"The Breathtaking Pai Canyon"

During my stay in Chiang Mia I decided to spend one day attending the "Siam Rice Cooking School," to figure out exactly some of my favorite Thai dishes are made. When the day began I had absolutely no idea what to expect all I knew was that I was to meet the rest of the group in the local market at 9:15am.

When I arrived at the local market I was greeted by hundreds of locals but with no westerners in sight and not sure who I was meeting I took at seat at a nearby table and dove into my book I was currently reading.

This must have made up quite a scene to onlookers. There was a big local market with everything from rice, fruit, and vegetables to quarters of hanging meat, drying mystery meat, and fish so fresh they flopped around on the grill. As hard as you may try you would not have heard a word of English, not too mention seen anyone other that Thai, and in the middle of this busy scene there's little ol me sitting cross legged on a table, perfectly comfortable reading my book.

It didn't take to long before the teacher from the school managed pick me out of the crowd and usher me back to the other 6 people who would be attending the course with who, all turned out to be Australian.

The rest of the morning was spent shopping for the ingredients we would be using and getting an explanation about almost every use, in the kitchen or not, for all the vegetables which were laid before us and on all the different types of rice, curries, ect. After our shopping was done we piled into a song thew and drove out to a nice little house in the country side where we spent the rest of the day.

Through the day we learned how to make six dishes from scratch including Papaya Salad, Green Curry Soup, and Tom Yum Soup which are among my favorites. We also got to eat anything we made, therefore after six dishes you can imagine your getting pretty full. The others in the group turn out to be all one family traveling around Thailand for a month because two of them had just got married in Phuket. After the course was over, being the true friendly Aussies they were, also invited me out to a bit of a wedding celebration, you may have called it, for the rest of the evening . . . . and some of the next morning!

The next day, after not very much sleep mind you, I caught a mini bus headed up to the sleepy little town of Pai to get out of the big city craziness that seems to consume Central Thailand.

Now I am Pai and enjoying the laid back atmosphere, good weather, and hammocks that I was longing to revisit Southeast Asia for.

Today I may head up to read and suntan by the pool.........hmm sounds like alot of effort. Maybe Ill just laze and read in my hammock. Tough life.

"Pounding The Curry Paste"

"Bon Appetite"

"Northern Thailands Scenery"

"Sleepy Pai"

Lets Get Ready To Rumble

"Fight Night In Bangkok's Rajmangala National Stadium"

There as a few things, that everyone will agree, that you just cannot not do while spending a few days in Bangkok. Whether you like it, hate it, or have absolutely no interest in it, a professional Muay Thai boxing match definitely falls into this category.

On my last night staying in Bangkok, after being here many nights previously in the last year, I decided it was time to rise to the occasion and go and see one before I had to leave without the true Muay Thai experience.

On my way to Khoasan Road from the Bangkok airport I met a Swedish bloke named Kenny. So for the past few days we had been hanging out, and doing whatever it is you do in Bangkok together . . .mostly shopping. Seeing as he was up for watching a fight we jumped in a Tuk Tuk and were off to one of the two largest Thai Boxing Stadiums in Bangkok call the Rajmangala National Stadium.

Thai boxing stadiums are everything that you would possible picture from what you see in movies only much more intimidating than you would begin understand without ever setting foot in one. When we first pulled up to the stadium in our tuk tuk, literally, all you could see was thousands and thousands of scooters lined up infront and absolutely not a word of English. As we approached the entrance we, naturally, instantly had two Thai people approach us with tickets and all the information we needed about the evening, oh and did I mention, "A very special price just for you sir."

The two Thais explained that in a Muay Thai fight there is three different classes of seats. The third class, which is almost all Thais, is far away and hard to see the fight, the rowdier part of the crowd, and also where all the gambling goes on. He also made it clear that this was no place for western backpackers. (which it might not have been but once we were in I think it looked like good times up there)

The second class were closer to the ring and also a lot less crazy but they explained that there were no seats, only standing room, and since the fight tonight consisted of about five hours of individual bouts, this was not a wise choice either. Just for the record I have spent enough time in Thailand to kinda feel a scam coming and kinda thought this was a bit fishy but in this case Kenny wanted to sit ringside so we splurged to make the night an event that will be with me for a long long time.

