From Chiang Mai, I started back to the south to Sukhothai, the first Thai (as opposed to Burmese or Khmer) capital in Thailand. Known for having the first free standing walking Buddhas in Thailand (the brown figure to the left), the old city and surrounds form a protected historical park. Not that new buildings don't exist, it's more that you pay to get in.

New Sukhothai (~15km away), despite being the base for most tourists coming to see the old city, doesn't have the "tourist zone" feel Pai (and even Chiang Mai) did. It could just be the lack of massage parlors and trinket stalls. Or maybe they're there but they aren't signed in English.

The next stop was seven hours nearly due east in Khon Kaen. Other than a little shopping (this is a good place to buy silk and cotton), I didn't accomplish much here. I did walk to the pond (Beung Kaen Nakhon) - the recreation area for the citizens of Khon Kaen - and pass by Wat Nongwang Muang Kao, home of the the recently completed (1997) numerologically auspicious (nine tiers - during the reign of Rama IX and the tenure of the nineth abbot since the founding of the wat...) very shiny and enormous pagoda . Not that you could miss it - it's just easier to get a photo up close (or across the lake - for a sense of scale).

Currently (until Saturday), I'm in Khorat aka Nakkon Ratchasima ("frontier country," on the road signs), about three hours by bus south of Khon Kaen. As a Christmas gift to myself, I'm staying at a proper hotel in an air-con room (highs in the high-80s in December?!?). They clean my room daily and I get the BBC world news. There are a few good day trips you can take from here - ruins at Phimai, pottery in Dan Kwian, ancient burial sites (and active archaeological dig) near Ban Prasat. There are also lots of retired expats so, in addition to Swiss and Lebanese food, most places serve burgers (not so common in Thailand).

Originally I'd planned to head south from here to the Gulf of Thailand but, as I am a little short on time, I will instead catch a train to Ayutthaya (the capitol of Thailand sacked by the Burmese - repeatedly - until the Thais moved to Bangkok) and then to Kanchanaburi and the bridge over the river Kwai. Then I can split my last ten days or so between Suan Luang (a beach town, gulf side, if I can find a room) and Bangkok (I will see the Grand Palace if I have to wear scuba gear to survive the smog). And then -- India. สวัสดีขีใหม ("Happy New Year!" pron: sawadee bee mai)

Tonight I'm back in Chiang Mai after five days in Pai (the hippie capital of Thailand). It's a lovely place to visit (as shown, left) and you can meet people from all over the world there. But you either have to work there or pass through for a few days because there is nothing to do otherwise. I considered it a vacation from my vacation. I did walk up to the "Pagoda on a hill" one morning, though to be honest I primarily did so to counter the gigantic breakfast I'd had earlier. It was the pagoda or the pool and you aren't supposed to swim right after you eat. I'll appreciate it more once I find someone to translate the signs (I took pictures). The language barrier is still the biggest issue I have here - my Thai phrasebook is turning out to be the best $7.99 I've ever spent. I get very chatty when I meet someone from another English speaking nation. You can't really get to know someone if you can only reliably say "Hello," "Thank you" and "twenty-six" (people always want to know how old I am... not quite sure why). Hope all is well - Happy Holidays!

I fled for the hills of Chiang Mai after 1.5 days in Bangkok. Go ahead and laugh (I did). The smog and the traffic was just too much after clean, orderly New Zealand. There's a lot more I want to see there - I'll try again a few days before my flight to India. Maybe the tourist ghetto will be more familiar...

Chiang Mai (in the north) is a nice, small city - I almost know where I am most of the time. So far I've only really had two days here - the other three I spent "trekking" through the jungle. There wasn't really that much hiking (but we cover ground at a high rate when we did) mostly we rode in the back of pickup trucks and ate. The guides do all the cooking and cleaning up so our other major responsibility is sitting and politely refusing to buy souvenirs. Also, applying insect repellent. It was interesting though - our guide , "Rambo," grew up in a village in the area we visited and runs this tour pretty regularly so he knew a lot of the people we passed and quite a bit about the history of the region and the plant and animal life. The first day/night we were grouped with a Dutch couple and an Israeli family doing the two day version of our tour. I know most people get annoyed about having kids on tours but it just cracks me up. The little boy was just running everywhere, climbing trees, chasing puppies - it's better than television. we split after breakfast leaving me and three guys to trudge through the jungle to the next village. The last day we went bamboo rafting and elephant riding before barreling back to Chiang Mai in the back of a (substantially more comfortable) pick up truck.

