You Sabai Chiang Mai

... with Jamie and Rhonda until theirs was available. We had a yucky breakfast, took our malaria tablets, climbed into our bus and fell asleep.

Since we only had one day in Chiang Mai, we had unanimously agreed on bamboo rafting as our first activity, with a possibility of a tuk-tuk tour of some temples before our 4pm guided tour. It took over an hour to get there, and I definitely slept better in the bus - with my head against the seat in front of me ...

... It's a festival that happens on the November full moon to pay homage to the goddess of rivers and waterways. Mainly it's to say thanks for the water that provides the crops and a good harvest.

The restaurant was open and looked out to the river. It was very serene and quite beautiful. While the atmosphere seemed somewhat casual, clearly this was a top-notch restaurant. We were in for a treat.

Our group sat down at a long, gorgeous table made from ...

... im Urwald ohne Pfade oder sonstiges erst fast senkrecht bergab und dann wieder bergauf steigen.

Am zweiten Tag gings dann wieder auf einen mehrstuendigen Marsch zum zweiten Dorf wo wir abends dann ein Wildschwein schlachten durften um nicht nur Reis zum Abendessen zu haben. Haben auch wirklich alles von dem Schwein gegessen. Nicht nur die Rippchen usw. sondern auch Innereien, (Herz, Leber etc.)

Am ...

... that at this time of night, the only thing we could do for them was to buy them some food, so we found a market and bought them apples, bananas, and a yogurt drink which they loved! They were cute, happy and grateful. Probably the cutest thing we saw was that they actually offered their bananas to two small children who were looking on, but who were not street kids.

The four street kids worked to bring recyclables back to industries here ...

... in the camp, I am sitting here at a table in the dark with a small light as I write. Astra is working with one of the girls that cannot handle her temper next to me at the table. It feels calm, and quite, yet in effect it is a war zone, a stalemate, filled with hardship, and the basics of survival. So many donors promise the world of difference, as they are affected from their visit, and then forget their promises, as the memories of this place grow distant.

As many of you ...

... a world away from Koh San road... full of Thais, open-rooftop bar, live music - awesome! I think I managed to stay out til about 4am - they carried on til about 6am - I feel so old!!
Then I flew back to Chiang Mai - got a cheap flight that was only a little bit more than the overnight train would have cost.... again Bangkok airways and their lush departure lounge! It was great flying in to Chiang Mai and flying over all these jungles and mountains.... oh and on the way ...

We meant to leave today, catching the 1pm bus to Chang Khong (which is on our way to the Laos border). But, we slept in. Until 12:30. So we will try again tomorrow. Today is something like our 18th day in Chiang Mai, and in that time we've grown attached to the place. Not only is it a beautiful city, with mountains, lake and jungles galore - we've also made some really good friends here. Since the first night we arrived here we ...

... Rob 'Perfect Sleeping Conditions' Helps. The bus arrived an hour early, which I think they do on purpose so that you are confused and go with one of their friends to a hotel. We did not fall for this however and walked the 5 minutes and found somewhere reasonable, and then went to sleep! Bangkok I wasn't too much of a fan of Bangkok, but we had some interesting Tuk Tuk rides, some good days shopping and a couple of nights out. But glad to ...

... street food is not something i would have considered in India but I have no hesitation here... I think we will be braver when we go back to India :)
Picked up the laundry, there is something really satisfying about getting your laundry done isnt there? NO??? Must be just me then! :) Sorted out the trek for tomorrow being picked up at 8 from reception so have to be up nice n early... The trek we are doing is only 1 day - starts with a trek up a hill and visit a ...