Thailand

Hello all

Not a lot has happened since the last blog update. We've not moved very far from Bay View Bungalows, situated on Haad Yao beach in Ko Phangan. Bar a 2 hour thunder storm last Friday the weather has been glorious and after 3 hours in the morning sunshine I thought I'd better get some shade and use that as an excuse to update the blog.

We're both glad that we've stayed in the one place for a week, rather than run around trying to check out all the beaches or take a boat over to another island. We have been reliably informed that Haad Yao is the nicest beach and I can't disagree - it is postcard perfect. Powder white sand, crystal blue waters, no pumping techno music, we have a lovely infinity pool in our resort, all is well!

As Lynn is currently finishing her PADI open water diving course I've had quite a bit of time to myself the last few days and I've used it very constructively to compile a list of 100 of my favourite songs of all-time. The only rule was that each band/artist was allowed only one song, so that the Stone Roses, Beatles, Stevie Wonder and New Order didn't dominate proceedings. It's listed below. You'll recognise some and not know how the hell some of these artists are but download them and check them out.

I should add that I have also been out a run along the beach the last two mornings and spent considerable time in the swimming pool and sunbathing just in case you were thinking the list had taken me two full days! It may take a while to get rid of my t-shirt tan, but we have time on our side.

Lynn will be writing her first blog tonight or tomorrow after finishing her PADI course. I went out on the first day but kind of freaked out, diving isn't for me. I'd only went along at Lynn's request and said I would give it a go. Lynn has a number of challenges to complete to get her certificate - it's been pretty tough going and we may be celebrating tonight! We'll also be having a drink tomorrow night as our good friends Colin (Wigs) and Nichola get married. For the first time we may feel a little homesick as it will be a great day and night.

On Sunday we fly to Kuala Lumpar and on Tuesday to Manilla in the Philippines to stay with my Mum's friends (and ours) Ken and Gwen Coughlan. We are looking forward to mince and tatties!

1) going back to my roots - ritchie havens
2) you set the scene - love
3) temptation - new order
4) don't leave me this way - harold melvin and the bluenotes
5) don't let me down - the beatles
6) like a rolling stone - bob dylan
7) just can't get enough - depeche mode
8) come together (farley mix) - primal scream
9) nothing but a heartache - the flirtations
10) one to another - the charlatans
11) only with you - beach boys
12) looking for you - garnet mimms
13) you - spanky wilson
14) you - george harrison
15) move on up - curtis mayfield
16) just walk in my shoes - gladys knight and the pips
17) soul at sunrise - juggy
18) california soul - marlena shaw
19) bad weather - supremes
20) time will pass you by - tobi legend
21) jump - van halen
22) you got the love - candi statton
23) my love is your love forever - isley brothers
24) groove is in the heart - deelite
25) like a prayer- madonna
26) she bangs the drums - stone roses
27) all i need to get by - marvin gaye and tammi terrell
28) i want you back - the jackson 5
29) rez - underworld
30) belfast - orbital
31) son of a gun - vaselines
32) everything flows - teenage fanclub
33) higher ground - stevie wonder
34) come on feel the illinoise - sufjan stevens
35) shooting star - the mamas and the papas
36) sunday morning - velvet underground
37) sound and vision - david bowie
38) nowhere to run - martha reeves and the vandellas
39) la femme d'argent - air
40) since i left you - the avalanches
41) slide away - oasis
42) i wish i never saw the sunshine - the ronettes
43) it's a shame - detroit spinners
44) break on through to the other side - the doors
45) i can feel your love - felice taylor
46) wrote for luck - happy mondays
47) i believe in miracles - the jackson sisters
48) first big weekend - arab strap
49) legal man - belle and sebastian
50) hurt - johnny cash
51) atmosphere - joy division
52) do i love you (indeed i do) - frank wilson
53) there goes the fear - doves
54) better the devil you know - kylie minogue
55) killing smile - death in vegas
56) unfinished sympathy - massive attack
57) golden path - chemical brothers
58) do you realise? - flaming lips
59) make me believe in you - patti jo
60) hopipolla - sigur ros
61) she's a rainbow - rolling stones
62) i am a rock - simon and garfunkel
63) all or nothing - small faces
64) long after tonight is all over - jimmy radcliffe
65) the bottle - gil scott heron
66) there is a light that never goes out - the smiths
67) standing in the way of control - gossip
68) sweet child o mine - guns'n'roses
69) tracks of my tears - smokey robinson and the miracles
70) if you want me to stay - sly and the family stone
71) mr tambourine man - the byrds
72) sometimes always - jesus and marychain
73) fade into you - mazzy star
74) walk on the wild side - lou reed
75) i'd give anything to see you - mick ronson
76) there she goes - the la's
77) till the end of the day - the kinks
78) funky drummer - james brown
79) seven days too long - chuck wood
80) i'm bound to pack it up - aluminium
81) bittersweet symphony - verve
82) sit down - james
83) losing my edge - lcd soundsytsem
84) and i was a boy from school - hot chip
85) being around - the lemonheads
86) nothing ever lasts forever - echo and the bunnymen
87) young folks - peter, bjorn and john
88) stop your crying - spiritualized
89) dry the rain - beta band
90) john belushi - broken family band
91) little fluffy clouds - the orb
92) wish you were here - pink floyd
93) music box - ruth copeland
94) once in a lifetime - talking heads
95) yes it's you - sweet charles
96) teenage kicks - undertones
97) tired - futuristic retro champions
98) just a little misunderstanding - the contours
99) hey lisa - david holmes
100) S0S stop her on sight - edwin starr