After we paid for our tickets, and got whisked through the crowd to ringside, we were seated and given a schedule for the nights events to come. There were 11 fights, including one title fight, that were all three minute rounds. This in itself measured up to the guys outside word but taking a quick look around the stadium all classes had seats and the third class was a little ways away from the ring but come on, the stadium is not the size of Rexall and I guarantee they could see well good enough. . . .Stupid Tourists.

The rest of the stadium was definately something to be seen, it was completely what you expect from the movies. Everything was, I hate to say real dirty, but definitely not spic and span. The lights were dim, smelled a bit odd, smokey, and amazingly loud with Thai cheers whenever one of the opponents had a good strike. In between drunkin' cheers were screams and hands flying up everywhere you looked while the most hard to follow betting on the current fight was going on.

Our seats were one row back from the ring, close enough to almost feel some of the blows. It was definitely worth the extra money in the long run even if at the end of the fight we had no clue who won, what scored a point exactly, but the beauty was, you didn't have to to truly enjoy the night.

For the remainder of my time in Bangkok, at least during the day, I pretty much just rested and shopped, either at markets or the amazing MBK Center, and in the evening hung around Khoasan road with the other couple thousand of backpackers that also come to explore this unique and amazing city.

Now after a 16 hour bus ride that I had the absolute worst seat on the planet, water dripping on my head, and a bus that kept over heating, I have finally made it to Chiang Mia. Chaing Mia is the biggest city in Northern Thailand and the tropical beaches and islands, that most people picture when they think of Thailand, are replaced by mountains and jungles. Today I got a hour long Thai massage to try to fix the damage my bus did to my neck, way to take the cheap bus hey!!! Now I am going to have a long nap to refresh myself for the huge night bizarre markets that makes the list of the top things to see in Chiang Mia.

"Trying to Figure Out A Plan For The Day"

"The MBK Center That Would Rival West Ed Not In Size But In Stuff"

"Our Chariot To The Fight . . Notice The Flag On The Dash?"

"In This Corner, Weighing In At 117 Pounds"

"Nothing Like A Snack After A Night Out"

Deep Fried Cockroaches, Baked Maggots, and Steamed Ants

To The West, To The West

"Bunbery Lighthouse"

After the six hour flight across Australia to Perth I had finally left the East Coast behind and made it to my destination city which I was flying out of to get to Bangkok, and my final stop on my trip.
I first arrived in Perth around midnight and quickly learnt just how different the West coast is to the East. On the East coast it is completely over run by backpackers, tour agents, and services that make your life really easy. But unlike the East, when I arrived in Perth I found out that its a lot more, "figure it out your self," and there isn't even a bus or shuttle connecting the airport to city center.
Paying a taxi, which by the way are outrageously overpriced, is not something that penny pinching backpackers likes to do especially, in my case, a penny pinching backpacker at the end of a trip that's budget is blown a long long time ago. I did walk around aimlessly and look for a alternative route there but ended up having to suck it up and jump in a cab.
The cab fair wasn't even the thing that really got to me by the end of the night it was the fact that this was literally the first cab I have been in in almost a year and still I managed to get completely fleeced. One of the security guards said it should be no more than 20 dollars but by the time my cabby drove me in circles around Perth I ended up paying almost 40 and thats only because I got mad and jumped out in the middle of a residential area in the middle of the night. . .Great Idea! If it wasn't for a nightclub shooting waving lights into the sky I would have had absolutely no clue where I was going to head. Following the lights, which seemed like a logical idea seeing as big buildings and and shooting beams seems like a place that should be somewhere near city center, turned out to work for me and after a short little 45 minute walk (with all my 40 kg of gear!!) I was nestled in bed sleeping like a baby.
I am pretty sure I have said this before but no matter where you are, from Tokyo, to Bangkok, to Sydney, to Edmonton, a city is a city is a city. This proved to be true with no exception to Perth so after 2 days wondering aimlessly around town and into shops I couldn't afford, I was well ready to escape the city life for my last few days in Australia. I decided to rent a car, seeing as I had a great time in the camper van, and just drive south with no maps and see where I would end up. So with my bags in the boot (trunk) and Ipod rocking, I set out for a little road trip.
My first stop was in Margret river that is famous mainly for wine. It is one of the main areas in Australia for vineyards and retired couples with a lot of money. It is also on the map for surfing and holds Pro surfing competitions and is said to be one of the top 5 big wave places in the world. I stayed here for one night and continued south once again the next day.
After driving for almost 4 hours I realized just how big Australia was when I looked on the map how far I had gone and it was honestly not even a centimeter. This is when I decided it would be a good idea to change my heading and start slowly making my way back to Perth.
For my last two nights I landed in a little town called Bunbury and, with no ambition left to drive, made it my new home for my remaining days and just did little day trips to Gnomesville and the Gloucester Tree to amuse the daylight hours.
Gnomesville is the place to be if you happen to be a gnome of coarse. It is a city of virtually thousands of different gnomes and figurines. It apparently started when there was a car crash where two teenagers passed away and there parents put gnomes out at the scene on the accident as a memorial. One thing led to another and now there is over a thousand, some for memorials, some representing people, and others just for fun. No matter what they are there for it makes a very unique, unforgettable, and somewhat creepy (if ya ask me) tourist attraction.
The three day adventure was fun but after I had returned my car to Perth I was well ready for my trip back through Asia for the remainder of my trip.
I am now in Bangkok after a night in the Perth International Airport, 7 hours at 35000 feet, and a few minor complications.
Ya know just little tiny things like missing my flight by a month, a security nightmare, and running a marathon in the Singapore airport to board my flight as the gates were closing. Just some of the many unforgettable stories that I am "lucky" enough to have when I return home at Christmas.

