Our trip to Uttaradit by bus nearly went without a hitch. We arrived at the bus station in time, but our bus was cancelled so we had a 2 hour wait for the next one which set off at 11.15 and arrived just after 3 pm. It was one of the oldest buses we have been on and one window had been replaced by a board but at least it reached its destination!

Sira was there to meet us and take us to her school to meet the other workawayers and the children.

Our classes are in the morning and we have the afternoon/evening free to sightsee etc. On Tuesday Peter took us all to a waterfall with pools to swim. Afterwards we called into a cafe that has tables and chairs in the river so we could sit with our feet in the water and keep cool while the fishes nibbled our feet. I asked for hot tea which was a mistake as it was Thai tea (bright orange) that had been heated up and tasted like warm medicine. Not something I will repeat, however sitting in the river was lovely.

Last night we went to "an all you can eat" Japanese sushi and barbecue restaurant. The tables had a large hole that they placed hot charcoal burners in to grill the meat. You are allowed 2 hours to cook the meat and then they charge you extra for the time. We had meat overload by the time we were finished or at least the men did.

The past week has been very relaxing, with mornings playing with the children, and afternoons spent out of the heat (39°) sitting reading and planning our future destinations. Chris has been tasked with completing a mural at the school and has been sketching whilst wandering through the abandoned carriages of the old railway yard located in front of the school. At the weekend we were given a scooter to use around the town, which is a lot cooler than walking, so off we went to the local Tesco lotus on the edge of town to get some essentials (cheese and bread). Right now I would kill for a roast potato or roast anything for that matter. I am just hoping that New Zealand, our next destination, has roasts of some sort - mmmm I can almost taste the Roast Lamb, mint sauce, roast potatoes, peas... (big sigh) I miss my Sunday Roast.

However Thai food is verytasty and VERY SPICEY, but it is sometimes difficult to work out what we are eating as Thai's use every part of the animal in their cooking. When we ask "what is it" they often pat their stomachs and say "insides of animal" which is interesting. We usually ask for "cow pat guy" which is fried rice with chicken as it is really tasty and doesn't blow your head off!

Today is our last day and we went to the local university as they had an open day featuring the fire-brigade as well as lots of stalls with Thai products. We had a look around and visited some of the stalls then went to watch a Thai show. Whilst we were waiting for it to start, we were invited to sit in the VIP seats at the front and had to walk past everyone, so embarassing.

The first act was a puppet dance which was very funny, then when it finished, just like at home at the pantomime, they grabbed Chris and he had to go up on stage and work one of the puppets arms. Oh if only you could have seen it, I laughed until I cried, the audience thought it hilarious, especially when the puppet sent him off the stage for not doing it properly.

The photos don't do it justice, but you can get the idea. It was a nice end to the week. Tomorrow we are off to Nakhon si Thammarat in South Thailand to another school, but in the countryside this time.