Thailand and recent developments

Ok ok... due to increased demand and pressure from people far and near, here is my next installment... but where to begin???

Ah, let's see what kind of mumble jumble i can produce now...

Thailand was in one word: indescribable.

After spending a lovely day/night in Kunming (clean city with not the pressing hustle and bustle of other major Chinese cities, very friendly with springtime weather all year round), we headed straight to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand where we did a two-day trek.

We packed as much fun and activity as we possibly could: elephant ride; bamboo raft; overnight at a hilltribe minority group village, the Karen people; warm campfire under the stars drinking Chang beer and having a sing-a-long with the rest of our group members (we were 8 in total, from Korea, Denmark, HK, France, Jersey, and Canada).

Then we flew down to Phuket where we stayed at a beautiful bungalow on Ko Yao Noi Island, surrounded by trees, view from bedroom overlooking the sea, delicious food, great company (hilarious British husband wife team who entertained us with their musical talents, singing everything from Elvis to church hymns!)

The following day a bunch of us (guests) went on a longtail boat and visited several beaches on various islands, stopped off in Ao Nang for some lunch, went snorkelling (was quite disappointed with the poor visibility though), showered in the most gorgeous outdoor shower stall surrounded by tall lush trees and birds chirping from every direction, got engaged, had a tasty meal of indian roti and crepes, went to bed.

Our plan was to go straight into Phuket town early the next morning so we could go scuba-diving. We missed the tour group by half an hour, but then again we hadn’t even signed up yet.

We were going to be flying to Bangkok the next day, and so we were determined to dive that day (also you shouldn’t dive and fly on the same day, so that was really our last chance).

After some Chinese-style pressure from our behalf and asking if there were ANY other alternatives, we ended up chartering our own boat! Yup, so off we went with our own guide, boat, equipment, just like that! When there’s a will…

And we scooted off to Raya Yai Island in the Andaman Sea where we did two dives, had lunch on the boat finishing it off with a nice Burmese cigar (very smooth and tasty, shoulda bought more).

Spent that night on Maikhao Beach, where we had the place to ourselves, beach and all! The place had been hit by the tsunami, and there was still debris and broken tree branches to be cleaned up.

Several of their bungalows were washed away, and they seemed quite happy to have us there, if only for one night. Too bad we damaged their motorbike which they so kindly rented to us the next day... more to come.

We ate right on the beach, watching the sunset. Absolutely gorgeous.

Later on that night, some of them were watching the tsunami video that someone had put together by compiling home videos and editing it to music.

So the following morning we hopped on the, what seemed to be fairly new, motorbike. Stopped off at a national park where we saw a waterfall.

Matt showed me how to drive the bike, and i had a go on it around the roads - really fun!

We continued south along the coast, lunching on Patong Beach, and then decided on the spot that we should try jet-skiing as both of us hadn't done it before.

That was excellent, the speed, the waves, the water, but i do prefer riding the bike.

On the way back from Patong Beach going back north through the 'back roads', and about 15 mintues away from our guesthouse, we were going round a steep corner, when all of a sudden we hit a patch of water and skidded.

Off flew Matt onto his stomach, shaving off inches from his beautiful waistline (just kidding hon), me landing smack on top of him, and the bike on me. Poor Matt had to bear the brunt of our weight, resulting in a badly cut up knee, elbow, hand, and tummy.

Up rushed some people from a nearby hotel, shoving cotton balls and alcohol solution in our faces, insisting that we go to the hospital and see a doctor.

With our persistent refusals of anything but some water, we immediately fished out our camera so we could capture the moment, blood and all.

They were probably thinking to themselves "those silly stubborn foreigners, they ARE crazy!" Yes we are, crazy in love!! Ok, bad one… but hey, it’s true.

Our last night in Thailand was spent with Stella in fun-filled Bangkok, catching up over Thai beer, phat thai, Som Tam (really spicy Thai salad), fresh fruit shakes and FALAFELS!!! We did some last minute shopping at the local 7-11, where they seem to pop up every time you round a street corner in Bangkok! Unreal!

The next morning we had to get up very early. Bangkok traffic is crazy. We just made it to the airport, after over an hour and a half in a taxi, which on the way in to the city took us only 20 minutes!

Our supposed short stopover in Kunming last for over 12 hours, and i'll spare you the details, but we eventually made it back to the comfort of our home by morning the next day.... exhausted, sore, but just absolutely glowing too :)

** Oh yeah, so for those who missed it because you were bored by my play-by-play commentary of our holiday and you were just skimming the above, Matt and I got engaged on Koh Yao Noi island!

What can i say, I mean I'm just beyond happy. There is no word for it, i'm just sincerely and deliriously happy!!!...

Thanks to all for the warm wishes! I treasure them with all my heart.

Wedding details will follow soon. We are envisioning an outdoor celebration, somewhere in the grasslands/ mountains of Xinjiang, complete with Uyghur and Kazakh music, fermented camel's milk, big round yurts, huge bonfire, stars, moonlight ... and minimal Baijiu, this wretched throat-burning Chinese alcohol (we might just ban the drink completely)...

There are some traditional Uyghur and Kazakh rituals that a couple must go through before they are married (ie: groom must serenade bride with sweet melodies on the guitar, then he's gotta go and basically beg the bride's family and friends for her to come out of the house/yurt, bribing them with a hefty price in the form of cash, jewellery, livestock.... i'm trying to convince Matt that we should respect this tradition since we are in Xinjiang, and should therefore follow the marriage rituals here.

I don't care much about the jewellery or cash, but having my own proper CAMEL, wow, what a novelty!