From Koh Lanta my next stop was Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. To get there I had to take two ferries to Phuket and then a flight. Unfortunately the second ferry didn’t arrive in time for the flight and I had to spend a night in Phuket.

I visited Phuket in 2002 and found it to be a very seedy place full of go-go bars, prostitutes and older Western men arm in arm with very young Thai girls. I didn’t want to visit again but opening my mind in 2009 I decided to see how it had changed in 7 years. More >