"The Village Of Gnomesville"

"One Of The Many Families"

"Climbing the Gloucester Tree"

This is the highest natural fire lookout in the world. It stands about 300 ft and you climb up to the top on nothing but these metal bars that form a spiralling ladder. No Ropes, No Safety's, lots of fun!

"Lookout From The Top Of The Swaying Tree"

"Margret Rivers Absolutely Huge Surf"

One Down, Six More To Go

"The Great Barrier Reef"

With my final days in Australia quickly counting down I decided what better way to spend my last 5 days, on the east coast in Cairns anyway, slowly touring into the north lands and Cape Tribulation National Park in a Camper van.
While on Magnetic Island I met a girl from the Netherlands that also, like me, was tired of the people everywhere, tour buses, and ready made friends (that dominate the east coast) so with each of us, agreeing to half the cost of making our own tour, we set out from Cairns for the 4 day, "Brus Experience."
Our plan wasn't exactly a complicated or difficult one, "lets start driving north with no map and see where we end up.
Through the short time we had our little trip brought us through many small little towns, up north passed the crocodile infested Daintree river, and finally to the most northerly part of our journey Cape Tribulation. We took 2 days to arrive at the Cape but first stopping the first night in Port Douglas.
Port Douglas in one of the main little towns that people use as a kickoff to go on day trips out to the Great Barrier Reef. Because it isn't a main destination I was told that the companies that base themselves there also go to more secluded parts and to places where the reef hasn't seen the human damage as much as some boats and tours. The down side to this is more secluded and smaller groups also mean more money, but seeing as its one of the seven wonders of the world and I wanted to do three dives, I figured for a once in a lifetime thing a few extra dollars might make my experience one to never forget.
We set out on the high speed dive boat Aristocat and made the 12 km trip to the outer reef with barely enough time to have a latte and get briefed about the dives and dive sites for the day.
It didn't take long for me to realize the extra money was well spent because I found out, for the rest of the day, I was diving with three other people instead of the twenty or so you have on the cheaper boats.
Though I pretty much did all my dives back to back with barely enough time to do anything between switching tanks and jumping back in, we managed to dive three completely different areas on the reef including a deep self dive, a drift dive, and just a relaxing shallow dive to finish the day off.
When I think of diving the Great Barrier Reef in Australia two thing come to mind . . .amazing visibility and SHARKS!! Fortunately we were lucky to have both. The best visibility of the day was on the second dive when you could see roughly 30 meters, not the best I have ever seen but amazing none the less. It was also on this dive that we had the pleasure of being accompanied but two White Tipped Reef Sharks.

All in all the day was amazing and my trip and dives on, "The Great Barrier Reef," lived up to all the hype you hear all over the world.

After our long day on the water we finished our drive up to Cape Tribulation where we stayed the next two nights before I had to make my way back to Cairns to catch my flight to Perth.

