Thailand

THAILAND by train = a must and top end sleeper is the best.  From Singapore to Chaing Mai = do it and stop along the way

Ok so Arden and I have been to Thailand twice.  The first about 1990 and we were going to go by train from Singapore but because I was sick with fever at the time I made a mistake and flew to Thailand to go to the hospital and that was a bummer because the trains are incredible.  Arden and I traveled to Chiang Mai from Bangkok on a 3rd class sleeper and dined with a very frinedly Buddhist monk along the way.  Photo of Leigh Beth below from a different time period but very cool room. P1010658

Before we left Bangkok we saw so many museums and historic sites and BAngkok is a must and stay at the Oriental hotel.  Back then on a budget we stayed at the YMCA

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We saw the Kings palace and the Emerald Buddha and many many cool statues like below

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While in the North we visited opium growing spots back then but not now , I did partake to see what it was like and smoking opium is like taking codeine .  I also went to interview Kuhn Saw an opium War Lord at Bin Hi Tek = a small mountain border town but he was routed by the Thai Military and fled into Burma months before I got there

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WE also took an overnight sleeper from Bangkok south to I think Trang and then took a bus and departed for the island of Ko Phi Phi . Back then there was no one there and this is of our humble abode on the island


a photo of our post card of the beach out our front door

our dinner

and a beach shot of Arden after we traveled on an all day boat ride to a tourist place for military people called Phuket

Ryan and Leigh Beth (Nephew) also traveld to Bangkok from Laos border and had a great trip.  Please see the section on Laos from more information