After three weeks in Krabi, I finally took a long bus ride to the northwestern Thai-Burmese border town of Mae Sot. It took 24 hours of travel, but I am done. The second bus trip from Bangkok to Mae Sot was on a "2nd class bus", which wasn't bad except my air-conditioning vent wasn't working; so I was sweating like a pig for the eight hours up here. In contrast to the "VIP bus" to Bangkok which was filled with "farangs", I was the only foreigner on the bus to Mae Sot. Immigration officials checked my passport at the city limits. The border between Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) and Thailand is sort of a sieve for blackmarket traders. I'm here to volunteer in the Mae Tao Clinic for a couple months. I've paid for a month's accommodation. It's a clean place with a shared bathroom. It's just over $100.
It has been hot in Thailand for the past few weeks. It's probably around 100 F during the daytime.
Besides diving, last week in Krabi, I went to see a Muai Thai boxing match. It was great. They had nine matches with the boxers varying in age from 7 years to 22. The little kids were tough as nails taking and throwing punches without a wimper. I don't know how they do it. Jean Claude van Damme would have had his ass beaten.
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