Trip to Thailand, underpinning concerns.

 The other night I dreamed I was talking to Joy, my late father's late wife.  I put my arm around her shoulder, something I never did in real life and explained to her why I had just been to Thailand.   Joy's death at 90 was unexpected, despite her good age. Only about 5 years ago she went on a massive trip through Thailand and Cambodia and Laos.  She did find it tiring, but did it.  And when she was about my age, she went to Australia, but ordinarily I do not think I would think of her as a traveller. Although I travel a lot I too am not a traveller.  Usually I am "funny" the first night,  feeling very dubious of where I have fetched up as if determined not to like it, but this does not always happen and it always dispels the minute I actually start properly holidaying. The fun and excitement just overrides it.   But my trip to Thailand went against this normal situation, I do not know if it was guilt about Joy (whose unexpected gift of the money paid for this and the trip to Norway)  or my father or what but  almost every evening I was odd, like I just could not settle and relax into being away.  I felt scared at times by my mental state.   Luckily I actually really enjoyed my days in Thailand, but this battle over my mental state, did detract from the trip, so much so that by the time I got onto the formal tour bit of it ( I went out a couple of days early) I was really keen to join in with the other people on the tour.  So when I met my guide and was told I was the only person on the tour I was near to tears.  That was not what I wanted.   I wrote to the company I had booked with to express my dissatisfaction and they told me I was on an individual tour -something I had completely missed in my excitement at booking.   It is not their fault I misunderstood what I had bought, but I am disappointed that they did not thank me for the feedback and think about it.  Almost everything else that the tour covered was done really well.  But their lack of politeness at the end, is a disappointment.  

Anyway luckily for them the Thai guides and drivers did a very good job and because I went on a tour I saw much more and learned much more than if I had gone on my own and in fact it was so hot whilst I was out there I think I would have really struggled on my own. So I know I should be raving about the holiday but I am not, however, I do know that I am very fortunate to have been there and to have seen all I have seen.  From the old town of Bangkok,  to the horrors on the beautiful River Kwai, to the former capital at Ayutthaya, up to Chang Mai, the Lanna capital and finally onto Phuket, I really I got the chance to know the country physically and historically very well.    So thank you Joy for both the inspiration and the finances. 

                                                     The flat landscape near to Bangkok. 

Coming into Phuket.