Chang Mai

So finishing off the trip blog now I can definitely say Chang Mai was the most enjoyable for me ( Maybe not for Sue ) We met a taxi driver getting off the plane who had a list of people that recommended him a mile long. Some “As Gaeilge” too! So we arranged with him to take us around the next day.

Turns out he was actually a former Buddhist monk so it was great getting to know their religion what they’re allowed do and what they think of Catholicism and all of that. He didn’t mind explaining the whole thing to us. ( Think I might convert myself one day ) He brought us to a few temples, we visited the Tiger Sanctuary and a few other places.

So the next couple of days were the trek days, I would recommend it to everyone. We did the northern trek and I know I’m not that fit but it was pretty tough. climbing some kind of mountain through a jungle. Really enjoyable though and I think everyone felt like Indiana Jones by the end of it. That night we stayed in a remote village and had a few drinks with our guides, James Bond and Pan. A few of the young lads from the village cam up and I managed to introduce them to blackjack (only playing for stones). They had no English at all but were very quick at picking up the rules of the game.

The next day we went for an elephant ride, visited a waterfall, went bamboo rafting and white water rafting. Class stuff, really enjoyed the white water rafting and will definitely be taking it up again here in Melbourne.

We also dug a tarantula out of a ditch (which scared the bejesus out of Sue) which was pretty class and had a very very very slow oxen ride down the road a bit.

So that was about it in Chang Mai, it’s a bit of a short description but I’ve forgotten most of it at this stage.

We got the overnight train to Bangkok the next day which was a new experience, beats iarnrod eireann but if you’re looking for a good nights sleep I wouldn’t recommend it too much.