* Unfortunately there are no photos in this post because our loyal camera was broken in this period
07.02
We are like drunk because of the lack of sleep but we want to escape the terrible Phuket as soon as possible. We sit to eat at a Muslim restaurant and then we head to the exit of the city. We come across a mountain with a steep slope, which we can’t climb in the noon heat so we start hitchhiking in the middle of the city. Continue reading
26.01
Today we decide to head to the next beach. South Thailand is a thin strip of land not wider than 100 km. and 1000 km long. On the east side is the Thai Gulf on which we were up to now and on the west is Andaman Sea, part of the Indian Ocean. The beaches at this sea are famous for their beauty and the transparent waters. So we are very eager to go on the other side. We pack our bags. We are bitten everywhere by some horrible small flies that you don’t feel when they bite you but then you see red marks on your skin that itches you a lot for some days and at the end there is even a scar left. Continue reading
Buddha’s head intertwined in Banyan tree branches
18.01
A man in uniform takes us to the main highway connecting Chiang Rai with Bangkok. He is so overexcited he took hitchhikers that he is all the time chuckling and telling us the names of all the towns we were passing by. After 70 km we finally reach the long expected highway which will lead us to the beaches of the south. The mountains, tribes and small secluded roads are behind our back. Continue reading
Women from the Hmong ethnic group
12.01
We hitchhike near the border town Chiang Khong. It is a small town which is also the entrance point to Laos. There is a bridge and one could also cross with a boat on Mekong that costs 0,75 euro. People leave us in the beginning of the town and we have to walk for 4-5 km. to exit it. It is a nice place without many tourists and the walk is pleasant. We continue towards the mountains located on the border with Laos. The region becomes more and more interesting. It is inhabited by the Hmong ethnic group. Everywhere we see people dressed in their traditional outfits sitting around fires they have lit next to their huts. Continue reading
The Golden Triangle itself
04.01
We continue hitchhiking north towards the Golden Triangle. The region is defined by Mekong River and forms a triangle on the border among Thailand, Laos and Burma and is famous for producing opium for hundreds of years. Traditionally here live mountain tribes, animists with quite exotic customs whose main crop is poppy. People in Thailand don’t use opium and heroin anymore and the government tries to educate the tribes to start growing other cultures and to develop its tourist industry here in the meanwhile. In Laos and Burma things are different. There they continue producing drugs full force and Burma is the main producer of methamphetamine and they often traffic their production through Thailand. Nevertheless the region is considered safe. Continue reading
Old temple
27.12
In the morning a ranger with a motor bike comes and he doesn’t seem worried at all that we are camping at the pavilion which is in the center of the park area. He just asks us when we plan to leave and even gives us a lighter because ours is out of gas. Good that he did because without it we wouldn’t have even drunk our morning tea. Continue reading
Buddhist temple at Tak
22.12
We cross the Thai border rather quickly. The employee asks us if we are OK with two-months visa because the one we have in our passports is without expiration date. We are overjoyed and say “yes”, he stamps our passports and here we are… walking on the streets of Thailand. This is the second time we are here but nevertheless we get a culture shock upon entering. The contrast seems even stronger to us the 7 months we spent in Pakistan, India and Myanmar. Continue reading
Magic Kervan 