Chiang Mai

24/08/08 Sunday Day 10 Pavee Point
The reason for the heading is the amount of travelling done today!
Not much of an update today. After breakfast this morning we dropped the moped back down to the owners and then posted some postcards. I think I’ll believe if they get delivered when they get home! After that we packed the bags and got a taxi from the hostel down to the bus station. We got a bit to each there in a shopping plaza beside the bus station. Got a bus then to the train station where we had about 3 hours to kill. Most of the time was spend talking about other people around us and wondering what they’re story was and also drinking coffee and other drinks outside a coffee shop so that we could stay sitting in the same seats for the 3 hours!
It’s now half 9 in the night time and we’re 2 hours into our 14 hour overnight train journey. We’re just after dinner on the train in our first class cabin which looks like something that the POWs were transported in. My thai soup tasted like fairy liquid. The next course of some kind of beef curry also tasted like fairy liquid.

25/08/08 Monday Day 11
The train journey yesterday was great. Got breakfast around 8am. Yet again more eggs. It’s all eggs for breakfast in this country. I hate eggs!
Anywho, after getting off the train we went to our hotel which just so happened to be right beside the train station. Checked in grand, then went for a walk down town. There was a tourist information room in the hotel so we went in there for a map and the guy told us where to go to see one of the markets. And quiet a big market it was too. Everything was there from fruit and veg, to fish and meat and obviously loads of clothes.
There’s loads of tuk tuks around here again and even more annoying. Did a lot of walking today just checking out the city itself. Bought out plane ticket to Luang Prabang in Laos and a trek for tomorrow. Spend about 2 hours inside a coffee shop that had free wifi so we were checking flight details in there and sending emails.
The locals are again very nice and helpful although there are a few con artists trying to get you into a tuk tuk to see all the temples. Met a local teacher when we were sitting down to take a break somewhere. Met another guy who was apparently from hong kong and that his wife was from Sligo. We thought he was just talking to us but it turn out again he was trying to get us into a tuk tuk! Will they ever stop
Went to the riverside restaurant for food tonight. Wasn’t too bad except for the fact that around 1am I decided to talk to god! And that was only after 3 beers. Dodgy bit of beef I reckon! Emer wasn’t feeling too hectic either.

26/08/08 Tuesday Day 12 Day of Trekking and the village people
Was collected this morning by air conditioned minibus, always a good selling point of these tours! Also in our group were 5 people from Paris, 1 guy from London and 1 guy who’s in school or college in Amsterdam. He has a brother living in Singapore. Strangely enough we weren’t brought to any places that we weren’t told about, like handicraft shops or gem factories which was nice for a change. Today we went to 2 villages where the locals were actually selling pieces of jewellery and shawls and stuff. There was also a waterfall included which was nice and you could go swimming there. We got there by walking from the first village. After the waterfall we then walked for about another 30 minutes to the second village. We then hopped on our minibus again and went to some kind of shed and had lunch there. Lunch consisted of some kind of cabbage soup, a bowl of dry rice, an omelette to be shared like a pizza between people, chicken stir fry and vegetable stir fry both of which had to be shared between people. I had the bowl of dry rice!
After lunch we went to an elephant place where we go to ride the elephants. After the elephants we hopped on a river raft made of bamboo where we got a little soaked.
Our tour guide was funny. At one stage she tried to say that the villages have no electricity. Instead she said they have no electric city! Funny that!
When out to dinner to a place called Zest and was shown the drinks party of the menu first. So we ordered our drinks and your man took the menus off us. After a short while I asked him if they are serving food and he said yes and kinda walked away. So we left that place then and ended up in an Italian restaurant which was nice enough. Was drinking the local Chang beer (6.5%), not good. I was half floored after about 2 pints of that stuff. Was back at the hotel at around 12. Was knackered after the day’s trekking.

27/08/08 Wednesday Day 13 Detox day
Detox day after last nights booze. Not feeling too good at all. Still a bit knackered and my stomach is beginning to play tricks on me!
Didn’t do much today. Just walked around town a bit more. Went to an internet place to book accommodation for Luang Prabang in Laos.

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