We're Alive!!!

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So we left Pai and got back to Chiang Mai spending a little too much in the night market. I bought some ace tee-shirts I have to say and lucy bought a lovely dress. Altogther we spent 1000baht give or take which isn't too bad considering all the pretty fairy lights in the myriad stalls guiding as astray...

Now here comes a frustrated era in this Asiatic Odessy.... One I like to refer to as 'The Awkward Age'...

Chinag Rai was in lights for me. I imagined it to be Chiang Mai with a more relaxed atmosphere and friendly locals gving us money and food and stuff for free. Beautiful teak rooms, 100metre bamboo, gorgeous cuisine and flush toilets...

(I'm building it up for the fall here which I realise isn't entirely fair, but for the sake of prose and an audience I shall continue...)

...The bus station wasn't where it was supposed to be. The vegetarian buffet at 25baht all-you-can-eat with un-stained rice, no GMO etc was, therefore not opposite the bus station... We started walking with confidence that wew could fin it in a few seconds. Finding ourselves on a motorway 5km out of town we did start to worry a little bit.

From there it started to pick up when wew were picked up by a tuk-tuk transported to Garden ket-hao and greeted by a anti-gollum character. Really nice guy. He showed us to our room which looked cushty. We siad ok and settled in, taking the cockroach in our stride and nimply releasing the pregnant toad nestled in our quilt into the wild. This first display of audacity by our friendly neighborhood wildlife was further displayed as the evening drew on. With the mosquito net set-up we cracked on into town with a slighly faultering spring in our step. The weather was wet, the pavements were marble, the result was a quick and mutual relationship with the floor. We respected eachother and took careful steps not to get on eachothers tempers. I have to say that the pavement could have made more of an effort on the friendship front, however I can't knock its consistancy...

Anyway, after looking for a vegetarian place for a loooong time we settled, with feeling of guilty pleasure, on the Pizza company.

Here, we ate grease and watched with joy as one of the staff had full blown domestic with her boyfriend before heading back to the ranch.

An uncomfortable night followed spawning the conclusion of swift exodus from Rai and up north to sleepy, Mekong-hugging Chiang Saen.

The river was huge, fast flowing and beautiful and we had views of the mysterious land of Laos 200 metres from our gorgeous and enormous teak room. The food however was decidedly orientated towards fish and meat being included in every 'vegetarian please!!' meal we ordered. Aside from this yet batting for the opposition, lay the fact that Chinag Saen was clearly the model basis of the popular hardware shopping centres known in the west as 'B&Q'.

Realising the serious risk of buying too many lawn-mowers we swifty decided to move on yet again.

This time, it was more difficult...Being lazy we waited leisurely until 3pm before deciding to check out (this cost us the next couple of days rent) then headed to the Sawngthaw station to be told "200 baht for two to Chiang Khong". Clearly we pondered this too long as he hastily corrected himslef saying "400 each!!!".

Drearily, we headed back to Chiang Rai to finf the last bus to Chiang Khong waiting for us. Snatching up cheese flavoured supplies we set off for tyhe Thai/Laos Crossing.

Not for two thirds of the trip did we see one road sign to indicate we were heading the right way. The sun set like it had been eating too many Fillet Tower Meals and we entered the most harrowoing journey yet. Seeing three cars, including a HGV all overturned at the side of the road, the bus driver sensibly sped up. In order to keep the morale up we sang Kumbiya and other rabble-rousing numbers whilst watching the bus passengers wain fast.

Finally we made it to Chiang Khong, greeted by moderate tuk-tuk crowd we headed to a ket-hao which was much to our approval, ate a delicious vegetarian pad thai and fell into darkness for a good 12 hours.

Today, we begin to explore a clearly underated town. We do rather like it here, I must say, but there is always a little but of Pai comparison going on even now... Pai...We love you Pai...

Over and out england😊 Love to you all xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Comments

[Nancy or mother]

laughs
Dear funny couple, I really laughed at this one. Journalism beckons What is a tuk-tuk crowd? How did you know the toad was pregnant? Love N

[dave]

I love the t-shirts in the markets, they're awesome : ) And marble pavements, wtf?! :D That sounds awesome/dangerous. How's the money n ting?