Day 214- Finally back into Yangon and our journey was still just beginning. The bus arrived into the station at around 5am and we then had to jump off and negotiate prices with the hoards of taxi drivers, after finally managing to get a half-decent price from one of them we were on our way to the airport. It was only 6am by this point and we still had 3 hours until check in, we were feeling pretty hungry so we dashed across the road and found a cheap restaurant. We had some spring rolls and samosas with an omelette then headed back into the airport where we waited a while longer before we could check in. Through customs we looked at some of the souvenirs and then decided to get some food, it was nearly dinnertime and may have been a while before we could eat after the flight so we pulled up at the only cafe and bought some fried noodles for about 5 times the price we would have on the streets. On the flight we spotted Charlie, we knew he was on our flight but took until the end of it to find him. We were now back in Bangkok but we didn't particularly want to stay the night but with the Thai New Year- Songkran, coming up in a few days we were not sure how easy it would be to get out. Not really wanting another night train or bus we thought we would try our luck with flights to Chiang Mai. Although they were fairly cheap it was still more than we wanted to pay. So instead along with Charlie we went across to the train station which was within the airport itself. We managed to get sleeper births on the next train at 7pm, it was now only 3pm so we had yet more hours to kill. We went back into the airport and bought a coffee as we cracked on with the blog. The train was 30 minutes late and we bought some pork and rice as we waited. The train was quite different to the Chinese ones, there was only two levels and they were a lot more spacious. After settling in we headed to the food carriage as our pork didn't seem cooked so we left it. The carriage was quite bizarre with 60s music blaring and coloured lights. In the corner a middle-aged American guy was slumped under the table mortal. He couldn't even speak, he was asked to leave and go to bed but he couldn't stand up. All a while we were trying to enjoy our meal, it escalated and a police officer got involved and then a local asked him to quiet down then another local threatened him. Nothing serious happened and after we finished our food we left and pretty sure he was taken off the train as the next stop was a long one. We watched a film on the laptop back at our beds and then nodded off.

Day 215- We arrived into Chiang Mai an hour late and once out of the station we were hounded by a gang of touts, we recognised one hotel so he agreed to take us there for a good price. He ended up taking us to a different hotel but the price was too good to let down so we agreed to stay. Here we found the catch a very pushy sales man pushing his trekking tours on to us, we found it weird that the hotel wouldn't let us check in longer than one night and kept saying they didn't know if they were full or not, we soon realised if you booked a tour you could stay if not they would kick you out. We didn't want a trekking tour so quickly left telling him we would let him know in the morning. Charlie was still with us so the 3 of us set out in search for food. The hotel was pretty well located and was only a 5 minute walk to the city walls and inside we found a small cafe that sold thai food which was cheap and tasty. The next mission was to find accommodation over Songkran which we didn't think would be easy. As it was a few days until the main festival started we decided to spend two nights in a small town called Pai and then make it back to Chiang Mai for the 13-16th. After checking numerous guesthouses we came across a lovely little one inside the walls for a good price. After getting that sorted Eve and I also booked our bus to Pai and slow boat to Luang Prabang in Laos. Now feeling happy that everything was sorted we could go out and explore. We walked along the North moat and at the North West corner there was a big shopping centre which we popped into to buy a dry bag, this would come in very useful over Songkran. Back at the hotel we Skyped Eve's family and then took a walk down to the Night Market. It was extremely touristy and full of knock off clothing and cheap souvenirs. We were hoping for some street food but in the end had to settle for some Chinese noodle soup at a cafe. They were only small bowls so on the way back we picked up an Indian savoury roti.

Day 216- The three of us walked to the hostel we booked the other day (Jonadda) and dropped off our big bags, we only took small ones to Pai so when we got back into Chiang Mai they wouldn't get soaked. The bus picked us up from outside and 3 hours of white knuckle riding later we found ourselves in the peaceful town of Pai. We found some little bungalows that were recommended and then headed back out again for lunch and a slow stroll around the town and we discovered that in Pai people start Songkran two days early, so we got pretty wet. Charlie wasn't feeling great so stayed in his bungalow while me and Eve went to a quirky tea shop just opposite. The menu was so extensive it took us 10 minutes to pick a cup of tea. In the end I went for a ginger tea and Eve an Osmanthus oolong tea. The oolong tea was brought out in this cup/filter device and was delicious. After 10 minutes I was still waiting so went to see what was going on, as I asked I witnessed my tea being poured. It took longer as they cut up the ginger roots and boiled them in a pan of water then poured the liquid into my cup. Amazing, you can not get it any fresher. We both really enjoyed them along with a coconut and a peanut cookie. For tea we picked up some gorgeous pad thai which we ate on our balcony with a beer and a shake.

Day 217- After yet another breakfast of eggs and toast, along with Charlie we went to rent some motorbikes. From Pai we went up towards the mountains in search of a waterfall. Before we even jumped on the bikes we were soaked and by the time we reached the waterfall we were not only drenched but also covered in red and yellow paint and some sort of prickly heat powder. At the waterfall we sat around and Charlie jumped in followed by me, we swam to the waterfall and watched the locals slide down the rocks and jump in. After bathing in the sun we started to get hungry so rode back down and stopped at a roadside cafe where we ordered some tasty but very spicy soups. Next we drove towards a strawberry farm where suddenly and in the middle of nowhere our bike just stopped working. We pulled over and discovered we were out of petrol. It was really annoying because the companies break the dials so you have no idea how much petrol is left so you fill it the top every time meaning when we you hand it back they get a full tank. We thought we filled it enough for the day judging by past experiences but obviously not. I waited with the bike as Eve and Charlie went in search of some petrol, they came back empty handed as the petrol stations would not fill a bottle. There was a shop across the road and we asked if they had a pipe to syphon some from Charlie's just to get us back. I gave it a go and disaster! I sucked once and nothing but fumes- disgusting. I tried a second time and even worse- a mouthful of petrol! It spurted everywhere and I swallowed some. Immediately my body just stopped, I couldn't breathe and then I wanted to be sick. After getting as much as possible back up I drank loads of water but kept burping continuously. The taste of petrol was coming up all the time. It made me feel so sick. As I was recovering a local came out and did the job properly, managing to spit out the petrol instead of swallowing it. We jumped back on and drove back to the bungalow and me and Eve went to the tea shop where I got some yoghurt to settle my stomach and garlic bread to hide the taste and Eve bought a herbal tea. That night to avoid getting soaked we went to the closest place to eat- a burger bar. Some local set up a small shop selling burgers and they were actually pretty good! That night the room stank of petrol!