It's definitely time to chill, relax, take it easy, veg, lie on a beach, go for a swim, a walk along the beach, read a book, listen to music, eat, drink and do not much else!

We've been travelling for a while now and Vietnam and Cambodia were pretty hectic. We covered the length and breadth of Vietnam and raced through Cambodia. Thankfully we are now in Ko Phangan, an island in Southern Thailand for some much needed r&r. Read on for an update on what we have been up to.

August 11th - Saturday
After writing the last blog update Lynn and I proceeded to get pleasantly pissed in Cambodia's capital city. We went for a meal down by the river before returning to the lakeside area and playing pool before meeting a lovely Scottish guy called Paul who is travelling to roughly the same places we are. It was nice to hear a Scottish accent and what's more Paul is a Motherwell supporter! What are the chances?

We had quite a few beers and the West Ham v Man City game was on in the background, so it ended up being around midnight when we got to bed.

August 12th - Sunday
We checked out our $3/night guesthouse at around 11am and went for brunch at a nearby lakeside cafe/bar. JT picked us up at 1pm and we headed off to our limousine bus! The bus was better than a lot of the buses we have been on but calling it a limousine service was maybe stretching things a little too far.

The bus to Siem Reap took 5 hours and we stopped off for a 20 minute break on the way. We spent the time reading, dozing and listening to music. When we arrived in Siem Reap our new guide Sky (a friend of JT's) was waiting for us at the bus stop with our names on a card - oh to feel important and wanted! We were quite pleased that we had arranged this in advance as the bus stop/station didn't have any street lighting.

We checked into the Bacca Villa guesthouse, pushing the boat out to a $15/night room with warm water, a fan, air conditioning and satellite TV! We were too tired to bother wandering around so had a nice meal at the guesthouse and then retired to our room to watch the Manchester United v Reading match, kicking off at 10pm local time. It finished 0-0, Reading defended well, Rooney got injured and nothing else of note really happened.

August 13th - Monday
Sky was picking us up at 9am, no rest for the wicked. We had breakfast at the guesthouse and then Sky picked us up to head to Angkor. We bought a 3 day pass for $40 each, giving us plenty of time to wander round (or be driven to on Sky's tuk tuk) all the temples.

We started off at Angkor Watt and I have to say that it is very impressive. I wonder if some of the flats being thrown up around Glasgow will be around as long as this gem of a place. The intricate detail that covers every inch of stone is just staggering. After climbing to the highest point we bumped into a Scottish guy called Paul and his French wife Laura. After meeting no Scots for ages we had now met two in the space of a few days. We arranged to meet them at the Warehouse bar in Siem Reap later that night.

We then headed to Angkor Thom, which contains Bayon - probably our favourite temple. I don't want to bore you with all the details about the temples - needless to say there is a lot of history involved and to be honest you probably have to see them with your own eyes - do a google search for Angkor Watt or visit www.flickr.com/photos/murrayandlynn - although our photos don't do it justice.

I should add that we did visit the temple where Tomb Raider was filmed, sadly Angelina Jolie was nowhere to be seen. We bought a cd from a band playing outside, every member had at least one limb blown off by landmines. They smiled and we chatted to them as they showed us how to play their instruments, I was particularly impressed with one guitar like harp instrument.

After a wet shave and a number 4 all over at a local barbers we headed into Siem Reap to meet Paul and Laura. You cou8ld order beer dispensers for your table so we didn't have to go to the bar all night. Had a great night and the conversation flowed easily - nice couple.

