Chaing Mai

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Hey guys!
We have just arrived in Chaing Mai after a few more great days in Bangkok. SInce the last blog entry we have have visited the very impressive temples and grand palace of Bangkok which resulted in many pictures being taken! We also saw the reclining Budda which was a big gold budda laying down- about the size of 5 houses put together- very spectacular! The weather has continued to be hot and dry- which only I (laura) have acclimatised too lol. We've bartered hard with the locals and found many bargains already, have sampled the street cuisine (however still haven't tried the more bizarre foods such as ice cream on french bread and egg banana pancakes). My culinary skills with chop sticks are slowly improving however no where near the standard of julias!
It the Bank holiday in Thailand this week and they are celebrating the budda (or something! hehe) but this has meant we have seen great street parades and decorations- all adding to the vibrant culture here.
We endured another tuk tuk ride to collect our Vietnam visas but this may have been the last time! lol. We loved our hostel so much we will be returning there after Chaing Mai before flying straight to Vietnam- we also chosen to skip Cambodia as we now well aware we do not have the time and this has been recommended y many travellers.
Last night we took a night bus up to Chaing Mai which took about 10 hours however it was extremely roomy and comfortable with wide screen tvs and movies to keep us happy! WE have met a nice irish guy who is defo on our trek which begins tomorrow- this includes many waterfall swim stops, trekking, staying with local tribes, river rafting on long bamboo rafts and elephant rides- should be good! however we are sure it may be commercialised.
Chaing Mai is much quieter than expected and we have experienced the first rain from their monsoon season. The smells in the local busy markets were a bit too much for us however we found some nice side street stalls in stead for some more bargains.
Hopefully some photos will be up soon,
Love Jules and Lauz xxxx

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