This week I have chilled.... I have eaten lots of western food in readiness for my return on 12th April 2014! I have been to the local park, been to the hairdressers and beauty parlour (was starting to look a bit unkempt!) been to the Museum of Insects and Natural Wonders, been to the cinema, been to more wats (temples) and had loads of foot massages and Thai massages. Lots of walking too. I'm looking forward to coming back to the UK where the weather is a bit...

This week I did a trip to Chiang Rai which is to the North East of Chiang Mai. It was a very long day which started at 7.00am and I was dropped back off at 9.00pm. The first stop was at a hot spring. It wasn't really much to look at really (a geyser coming out of the ground surrounded by railings) but the streams coming down from the hills you could sit at and dip your feet in. Some people couldn't manage it as the water temperature was incredibly hot. The next...

This last week has been fairly relaxing. I have enjoyed a wonderful back massage in Kiyora Spa. I tell you, the woman had miracle hands and afterwards I felt as though I could do gymnastics!! Well, maybe not!! I went to Archers Pub and Restaurant (English owned) and wangled my way onto a team as it was a quiz night that evening. I really only went to order their famous bangers and mash not realising they had a pub quiz on. I met a lady called Louise and two gu...

I have now checked into my new apartment for a month, near Thapae Gate and have spent the last week exploring the city of Chiang Mai. I'm staying in the old city. The old city was built over 700 years ago and was once an entirely walled square surrounded by a moat. You can imagine what an exotic place it would have been centuries ago - a thriving centre for Buddhism, artisans and merchants thronging with monks swathed in orange, soldiers and elephants. It was a ...

I woke up about 8.30am and packed my case and checked out of the room and had breakfast. Claire and Archie came down about 10.00am and Archie said he had a cold but was feeling okay. Lorenzo and Patricia came back to Awana as the hated their new hotel so we sat with them and had drinks. I left at 11.00 to walk down the side streets to find a place to stay for a month. I found a place called Boonthavon which were charging 8,500 bhat per month and I was shown aro...