August 14th - Tuesday
I thought I heard something in the distance but I tried to ignore it, it became louder and louder until I realised it was our alarm clock and remembered that we had agreed to meet Sky at 5am to go and watch sunrise over Angkor Watt! I lay in bed half hoping that Lynn hadn't heard it and that I could return to my sleep, but she had, so we got up!

It wasn't the most amazing sunrise I haev ever seen but it was memorable. Thousands of Japanese and Korean tourists had been bused in, and soon after the sun came out they were bused out again - bizarre, didn't they want to see any of the other temples?

After and early start we ended up being back in Siem Reap at 11am. We went straight to sleep! We were shattered. The other temples we saw today were on a smaller scale than yesterday but still fantastic to view and explore.

We wandered into town when we woke and had some lovely club sandwiches ay Le Grande Cafe before wandering round the market and Lynn bought a white long sleeve top. We went for another snooze before heading back to the Warehouse Bar to meet Paul and Laura again. We decided to go to the Khmer Kicthen for food and wine and it was very nice although my soup was incredibly spicey.

We then headed to a bar for a few more beers and to watch a live band that played everything from The Beatles to Phil Collins with a bit of 'Country Roads' thrown in for good measure. Got back to hotel just after midnight, exhausted after a long day.

August 15th - Wednesday
Got up at 8am, very tired! We met Sky at 9am and headed out towards the Cambodian Landmine Museum and the furthest away temple. The sun was shining (indeed it was roasting every day we were in Cambodia) and the Tuk Tuk sped along some country roads creating a pleasant breeze.

The Cambodian Landmine Museum was very interesting. The statistics were staggering. Again, there is too much to go into here so check out http://www.landmine-relief-fund.com/

The museum is run by a guy who actually used to lay the mines during the 70's (he was forced to). He has now adopted 25 kids and claims to have defused over 50,000 mines! We both bought cool t-shirts.

The Bantrey Srey temple was worth the trip, very nice indeed. When we got back to Siem Reap we got dropped at the old market and then went to the Temple Restaurant for a late lunch. It was lovely - Amok Fish (the best), Chicken Curry and Pork in Cambodian spices with rice. We shared it between us and it was without doubt the best meal suring our time in Cambodia.

At night we went for a 4 hand massage - two gorgeous Cambodian girls rubbed oil over my body and gave me a fantastic time - don't worry, Lynn was lying just along from me having exactly the same thing done to her!

We came out refreshed and recharged. We bumped into Paul (Motherwell fan) and had a quick drink with him before heading back to the guest house as we had promised Sky we would attend his English class that he runs. It was very intersting with kids, teenagers and young adults all attending and we read and answered questions on a 'young Picasso' and a 'young Mozart'. We met Sky's 'friend' Rebecca who recommended a restaurant called Dead Fish for dinner.

Dead Fish is a cool place and if you ever find yourself in Siem Reap you should head there - although don't get too drunk as there are crocodiles - I kid you not! The upstairs section was split over several levels and you could look down into a croc pit - with no barrier! Very dangerous and we stayed well away from the edge.

August 16th - Thursday
Long lie and then off to airport for 1pm flight to Ko Samui via Bangkok. We arrived in Ko Samui at 4.30pm and immeidately decided to head to the less commercial island of Ko Phangan as there was a ferry at 6.30pm. ON the ferry we read a local guide and decided to head to Haad Yao in the North West, well clear of the full moon party crowds in the South East that play techno and trance - the last thing we needed after 5 weeks intensive travelling.

I'll update the blog again shortly as I am pretty tired. Just had a great day chilling on the beach and intend to do the same for another two days at least!

Well our first full day in Pai proved to be eventful!

Lynn and I slept well in our cabin by the river. It rained overnight and as a result yesterday was a glorious day. After breakfast we decided to trek to a waterfall 10km out of Pai.

We left at 11am and it took us 2.5 hours to get there. On the way we stopped off at a cafe/restaurant for a couple of soft drinks. 3 members of the Thai army stopped by (as there is a base outside Pai) and proceeded to order cokes before bringing out a bottle of whiskey! We also passed the tiny Pai airport on the way and a small 15 seater plane flew over the top of our heads.

As we approached the waterfall we walked by several local farms and a number of farmers tried to entice us inside for a 'smoke'. As Pai is famous for formerly being a big Opium producer I imagine that is what they were offering us although as we didn't take up the offer I can only speculate.

We reach the waterfall that is made up of three different falls. We paddle for a bit, watching some locals further up the second waterfall jumping in and out of a pool. With a bit of help from the locals we climb the rocks to join them. The rocks are very smooth and we need to climb with our bare feet to esnure we can get up.