The night we arrived at the Cape was the first night we actually stayed in a proper campground because, after sleeping on random roads and hiding in residential areas , we needed power to recharge our cameras and most importantly, Ipods. After our day of luxury with power and showers we found a little river and a rocky beach to call home for the last night of our trip. After an early start on Wednesday we managed to return to Cairns, pack our things, and return the van with time to spare for me to catch my flight.

The trip was a great way to finish and now I can leave the east coast with nothing but great memories, new friends, oh ya, and a seat belt ticket!!

"The AristoCat"

"Free Campsites Are much Better Than Real Ones"

"Just An Afternoon Dip"

"One Of The Many Lookouts Outside Of Cairns"

When The Ocean Meets The Sky, Ill Be Sailing

"Reality Is"

I have now reached my final, and most northerly, destination on the east coast of Australia called Cairns. From here I will jump on a plane Wednesday, October 24, and fly across to the west for my final week in Perth, Australia. Since my last entry I have been to a town called 1717/Angnus Waters, Airley Beach, Magnetic Island, and now Cairns where I arrived last night.

My first stop on my final leg of my journey was 1770. This town got its name because 1770 was when Captain Cook, the explorer that founded Australia, first landed here.

1770 is a sleepy little town of around 400 people but, because local entrepreneurs have started to do heavy advertising, has now started to become a more regular stop for people traveling up and down the east coast. The main draw to this town is not only the best hostel I have probably ever stayed in, but also the fact that all the activities that you can do from this town cost almost half as much as anywhere else in the country.

By this time in my trip I was really running low on time with many miles ahead of me to be able to catch my flight to Perth, so I was, for the first time in 10 months, on quite a tight schedule. If I still had heaps on time, like I did in the beginning, I would have definitely made this cozy little town my home for a while.

For the two nights I was in 1770 I stayed in a hostel called, "Cool Bananas". This was not only the cleanest hostel I have ever seen, but it was also one of the best set ups and the most friendly staff I have come across. Everything from the laid back atmosphere and great background music all day, to the heaps of cheap activities, to the cheap meals/drinks and fun livelier atmosphere in the evening was more than a person could expect from a hostel and was a very enjoyable change.

I spent my days surfing, reading, and just meeting people and nights were filled with campfire singalongs and a lot of good laughs. The one afternoon I went on a tour through the outback riding 50cc mini choppers. It was 3 hours of kangaroos, wallabies, and sunsets over the ocean while sitting on the shoreline with delicious deep fried potato wedges. What more could a person ask for for $38 dollars, that, my friends, was the beauty of 1770.

My next stop was Airley beach which, for me, was just a jump of point to a three day sailing adventure around the, "Whitsunday Islands." After an overnight bus from 1770 I arrived to Airley Beach in the morning and was boarded and on our journey into the ocean by midday.

The boat which I was on was a 55ft Catamaran called, "Reality Is" and had a crew of only three plus 16 of us riffraff just along for the ride. We spent the next three days sailing to untouched islands and amazing pristine beaches including the, "White Haven Beach" that is one of the top ten most beautiful beaches in the world. We then stayed the two nights on Long Island in quite a posh resort that us backpackers felt a little out of place among the families, hot tubs, saunas, and tennis courts.

During this trip I also got to do my first official Aussie scuba dive. Seeing as I was the only certified diver on the boat the dive master asked me some questions and decided I was able to go with him for a dive that he rarely takes passengers to. I soon learned why because not only did we have to do a backward entry off the boat but once we hit the water, the current grabbed you and pulled you at more than 8 miles an hour around a shelf in the ocean. The dive was a drift dive and we pretty much hovered around 18 meters. The marine life and visibility wasn't the best Ive seen, by any stretch, but the force and speed the current took us from start to finish made this a very exciting dive.

After returning to solid ground I learned one thing about myself, after spending 3 days rocking back and fourth on the ocean, once you get to land its hard to keep your balance for the first few hours! Once my balance issues were sorted I decided that, with the few days I had to spare before I had to be around Cairns, I would make a quick little side trip to Magnetic Island.

My days on Magnetic Island were very relaxing and enjoyable, but quite uneventful as long as this blog in concerned. I could tell you how many words I read and how many minutes I napped on the beach but I have decided nobody is interested in such details. The one exciting day adventure that I did do was me and three others rented what is called a, "Moke" to explore the roads and beaches of the islands.

