Baan Klang Doi Chiang Mai

... falling down the side of the hill. We went through a lot more villages this time and also through wheat fields being cut by locals. Hot and tired but having had a great time we got to the van and were taken to lunch where we met up with Maria. The food, simple thai dishes, was great as before and afterwards we were taken to the bamboo rafting 5 minutes down the road. <br><br>Like most things the bamboo rafting wasn't particularly professional but you come to expect that in Thailand and ...

... s the best! Matty went and rented it from a hire company, but got a little lost on the way back to the GH (a 10 min journey took 1 hour, oops). We took this little bad boy out for a spin, into the Thai wilderness (the main road) and you know, got lost!! Eventually found our way and headed to Doi Suthep mountain temple, which was pretty cool, then carried on up the mountain and ...

... t too bad first thing!), spring rolls ( I was nicknamed Delia for mine as they were better than the leaders!), soups, curries and desserts were all covered and we had great fun sampling all the ingredients and putting them together to make these fantastic dishes. Thats why im emailing tonight as I can't move ive eaten so much!<br><br>Tomorrow I am flying down to the beaches and am looking forward to relaxing in the day and plenty of partying in the evenings.....

Spend a few more great days in Luang Prabang before heading towards Thailand. We rented bikes one day and just cruised around the town. There were so many quiet tree lined streets with beautiful old houses. We sat along the river edge watching the daily life on the Mekong... kids splashing away and the old men sitting in the shade chatting the day away. <br><br>We took a cooking course where we learned the fine art of Laos cuisine. It was a full day affair and ...

... lush mountains as we landed in Chiang Mai. <br><br>I decided to come to Chiang Mai for several reasons:<br>1) Good hiking<br>2) Pretty scenery<br>3) Its a great place to learn Thai cooking<br>4) Its also a great place to learn Thai massage<br>5) Other travelers had recommended it<br><br>My book had told me that there was a guesthouse that offered dorm-style hostel rooms but unfortunately, I couldn't find such a room. Dorm rooms make it ...

... hours together in the car, out of the car, in Chiang Rai,up with the Hill tribes, in Mae Sai,, at the white temple, which was the most beautiful thing all three of us had ever seen, at the hot springs,, at Burma - Mariel going in, Jasmine and I hiking a little mountain to look across into. We saw lots and learned lots, from each other. Mr. Boon learned the most. The discussions ranged from my prostitution career to Jasmine's specialty of STD ...

... New Year" celebrations, also known as the swing festival. At this village we were taken into the local houses to share some home made "whiskey", rice wine, beef soup (the cow was killed that morning in the village) and some delicious worms with lots of people from that village and surrounding ones who were going from house to house to meet friends and celebrate the New Year. The reason that the festival is known as the ...

... the hill was crazy as everything was extremely muddy and people were slipping everywhere. It was pretty funny. Everyone got dirty in the muddy slip and slide. Getting back to the hotel, which is a 5-star hotel, we all had to walk through the lobby drenched in all of the love the elephants and elements gave us during the day. I'm sure the guests imagined we were apart of the janitorial team at the hotel or maybe garbage men and women picking up the weekly load. Day 2 was the same wake ...

... it was manufactured out of cement. Anyways, I get to the bar and everyone who was staying the night at our guest house was there too, and they all had the same idea.....get drunk. Although this was the sketchiest places I've ever seen (a jail cell would have been nicer), it was right on the Mekong River with a great view of Laos on the other side. I did end up asking how much this lovely place would have cost and it came out to be 79 cents ...

... early. We started in a really unique bar called 'Teepee' which was great- they had hanging ropes in the toilets, all sorts of different outfits you could wear whilst you were in the bar and a load of rockers! It sounds **** but it was actually quality! We then went to a club called 'Pah' which played some British chart music which was nice. Strangely you weren't allowed to take cameras in. Had a great night though!