diary29

12th April 2006
Had to go to the Burmese border to get our passports restamped, so we can stay in Thailand for longer than our original 30 day visa, and the cost of a tour including the border and lunch wasn't much more than just the bus to the border so we opted for that. Got picked up at 7.30am and drove for 4 hours, squashed in the back of a minibus. Stopped at a hill tribe village, but it was just a tourist attraction really with women dressed up at their stalls of tacky gifts. Those that had paid extra went round the back to see Long Neck Women - they put rings around their necks from a very early age to stretch them - I didn't want to see it because apparently the custom has died out and they only do it now to make money from the tourists, basically it's a human zoo and I feel sorry for the children that are now forced to do it. Next stop were hot springs - so hot you can boil an egg, but again not very impressive as the water was spurting from a pipe so it looked rather fake - the sulphur smell was all that convinces you it's real. After a nice buffet lunch we drove to Mae Sai, where we crossed into Myanmar (Burma) and straight back into Thailand for a new 30 day visa! Next stop was Chiang Saen and the Golden Triangle on the banks of the mighty Mekong river, across which is Burma to the left and Laos to the right (China isn't far away either). Two out of our group went on a boat ride so we had to wait for an hour with not much to do, so I managed to find some locals with water pistols and walk past enough to get shot and cooled down!! The last stop of the day was the ruins of Wat Phra That Chedi Luang, one of the oldest temples in Thailand - there were two young monks in there and one had an Ipod - that's modernisation!! From here it took another 5 hours to get back to Chiang Mai, arriving at 9.30pm - shattered, long day, straight to bed!!

13th April 2006
Happy New Year!!! Songkhran!!! After a lie in and breakfast we got drenched not even a minute after leaving the guesthouse! Our waterguns broke after 5 minutes of intense fighting, so Terry bought a bucket which had more effect!! We headed for the moat and were amazed by the numbers of people lining both sides of it - the biggest water fight ever! The traffic was at a stand still and so sitting targets - pick up trucks had scores of people on the back with barrels of water ready to fire back. Was impossible to walk round the moat without having at least one bucket of water thrown at you or tipped over you every couple of seconds! Great fun! Stayed there for a couple of hours and then headed back to our guesthouse to join in the party there. All the family and friends had turned up and welcomed us to join in splashing anyone and everyone that walked or drove past. Bikes were stopped so that they could be soaked!! Most of the crowd were the grandsons and their friends, all in their 20s with a love of heavy metal - blaring from the speakers! Had a few too many beers throughout the afternoon with them (Chang beer is dangerous stuff) and when the water fights ended at 8pm we staggered across the road to our stall for food and chess - needless to say that I won again, but Terry blamed the alcohol this time!!

14th April 2006
Sore heads this morning!!! Didn't want to get up, but had to get to The Wok (Sompon's restaurant) for our second cooking lessons! Managed to stay dry on the way there. Excelled ourselves once again, even in our hungover states! Got absolutely drenched walking back to the guesthouse, but was so nice as it was incredibly hot and made worse by the stoves! Our family was out the front celebrating again so Terry joined in after a power nap, but I stayed under the fan in the room with a good book! When the water had finished and the coast was clear, we went out for some dinner and inevitably ended up at the chess place - it's close, nice and cheap!!

15th April 2006
The last day of water fights! Had planned to go back to the moat and do a circuit, but ended up stayng with the family. The old man is so funny - he starts drinking at 10am and then sleeps all afternoon. He made us drink his whisky (yuk!) so we bought him another bottle and Terry carried on all day. I didn't want another hangover so stuck to water after the first whisky - light weight I know and I don't care!!! After a couple of hours of being soaked I went to dry off in the garden and read - slightly cooler today so was cold being wet!! By the time I went back out to get Terry for dinner he was very merry and chatting with the heavy metal fans! They're all so friendly, it's a shame we can't talk with them so well because of the language barrier - they speak some English, but not easy to have a conversation. After dinner Terry went out with them to a hip hop club and then a snooker hall - I declined as usual - can't hack the pace, will have to get the thyroid sorted when we get home!! So I stayed and watched a great thunderstorm - the sweet smell of the rain was the perfect ending to the three/four days of water fights, but then there was a power cut from 10pm - 1.30am, so the fan didn't work and our room got baking hot - had to keep going outside where it was much cooler because of the rain and ended up with mosquito bites!!

16th April 2006
Lazy morning and then caught a songthaew to Doi Suthep - the mountain which rises steeply at Chiang Mai's western edge, on which is Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, the north's holiest shrine. The view from the top over the city was good and the temple was very crowded - Terry went in but I couldn't because I was wearing a skirt.

17th April 2006
Sad to leave Chiang Mai - has been a bit like Cusco in Peru, a nice base for a while. Said our goodbyes to Mama and everyone and spent the morning twisting through lovely countryside on the way to Pai, whilst scratching at bed bug bites - got me too on the last night, despite 3 cans of bug killer.... persistant little things!! Arrived in Pai, a tiny village dotted with a handful of guesthouses, restaurants and shops and surrounded by green hills. Had a quick look around and then slept most of the afternoon!! Found out we couldn't do the 5 day trek to Mai Hong Son which is in our guide book, so a little disapointed.