Hello!

It's 10:14am and we're on our way to Laos! The mini bus is full, it's a cloudy day and I thought I'd better write some of my blog for the previous few days.

Since I met Martin I don't seem to have had any spare time to write my blog and I guess that's because it is no longer my only friend. It's good to have someone to travel with and chat to that I know and is different to talking to strangers that you meet along the way. Things are good!

When I arrived in Chiang Mai I made my way to the 99 Gallery Hotel in a 'Red Truck' from the airport. It wasn't far and the hotel was great, smack bang in the middle of the old town! I'd snapped it up on booking.com for £15 a night each a few months ago, including the fantastic breakfast! We had a lovely twin room with ensuite, there was a little salt water plunge pool we could go in and it generally was a lovely hotel! It felt even more of a bargain when we found out it was £106 a night to book the day we arrived!!

After a beer by the pool we got changed and went out to a local recommended restaurant. It was a fantastic little place called Huen Phen and we had a small table on the side with no chairs and lots of cushions. It was very authentic and fantastic food! After dinner we went back to the hotel as we were shattered from all our travelling.

Yesterday, Thursday, was our day to explore Chiang Mai. In the morning we walked around the old town and visited a number of temples. We also stumbled across a Primary School and as we're both teachers this was of interest to us. I walked right in and had a good look around, no one bat an eye lid!

In the afternoon we had booked the first of many adrenaline activities to come. We were driven about 30 mins out of Chiang Mai and into the countryside. Here we had a lesson in how to drive a manual quad bike before heading off into the jungle and around the rice fields. It was great fun riding the bikes and also really good to see real rural Thailand. We visited a few more temples before heading back to the base via a little restaurant for a drink and ice cream. It was here that Martin decided to have a go on the lucky pick a number tombola type game. He paid his 5bht and picked 3 tickets. Below the board were around 10 bottles of whiskey all with a number on them. The bottle of Red Label had 1376 on it and when Martin open his first ticket, from a board of 3,200 tickets, he picked out 1376!! The owner, guide and both of us couldn't believe it!

We did a formal presentation for Snapchat before heading back to the base. We gave the whiskey to the guide to say thanks and they then took us back to the hotel. We enjoyed another beer by the pool before chilling in our room for a bit.

Last night we wanted to head out to a more populated area and have a few drinks. We got a tuc tuc to the Night Bazaar, had tea in an Irish Pub and then had a look around the night market. Same usual crap, different place, difference price!

From here we moved on to Zoe's Bar. I wasn't expecting it at all but this was like being back in Malia, age 18! It was bouncing and there were alcohol induced kids everywhere! I felt pretty old but still had a great time! We spent the night with two girls that Martin had been travelling with in southern Thailand, they were from Kendal in The Lakes. Martin couldn't believe it when one of them said I looked like Olly Murs and Nial from One Direction!! Haha!! I get this a lot but don't see it myself!! When Zoe's Bar and the surrounding areas shut at midnight we followed the crowd to a place called Spicy. This was a dump! It was a big club in the back of a restaurant and reminded me of a place in York called Willow! I only graced that dive with my presence once too!

We had another beer before calling it a night and heading back to our hotel in a tuc tuc!

This morning we woke up to more awful news from France. Another terrorist attack and more innocent people killed. The world we live in at the moment is not a place of peace and in years to come when I read this I wonder how the world will be then. It seams there is something happening every other week at the moment and it certainly makes me appreciate my traveling experiences and life more!

This morning I also woke up to messages from Tara. She's in Marbella on her best friends Hen Party and having a great time! It's really good to know we are both enjoying ourselves again after a difficult few days, even if when we're out we feel old in a bar! I'm only 26 so she must feel really old!!! ;) haha!! #smiles!

Anyway, as we drive north to the Thailand/Laos border I'm going to enjoy the views. At the moment it looks like we're driving through jungle, fruit stalls line the road and occasionally I spot a Buddah peeping through the bush!

Bye for now X