As you read this, Isaac and Brendon are winging their way from south Thailand to Bangkok where Brendon will fly home and Isaac, 3 more days with friends in Bangkok. What an adventure we had down south, meeting lots of c's friends and former students - we were warmly greeted and hosted by these people. We were lent a Cholae (100cc scooter with sidecar) to travel in and everywhere we went, people laughed or stared in disbelief! We had a hard job keeping it under control at times with three good sized blokes! Most of our time was spent talking to people over endless cups of sweet tea, visiting historic sites or encountering the numerous produce markets - sensory overload!!! This is a deeply religious area with many mosques, temples and a wide ethnic diversity. A troubled region with military checkpoints everywhere but we were generally waved through by smiling officers - must have been quite a sight!
We were given accommodation in the rear of a friends produce shop, mats on a concrete floor didn't produce much sleep...in addition to the motorbikes, people, trucks, goats, cows, roosters, the early call to worship at the nearby mosque....part of the adventure.
This morning we were treated to a 2hr boat ride through a mangrove forest . We navigated through shallow, dark water under a 15m canopy and spotted plenty of wildlife growing in this unique ecosystem. It reminded us of bear grills heading through the everglades...minus the alligators! A great time, and one that we will not forget in a hurry!


Photo below from Isaac and Brendon in South Thailand.

"Hard life eh??!  Cholae is the name for the side car they are on!"