First week in Chaing Mai

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First week in Chaing Mai's been hard graft and hard partying.<br style="color:񑘕 font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 18.88888931274414px;" />We've started the language course at the AUA and our teacher's a lovely, small 78 year old who takes no prisoner's if you don't get the tones right! In the evenings we get a chance to try out our Thai in the night bazaar and the vibrant walking markets that are always full of tourists trying not to get ripped off. Yesterday we headed into the hills for a packed day in the monsoon rain with our tour guide Mr.Ping Pong who came out with gem’s such as ‘no money no honey’. The dense green hills were shrouded with cloud, reminicent of Lord of the Rings/New Zealand and the road winded on-wards to the elephant sanctuary. We fed the hungry hulks sugar cane and banana then saddled up for a ride through the mud. Ben and I were balanced on the big daddy who towered over the rest but was still careful not to tread on the heart-meltingly cute baby who trundled alongside the troop. Next up was gliding across the Peng river, Indiana Jones style in a cage and off for a Thai packed lunch (phad Thai wrapped in a banana leaf). Happily stuffed, we trekked to the waterfall for a cool down. However it really pissed it down so, already drenched, we let the cascading water pummel our backs like a brutal Thai massage.<br style="color:񑘕 font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 18.88888931274414px;" />Next up was white water rafting down foaming rapids and then bamboo rafting. Getting 12 on a bamboo raft meant we sank in the water. Although relaxing, it felt weird drifting down a river and sitting waist deep in muddy water. On the way back from the jungle, we stopped at a butterfly farm. It had about 20 butterfly’s. We left hurriedly to get ready for the night.<br style="color:񑘕 font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 18.88888931274414px;" />Pre-drinks of 660ml Archa’s (90p) set me up for another drunken night out. Everyone piled into another Song thaew, arriving at Warmup. It’s two rooms were packed with both farangs and Thais. One room played the standard house club tunes with neon laser’s cutting through the haze, illuminating the movers, shakers, grinders and dancefloor disaster’s. The live band in the next room was fantastic. The audience made up parts of the band. When playing Mr.Brightside, they got a heavily marinated bearded guy to blare into the mike. Later, Holly jumped on the bongo’s and beat them like a tribal warrior. Damn good fun. A leo later we left to Zoe bar and then Spicey. Both played pop and even some hard dance tracks. The group shrank as the night and the messes grew and by 5am it was just Holly, Ben, Beth and I left talking shit with some stoners on the street. I wolfed down two doner kebab’s but became abandoned as the rest went to hunt down a big mac. Luckily I got a lift from Joey on his superbike. It was light as we raced past the old city walls and down side lanes, clinging to the back as the acceleration tried to knock me to the road. I crashed out to Robin Williams screaming ‘good morning Vietnam!’.<br style="color:񑘕 font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 18.88888931274414px;" />So that was one day. One day in Chaing Mai feels like a week and that makes you feel so alive. I love the people, the place and all in between. Tuesday’s Holly and Stephen’s 18th’s. Bring it!

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