October 14th 2008 to November 4th 2008.

It was a nice trip, my Thai girlfriend and I, went from Bangkok, a glorious, wildly exciting, fascinating, incredible city populated by more than 13 million people (unofficial statistics), to Roi Et to visit The Chedi A.K.A Phra Maha Chedi Chai Mongkol.

Phra Maha Chedi Chai Mongkol (The Chedi for short) is one of the largest chedis (pagodas) in Thailand, it measures 101 meters wide, 101 meters long and 101 meters high, has been entirely built by Monks, and is not 100% finished.

The chedi was built on a 101 rai (about 40 acres) piece of land. The number 101 symbolizes the name of the province, as Roi-et  is 101 in Thai language.

7 stories and bones of Buddha are enshrined on the 6th floor.

After a few days at Roi Et's province we took a flight to Bangkok, and then another flight from Bangkok to PhuketOnce in Phuket we had a brilliant idea: A few days in the Jungle, far from touristic places (as well as other tourists), nice beaches, and relax, so we went to Surat Thani province (Surat Thani means City of Good People), approximately 175 kilometers north of Phuket.

Once in Phang Nga province, we parked our pickup at Ban Nam Khem, a fishing village that unfortunately was devastated by the tsunami. It is estimated that 60% of the population of Ban Nam Khem is either dead or missing. We visited the Tsunami Memorial Park. The park was built with a huge monument, two long walls facing each other. The bigger black wall represents the tsunami and the smaller represents the victims with names and photographs as part of the memorial.

After Ban Nam Khem, we drove towards Surat Thani, and in range to a few dozen kilometers, we found a Village called Khao Sok. We stayed there for 4 days.

Khao Sok is a small village surrounded by mountains, waterfalls and lakes. There are a quite few bungalows and resorts and it's a quiet place. After take a look around, we found, for our taste, a nice bungalows of recent construction: Khao Sok Las Orquideas Resort, which means the Orchids Resort.

We had a great stay there, the owners, a nice couple formed of a husband and wife: Siscu and Nee, paid attention to all the details, even the minor ones.This small resort has swimming pool, a exotic garden and the bungalows are really comfortable. Our bungalow had air-conditioned, hot-water, western style toilet, a big bed and terrace. The room was clean as well as the bathroom and the whole bungalow and garden.

Prices are very affordable from 1,200 to 1,800 Baht per night, breakfast included, and may vary depending on season, type of bungalow etc.

In Khao Sok there are many activities to do: Elephant riding, scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking, mountain biking ... Highly recommended.

The adress of Khao Sok Las Orquideas Resort is: 343 Moo 6, Khao Sok. A.Phanom. 84250 Surat Thani. Thailand.

For more information check out their website : Khao-Sok-Resort.com

As enterpreneurs, Sisco and Nee are about to organize a very awesome adventure trip, including the islands: Ko Tao, Ko Nang Yuan, Similan islands and Khao Sok.You can find information (sorry the site is not still translated to English) here: AdventureInThailand.com

Also they are preparing exclusive trips for Gays and Lesbians at: Pinktours.net

They told us that they're accepting pre-reservations for the trips which will start in june.

And that's all, enjoy!

George F.