Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...

Land of Smiles

Well we made it! We've now come full circle and have arrived safely back in Thailand, Chiang Rai to be exact. An easy hop/skip over the river and a rather dubious border crossing in terms of security and we're in. Chiang Rai is more of a “remember what the western world is like” kind of stop and we waste no time sussing out the local pizza joint. We spend a few days sorting out boring things like washing and head south for the next big city on our list...Chiang Mai

Elephant City

It has to be said that Anne and Sue locate a fabulous guest house whilst the boys mind the bags at a burger bar. Our digs come complete with pool, cat (Jelly), dog (name unknown) and convenient cool bar next door (So Cool bar).

First adventure on the list.....Thai cooking school. The four of us had a great time visiting the market and collecting ingredients before returning to launch headlong into culinary expolits which included: spring rolls, red curry, panang curry, fish cakes, tomyum soup, pad thai, water chestnuts in coconut milk (surprisingly yummo), chiang mai noodles, coconut prawn soup and deep fried bananas. Thankfully we have the recipes of all of these to hand so we look forward to whipping up some tasty treats for those back home! You can also check out the cooking school and our pics of the day by visiting:

http://www.cookinthai.com/photo/browse.php?folder=20080616

To be sure this was a real highlight of our trip however we were quickly bought back to earth after a crazy old lady decided to spit at Sue in the street… we’re not really sure why, just crazy!

Other highlights of Chiang Mai included the night fair where we sampled some tasty treats and ran into some people from the Mekong boat trip (weird how that happens) and Jelly the cat (pictured) who seemed to like sitting on Steve's back for some reason?

One balmy evening as we were sitting in "So Cool" enjoying a few quiet bevvy's, our patter was interupted by the guesthouse dog running in...a strange occurance given that the dog wasn't usually overly friendly. Next minute, (as happens) there is an elephant standing in the door way. Okay so it was a baby elephant and the door is just a fence into a concrete court-yard, but none the less there is a baby elephant standing about 2 metres from us, waggling his trunk around on the ground whilst his mahout (keeper) does his best to make a sale of elephant food. Not sure whether the fact that there was no kind of restraint on the elephant is comforting or worrying?

Marisa

Waving goodbye to our chums (although we're all certain we'll bump into them on the bus the next day) the two of us head north to Chiang Dao, a little village almost to the Myanmar (Burma) border. We've decided we need some recoup time and we manage to find ourselves a gorgeous resort (Marisa resort) with a half price deal and no other guests (none). After a jaunt on the local bus endeavouring to explain that we need to alight at route market 81 we spend four days swimming, sunning, biking, eating and generally phaffing about the grounds of the resort and strolling through the gardens which brim with pea eggplants, pineapples and herbs (which we are now able to identify!)

Ancient City - Take I

Back into tourist mode we head for Sukhothai, an ancient city which is a delightful day of easy biking from temple to temple. We're staying in nearby Phitsanulok, an unremarkable town, from where we're taking an early train onwards the next day.

Ancient City - Take II

Next Ancient city on the list is Ayuthaya. The former capital, the city is situated on an island with temple, prang, chedi and wat relics both on and off the island. We almost kill ourselves riding around the island in the midday sun and subsequently opt for the easier option of hiring a boat in the evening to see those off it.

We happen upon a fabulous man in a restaurant just near to our guesthouse who much to our delight takes great pride in whipping us up local specialities of deep fried papaya salad, spicy pork salad and a cook at your table soup of lemon grass and various meats…yum!

To market, to market

Coming to the end of our trip where we actually feel like we need to plan something (?) we decide that we need to visit the Grand Palace and the floating markets before heading south to the islands. We rise early to get a jump start on our day of travel from Ayuthaya to Bangkok, to Damnoen Saduak. The nightmare begins…

Locked in our guesthouse we are unable to depart for the only train of the morning and we spent around half an hour screaming until the owner wakes to our cries. She is abruptly confronted with “what the bloody hell are you playing it” glares. Onward…we figure if we can get in and out of Bangkok in the morning we will escape the crowds and the blazing sun..alas our train is delayed and two hours are spent moving five metres, stopping for ten minutes, moving another five metres etc. Righto - in and out of the palace and back to the train station to collect our bags and hop a bus to Damnoen Saduak (floating markets about 2hrs south). “Why not catch the train to Ratchaburi” says the woman at the information kiosk at the station. “Really, you can do that? Our guide book says nothing of the sort”. “Yes, yes she assures us, it is just next to the market”. So we pay what seems an inflated price for a ticket on an un-airconditioned train squished in with a hundred other people and hawkers. The train is approx two hours late and we arrive in Ratchaburi at 6pm to find we are 40kms from the market and there isn’t a taxi in sight…oh heck.

A kindly guy takes pity on us and he and his family drive us to the bus station…but the buses have finished for the night (but of course!) Our new friend convinces a bus man who is closing up, that we really need to get to Damnoen Saduak and we pay 600B (about $20US) to drive us to our hotel and we soon find he has no clue where it is. Our sense of humour destroyed we collect our dinner from the seven eleven and watch thai game shows on the telly.

Next morning…we are up-and at-em again and take a boat tour around the floating market. Is so colourful and strangely peaceful - some great photo ops. Coconut pancakes for breakfast help to ease the stress of the previous day.

What is on the agenda for the rest of the day then? Back to Ratchaburi (we’ll catch the bus this time!) and onto the sleeper train (Lord have mercy) to Surat Thani, our jumping-off point to the islands. Have just heard from Sue - they’re headed in the same direction. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!

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