Krisdadoi Chiangmai Aprime Res Chiang Mai

... br>and Tom, a lad from Denmark who I have been hanging out with. It was a
rare and much appreciated chance to get some home cooking in.

The barbeque was something else again. Unlike an English barbeque they
put conical hotplates on coals and fill the outer perimitter with a
soup, in which the vegetables are boiled. On the centre of the cone
shape the meat is cooked. I should have taken a photo to suppliment
that lacklustre description but I was ...

Well we made it safely back to Bangkok by train from Kanchanaburi's very quaint station. On route we were lucky to have met Win and her boyfriend - a Thai lady with a heart of gold! She told me that she thought I was beautiful and had nice coloured eyes and a little later bought Matt some yummy snackage as a surprise gift - a sure fire way to win him over!!

On arrival back in Bangkok, we made our way to our little Riverline ...

... child labour is a big thing here. They thanked us and ran off happily, sacks on their backs, and in their old broken shoes and old clothing.

We'd have bought them shoes that weren't falling off their feet, but it will have to be someone else's job for now, because we were leaving much too soon and it was too late at night.

First Weekend in Chiang Mai
Went out to the Riverside bar with Scott and his friends. An Asian cover band ...

We were up early today to get everything packed and ready for the bus to pick us up. Laura has had to open the expandable part of here backpack. We got settled on the bus and our guide introduced himself and put on a documentary made by National Geographic, it got the girls weeping but not me I'm all man. It shows the sad stories of how some of the elephants ended up at the Nature Park. Then afterwards we practiced our basic Thai language, which is good cause I still forget how ...

... br>I talked to the camp manager and asked him what he thought of me selling the products that the woman weave in the weavery back home in NZ, with the profits going back here to the camp to be used for the whole community for electricity, water, sanitation, hygiene etc. My only requirement is that it benefits the whole camp. I watched the woman weave; they make the most beautiful scarfs and bags, and sell them for what we consider not even loose change. I talked to the woman for ...

... way of life etc....
We stopped for lunch at hot springs where we covered ourselves in mud etc!
After this long day... we then had a 2 hour ride back to Pai in the back of an open-top truck thing over more winding mountain roads - got battered about and were absolutely freezing but I guess it was an apt end to an 'off the beaten track' couple of days...

The next day my muscles ached so I spent another day at the local swimming pool chilling! That night ...

... World War II. The Thai military used the highest peak of Doi Khuntan or Camp (Yaw) 4 as a look-out point for military operations. It was at this time the term "Yaw" or "Yutasatan", which translates into "strategic camp", was introduced. A visit to Camp 4 (the peak) provides a beautiful view of the valleys and surrounding mountains of Lamphun and Lampang. In addition to hiking the trail ...

... area and see many huge BBQ's set up and are mostly cooking prawns. I am not sure if the people at the BBQ's work there of if you get there early you can use one... We also saw the big fire pits out back where the coal buckets are filled for the tables. That would be a very hot job. We also saw some American food - pizza and fries. I have now moved on. I am exploring desserts. There are all kinds of donuts - chocolate covered, cream filled, jelly filled, and even some ...

... Now that was something I wasnt expecting!!!
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When we did eventually arrive back at the hotel we chilled for a bit before making our way out for food. We walk around for a while deciding what to eat and really cant make our minds up, DK does decide though that we should get Thai massage... Head, neck ...

... About 40 elephants in the camp of varying ages. After the show we took an ox cart trip up the road to a village and looked at their crafts. Then the highlight of the day, a ride on an elephant through the jungle and across the river back to the camp.

A nice buffet lunch followed, then a 4 km trip on bamboo rafts down the river back to the bus. A stop at an average butterfly farm and an orchid farm on the way home completed a great day out. Back in town it was Starbucks for ...