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Mark Moxon's Travel Writing

Thailand: Thoughts on Leaving

Elephant trekking near Chiang Mai
There's plenty of fun to be had in Thailand, such as elephant trekking in the north, but I still found the place disappointing

So, another country gets ticked off the list. I can't really comment too much on Thailand; despite being here for a month, I never really left the cosy confines of the tourist trail, and I have no idea what the real Thailand is like. In places like Chiang Mai, the Khao San Road and Ko Samui, the locals are unavoidably tainted by tourism, and as a result they seem pretty miserable and offhand, and the service is terrible. But I'm absolutely convinced that this is not representative of Thais in general; they're supposed to be incredibly friendly, and although I didn't experience this, I didn't exactly put any effort into exploring the real Thailand.