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Arrival Day! WEDNESDAY 21st NOVEMBER Well I've made it! Currently in an internet cafe typing on the worlds oldest pc, swigging a beer and listening to craig david (the bastard's everywhere - hairdressers in islington, keepin it real in bangkok). That's not to say that everythings been smooth - flight was fine, slept most of the way - the booze wasn't free and I was in a window seat so was forced to read and watch planet of the apes until it became so dull sleep was the only relief - woken by occasional turbulance. Anyway landed (ah boll*?ks Bin Laden for us western travelly folk know no fear). got bag, got cash, got taxi, all going well, realised 15min into journey that I didn't have my bank card... cue restrained panic and a break from the broken conversation with the driver about what "please and thankyou" were in Thai (forgotten before you ask). All ended well with a swift turn around and a check at the desk to retrieve the card - the thai's are beautiful people what chance that in Heatrhrow hey?! I gave him a 50 bhat tip (quid..) in appreciation. Does that mean I'm buying favour - erm thoughts on tipping please. right morchebba have come on and I still have my rucksack by my side - time to find the nana plaza hotel where the boy ryan should be residing. To my homies in brum let me know how the (hugely successful and well constructed...) kitchen is coming along. Just a few finishing touches I couldn't get done before I left - sink, hob that sort of thing.. Oz people sounds good, camper van buying, renting, stealing sounds fine as long as it's cheap... Ah, it's 27c and 8.00pm. Big love. Give me news. Nick. P.S. Craig reliably informs me that the snafflebeat sight is heading towards ompletion, a repository of all things going down with the massive... rock on.
	The First day of debauchery! FRIDAY 23rd NOVEMBER An update from the land of seediness and depravity - and I'm not talking about an allotment in Slough. Bangkok is intense..everybody wants to sell you something or take you somewhere. It's all light humoured but it's a bit wearing - people could be trying to tell you there house is on fire and can you help them save a few close possesions, but the answers been the same. "no thanks I'm fine". Done the standard Bangkok stuff (easy now pete...) have the fake tag, bought the t-shirt and seen the shows.... not really a turn on although fasinated by how she managed to propell a dart into the balloon I was holding from 3 yards. And she wasn't using her mouth.... Went to the Grand Palace which houses teh amazing reclining buddha (the final state before reaching Nivana - I like that.. lounging as a spiritual endgame) had rides in tuk-tuk's - the yellow and black 3-wheel death traps that storm around the roads sounding like chain saws. Seriously scarry at times, the kind of rollercoaster scarry where you laugh but then realise that the screaching of tyres was the tuk-tuk in front that nearly hit the merc... Oh and been offered heroin (it's ok ma I didn't except - no cash (joke)). Just returned from a thai massage (easy now pete) , this was amazing. Basically you're pumelled for 1/2 an hour and have each of your vertibra systematically re-alligned, I was expecting something a little more sensual (easy now pete) but had some thai boxer bloke putting his knee into my back and pulling my arms skywards. Ben, of course, got the thai lady and was relieved to be face down for most of his session... Am now walking with a far improved gate. (easy now pete). Booked tickets out on the train tomorrow, heading to Ko pang nan (sp?) it's the full moon party on the 30th and were going to join the hoards. It's a 18 hour sleeper train - not bad for a tenner. Have met some cool people and some dorks (great word must use more) they'll all be there along with about 5,000 others. I know it's not the real thailand barry but there's plenty of time for that...!! Krabi follows. Orders in then by tomorrow for knocked off Diesal stuff (3 quid), north face bags, jeans, shirts...watches.. windows xp, any cd yuio care to mention, a dress for the ladies... Big Love. Nicholas.
Nick "so cool" Goldring!
	Still he keeps em comin! SUNDAY 25th NOVEMBER Well this is more like it... Arrived in Ko Phangnan today and it's fantastic, sandy white beaches, chilled and cheap. My pale reflective glow has now turnd stinging lobster red with my bonce also showing sympathy with my legs following the 4 hour boat ride on top deck I enjoy earlier. The final night in Bangkok all went a bit wrong with me ending up catatonic sitting upright on my bed at about 3 following excess for some, or many, of the preceding hours. All started well with a couple of Changs prior to food with the Boy Ryan, more banter and move to club which closed at 12.00 - clearly I should have gone home but we were all ushered upstairs to another club which closed um lateish. Clearly then I should have gone to bed but a couple of canadian girls you we'd met earlier in the day when they gave us directions(!) and an ozzy guy (I don't know how he got in some noodles were exchanged, probably with chrissy come to think about it and he weddled his way in). Clearly I should have gone to bed, but got into an intense conversation involving canada the hills, skiing and teh wonder of trees (this was her not me!) I was just completely span out although my new friends were understand - the old friend less so. Hey ho. The next day I...went to the train station, and caught the sleeper down. Very entertaining, you book your seats which turn into bunk beds at, no later than, 11.00 so ben and I drank a couple of Chang's played cards with the waitress joining for games of Sh+)head. Honourable draws good for international relations. Then we went to bed... I took the top bunk and having deposited soot over myself from the vent above my head changed ends and tried to sleep - this is tricky when the train seems to take 3 foot leaps up and down, however between reading a particuly thought provoking book (Sophies World, thanks Mr.Hall) I had some bizarre dreams before waking at 6 to see people putting rucksacks on and the train stopping. Now I can't describe the strange feeling that coming out of the dream and realising what might be happening felt like. Surfice to say I lept down half naked to see others moving to the end of the carraige - I then have to wake ben with a light punch to the head, ehich causes him to yelp and then start deleriously stating dumb ass questions whilst I wrestle with a t-shirt and try to find out whats happening.... meanwhile a startled carraige is making it's way back to the bunks as our german friends across the way had got the time wrong - oh and we werent at a station.... Bastardos. Anyhow looking to book a scooter tomorrow (2 quid a day...) and are off to "global underground" this evening a hard trance night apparently. The DJ with the flyer was sitting next to me at the beginning of this mail. Clearly I need to leave. Good to hear from people, let me know your loves, loses, highs and lows as although I'm all these miles away I need you my friends - besides I'm going to have to stay in tomorrow with sun stroke.... Big love.
The father of the author!
	Religious meanderings... MONDAY 25th NOVEMBER Hello guys, I can drop you this note as you know that at times I can be slightly unbalanced and you wouldn't run to the hills if I start rambling. Which is what I'm about to do... This travelling malarky is really making me think about things in a different way, I've been paying the price for this in getting completely span out a couple of times - the chang beer out here is bloody strong and the thai weed stronger combine the two with my mindset and things get out of hand. I've decided that dope has been making my mind work to see things in terms of the "perfect form", this idea that there is a perfect bed, a perfect night etc. and this is what I've been constantly striving for. Unfortunately, as the greeks pointed out, the world aint like that and as such being stoned doesn't deal with reality - I go on to ask the wrong questions. So the reason I write this is that reason and reasonableness have thetre limitations. I think I may be forced to admit that God exists. I trust this makes some sense, as I think you realise I type this to get it down and in the process sort my thinking through. As socrates said, the only thing I know is that I know nothing. I'm fine and life is good by the way - I also realise that getting laid and finding love makes all these questions fall into the background, for a while. Maybe this is the only faith we need. Take care, peace love. Nick.