My 2 cents worth on Thailand from (ahem) a reliable source: Having been spoilt by the occasional thai sti ck in UK, this chap (I know well), had great expectations for Thailand. Perhaps he was unlucky but he ended up very disappointed. Keen for an image change the government seems on a strong crackdown generally, so take care! In Bangkok all the street hustlers he encountered tried to sell him some sort of tobacco shit (doesn't work at all!), and the last thing you want to be doing is examining your purchase on the street corner. Down south was a slightly different story, Koh Samui and Phi Phi island were both great - mainly due to the help of fellow travelers (and not street hustlers). Still cannot believe that much of Phi Phi island was wiped out - at the time I thought it was paradise (poor souls). Never got to the north, but one traveler I met talked of a mountain trip out of Chaing Mai for more alternative smokes - (he was generally full of bull, so not sure on this). Not much help really but I'm sure you will have fun anyway!! Take the Mp3 player - nothing better than orb'n'erb on a tropical beach. P.S: it's hard to buy papers, so hide some in your baggage. P.P.S: recommendation the next time you are in s.e.asia: the shroom omelet's in Bali were much more to my liking. P.P.P.S: This is the show that Alex watched as a kid = explains alot ehh?- http://rainbow.arch.scriptmania.com/rainbow_tv_episode.html