Thailand, 2nd-17th December 2006
Bangkok (1) - Chiang Mai (2) - Andaman Coast (3)
We hadn't pre-booked any accommodation in Chiang Mai, as we wanted something cheap but nice. The first place we tried was Gap's House, and we were lucky to get a room there.
It's a great place - a set of studios with air conditioned, fairly spacious rooms with showers and mosquito nets for the beds, and a garden that's pretty much a jungle. As a bonus, they also run a vegetarian cookery school and have a buffet each night with all you can eat of several dishes for 80 Baht (£1.15ish), and a fine if you don't finish what you've taken!
However, they have some policies which are stickly enforced
Inside our room
Breakfast. After that we headed out to see the Wat Phra Singh complex:
We took a boat trip up the river Mae Ping later on:
Urinals at a herb farm we stopped at
You're never far from home..!
View back down to Chiang Mai from the road up to Wat Doi Suthep. We took a taxi up to see this temple complex in the evening:
The night market back in Chiang Mai later that evening
We hired a car and driver for the next day, to visit some of the surrounding tourist sites. Our driver was called Nat, and chatting to him proved to be the real highlight of the day. He used to farm roses, but gave it up due to being poisoned by the chemicals. He wouldn't just employ someone else to do the spraying, as he felt that if he wasn't willing to do it himself he shouldn't inflict it on someone else
Nat at Maesa Elephant Camp
Feeding bananas and sugar cane to the elephants
Bath time!
A young one
This elephant's star trick was to place a hat on someone's head then tap it into place
Skoosh!
Elephant painting. They were helped by someone speaking in their ears and sometimes guiding their head
We went for a ride
A baby
A snake show.
There was a mini zoo there too:
Lunch at a Beatles-themed café.
We then headed on to Queen Sirikit Botanic Gardens:
Giant Bamboo
Hen and chicks
Cockerel
Dusk falling over the hills.
We decided on a bit of luxury for the next day - visiting a hot spring resort
Educational AIDS prevention sticker in our transport
Traffic.
We stopped off at a silk factory:
Young silkworms
Older
Coccooned
The coccoons are then boiled and the silk unraveled then spun
The view from beside Muang On cave, a holy site
Entering the cave - a bit tight!
Descending into the depths
The main chamber
The hot spring resort
We bought eggs in a wicker basket, and boiled them for lunch in this fountain
A wee dog back at Gap's House. It liked to sit in fromt of a fan to keep the mosquitoes away!
Wat Chedi Luang
Buddha
Important instructions.
The next morning we flew down to Krabi via Bangkok to see a little of the Andaman Coast
Bangkok (1) - Chiang Mai (2) - Andaman Coast (3)