Lek House Chiang Rai

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... less able members (Dim, Dom, Percy and Smudger). Arriving at the river, we crossed in a traditional longboat. On the other side we waited for our elephant trek, but entertainment was provided by a 25 year old boa constrictor that was a challenge even for all the Fairwater lads plus Mr. Baker to lift. We then took an elephant trek around the village, going up past the paddy fields, and the beautiful scenery. We stopped for lunch in the village and had a look ...

... which is a little over a 10% share. The guest house is opening this weekend and once running should give me at least a 10% return on my money and help make extra money for Mirror Foundation so as it can help ethnic minority people in Thailand. Money - So I have 500 000 Baht tied up in the guesthouse, I have another 120 000 Baht in some land that Kanchana has brought with the idea of quickly selling again at a large profit ...

... Myanmar. Anyway, then rush to get them some supplies, SIM cards and back to Mirror and for me to get back to home to drop off the motorbike and pick up my car to go back to town to pick up Jo and Judy. They are here to help / support FreeSchools which I have already told you. Jo works for Channel 9 and I found a picture of her here (http://www.lukepriddisfoundation.com/i ndex.cfm/page/111) and her mum, Judy is a librarian and a NSW school. I brought them ...

... and one of the 4 hospitals in Chiang Rai town)- all very smooth, efficient and quick. The doctor gives me a drip and put me in hospital for the night. As my fluids increased I felt much better. Blah blah. Rest of the story doesn't get much more interesting, as it is just me sitting in hospital and feeling better as time passes. --------------------------------------- - Of interest - a private room cost us 800 Baht, and all ...

... etc. Just like Haymarket in Boston, if you wait until the end of the day, you can get the best prices; although, I'm not sure how it can get any better than $0.30 for a kilo-bag of Rambutan (a traditional Thai fruit with hairy little spikes on the outer shell). We have a lunch at a local hotel with great Thai soups that you basically custom order, say goodbye to our guide Irene and driver (who, by the way are two of the nicest people we've ever ...

Sawat dee Ka....... after the Chiang Mai mountain adventures, which included trekking throught king cobra, black widow and venom-spitting cobra territory (and surprisingly close to tiger and elephant land too, just a couple of mountains away), under diluvial rains, sleeping in a village somewhere in those mountains, drinking countless cans of beer to help support the villagers (anything for a good ...

... language barrier, though, this is a fascinating place to be. Homes are one-room bamboo huts on stilts; for sleeping, the family pulls out mattresses to lay on the floor. Cooking happens over a fire in the same room. Last night I helped my male host with the meal (there's remarkable gender equity here) and pounded garlic, onion grass, and chilies in a mortar and pestle; then we sat cross-legged on the porch to eat, overlooking the jungly mountains ...

... By the time I got back Norm had almost completed his book (novel) and was nicely bronzed from the warm sun. I will suggest that he may have had a few too many beers (as the photo indicates) - however, this particular photo was actually 'staged' one day when we were having lunch in Laos - it wasn't even taken in Thailand. I just thought I include it as I think Norm got the short end of the stick having stayed by the pool all day with such little adventure! Enjoy the pics. Sharon and Norm

The Elephant Ride We hadn't done much in Chiang Rai. We were relaxing and enjoying the holidays. One afternoon we visited the Hill Tribes Museum in town and saw a trek that looked pretty interesting. It was a boat ride to a Karen Village and then an elephant ride through the hills. But the price was pretty insane - $90 for two people. That may not sound like much, but this is Thailand. You can buy a kidney for that much ...