A long, long day!

We got up early as Parn and Ken were coming to pick us up at 8am, and dropped our laundry off at reception, specifying that it must not be shrunk! We tried to find somewhere close by for some breakfast but failed so just waited to be picked up.

The first place we went to was an elephant show about one hour from
Chiang Mai. Before the show we fed the elephants with bananas and sugarcane, and had our picture with them - they had been trained to wrap their trunks around us like a hug which felt really weird. They had also been taught to take the hat from their Mahout (personal trainer who sits on their head) and put it on our head, and then take it back again. Afterwards they all went into the river for a bath, and had been trained to lower themselves into the water so that their Mahout can climb off and wash them. The smallest one was rolling around and squirting water, he was so cute!

The show was next, I won't bore you with all the details, but some of the stuff they had been trained to do was amazing, like kicking a football into a net and the elephant in goal trying to
save it, and twirling hula hoops (the plastic kind not the snacky kind) on their trunks. The most incredible thing though was the painting - they were given paintbrushes of different colours and an easel, and they all painted pictures of things like vases of flowers and the landscape. It doesn't sound like much but the level was of at least a 6 year old child and the landscape picture was better than most adults could do! Afterwards we saw some of the other paintings they had done - they're so good! I think it is because elephants have got really good memories, but I'm not sure how they teach them in the first place or if they know what they are painting.

We then headed to the nursery and saw a couple of baby elephants; elsewhere in the park there were elephants just roaming around - no enclosures - but the babies and their mothers were in a pen because the mothers can get really protective if you go too close to their babies.

After the elephant place we had some lunch and headed to an orchid farm. They are abundant here and are the national flower of Thailand. Not like at home where they are really expensive! There were so many colours and types of flower, they were so beautiful. If I could I would have bought some and sent them home, but I doubt they would survive! There were also lots of butterflies in a little butterfly room so I tried to get some pictures but they don't sit still for long. For some reason there were also some cats and mangy dogs in cages who kept growling, they didn't seem very happy and they all had no teeth or big growths. Outside there were some really old cars so I took some pictures of the Jaguars for dad!

After the orchid farm Parn and Ken drove us to an umbrella factory, where they make traditional umbrellas and fans. We could just wander around and watch the workers, and even have a go at some parts. The umbrella frames are made from bamboo and the covers are made from a paper which they make with the bark of mulberry trees. The designs they painted on them were so intricate. At the end there was a shop and there were so many gifts I could have bought for people at home, like fairy lights which were tiny lanterns and fans and things, but there is no way that they would survive in my backpack for another 22 weeks (or fit in my backpack at all for that matter), so unfortunately I couldn't buy anything.

It was about 4pm after the umbrella factory, so we headed to Parn and Ken's coffee shop, the House of Love (www.baanraks.com). It was the first time I've seen inside, and it is so nice! Parn bakes all of the cakes and pies they sell, and there are loads of different flavoured iced teas and coffees as well as ice cream and hot drinks. We sat in the garden and I had a wild raspberry iced tea and a slice of banana chocolate cake which was so nice! Parn found all of the old letters which Vicky and her sisters has sent Parn, we read one which Vicky wrote when she was 13 which was quite funny. Before we left we had some pictures taken in the coffee shop with Parn and Ken, and then Parn took us to see Chiang Mai university. Vicky's grandpa used to lecture at Leeds university, which had links with Chiang Mai university, so he sometimes did research and lectures over there. That's where he met Tawee (Parn's dad), as Tawee worked in the same department - physics. That is how Vicky's family know Parn's family and is why we have spent so much time with them. Parn showed us the Physics department and showed Vicky where her grandpa used to stay when he was in Chiang Mai. The students at the university have separate male and female halls and a curfew of 10pm, they also have to wear uniform, so it is very different to university in England!

After the university Parn took us to a night market, which is where she does most of her clothes shopping. I really wanted to get some more denim shorts as I only bought one pair of blue ones with me and I wear them a lot. I saw loads, but they were always too small! In fact, in one of the shopkeepers told me I was 'large in Thailand' and another said to Parn in Thai when I started looking at the shorts 'the biggest size will be too small for her'. I eventually found some shorts in a size XL. My self esteem took quite a blow having to purchase an extra large item so I am now on mission skinny. I also bought some other things, so two dresses (elasticated of course), denim shorts, two hair clips and some earrings came to the equivalent of £12.50, which would probably not even be possible in Primark at home.

After the self esteem knock, we went for dinner, where I had a big bowl of noodles and deep fried chicken (the chicken had lumpy bits in, I think I'm going to revert to vegetarian), and then a chocolate and banana roti (like a crepe). After that I resolved to lose weight, I just really wanted to try roti!

We didn't get back to our hotel until about 11pm, and I was absolutely shattered. We picked up our laundry, thinking it would be about 50 baht (1kg), but apparently it was 7kg and cost us 350 baht! It was all ironed and clean though and that had got the curry stain out of my elephant trousers which was good.

We would never have done all of the stuff we did in Chiang Mai without Parn so it was really, really nice of her and Ken (on his 30th birthday!) to give up their whole day to show us around!

xxx