Suriwongse Hotel Chiang Mai

So this is my first entry on the blogosphere and I have a lot to live up to according to Eoin. <br><br> <br><br>1 week+ in and so much has happened. bangkok has long since been and<br>gone and there's not much more to say other than what eoin has already<br>written so eloquently.<br><br> <br><br>And so with the incessant sound of "ping pong" "tuk-tuk" ringing in our<br>ears it was on to ...

... rocky. Along the trek,every so often we would stop to feed the elephants with some bananas we brought at the start .<br>So we finished off, then the trek began. OH MY GOD WHAT A SURPRISE WE HAD IN STORE IT WAS THE HARDEST THING WE HAVE DONE IN A LONG WHILE!!<br><br>So no one told us we would be trekking 1400 feet above sea level it was hard, sweaty, and tiring.We trekked for about 2 and a half hours with a couple ...

... people have the chance to get this close to elephants and I felt honoured, but also a little cautious. They are so enormous and powerful. Their skin feels really tough and they are actually quite hairy! There were a couple of naughty elephants, one called Hope, who was rescued as an orphan and Lek raised him herself. He's bit of a pickle, but not as much as the charging toddler, who made a game of chasing the humans around. That would be ...

... a gorgeous Thai lunch and on the way home they brought us to a local hot spring which smelt like rotten eggs. <br><br>As it was Sunday, nearly all the streets in Chiang Mai turn into one big market. It was deadly. So we did a bit of market shopping and while we were there the Thai national anthem was played over a loud speaker, and every body in the whole place just stopped dead in their tracks until it was over. It ...

... a few bottles to round out the day. Up early next day to see Mary off, was sad to see her go but a wicked time was had. We were catching the train to Chiang Mai that night so didn't really know what to do, so when in doubt hit the flicks. Went to see the latest in possibly the greatest film franchise ever...Fast &amp; Furious, God these are the crappest films but sweet Jesus do I love them. Came back and got some food, then managed to drag Kelly to an English bar to watch the ...

... that we knew it was less, should be about 800baht altogether. It wasn't his fault - the lady had seen I was a falang (Thai word for foreigner/stupid tourist who will part with far too much money!). Got the tickets sorted and after we got back I paid Nu 100 baht ($2) for helping us out - we would probably have ended up in Burma if it wasn't for him!<br>Got a taxi to the bus station after having a bite to eat with Char and Lou - Char had actually ...

... everyone raves about. The boat should be interesting, but it's all part of the experience. Darren will also be leaving us after nearly a month together to head back to Bangkok to get his debit card that he lost back, however we may meet up at some later point in the trip. I'm not sure what the internet access is like in Laos, but I will do my best to keep you all updated. As promised I have added some more photos, so enjoy and feel free to comment.

... out for he night. i walked from gongkaew guesthouse to panda, getting lost several times on the way and sidetracked when a family offered to walk with me up ratchamanka then followed me to the wrong end of the old city, abandoning me with wishes of better luck finding gongkaew when my night was deemed over. eventually i made it down a short corridor to lara and claudia's room where the girls were putting the finishing touches on their faces - both too beautiful already to ...

... about one hundred feet from our guesthouse proved to be the master of them. It was a couple of days later that this restaurant though, was eclipsed by the somewhat famous, and absolutely amazing Huen Phen as our favorite in Chiang Mai and actually all of Thailand. Huen Phen is an interesting little place filled with antiques and an atmosphere that might make you think you were trespassing in someone's house. Our first night there we ordered their special appetizer ...