A Moke is a sort of open air 1960s dune buggy mainly used for tourists and cruising short distances on the many islands is Australia.

The four of us set out with plenty to drink, eat, whatever else we needed through the day and set out for a day of exploration. After a full day in the sun and walking to different beaches we returned our Moke and hit the sheets quite early.

Now I am in Cairns with about 5 more days left on this side of Australia. Today it is pouring rain but hopefully tomorrow it will be nicer out so I can enjoy my last few days on the east coast.

"My Chopper For A Day"

"Scooteroo Sunset" (Sunsets/Sunrises Getting Boring Yet)

"Just Relaxing And Enjoying The Ride"

"Beautiful White Haven Beach"

"Long Island Tropical Resort"

"Cruising Magnetic Island"

"Lunch Time"

After surviving my Noosa Canoeing adventure I once again headed further up the east coast trying to see and complete the rest of the places and things I had planned with the, now, very limited amount of time I have left. My next destination in store for me was a small city called Hervey Bay which has become a very popular backpacker stop off souly because it is the main connecting point to Fraiser Island.
Fraiser Island is the world’s biggest sand island and is also the only place in the world where you can see rainforests growing directly out of the sand. The World Heritage National Park of Fraiser Island is about 120km by 15km and is dotted with stunning freshwater lakes, it is also said that the island has more sand than the Sahara Desert.
The day after I arrived in Hervey Bay, Nine other people and I set out in our 4x4 Land Cruiser for a 3 day and 2 night self drive safari around the islands inland sand tracks and along the hundreds of kilometres of drivable beaches. When we arrived to the islands we had a basic itinerary that we were suppose to follow so that we could reach our camp site before high tide came in and the beaches, which we needed for access, became undrivable.
Itineraries are great but only if two things happen, you need to care enough and have the discipline to leave amazing lakes and beaches on time, and you also have to arrive on the island on time. In our case neither of these happened. Our ferry which was transporting us to the island was almost two hours late so by the time we were suppose to be starting the drive to our campsite we were just arriving at Lake Mackenzie, which rivals almost all the lakes I have seen in picturesque beauty and amazing sand beaches.
We ended up spending a couple hours swimming, tanning, and playing Frisbee before piling back into out Land Cruiser and starting our very slow and very long journey to our campsite. By the time we reached the last 20 km stretch of beach we had to travel it was now 45 minutes to high tide and there was almost no beach left.
Seeing as the night before in safety briefing we had in Hervey Bay we were specifically told not to go anywhere near the beach two hours on either side of high tide we were all a little unsure about what we were going to do. It was either sit out the tide and have to drive in the dark (which was a no no) or take the chance that we could make it up to the campsite in high tide and hope that all there talk was more of a scare tactic than the complete truth. Naturally our choice was "go for it, what’s the worst that could happen," and with me behind the wheel we set off up the very rough and slowly disappearing beach.
Luckily we made it with little complications. It was quite rough because of all the ruts and soft sand but with a few skills, I have learnt growing up in Canada and our sometimes traitorous roads, we managed the journey with out getting stuck. The only time that I was nervous was a creek crossing that we had to make that under normal circumstances, and if we were on time, should have been a few inches, but since it was high tide turned out to be a few feet. Thankfully after getting up enough nerve to give it a try the Land cruiser crawled through with no problems.
The next few days our group tried to stay a lot closer to the planned times and found ourselves in a lot less trouble. We drove around to explore some of the islands amazing views, gorgeous lakes, and shipwrecks. We also got to see some wild snakes and dingos which I almost ended up petting cause they look just like an ordinary pet dog. At night we would all gather around the campfires and listen to music and talk about everyone’s different travel stories. The trip was heaps good and was like unlike anything that I have done thus far in my trip.

On the final day was had our first mishap when we blew out a ball joint in the front end of our vehicle which resulted in having to drive through the sand and beaches in two wheel drive. Although it was a little bit more tricky we managed our way and never even got stuck.

Im now back in Hervey Bay and headed up to the town of 1770 soon and hopefully will have more exciting storys and adventures to write about in the near future.

