us. Some seem to be members of some motorcycle gang and others are just regular backpackers.

21.47 The food at Aroon Rai was cheap and tasty. They offered a variety of local dishes. The staff at 7 Eleven and Starbucks all have name tags. A name on competent people that have appeared many times is Trai Nee, strange, isn't it? :-)

Saturday 12th of July

08.31 It is an hour since we got out of the beds. BBC has told about the olympic gold hope in taekwondo Aaron Cook and that there will be no sanctions against Zimbabwe. Theyíve also shown us pictures of a drunken Belarussian soccer referee. Now the TV is switched off and soon the next trip begins.

09.20 This city has been filled with all kinds of matters of transport and we¥ve received eternal offers to go with tuk-tuks. This Saturday morning though, we haven¥t anyone to go with. The street was ever so clean from suitable vehicles. Eventually we talked to a man way beyond retirement and decided to travel in his unmarked taxi. He quickly understood that we were going to the bus station. It was harder to make him understand that we were going by bus to Phitsanulok later, He nodded and said that he understood, but where were we going he asked? He finally got it. Now we¥ve bought a bus ticket and we¥re sitting on an elderly kind of bus. The trip will take 6 hours, at least we think so..

11.35 It is pretty crowded on the bus which travels through the Thai landscape. Weíve done one third of the trip roughly. The road has an equal mix of asphalt and holes. That is how it feels. Now we¥ve stopped at the bus station in Lampang and several passengers have left the bus. Have they left for good or to buy something or maybe stretch their legs?

Lunchbreak in the unknown. Maybe someone knows where this is?

13.17 We just made a twenty minute break. Twenty was said and twenty it took, Legs have been stretched, toilets have been visited and now we carry on. Weíve not got a clue where we are. This area lacks road signs with our letters. The six hour long ride might take even longer. There can be a stop in a place called Tak. We don¥t know. The road we¥re travelling on is leading to Tak. That¥s what we know.

14.50 I just caught a glimpse of a sign. A sign where I think I saw 22 and a place with "ulok" in the end. Is it our destination or just another of all the places, villages and so? The busriding is tearing me down. It is time for a new village and a new stop. Weíve travelled on so many small local roads. Where are we? I havenít got a clue, Thailand most likely.

15.06 I have seen more about what is written on that sign. It says Sa Wankhalok. It isn't our place but most likely someone elses.

15.30 Buddha just sat outside the window, in form of a gigantic, golden statue. We are getting closer to Sukhothai.

16.32 After having been refuelled, the bus is speeding up again. It is 40 kilometres left to Phitsanulok.

Our small room at Lithai Guest House.

17.31 Weíve reached Phitsanulok, a city pretty much in the centre of Thailand. We took a swift tuktuk-transport to Lithai Guest House. Here we¥re staying in room 404 at a cost of 220 baht per night. The price of under $4 is one of the cheapest we¥ve ever experienced. We¥ve got a double bed without any blankets and there are no towels here either. We asked about rooms with two beds and the man in the reception replied îlooms ale lull". He first thought that we wanted a room each. Now we are about to get to know the neighbourhood and get us something to eat.

18.16 We asked about towels before we left. We can pick them up as we get back. Now we¥ve walked to Mae Nam Nan, (or Nan for short) that is the river floating through the city. Weíve found and turned down a restaurant on a house boat in the river. Around me people are jogging and in park on the other side of the river several people are exercising together. They are jumping up and down to the beat of music and commands, some kind of aerobics maybe?

The bridge on the river...Nan (not Kwai)

Nan, the river you can see in Phitsanulok.

Thai aerobics?

18.44 We passed a biking man with a helmet on our way home. Now we are seated in the restaurant Steak Cottage just close to our hotel here in Phitsanulok.

19.08 First I got my food and then Christer got food. But it wasn't what we had ordered. Soon he got a new plate. It was the right dish this time. He said thanks but no thanks to the right dish. Now I ordered two coffees. It will be a perfect end of the dinner.

20.16 The coffee finally came, one cup at a time. After that we went shopping on good old 7 Eleven. One of the ladies there banged her arm in the cash register. It seemed to hurt. Now we are in our small room watching music videos on a channel called Popper. We just watched Mel C and now it is Delta Goodrem. We made sure to bring towels with us up here.

21.53 There are plenty of animals here. As Christer took a shower he saw how a yellow lizard chased away two smaller brown ones from the wall. Weíve seen another lizard trying, without any luck, to catch a butterfly on the net on/by our window. Yet a lizard has been heard clicking, clocking or what ever they do. Finally a green beetle dropped down from the ceiling and landed on my right thigh. I sent it flying through the air.

