Diary entry
On to Chiang Rai
23rd April 2007 @ 07:59pm
Up and away by 8 to catch the local bus up to Chaing Rai, made good time, then out to PDA (can't remember what it's an acronym for, but local community development agency and trek operator) and lunch at Cabbages and Condoms, a strange sounding restaurant which is part of a PDA project from years back to try and reduce the birth and HIV infection rates in Thailand by making condoms as common as cabbages...
Trek briefing, video introduction to the various hill tribes, and a look round the museum before heading out to our homestay in a nearby village (from which we will begin our trek). Very flash home, and welcoming hosts...
Took a wander round the local village, accompanied by a flock of children who all came to practice their English on us...
Dinner, complete with live musical performance, turns out that our host, as well as being a primary school teacher is also the local music (and art!!) teacher, so a group of his students entertained us, before also practicing English with us... Craig taught a group of them to play Uno in about 3 min flat...!!
A good nights sleep, punctuated by listening to a thunderstorm pass over, and wondering why I'd not listened to my own advice and brought my raincoat...!!