Another really early start today took me on a tour of Chiang Rai and in to one of the neighbouring countries, Laos. In totally it was about 10hr bus ride there and back, if I had known this at the time I probably wouldn't have gone. The first stop was at the Hot Springs, where they were selling eggs that had been boiled in the water. Here I had a cheeky foot dip and it was hot!! Really hot!!

We moved on to a temple, known as the White Temple it was designed by an artist and he wanted to build a temple that was very different from all other temples. To me it was more like a horror story, it was really creepy when you looked at the detail up close, from a distance it was beautiful. After a quick look around here we moved on to the visit the 'Long Neck Tribe', this was very surreal, I felt like I was going in to someone's home and photographing them. It didn't sit comfortably, I brought some of their items they had for sale. The gold rings around their necks are very very heavy, it is only the females that have to wear them and once they are on they do not ever take the off. They start to be applied to female children from the age of 5 years old. They cannot take them off and would not take them off as they believe if they did someone in their tribe may become ill or die.

After stopping for lunch we went to the Thai/Burma border, this is the most northern part of Thailand, a quick photo and back in the bus and off to the 'Golden Triangle'. The golden triangle is where Thailand, Burma and Laos meet, it is a no mans land and is not policed/governed by any of the three countries. It has a long history of Opium production. We went in a boat down the Mekong River and went over in to Laos, after handing our passports to the most dodgy looking immigration/boarder crossing. I had visions of never getting my passport back and being left in Laos for ever. We were only here a short amount of time so only had chance to look around the highly tacky market before it was back on the boat and back to the bus. It took 5 hours to get back to Chiang Mai, we eventually arrived back about 10pm.

I quickly got changed and went for a walk as Chiang Mai was celebrating day 3 of the light festival. It was crazier then the previous night, there were fireworks being let off here, there and everywhere by people in the street, the sky was full of lanterns again and there was a real party atmosphere. After grabbing a bottle of Chang from the seven eleven I headed to one of the bridges (yes you read that right I have started drinking lager!!). I managed to find Andrew on the bridge, so we sat down by the river (safest place from fireworks) for a while just watching the craziness go on around us. Andrew managed to get a firework from one of the Thai lads and despite my sensible advice about not playing with fireworks and accidents can happen it was lit before I knew it. Well I've never seen anyone crap themselves so much once it was lit, thankfully he had not tried to hold the rocket in his hand as the Thai's were doing and had rested it for launch off in a bottle. We went looking for more Chang and found a firework seller, well if you can't beat them you might as well join them, so fireworks (sensible flare ones that you were meant to hold), sparklers and Chang in hand we headed back to the bridge so that we could at least hold them over the bridge were we wouldn't hopefully kill anyone. So we are standing on the bridge fireworks are being let off all around us and all a sudden there is a huge bang and guess who got part of a firework in the leg!! Yep me, thankfully it was only shrapnel and I now just have a small burn on my leg. Giving Andrew the I told you so face and him being completely worried my leg was going to fall off (it really is a small burn, tiny in fact) we set our fireworks off. Moving away from the crazy people who had let the previous one off. We then gave some sparklers to a little Thai girl and spent sometime playing with them with her, she was so excited, she was under the bridge with who I guess was her Mum (I wouldn't be surprised if they lived there). We headed back to the hostel about 4am, what a long day.

By the way my leg really is fine!!