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Published: March 11th 2006
Hello Everyone
Sorry it’s been quite a long time since our last entry but our hotel in Chaing Mai doesn’t have internet.
Anyway since you last heard from us we caught the 13 hour night train out of Bangkok (thank god) up to Chaing Mai. The train journey was pretty good the food was nice and the beds were comfortable. At least Claire’s was I was on the top bunk which was small and cramped and rocked around all night, but I don’t need as much sleep as her so it was fine.
Train journey was quite fun we met a Californian guy called Gabe, who was a laugh and just sat around talking into the night. I don’t think our fellow passengers were impressed as most of them went to bed at about 9. It turns out that a couple of cars up from ours there is a party car with lights and music but we weren’t to know. Think that’s where I will spending most of my time on the way back, don’t know about Claire.
Anyway we arrived in Chaing Mai and we supposed to meet the hotel’s driver who was supposed to be
Bamboo Rafting
Guess Some of Appsie's Cowboy ways are rubbing off on me as wellwaiting for us at the station. We instead met a guy with the name of our hotel on a board and assumed it was him. His name was Suwat and he spoke very good English and told us a lot about the history of Chaing Mai. When arriving at the Hotel he would not let us leave until we agreed to go on one of his tours. Like hell I was but I thought it easier to let him think we would go. Turns out his price was about 1000 baht cheaper than anywhere else but that was not included the admission to any of the places. What a surprise another con artist and we had only just arrived. Anyway we gave him no money and he gave us a free lift. Turns out he was not the hotel driver, the real driver was at the station pissed off as we hadn’t turned up and he had been waiting three hours. The hotel is beautiful and the best place we have stayed yet.
So far we have checked out the night bazaar where you can get all kinds of different goods if you bargain hard enough. You must bargain
otherwise these guys will take you for every penny you’ve got. As some of you might know I can be quite tight whereas Claire does not really get the bartering thing yet. So it seems we have developed a kind of good cop, bad cop routine where Claire argues that the price is quite reasonable and I laugh and pull her away. Although probably not the best technique it seems to get the prices falling quite quickly. Thailand is definitely not the place to come if you can’t be bothered to argue over the price of absolutely everything, they have become experts at ripping off tourists so you have to be constantly on guard.
The bars here tend to be packed out with very young girls and very old and sleazy English men, (makes me sick but it seems to be the way out here) and Dren will be pleased to hear even a few lady boys.
Yesterday we left the hustle of the city and went elephant trekking and bamboo rafting which a welcome relief. I’m burning my internet credit so I will let the pictures do the talking. It was great fun and those elephants can
really play football .
Going to check out some temples so might have a few pictures of that later.
Love you all
Will And Claire
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Mum again
Elephant looks very happy, Will short haired boy. Royalty lunching here this week, more later due to security!!!! Love your Blog LOL Mum