Too much to do

So many things to do, so little time.

Met up with two Austrian girls who I knew from my time at Paradise Beach (xmas). They both went to the Andaman islands at the beginning of their trip, loved it, and are going back in a week. Thus, I'll know someone there. yippee.

They advised me on a few things to bring - so I went shopping yesterday. Calemine lotion, anti-bug spray, etc. Aparantly, the islands have quite a few sandflies... People scratch their bites, which then get infected...etc.

Shiva-Rati is coming up in two days. It's going to be very very big - and i'm planning on getting up at sunset to see people bathing in the ganges. I'm very excited.

My israeli friends chose a hotel right near the funeral ghat... I literally have to walk past burning bodies to get to their hotel. Not cool. I went last night, and their hotel was absolutely filled to the brim with mosquitoes. We'll have to find an alternative arrangement - dead bodies and mosquitoes are too much for me...

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Bought a ticket online from Air Asia to go to Chiang Mai in Thailand.

So right now, my current itiniary looks something like this:

Feb 27: Night Train from Varanasi to Calcutta.
Feb 28th: Late evening flight - arrive 11:30PM (Air Deccan) to Chennai. Sleep in Chennai Airport.
March 1: 5AM flight from Chennai -> Port Blair, Andamans.
March 30th: 7AM flight from Port Blair -> Chennai.
March 30th: 5PM flight from Chennai -> Bombay
March 31st: 01:30AM flight from Bombay->Bangkok
March 31st: 10AM flight from Bangkok->Chiang Mai

Wow. Lots of flying.

I'm planning on hanging out in Pai, which is 4 hours north of Chiang Mai, for about a week or so. It's a very nice town, very chilled out (hot springs, waterfalls, tasty vegetarian thai food, and amazing live blues) - and I can get my visa for Laos sorted out there.

Afterwards, I'll take an all day bus trip from Pai-> Chiang Kong, the northern border to Laos, and then head as fast as possible to the tribal village areas in the golden triangle (Myanmar/Burma, China, Laos borders). I'm not quite sure how i'll get back. I may take a bus down to Viantenne, and fly to Bangkok from there. Not sure.