Sawadecaaa!!

So finally, we make our way up to Northern Thailand, a destination we've not been to yet and have been itching to do so for a while now!!! First stop, Chang Mai....known as the capital of the north. I was recommended a place to stay called 'The little bird hostel', so we headed there and booked ourselves in. It was such a sweet little hostel!! Amazing staff, free internet, really cute little dorms, hammocks galore, nice communal area. We loved it! And it was so nice to be back in a hostel again, its just so great for meeting people. Which is exactly what we did right away, meet people!! Simon, Kate, Jess - and some Swedish girls who i don't think i ever learnt there names, just 'the Swedish girls!!'. There is soo much to do in Chang Mai so we ha to limit ourselves, so we decided to do the Tiger temple, and a cooking course!! Very happy with our choices!! So me Simon and sian all went along to the tiger temple...it was so cute!! We all went in and played with baby tigers..it was literally amazing. they are like big tigers!! with there little growls, and they jump all over you its adorable!! You only get 15 mins though, so they practically had to drag us out the place!!! Was a really lovely day!! The following day we did our cooking course!! which i LOVED!!

It was so much fun, and we had an awesome group, it was me and sian, and then 3 ozzy guys, girls vs boys - we won!! We got to learn four dishes...first was a soup (my fav!!! its what i live on in Thailand!!), it was a shrimp coconut soup!! Which we then got to eat for breakfast, it was divine!! Then we got to do an appetizer which i chose spring rolls...which was also amazing!! Little tricky to roll but we all did well, and then ate them, so yummy!! We then all hopped into a van and they took us to the local market, where they explained all ingredients they buy for traditional Thai food, and what we could get to substitute it in our home countries - it was really interesting! Then hopped back to the cooking school and got onto our next dish - CURRIES!! woooooo! I chose yellow curry, and got to cook it i the demonstration, and then again myself. I have developed a good taste for spicy food now, Ive really built it up, so i put 4 chillies in mine!! yum!! So we made them, then also made a cashew nut and tofu dish! which was a little more tricky, but i got to make it one on one as all the others chose pad thai!! After wacking those 2 delightful dishes out we then got to eat them...SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD! i swear i should become a professional chef! ha! After that we were suitably stuffed....but then the nice lady bought us out banana fritter things with condensed milk ad honey, and ice cream!! sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good!!! i had the best day, and they've given us cook books too so i can recreate the love at home!!

Our third big activity in Chang Mai was...the chang mai smile festival! which Just so happened to be on while we were there! It was so fun, we got the whole hostel together pre drinking...lost of samsung consumed!! all jumped into a tuk tuk and off we went!! (this was also the night before the end of lent, so i was counting down the hours until 12 hit for meat!!!!!). WE got there, did shots through an ice sculpture shoot!! hen partied on!! I gatecrashed the stage and got told to get down immediately hehe, then i won a beer downing competition and got a free t-shirt!! then it was 12!! and i ate chicken!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 GOOD NIGHT!!

The next day i was horribly hungover, and we had to egt a bus to Pai, which was NOT fun!!!

But....when we got to Pai it was worth the horrible journey!! Its the sweetest little stuck in the 70's town, very mellowed out, mirrors everywhere saying are you ting tong? hehe, its so funny. WE stayed in an adorable hut village on the river for 1.50 a night!! so cheap!! and it had lovely little kittens everywhere, and all things lovely!! WE did plan to do an elephant trek here, but decided against it, so just sorted chilled otu big time!! I consumed my first real steak in a while on Easter Sunday which was delish!!!! We read books, chilled out, read some rmoe books, had cocktails, did more chilling out, had massages!!! It was very cool, and we tried to go to meditation with the monks one day , and be taught -but for some reason it wasn't on so we couldn't!!! So that was Pai!!

Then back to Chang Mai for efalumps!! wooooooooooooo1

So back to Chang Mai we went...spent the night in a crazy hot room where we actually didnt sleep a wink becaue it ws just to hot, everyone got up for showers, paced around. it was horrible!! and then we went to the elephants at 7am, VERY TIRED!! slept for about 50 mins on the bus and we were ready to go!!! WE decided to go to an elephant rescue center....and learn how to do all the commands, bathe them, feed them etc....and it was really good. They had 13 elephants I think it was, 2 babies, and a pregnant mummy!!! We all got to feed them bananas that we had got from the local market, you can give it to them on there trunks or put it rigt into there mouth!!! Then we got to learn the commands, and actually get up on them!! I was sooooooooo scared but then some kids did it so i was like, ok - get over it!!! So yuo call the command for them to sit down, and climb up on them bare back ad sit on there necks which is apparently the most comfortable way for them to be ridden. I was so high!! We learnt how to direct them left and right, stop, go and then to sit so you can get back down!! It was scary but fun!! Next we had a yummy lunch cooked for us - and then it was time to ride them trough the jungle!!! Me and Sian were put together, on a 14 year old, pretty naughty efalump!! I decided I wanted to be the leader first, so i sat on its neck, and sian on its back as we trecked up hill into the jungle, pretty pain free, we didn't fall off, and it was all good!! then half way the man says.....ok swap over!! Which I was fine with - I thought going down hill on the back was easier as yuo had a rope to hold onto on there backs - and he announces 'its very steep on the way down so whoever is on the back is going to have a hard time!!' oh wait....THATS ME! So off we go, and yes it hurts, and yes its hard, and yes i did nearly hurl myself over sian and off in front of the elephant!! Thankfully i was clinging on for dear life on the rope, and clenched my legs either side of the elephant so hard I just about held on!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Was really funny though, and all the trainers were historically laughing at me!! Then...so you think its over, then we got o bathe them. More fun!!! To get into the mud pool, they have to go down some really steep steps, at this point i am face down sprawled on the elephants back riding it like a bloody horse, everyone is laughing at me and into the pool we go!! Everyone elses elephants pretty much stand, or knee - so everyone is above water scrubbing there elephant, ours?? no no no! like to sit bottom in, head up, so sian? nice and dry....kate?!!?!? neck high in muddy water!!!! but of course!!! hahaha, it was hilarious, i tried to scrub him, but i was to busy holding on and nearly being sat on!!! I scrubbed sian a little too...hehe! After we were done, I cold barely walk, which is always fun!! NO time to shower, right off to Laos it was for us, on a 18 hour bus journey!! Stinking like elephant poo......yay!!!!!!!!!!!11 It was such an amazing day. One of my best so far!!


And so..............TO LAOS!!! WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

So we get on our bus yummy and mucky..with the 4 most annoying stuck up English girls known to man who i wanted to punch!! an Irish guy who was force feeding me peanuts....2 lovely 18 year old English girls and an old German man!! Good times!! t was an 18 hour journey, LONG journey over night of which i couldn't sleep at all!! FUN!!! We finally got the boarder, got our free breakfast - crossed it, got our visas!! And then were in Vientiane - jumped on another bus to get to Vang Vieng!