So farewell to Linda and Leonie who had to move on to Laos, and ho to Krabi (Ao Nang peninsula), where rocks are big. Way big. It is a gorgeous place: massive sheer limestone karsts sticking up out of the jungle, with trees clinging for dear life to the cracks; the stone looks as if it's sculpted to look wild - like a miniature Japanese landscape magnified - surrounded by turquoise sea and white sands. It's a mixed place: the rich tourists go to one end which has the whitest sands and nice views for their sunbathing and drinking; the backpackers go to the other end with more muddy sand which involves quite a tricky little scramble up and over the low point of one outcrop, for their rockclimbing and drinking. After a couple of days rain, which I spent indoors reading any trash I could find, the sun finally got me going: I spent a couple of days climbing alone - not serious stuff, just up along paths where it'd be easy enough to fall, but not if you're careful: there's a decent hike up to a lagoon on one of the hills, which varies from clambering vertically up treeroots and rocks, to sliding along a mudbath, to a couple of small cliffs where you have to climb rope (not a strong point of mine, but survivable). I was rather perturbed by a snake dropping to my feet from a handhold I'd just grabbed, but I daresay it wasn't poisonous, made no attempt to bite me anyway.. decided to stick near the Argentinian bloke behind me for the rest of that trek, and whistled loudly and stamped my feet as climbed to drive any other snakes away (almost drove the Argentinian bloke away as well, until I explained). Did a halfday of proper climbing training - man, it's tough stuff. We were properly harnessed on and all that - just as well, I came off at a couple of points, mainly when trying to get over points where I was hanging backwards by my fingertips on rock that was hot enough to blister my fingers (though maybe it's just that I'm too soft.. still have the blisters now, though, one week later, and that cliff was called the Firewall though).
Back to Bangkok, taking the comfortable option of the overnight train (same price as the tourist bus, but longer and far more convoluted journey to get there - boat from Ban Tai beach to Ao Nang town, truck from Ao Nang town to Krabi bus station, bus from Krabi to Sura Thani, bus from Sura Thani to train station - taking 7 hours total - and finally, train to Bangkok, taking another 11 hours). Got my chest xrayed to assuage Australian paranoia about TB (why???). I don't have it, which is almost a pity; I was having nice dreams of myself all slim and pale and interesting. A couple of days to process that, during which I did nothing more interesting than wander up and down the Khao San Road, and I finally have a work visa for Oz. In a way, I'm almost looking forward to working (almost, and only on the basis that it's strictly temporary) - or at least, to not packing my bags and moving every few days. Last year was reasonably unsettled by most peoples standards - moved house 5 times, 1 change of sexuality, several break-ups with various 'significant others' (horrible phrase!), and made redundant once. This year, living from my backpack, moving every 3 days on average, changing country every month - it's a tough life. Go on - have sympathy for me - it's not all swanning around in the sunshine, you know? (Hmm. Even from here, I can see sceptical raised eyebrows). Anyway, so the idea of staying in one place in Oz is actually quite tempting, even if it does mean not being able to do exactly as I please all the time.
And now I'm in northern Thailand, Chiang Mai. It's a nice place, though rather touristy - lotsa signs in english all round, and they even have an Irish pub (imaginatively named "the Irish Pub") - where to my shame, I watched the Ireland-Iran match last night (or was it Iraq? will I ever learn the difference?). Oh well, it's the first time I've been in an Irish bar in four months, and my first time seeing a football match since the last world cup; maybe it's not the beginning of my decline. But quite pretty: a central partly-walled citadel surrounded by a moat, with plenty of old wooden family houses standing in big flowery gardens in the narrow alleys off the bland main streets. Tomorrow, I think, I'll start a brief massage course - just a basic 3 day one, it's all I have time for since my visa expires soon so my flight leaves on 21st November. And might start trying the kickboxing this evening, if I feel motivated. Still not smoking - maybe that's enough contribution to the all-new, all-healthy me for now....