"The Family For Three Days"

"Washing The Motor Down After the Three Foot Creek Crossing"

"Sunrise Through The Maheno Shipwreck"

"Cute Little Dingo"

Paddling Through The Everglades

"Here We Go"

While In Noosa I decided to go on a three day and two night canoeing and camping trip up the Noosa River System, into the Great Sandy National Park, and into the Central Australian Everglades. This is an area of lowlands, forests, and winding rivers that have basically been untouched in hundreds of years. The Noosa River System is very unique in the way that it is fresh water but it is also connected to the ocean so you can find salt water species of fish like bull sharks and rays also living in the fresh water river along with the other species that are native to fresh water.
Seeing as I am just one and its pretty hard to paddle a canoe and gear by myself, I found a girl at the hostel that was willing to give the trip a try and we booked the trip for the next morning. When the bus came around to pick us up and bring us to collect all of the gear needed I wasn't to sure what to expect. Nor did I know how many people were going or who these people were going to be. We were the first people picked up and throughout the rest of the pickups along the way to the base there was one fad, as you would say, that was pretty consistent. . . . I was going to have to spend the next three days with 11 girls and just one other guy!!
I know what all the guys are thinking, "That's three days in heaven!." And I can assure you I also had those same thoughts in my head, but those thoughts soon changed to, "What did I get myself into!"
The first day of the trip we picked up our gear, took a speed boat 7 km across Lake Cootharaba to the mouth of the river, picked up our canoes, got maps and a quick briefing of where to go, and the dos and donts of the national park. After about 30 minutes we were on the water and paddling towards our first campsite which was just over 7 km upstream.
We all reached the camp after about 3 hours and took the rest of the day just relaxing and getting to know each other in the beautiful weather. When the evening finally came everyone was in bed by ten from either being knackered from the early morning and exercise through out the day (which is something us backpackers are not used to), or sleepy because of the plethora of beverages (which is something all backpackers are quite use to) some shared for concoring the mighty Noosa River and the first 7 km of our trip.
The difference between this same group of people at 7:00am in the morning the first day, and 6:00am the second morning was quite a change indeed. The first morning everyone is friendly, happy, and excited for the days journey ahead. Whereas the second morning everyone is still friendly, don't get me wrong, but everyone's now tired, sore, and all dreading what we had planned for the day the evening before. Before we even set out for the second day we already lost two who, "weren't feeling good" which headed back to the base to catch the ferry back to town a day early. Of the two that bailed from the group early was the one and only other guy in the group!
Yup now the score was now
BLOKES=1 GIRLS=10.
The second day we had another 7 km row upstream to where we threw our oars in for a pair of hiking boots, and hiked uphill a further 6km with our destination being, "The Great Sand Patch."
I know that name is a little deceiving so I will explain to you what it really was . . . . .It was a really big patch of sand. Alright now that I made it sound quite ridiculas, I do half to clear things up a bit cause it was truly amazing and quite a phenomena to me. This Great Sand Patch is on top of a hill with beautiful ocean views and is surrounded by forests (I'm still very confused about how that happens), and is spectacular in size. I didn't have the energy to walk and explore the whole dune, one might call it, but I did walk for about an hour and still came nowhere clear to walking from beginning to end of this sand monster.
The next few hours were spent napping and lazing in the sun, trying to recover some energy for the return 14 km trip back to camp before the daylight faded.
Once back in camp I went for a quick bath in the river and spent the rest of my night sitting around with my girls.
The final day is when the incredible amount of estrogen around me started to slowly get on my nerves. Its hard being the only male, as I am sure most females would agree. I was the only one not talking about how good a shower will feel seeing as I had a swim and I felt pretty good, or the only one not talking about a decent night sleep, proper food, and clean clothes. All I could think about was, "Come on girls, its only been 2 nights!."
All jokes aside though I had a great couple days and I really did, even though it may not sound like it, enjoy my three day canoeing adventure into centrals Australia's everglades. I met some very fun and interesting people and also learned that most guys idea of a perfect camping trip doesn't exactly play out the same in real life.

*To any of the girls mentioned here that are reading this I truly had a good time. I hope you can all find the humor in this and that at the very least it put a little smile on your face. If it didn't all I have to say is, "Whats the Name Of The Game . . . . SLAPS, What The Aim Of The Game . . . . . . ________________!!!!*

"Getting Ready To Go"

"The Great Sand Patch"

"River Of Mirrors"