CHIANG MAI

From the mass of tuk-tuks and smog we headed north on our first overnight sleeper train for the southern capital of Chang Mai. I was not too impressed to say the least when we got on the train and saw our seats (which incidentally become your bed) and the ceiling fan that was to keep us cool. Anyhow once we were into the journey it proved immeasurably better than travelling by bus. The guard put up a table for us and we played some more GRASS and read our books over a couple of Singhas. This journey was to end up taking 15 hours or so and around 7.30 - 8.00pm the guard swept through the carriage and moved the seats so that they became a bed and unlocked the overhead bunk so there was an upper and lower berth. They were actually quite comfortable and had fresh sheets, pillows and blanket (as if you would need one!) and also very cheap considering the distance travelled.

When we arrived in Chang Mai at around 6.30am, being as prepared as we always are (not) we got a ride to a guesthouse to see what it was like and decided that this would be our home for the next couple of nights. It was called the Royal Thai Guesthouse and I would say that in its heyday was something to behold as it was yet another place where maintenance was a bit lacking but it had a pool and a neat little restaurant too.

We weren't sure what we were going to do that day as we were quite tired from the train trip, however an old woman that ran the inhouse travel agency asked us while we were having breakfast if we would like to join three others on a day trek which included elephant trekking, visiting a couple of villages and a waterfall and bamboo rafting(this was basically a three day trek condensed into one). As we were wide awake anyway we decided why not and scoffed down our breakfast and set off for the day. In our group was a guy from Japan named Aki and two Irish lads called Paul and Phil. Unbeknownst to us but the boys from Dublin would become our travelling mates and good friends over the next week or so. We went to the elephant trekking first and it was such a buzz to see these beautiful animals up close and not in a zoo. Olivia and I rode Pucho and he was the dominant male of this particular camp. He was HUGE! The two Irish boys had a slightly smaller one and Aki had one to himself. The secnery that surrounded us was breathtaking as we rode through the jungle for about 50 minutes in total. As a treat for the elephants and a good little earner the locals and mahoots sold bunches of bananas that you could feed the elephants while riding them so all of us got a bunch each and kept our charges fueled throughout the jouney. There were also sort of fill up stations along the way where you could convenienlty buy MORE of bananas or sugar cane too. It was so much fun feeding Pucho as he would snake his massive trunk back over his head and reach out so that we could place a banana or piece of sugar cane in it for him to eat. You could also feel the immense power that he had riding up on his shoulders and his skin had the most incredible texture to it almost like a leathery rough carpet. The view from up on his back was so picturesque as we gazed over the rolling jungle covered hills that typify that part of Thailand.

Once we had recovered from the excitement of the elephants we drove to the next stop which was a 20 minute hike along a gravel road to a small village that has home to one of the shortneck Karen tribes. (Their famous cousins are the Longneck Karen tribe) The Karen people have been relocated by the Thai government from the Thai/ Cambodian border as their main source of income had been growing marijuana and opium.

In order to try and control the production of both these illegal substances the government moved them away from the border and provided them with land and shelter etc and taught them how to grow other crops that they could sell instead of drugs. From there it was a short walk to a the waterfall and we all had a welcome dip in its cooling waters. Once we had refreshed ourselves we walked on the track through the jungle to our van which took us to the next village where we saw some local women using these amazing looms to weave intricate and delicate fabrics.
Next stop was lunch and then we headed for the last part of the day and one of the most fun - the bamboo rafting which was litrally that - floating down the river on rafts made from huge pieces of bamboo. Aki and the two Irish boys went on one and Olivia and I went on the other. I was given a big bamboo pole to help in the steering of the raft and Paul took the first shift on their one. It wasnt long before the boys got in trouble and Paul more or less sunk their raft trying to stop himself falling in. Phil had a go after that and didnt do any better - in fact he broke it into pieces and lost his bamboo pole! Liv and I made it down unscathed and so ended a very full on but fun day.
The next day we decided to do a one day Thai cooking course which we also booked from our guesthouse. We got to choose 6 different dishes each and Olivia and I made sure that the ones we would learn were all different. We were picked up from the guesthouse and taken to the local market where the lady that would be our teacher for the day explained all about the ingredients that Thai's use in their cooking and of course purchased what we would need also. We then went to her house about 20 mins away and were given an apron and hand towel each. Their carport had been turned into a purpose built cooking school with about 12 cooking rings and a couple of big tables to teach around. The first thing that we all learnt to make was curry paste. Each person made the paste that they would need for their first dish, which in my case was red curry and in Liv's her favourite Masaman Curry. This was a lot of fun as you chose how hot your curry would be and then pounded the chillies and other ingredients with a mortar and hand pounder.
When done this was added to the rest of the ingredients to make your curry. What was even better was when everyone was done making the first two dishes of the day that they had chosen, we had a break and tried them all! Everyone shared so we got to try some amazing food and basically cooked and ate all day - TERRIBLE AYE. By the end of the day we were all so full and ended up taking doggy bags home with leftover spring rolls. It was absolute heaven!
That evening we went out for dinner and went to check out the local night market - it was massive. Liv got a massage and I got a couple of cool t-shirts, my favourite being one that says SAME SAME on the front and BUT DIFFERENT on the back. Anyone who has been to South East Asia will know what it means - its their way of saying that things are similar!

Chiang Mai was a really lovely city and we both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves there and once again after packing up our bags for the umpteenth time we got up bright and early the next morning and headed for..........

Arohanui
Livi and Tama xx