Enjoying Chiang Mai

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Well - the saga continues. We have left the truck at the border, technically in Myanmar but actually parked in Thailand, and travelled by minibus to Chiang Mai where we are staying for 4 nights. Because of Chinese coming into Thailand and buying goods duty free and taking them back to China the Thai authorities have banned all non-Thai vehicles from entering the country. We are now waiting to see what can be done and if we can get a special permit to use the truck. In the meantime we had a couple of hours to pack all our belongings and leave the truck. Needless to say there is some stuff that we have left behind that we may have considered taking with us but had no time. I have left a bag I had already packed with my 'cold weather' clothes that may make it back to the UK at some time in the future on the truck - who knows. In the meantime we have all our belongings with us.

So we now have some time to enjoy Chiang Mai. I had been told it was a nice place to stay and it is living up to its reputation so far. It is clean and buzzing with people - locals and tourists - and we are enjoying our time here.

Saturday I walked round the main sights in the old town and ended up at the Women's Prison Vocational Training Centre where I had an amazing (and slightly painful) Thai Massage. I saw it recommended in one of the guide books, and it is also on Trip Advisor. The women are trained in massage and then offer the services in a salon. Any money they earn is saved and they have it when they leave the prison. There are also 3 salons where ex-inmates can get more experience. Brilliant idea. After supper at the hotel, which has a pool by the way, we went off to see the Night Bazaar which was buzzing with stalls and shoppers, and then we travelled home in a Tuk-Tuk. Fantastic day.

Sunday morning spent sorting out luggage (and trying to shed 5 kilos from the weight) before we move on. We are still not sure whether we will see the truck again or if we spend the next 6 weeks on public transport. (Update - seems we will not see the truck again on this trip. All very sad about it but that is the way of overlanding - more of a headache for Will than us). And then in the evening I went to do a Thai cooking course. 10 in the class but you chose what you wanted to cook from a large list, and then cooked single portions which you then had chance to eat (and try other people's food too). But the joy was that you also saw how other dishes were cooked, and came away with a cookery book too.

Monday saw some of us going to an Elephant Sanctuary where we got to feed them, and then take them to the river and bath them. Enormous fun, and a bit wet and muddy too.

So today we are off to Chiang Rai on the bus - only 3 1/2 hrs so like a trip to the shops for us after some of the days we have had on the truck!

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