I spent today trying to get my bearings and looking at temples. There are quite a few in the 1Km square old town and even more in the surrounding new city. I don't know much about the significance of the architecture or the poses of Buddha but the temples are still nice to visit. They're just so much more shiny (actually tiled in bits of mirror) and colorful than other religious sites I've seen. And sometimes it's almost peaceful on the grounds. "Nancy" (every guide at her agency is called Nancy), my tour guide through Bangkok did point out the different Khmer (embroidered robes), Indian (slim, crown of snakes), and Chinese (fat) representations of Buddha and how sitting Buddha has something to do with calm while standing Buddha has to do with peace but I was pretty jet-lagged so the details are a bit fuzzy. Maybe I'll take the tour again when I get back to Bangkok.

My trip (part-way) up the Franz Josef glacier was enjoyable (and cold and wet) - I'm not sure how well the pictures will turn out but I did try.

From the village I caught a ~10 hour bus trip to Nelson. It was classed as a "touring coach" so our comfort stops were typically at places worth photographing (like the pancake rocks or Hokitika's gray sand beach). Nelson is very sunny and enjoyable. I met up with my folks with minimal fuss and spent a week bouncing around the north end of the south island on their dime (thanks for the single Mom and Dad!). We visited Abel Tasman (hiking Torrent Bay to Marahau) and Queen Charlotte (mostly chilling at the Lochmara Lodge), spent a day at Tahuna Beach, saw the Nelson Saturday market and the "center" of New Zealand.

The day after they left for Christchurch I caught a flight to Wellington. I don't care how pretty the bay is by ferry - three hours is too long to spend on a boat. In my three days there I saw Te Papa (the national museum), the view from Mt. Katherine, the botanical gardens (via cable car even), and wandered about the CBD. The Wellington YHA (thanks for dropping off the new membership card Mom and Dad!) is so nice they're dryers even work! I only made it up through level four of Te Papa but I assure you - it is worth all the fuss.

My 36 hours in Napier were equally unfocused. The oldest prison in New Zealand has been converted into a backpackers so I stayed there. Not bad but definitely a comfort downgrade from the YHA -- lots of atmosphere though. The art deco is in full force as promised. Hawke's Bay is great for looking at (from the walkway) -- between the treacherous seas and the all rock beach swimming was out of the question. I do wish I'd had time for a wine tour but I don't think it would have been nearly so fun on my own.

I currently reside in Taupo - the skydiving capital of New Zealand. The first day I was here the wind was so strong I could barely walk along the lake. There's a nice walk following the river to the Huka falls and onward (I only walked to the falls in the interest of getting back before dark). The park at the start of the walk has a confidence course - in case you were wondering, balance and agility - good; upper body strength - not so much. If I were staying here any amount of time I would work on that...

At long last...

Despite United Airlines best efforts, I have actually reached New Zealand (and figured out how to get to this blog again). The Chicago to San Fran portion of my journey lived up to its 0% on time rating, getting me to the bay area about 50 minutes after my flight to Auckland departed. About ninety minutes and five airline employees later I had a new flight, food and hotel vouchers, and assurances my luggage would totally get to New Zealand . No promise about its condition though...

Christchurch was lovely even in my jet lagged haze (I'm a sucker for botanical gardens). The Old Country House (my first home away from home) took pity on me and gave me a single room for my first night because they couldn't refund the night I missed.

On the 16th, I took the bus to Dunedin (duh-NEE-din), further south on the east coast. [Travel tip - if the receptionist says "it's up a bit of a hill" - take a cab. Especially if it's dark and raining.] A mid-sized city with a good college and the prettiest train station I've ever seen, it's definitely worth a visit. Even in the rain. Shared a double with an adventurous English woman (good luck in Mongolia!) at the Elm Lodge (for lack of dorm space) and walked the city with a Kiwi artist/former psychiatric nurse. In honor of my Dad's birthday (and a break in the weather), I spent the 19th (~18th USA-time) at St. Kilda beach.

From there I moved to Queenstown, a city fit for the Queen (or a queen - I can't remember how they like to say that). I actually stayed two extra days it was just so lovely - right on a lake, surrounded by mountains. Coach buses full of tourists couldn't ruin the place. The 22nd I took a coach-cruise-coach one day tour of Milford Sound. Obviously, more time would have been great in theory but the weather there is a little tricky. Tours had been cancelled on the 20th and there were road closings and cruise cancellations the 23-24 because of snow and wind so I was lucky to go when I did. A coach driver also staying at the Hippo Lodge said the winds were so strong some of the coaches lost windows. Very glad I spent those days reading trashy romance novels and doing walks around the city.

Today is my first full day at Franz Josef - tomorrow I'm going to see the glacier! I'm going with a tour - not exactly my favorite way to visit but it's the way to get on the ice without having to have any... you know, skills. Besides, who wants to be the dumb tourist crushed under a big block of ice?

Pictures to come (though only from Queenstown on... my digital had some "performance issues" until I threatened to replace it with a younger, slimmer camera). Take care!

Just five days until I depart for beautiful New Zealand. As I am mostly unpacked (from moving) and repacked (for traveling), all that's left is the worrying and waiting.

I want desparately to board that plane.