Diary entry
Off to Chiang Mai
23rd April 2007 @ 07:53pm
Off to the railway station at 3, weaving our way through the back alleys to try and stay dry and clean and get to a location that our driver could actually reach. In the end the plastic bags over our packs weren't necessary as things were relatively quiet on the streets.
Got to the station in plenty of time, and kept getting told off by the security guards for sitting on the floor while we waited (not that there was really anywhere else for us to be, was okay to stand there, just not sit... weird...!!)
The train was very similar to that from Laos, although without the baggage racks, but with storage under the seats, which made storing bags much easier... food was just as good, and with more people, and a Uno deck time passed enjoyably. Was on the top bunk again, but stuffed my blanket bag into the air-con vent so not so cold this time... managed to sleep pretty well.
Not too late into Chiang Mai, and off to the hotel, quick breakfast, then out to find out more about the trek and for those that needed to to hire gear. From there an hour's drive saw us at the elephant park...
As Lisa put it, the was the 'pony ride of elephant treks', and as remarkable as it might sound the elephant trek that we did in Zimbabwe was by far the best that I've done as they are vastly more organised...! All the same, was fun to be stomping off round the scrub on an elephant again ;-)
A great lunch there for a whole 20 Baht (about NZD 75c), then we were going bamboo rafting... essentially 10 long sticks of bamboo laid flat, held together that three points which one sits on... if you're a 'rich' tourist like us, you also pay a local boy (and ours literally was, at 12 years old... and my he took his work very seriously...!!) to act as punt and get you down the river...
Thanks to the fact that it was still Songkran the river was full of locals all having a great time rafting, having bbqs along the banks, etc etc, and of course chucking water...!! it was an hour and a half long water fight, and for some reason the falang (westerners) seem to attract far more attention...!! Pui had decided to come with Khilna and I, and as she herself admitted had a great time 'I feel like a little girl'.
Back into the van and off into town, with lots of water being chucked at us along the way which as we were in a van shouldn't have been an issue, unfortunately Craig had the window open was engaged in showing Darren photos on his camera, and my not so explicit 'water, water, water' didn't draw his intention to this fact quite in time, so he wore a bucket full at full force, which also managed to get the inside of the van and most of the rest of us pretty wet as well...!!
A short stop at the Firestone shop while the van man got a tyre fixed, then on to the temple that over looks the city... very impressive...!!
Back into town, quick shower, then off to the night market for dinner and a wander round...