Sunset in Phitsanulok.

Sunday 13th of July

07.17 Our floor based fan is doing its best to turn the pages of this journal. The very same fan has made our night sleep ever so OK. A girl from the staff has placed some fruit in the spirit house on the roof. It is custom to sacrifice fruit or something else in these to the spirits to make them pleased and happy and not making problems for the owner of the house. We donít know what the spirits thinks of the fact that the birds are eating their fruit.

08.22 We are back at Steak Cottage. We told them our room number and ordered American and Continental breakfast with coffee. What will they serve us? Will it cost anything?

08.43 I got two toasts, butter, marmalade, egg, sausage, ham, bacon, juice and coffee. Christer got two toasts, butter, marmalade, juice and tea. As we pointed out that he wanted coffee and not tea the lady said to me, so you would like to have tea instead? We had to tell them many times before they got it. It differs 20 baht on the breakfasts. Is my whole plate worth 20 baht more or have they forgotten to give Christer something? We haven¥t seen anyone that has paid for their breakfast. Is it included or is the price put on the room bill?

Clocktower in Phitsanulok.

09.19 We had to pay for the breakfast. Is it maybe included on the more expensive rooms? Breakfast is included according to our guidebook from Lonely Planet. But it is after all the 13th of July, a date when strange things have happened to us before through the years.

09.45 We got to the bus terminal of Phitsanulok ten minutes ago. A person showed us to the right ticket counter. We bought the ticket and were informed that the next bus leaves at 12.00. The one before it left at 09.30, bad luck! We¥ve got a long wait ahead of us. We might get a snack or lunch before we travel to Khon Kaen. That Phitsanulok isnít any great tourist area appeared to us as it was nearly impossible to get a tuk-tuk to take us to the terminal. The usual thing in Thailand is to be hunted by them but not here though.

10.17 Christer has left. On his seat is my small backpack. Some guys with sling shots are trying to hit some pigeons sitting on the truss. What happens if they hit a pigeon? Will it fall down on someone here? What happens if the projectile hits someone here? Christer is looking for a diner, cafÈ or some form of simple restaurant.

Christer waiting, waiting and waiting at Phitsanulok bus terminal.

10.53 Christer¥s walk didnít bring much and neither did mine. Well, I got to stretch my legs and that is valuable. We donít know what kind of bus we will be going with or how much leg room we will get or if it is air-conditioned. Neither do we know how many hours the trip will take. All we know is that we have to wait for another hour.

11.18 Our destination can be read on the signs of platform 6 and 14. At platform 6 is a bus of the older kind. It feels more like a local bus.

11.39 A guy in green clothes has shown us to platform 11. A small band stands on the back of a s„wngth„ew. They sing and play on drums and marimba.

12.07 It is 1460 kilometres left to Kunming in China. Thanks God that we are not going there, at least not today. We are sitting comfortable on our seats at the back of the bus which just started its trip eastwards.

12.18 Weíve stopped at a petrol station. Time to fill up!? Several passengers have gone out for a short walk. A man in uniform said something as we stopped.

12.37 We are rolling again without man in the uniform.

13.44 Weíve made a stop to let people off and on here in Phetchabun. The floor is really hot from the engine.

14.27 A lady got on the bus as we stood still in Lom Sak. She sold bread. A young lady just entered with something that looks like fruit. 120 kilometres is done. It is a slow trip through hilly and forested Nam Nao National Park.

Beautiful views near Nam Nao National Park.

16.41 We are in Chumphae for a new stop with new salespersons and new products. They offer hardboiled eggs on a stick. Now a young lady entered and took all the tickets. She gave them all to a man in blue.

17.30 Rain is pouring down and there is lightning. It is on top of that getting dark. It could have been worse. Through the bus window we can see people riding on the back of cars and they are beyond soaked. We are getting closer to our destination, Khon Kaen. Two straight days on a bus can be felt in the back.

18.32 We had barely got off the bus here in Khon Kaen until the tuk-tuk drivers literally started to pull us. We swiftly left them behind (it feels great to walk after six hours on a bus) and checked in at Khon Kaen Hotel. Here we stay at room number 587 for 750 baht.

20.28 After having freshened up, we¥ve taken a small walk around the hotel to find out what the city has to offer. We didnít find any restaurant we liked. Now we¥re at First Choice for dinner. We found this place through our guidebook. It is also close to our hotel.

22.54 We got afflicted by mosquitoes and sewers stench but the food was really delicious. Weíve got ourselves an evening beer each too. Soon we will pull away the covers and slide down under a blanket each. Tomorrow a new journey awaits us.

Our dinner restaurant, First Choice.

Khon Kaen Hotel