VEE-TRAVEL: E-mail #3 from Chiang Mai

Isabel and I have been enjoying our time in Chiang Mai and although we've been here nearly a week, we've managed to avoid the city for the last four days! We went on a tour up north that we booked on the internet and we're so glad that we found it!
 
The hostel we were at was great, twin private room. It was a blessing not to share the same bed as Isabel! She moves around a lot and I'm pretty sure she snores (although I don't hear and that again, is a blessing!!)

We met Trichai, our tour guide, at 9am and he took us to an elephant camp, and the elephants were so nice! We fed them bananas and watched them bathe in the cool waters.
We also watched an elephant show where they played football and painted a picture! Before we left the camp, we took plenty of photos and the best one was of the baby elephant, just a little smaller than Isabel. He wrapped his trunk around us, which was so cute!

We went to a monkey farm too, but didn't like this one as much as monkeys can be a bit irrational and move around a lot so they have to have a lead on to stop them running astray.

It looked cruel, but we held a baby monkey (not for too long as they jump out of your arms!) and it hugged Isabel on her leg, with her hopping! It was funny! The baby monkey suddenly put out his little arm and scared Isabel by grabbing hold of her nose! He was the cutest thing and only eight months old!
 
We did our first walk in the mountains, it was three hours uphill and was a real challenge! The views were spectacular and we really enjoyed it! For the waterfalls, trees and animals it was worth the hard work getting there. We stayed in a lodge on the first night called Lahu outpost and it was near a tribe! They fed us well and we slept really well.

The views again, from the shower, were something that you don't see in Bradford! The children there were fascinated by the video camera and went crazy! They jumped all over me and wanted to carry on jumping!! They were great though, the atmosphere was really nice and relaxed. They sang to us and to the other group who were staying the night, and we sang ‘Old McDonald Had a Farm' and ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.' It put us to shame honestly because what they sang sounded a lot harder than ours!. We fell asleep at 10pm after a long hard day.

 
The next day, we woke up at 8, had a filling breakfast of toast, scrambled eggs, fruit and tea. We left Lahu at 9am and walked two hours downhill and that was the hardest thing! I was sure I would fall down and would carry on until I hit the bottom! I almost did at one point and slipped in the mud!

At the end of the mountain was this lovely waterfall and it was cooler there. We carried on walking and met the driver to drive us to the river and white water rafting! It was so much fun and Isabel and I slipped off our seats and were stuck on a rock at one point! Eek! Funny though, and we got SOAKING WET!

We got to the end of the ride, changed from our wet clothes to nice dry ones, ate lunch, then rode an elephant for an hour! The elephants sure love their bananas! It's not just a Dumbo thing eh?

After the ride, it was only 2.30pm and we were shattered! We sat in the back of the truck and felt every bump and groove on the road. We then went to the other lodge, Lisu lodge and it's beautiful there. Everything's wooden including the shower!! Wow! Makes a change from white tiles and mouldy curtains! We ate again in the evening and watched the Lisu people dance. Isabel and I joined in the fun too! We went to bed early – shattered!!
 
The following morning, we woke up early at 8 and ate breakfast – they sure do know how to feed you here! After two days of walking, our guide asked us if we wanted to walk again, Isabel and I said … 'not really!!!' Seriously, our legs had given up! So instead, we walked in a cave – it'd been there for 900 years – and then did some Thai cooking at Lanna farm! The lodge was beautiful and all wooden! It was luxury!

We then had a Thai massage for an hour and a half from head to toe and a hot ball of herbs pressed on our bodies to soothe the soreness from the walking! Bliss! Then we had our evening meal, just the two of us were staying at Lanna farm, out of eight double bedrooms! Bliss! We slept so early again and our bedroom was the best out of the lot!!!

 
28 November now, and we're feeling the effects of doing so much in so many days – feel ill! I went on a bike ride around the village we were at and it was brilliant! We met the locals, ate some of their food from bamboo (rice was stuffed inside it, with coconut milk and sugar and cooked in front of a fire for an hour). Went back to Lanna and had lunch – couldn't eat it for some reason! We saw an umbrella factory on the way back to the hotel and the worlds biggest jewelry store!

When we saw our room all we wanted to do was lie on our beds and it was then that I realized that I felt awful! I've recently come down with something and was all hot and cold with fever! Isabel was worried for a moment! Eventually, after some sleep, I felt a little better but strangely cold!
 
Today, we've chilled out and went back to the bar we went to yesterday called the Outback – we're getting warmed up for Australia!! Chiang Mai is completely different to Bangkok, quieter. Booked our flights to Laos. We, tourists, cant go to Laos ‘til December 2 due to a national Laos day! We are enjoying our time here, yet still want to spend some time in the south and get some sun! Got no tan yet as northern Thailand is cool and hot at the same time!

 
We've done so much in the last few days, and tomorrow we're going to see a Thai boxing match, then we're going on a river cruise and a theatre show like a cabaret thing, should be fun!!
 
Hope you are all well and enjoying yourselves, hope to hear some news soon as there's no English newspapers here!
 
Love to u all!
clare
xXx

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