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31 May

Today we started with our first class of Thai traditional massage, were up at 07h00 to finish up before heading out to Banana guest house for a disappointing omelet. (I think the owner was definitely still drunk from last night). Afterwards we head to the massage school where our class starts at 09h00.

At first everything is too much and it feels like an information overload. We are however a very small class, us and an Italian, who is sick and only stays for 3 hours. We receive absolute personal attention from Jane and Nid, who coach us, showing all the positions on one person while the other writes them down and then imitates them as practice and then the other person has a turn at the same process.

Its amazing how fast the day goes by, we had hardly started at 09h00 before it was time for our Padtai lunch at 13h00. We rested for 15 minutes and took a 25 minute stroll through the old town before returning to start again at 14h00 ending at 17h00.

We return after the class to our accommodation only 400m away to catch up on writing and other admin before departing for the Sunday evening market. This is the largest market of the week, many times larger than the Saturday one, truly colossal. We had hardly been walking through the market for 20 minutes when the rains came, like those days you think it will never stop, just pouring in sheets. Everywhere people were covering there goods with plastic sheets in an attempt to protect them. We made a run for the temple where we were told we could get something to eat. Finding a covering we bought some Som Tam, spicier than usual but divine.

The rain usually lasts for 20 minutes before subsiding but tonight it went on for longer than an hour. Soon the stall in front of us was underwater with people wading between ankle and knee deep in water. Afterwards we walked through the street with many stalls still covering their goods for the misty rain. Slowly the stalls began to uncover their goods as shoppers returned, we bought some small items before returning home just after 23h00.