I've been in Chiang Mai for all of 54 hours now and I'm about to be, like the Littlest Hobo, moving on... so time to record thoughts...

The journey was great - three plane journies, two new traveller friends, seventy-eight airline meals and one hour sleep later I arrive in slap-in-the-face-hot-Thailand. Apart from meeting two fellow Thailand-bound wanderers who guided me through this whole travelling malarky with aplomb, perhaps my favourite bit was coming in to land at Kuwait International Airport (after flight no.1) - flying over the sea at night to be met by the carnival of light upon the horizon that is Kuwait City, gawping at this scene of escalating neon detail, and all to a soundtrack of Nilsson's "Can't Live" performed on that wonderfully instrumental instrument, the pan pipes. This moment couldn't be beaten.

After Bangkok airport was surprisingly quickly negotiated, Chiang Mai exploded into life with a moped-ride through the city. I was collected by the friendly face of Min Min Oo, hopped onto the back of his scooter, and headed into town. I was terrified - my pack was so heavy it was pulling me off this already straining machine, and every corner seemed as if it'd be my last. This feeling was multiplied as we attracted the unwanted attention of a Thai police checkpoint who duly pulled us over and fined us (i have since learned never to voluntarily volunteer your passport to a traffic cop, or anyone, come to think of it).

Just realising that this could go on forever, there's so much to talk about - I'll give you a list. I'm staying at an office near Chiang Mai university used by the Burmese community here - it's great, people always coming and going, lots of friendly faces... everyone's been really welcoming - especially considering they didn't know i was headed their way until the day before I showed up and I reckon half of them still don't know who I am and I'm sure are suspecting I'm a tourist that's got lost.

Other news:

I am now no longer vegetarian!
I am constantly sweating, it is soooo hot
I am sunburned all over
I am very tired
I love the street stalls, the fruit everywhere, the chaotic harmony of things.
I've been taken on a massive moped tour of the city (brill), been shown all the (seriously depressing) red light areas (there are many), been very angry at the numerous old white men frequenting these places, today we moped-ed up to the mountain-top monestary and waterfall where we met the entire Brazilian women's under-19s football team who're over here for their world cup and who beat China 2-1 yesterday, and walked about sixty miles it seems (only the tourists walk), played loads of sports and ate loads of great food - the moped zooms by great wafts of spice every so often, its great.

The language is a problem. I have a big urge to communicate but am finding tonal burmese very tricky - each word can be said in about five different ways with five different meanings and this is proving both amusing and at times mightily offensive to the targets of my speaking practice...! from here on in I've told myself I'll do two solid hours a day on my own to really get to grips with things... and then head out to put it into practice - Kaun-deh!

I'm moving on to Mae Sariang tomorrow where I'll be meeting more members of the movement, the head of the organisation who runs Yaung Ni Oo and loads of others. I've been given a month to settle in before I choose exactly how I see myself best helping out so that's brill.

All in all things are great. I have the usual pangs of alone-in-the-world-in-big-unknown-city-and-i-just-want-to-cry moments now and again... but then I think of the folks I'm with, their lives and the things they've experienced and my issues dissolve into gravy. I was being shown round the Chiang Mai cultural museum today and Natashee my 18-year-old wonder friend - seriously the most gentle, positive and enthusiastic of kids you're ever likely to meet - told me about the time, three years ago, when he had to kill a soldier from the Tatmadaw... At first you wouldn't know it but everyone here has been to the edge, is still living there, yet live life with a dignity and humour that is unbelievable.

will write again soon, xxben

oh, forgot to say, the most important thing is that I have found love and am now married.