Thursday 27th August to Thursday 10th September, 1998. We went to Chiang Mai on the bus for 3 hours and saw the road we had walked on, with great interest. What a long way! We found a superb guest house “The Souvenir” as Ben’s guest house was very hot & stuffy in the room and we also fancied a change and to be closer to “Good Morning Chiangmai” offices in Anusarn Market.

We met Khun Lek and she interviewed us for the Chiang Mai News and Thai Rath Thai Newspapers and they both published articles about “Walking For Thailand” in early September. We also met her husband Irish Alien Adam. Khun Lek is the Founder and Director of “Elephant Nature Park” in beautiful Mae Taeng Valley:

http://www.elephantnaturefoundation.org

We received an email from Khun Jean at BBDO Advertising Agency in Bangkok, who had Adidas as a client; re future sponsorship for our walk based on the Bangkok Post article published on 9th August. I arranged for David Hardy to meet Khun Jean as he was going to Bangkok, but David had a motor cycle accident and broke his collar bone. Very nasty and painful. I visited David in hospital and the meeting with Khun Jean was postponed. We met Jerry from USA, who very generously gave us $100 towards our walk costs. We returned to Chiang Rai on the bus on Saturday 5th September.

We rested in Chiang Rai and met Jon and Jang Dee at the New Moon Pub. Jon was the Marketing Manager at Le Meridien Hotel at Baan Boran at the Golden Triangle. The General Manager, Duncan Jamieson, invited us to visit Le Meridien Hotel on the first evening of when we start our walk from Mae Sai, as guests of Le Meridien Group. We planned our re-start from Mae Sai, at the border Immigration checkpoint around this very generous invitation and great example of Northern Thailand hospitality.

http://www.walking-in-thailand.com/1998.htm

It rained constantly in Chiang Rai and was cold and miserable. We decided to stay for our “wet season” break in the “Rose of the North” to be closer to David Hardy and his team and some better and warmer weather. Chiang Mai had a garbage disposal problem and had been nicknamed by some wag “Nose of the North”…

Yours truly,

Escati Tiger Team Walking For Thailand – “Thailand’s World Champion Walkers”.

Tuesday/Wednesday – 11th/26th August, 1998. On Tuesday 11th August William took David Hardy to the airport for his early flight on Thai Airways to Chiang Mai & I walked to the park near the river and also found the beach area of the town, whilst I was exploring the layout of Chiang Rai. We had an excellent map from the very popular local magazine “Welcome to Chiangmai & Chiangrai”:

http://www.chiangmai-chiangrai.com/chiangrai_map1.html

We were enjoying our rest from long distance walking & exploring Chiang Rai. On Wednesday 12th August it was Her Majesty The Queen’s 66th Birthday and Mothers Day and we enjoyed the local celebrations for the public holiday and at the local Alien and Thai bars in town. On Friday 14th, I flew to Hat Yai, via Bangkok, for 8,000 baht return with Thai Airways International and left William in Chiang Rai with 5,000 baht with his girlfriends at Tossers bar:

http://www.thaiair.com

I arrived in Songkhla at 18.00 hrs and received a great welcome from everyone. They all declared that William and I are now the “World Champion Walkers” in Thailand, being the first people, ever, to “Walk the Length of Thailand”:

http://www.escati.com/maps/provinces.jpg

I went to our village at Moo Ban Laddaniwait in Hat Yai Nai on Monday and got another great welcome from all our Thai friends there.  Andrew returned with me by taxi to Songkhla. I visited Dr Virat and Margaret at their Songkhla Pharmacy and they said they were very proud of our efforts and achievements that our walk had done for the Thai people by giving them a new belief and confidence in their future and for the future economic success of the Kingdom of Thailand.

I arrived back in Chiang Rai on Saturday 22nd August at 18.00 hrs and William was very pleased to see me, after my very enjoyable break in my favourite Songkhla and the lovely beaches that I was missing in land-locked Northern Thailand. “Oh! to be beside the sea-side; Oh! to be beside the sea” and I had many long walks on the beach and seafood meals in my favourite beach-side retaurants on Samila beach:

http://nst.sawadee.com/songkhla

I sorted through all my mail I had brought from Hat Yai and wrote many letters and post cards to friends worldwide. We didn’t walk anymore as it was now the wet season and not fit weather for safe long distance walking. We met many interesting people in Chiang Rai and were very impressed with the friendliness and hospitality from the local people. Many thanks to you all.

Yours truly,

Escati Tiger Team Walking For Thailand – “Thailand’s World Champion Walkers”