We reach the pool, about ten metres up and just after the first fall. Lynn decides against going in so I jump in with the locals. They are all performing elaborate backflips and somersaults while I hold my nose and jump in. The rocks are very smooth and slippy and I struggle to get out, needing the hand of a local. I soon discover that if you go to the dge of the fall there are natural steps to get out. I jump in and out several times and the locals are very friendly. One of the loclas decides to slide down the side of the waterfall. He does so to great applause from the rest of them, there are about six.

After my fifth or sixth jump I try to get out but keep slipping and before I know it I am over the side of the waterfall, sliding straight down the middle! This seemed to happen in slow motion but also in fast forward as well. Thankfully I am feet first and manage to slow myself down halfway down, wondering if there is some way I can scramble to the side. But the water is too fast and teh rocks too smooth for me to get a grip. I slide down to the sound of Lynn crying out 'Mmmmmmuuuuurrrraaayyyy'. I automatically try to protect my spine and somehow manage to get down. I clearly remember being about two metres from the bottom thinking 'I'm going to be OK here'. I am. I land with a bump in the pool at the botttom, the pool has a sand base.

I wave frantically to the top to indicate to Lynn and the locals that I am OK. I think the locals thought I meant to go down and they start cheering and applauding. I eventually get my breath and shout 'I'm OK, I'm OK'. One of the locals helps Lynn down the smooth rock face and we greet at the bottom. I am totally buzzing with the adrenelin rush.

My right bum cheek is a bit sore but apart from that I am fine. I look back at what I have just slid down and thank my lucky stars that I am OK. We wave goodbye to the locals to more cheers and walk back to Pai.

On the way what can only be describes as a school bus passes us. Only it's a motorbike with a side car and about 15 kids crammed in. They wave and shout 'thank you' (presumably the only English they know) and we wae back. I wish I had had the camera out.

We arrive back in Pai and immeidately order a large Chang beer each.

Later on we find a funky bar called Phu Pai and have some more Chang (6.4%). The barmaid lets us get some food from a local stall so dinner last night cost us 40 baht for Chicken and Rice and some classic Pad Thai. We probably spent 10 times that on beer right enough!

A couple of locals play Bob Dylan songs using acoustic guitar, mandolin and mouth organ. They are very good and we leave around midnight after they play 'Like A Rolling Stone'.

We intend to chill out today, post some stuff back home, read a little and plan our route to the Laos (silent s) border. We are going to veg out outside our riverside cabin. I'll try and put some pictures up of the cabin and the waterfall.

Hello bloggers

Just a quick update as my Mum may get online tonight! Wow!

We got the 1.30pm bus from Chiang Mai to Pai today. It took 4 hours and wound uphill through forests and clouds. I listened to my Nano on the way. Top tunes included 'Tellin' Stories' by The Charlatans, 'Bad Weather' by The Supremes and 'Sour Times' by Portishead.

We arrive in Pai and book into a bamboo cabin on stilts by a river for only 150 baht per night! That is probably around 2 pounds per night! It is beautiful. We are surrounded by a valley and will open our shutters tomorrow to see stunning countryside and a river. We will be sleeping under a mosquito net tonight as they are quite fierce up here. We have both been bitten already and they are nasty little f**kers that would give midges a run for their money.

Pai is a beautiful little town that was on the original hippy trail in the 60's due to the fact that Opium was readily available. It has a population of 3,000 and I really feel like we are off the beaten trail here.

We plan to so a bit of trekking and there are caves and waterfalls that we can get to without too much hassle.

We've had dinner and a couple of beers, I also got my haircut. A number 4 all over. We're just chilling out before heading for an early night so we can get up early (hopefully to sunshine) and go for a trek to a waterfall.

I hope all is well back home or wherever you are if you are reading this.

Lots of love
Murray and Lynn
xxxx

PS - Hello Mum! Welcome to broadband!

Today we attended the Best Thai Cooking school and made the following dishes.

hot and sour soup (tom yam) -lynn
chicken in coconut milk - murray
thai green curry with chicken - murray
panaeng curry with tofu - lynn
chicken with cashew nuts - murray
sweet and sour chicken - lynn
pad thai - both

we then watched and helped the chef make papaya salad, spring rolls and sticky rice with mango - deeeeelicious.

we're now back at the guest house and the heavens have opened! well it is rainy season and we have had fabulous weather to date.

we were going to head north tomorrow but i think we might check out the weather forecast first!

last night we had our first alcohol free night since we arrived and intend to do the same tonight. hopefully the rain will go off shortly.

lots of love
murray and lynn

ps - more photos up