After 430 odd days, around 60 000km, 12 countries (if you count a brief foray into Laos and Burma) and at least an oil tanker worth of booze, the travel is finally over. A fact I’m sure some of you will be laughing your asses off about. Bastards.
For those I managed to meet and catch up with on the journey, it’s been a bloody great trip. Just now getting a chance to look through some pictures, it’s hard to believe so much went on in a time that seemed to fly by.
During my last week in Thailand I booked a day trip up to the Golden Triangle (and subsequently sat and drank whisky with the tour agent much longer than was advisable considering the following days trip).
The Golden Triangle is an area in Northern Thailand where Thailand, Myanmar(Burma) and Laos converge around the Mekong River. In past times it was a big opium growing and trading region, between the three countries where the main currency for purchase was gold (hence the Golden Triangle, or so I’m told) Nowdays though, the opium crops have all but dissapeared and it remains a bit of a tourist trap. With a trip along the Mekong river into Burmese waters and then a brief stop in Laos it was still a worthwhile journey, allowing me the chance to have a shot of famous Laos Snake whisky. This throat burning drink is scooped from a big jar containing a fermented Cobra with a scorpion in it’s mouth. Mmmm
Back in Chiang Mai, I had the opportunity to hire a death trap of a scooter for the day and hoon up to Doi Suthep, a big Golden Buddhist Temple. Sitting atop a mountain with a brilliant view over Chiang Mai, the temple is covered in Golden Spires, rows of cast iron bells surrounding the pagoda and definitely has a spiritual air about the place. Reading into a bit of theory behind Buddhism, I found some interesting elements but couldn’t get to a totally quiet mind. This I think, had to do with the fact I’d left my passport as collateral for the scooter with a guy called ‘Mr Beer’. Trustworthy or what?
Cruising through the hectic streets of Chiang Mai that night like a madman, I had a few close calls but bloody hell was it fun.
My last full day I ended up at a thai cookery school, which did not start well. The obligatory market tour had me tasting a fermented duck egg. Purple and clear like Jelly instead of white, with a gooey black centre not unlike an oyster I struggled to hold it down, mainly because I don’t like eggs anyway.
The rest of the cooking school though was a culinary delectation, with six courses of Thai food that turned out to be suprisingly easy to make.
The following day however, the ardous journey home began, ending with a 6am landing in Sydney a day later. It wasn’t long before the catch up drinks began, meeting up with Phil in Sydney and then heading home to Coffs and more drinks. There’s still the return to Newcastle to contend with also. For now though I’ll wrap it up and enjoy the comforts of home, beach time, a bit of tennis, bbq’s….isn’t the holiday meant to be over?