Pai again

Must firstly apologise for last blog - electricity got shut off while writing it and couldn't be bothered to retype the rest of it!

So, where was I? ah yes, saying goodbye to Pai. Well had a cracking and very late night on Monday night and it was really the perfect way to say goodbye.

Needless to say the hangover the following day was pretty atrocious but I managed to crawl out of bed and pack. However, sat at Mio's eating lunch I was persuaded to stay another night, get through the hangover by swimming at the waterfall and recover for the three hour windy bus trip to Chiang Mai.

So off we toddled, Rachel, Gemma, Rick, Mem, Lek and I to swim. The water was far faster than the previous week so when I decided to demonstrate the water slide to the girls, I got banged into the rocks - not so much fun!

The night was much quieter - early to bed for the trip to Chiang Mai.

I met Becky in Chiang Mai and stayed at her guesthouse with her. We checked out the night market and were shocked by the inflated prices but entranced by the jewellery, fake goods, pretty lanterns, wooden vases and colourful clothes.

We met up with Matt, the friend I made in Laos, and he took us for dinner at an Irish pub - full of expats but airconditioned and with such delights on offer as Irish stew. I had a massive combination grill... very good.

The following day, Becky and I went to the temple on the mountain Doi Sutheap which took a lot of negotiation price wise with the taxi drivers. After a while we managed to get a fair price and drove up the mountain to see the views over Chiang Mai.

It was packed at the temple, mostly with Thai people, as it was some religious day. The wat itself was stunning with a huge gold stupa in the centre. All around the shrines, people had placed buckets full of gifts for the monks and made trees with 100 baht notes attached to the branches. It is quite sickening to see the wealth of the temple sometimes compared to the poverty of the people. Even in the poorest villages there are very grand temples as the people want to gain enough merit in this life not to be reincarnated.

We had lunch at a cafe and then went back to the city. Our taxi driver, Mr Lop, took it upon himself to help me find somewhere to fix my camera. The Sony Centre was a good 20km out of town so he took me to a big store which agreed to try and fix it for no more than 1,200 baht (about 16 quid).

Later, I wandered around near our guesthouse (near Tapae Gate) and to the nightmarket and then we had dinner in one of the side streets - sticky rice and barbecue chicken, the Northen fayre.

The following day we decided to go to Chiang Mai zoo. It was baking hot in land-locked Chiange Mai so we got up early. It was virtually deserted. The zoo is very big and set out over a wide part of the mountain. You can get a bus around but we decided to walk. It was quite amzing because you could get up so close to leopards, jaguars, panthers, tigers - even the lions were seperated from us by just a (very deep) ditch.

That evening, Rachel and Madeline, two volunteers from Pai, came to meet us and we went for dinner with Matt. Matt and I decided it was only right to get quite drunk as it was a Friday night and ended up at Horizon nightclub - dancing and singing to a bizarre but fun array of Thai and western music.

The next day Becky left for Pai and Matt suprised me with a birthday present of a night in a decent hotel. He paid for me to have a room at the Dungtawan hotel - a posh place with a pool and so on and they upgraded me because it was my birthday. I was on the 20th floor and had the softest beds, a tv, bath and shower etc... it's funny how the little things seem like luxury!

I suddenly decided I was over travelling and just wanted nice clothes and nice hotels.

We then went to a shopping mall in search of hair conditioner (me) and stuff for the new condo (him) and I attempted to buy some jeans but failed. Madeline, Matt and I went for dinner and then I turned in early to enjoy some TV and a hot bath in luxury.

Madeline and I spent the next day sightseeing. We went to a few temples, including the ruined Wat Chedi Luang, where we were interviewed by two young monks for their English degrees.

My camera had been fixed by this time - I actually told the sales woman I loved her for fixing it. My budget would've taken a serious hounding to buy a new camera!

We then caught a very slow minibus back to Pai and went for dinner at Mio's with all the volunteers.

The following day, Monday, yesterday, was my birthday. Gemma, her boyfriend Will, Madeline, Becky and I went for breakfast at Mio's and I opened the lovely presents that had been sent out to me.

Thanks so much to everyone who took the time and trouble to send cards and presents. I had a top from my mother, a hilarious Edward Monkton chocolate book from my sisters (The Lady and the chocolate) in which eating the chocolate is her destiny, a very short mini skirt, several pretty tops and a gorgeous cardy from them and a top from my ma and pa, chocolate and magazines from Annabel, some balloons and a banner from Craig, and so on.

Becky, Will, Madeline and I then did the best thing ever. We went elephant riding! Becky and I were on a 42-year-old elephant called Kamnoi. We trekked up a mountain and through the jungle and back down again for an hour. We were sat on a rug on its hairy back, clinging to a rope everytime we went down a steep bit or she decided to take some lunch from the bushes or fields.

The guide sat on her head and directed her with grunts and spoke Thai to her, urging her on with a few taps or digs behind the ears.

We then rode down to the river and waded through the muddy waters. The elephants squirted us with water and then rolled over on command, throwing us off their backs gently time and time again. The ele's were clearly well-loved and enjoyed cooling off in the water and playing with us.

After showering off, I read for a bit, spoke to my sisters, and then went for a shake with everyone at Mio's before going home to get changed. I decided to fashion a top out of a length of silk I had bought. It was pretty successful but I pinned it to my trousers which proved to be a problem every time I needed the toilet!

We went to Na's Kitchen for dinner - they do fantastic Thai food but it takes ages to be served.

Like last week, we went to Mem's cocktails truck, Charnon's bar and Beebop. Gemma and Will bought me strong cocktails and Rick gave me Sangsom whisky. Then Mem brought out this massive chocolate cake. It was coated in thick chocolate with swirls and slabs of white chocolate, cream and cherries on top. They even put candles on it.

Then Mio brought out a cake she had made. It was three of her thick, cake-like pancakes - rasin, choc chip and chocolate - piled on top of each other, covered in chocolate sauces, biscuits, choc chips and so on.

So we had a merry time singing, taking pictures of the cakes and then tucking in to large slabs of both. I was decked out in balloons and banners and even cycled to Charnon's bar with them over my raincoat. Once inside, they impeded my dancing somewhat.

At Charnon's bar, Eek made me a powerful and frankly lethal cocktail with different rums in it. God knows what else. It was green. We danced and sang and went to Beebop, where the band playing sang happy birthday to me. Everyone joined in.

The night was going well until a 'friend' of mine flirted heavily with Lek, the guy I had been pulling. He didn't seem to mind in the slightest so the night went downhill pretty quickly.

Shame as I was supposed to be travelling with her for next three weeks but not sure I want to now.

Anyway, now recovering from hangover. Just had lunch with Mio and all the volunteers and thought had better reply to all of you who have emailed and been checking out the blog.

Next stop is possible Sukhothai, though flooded, so may head to Bangkok and Ayuthya instead. WIll update again soon!