And so to Chiang Rai.....

Our journey began with our first encounter with the Thai buses. After establishing which queue to join we inched our way forward over the next 30mins! As we took our seats on our VIP bus we were gifted with a strawberry swiss roll and a glass of rola cola (one for all you Peter Kay fans!). And on arrival in Chiang Rai we were also provided with wet wipes! Slightly different to National Express. We headed to the bakery opposite to work out where to stay. A guesthouse in mind and off we went. Our destination was the Baan Ban Guesthouse, in what looked very similar to a row of holiday camp chalets. Still, they were set in a very peaceful garden and the owner spoke good English, which pretty much sealed the deal! Our first day was spent exploring the town. Which certainly didn't take long! Our main excitement came in the form of a snake happily wriggling down the pavement in front of us - after the initial shock a kind shop owner proceeded to batter it to death with a stick - much to Rich's delight! No flip flops for the rest of the duration!!! We headed to a highly recommended restaurant from the trusty lonely planet, only to be greeted by a completely Thai menu and no spoken English - oh dear! A statutory exploration of the local market and it's entertainment kept us amused for the rest of the night.

Day 2 we decided to go it alone and head up to the Burma border. We found the correct bus, transferred to a taxi and arrived triumphant at the gates in Mae Sai. And that's where it all went down hill. The tourist information once again spoke almost no English which was very confusing to begin with. After changing our baht to dollars (10$ per person for crossing) we headed to immigration. We were ushered to a separate desk where our photos were taken, along with our passports - not a great feeling I can tell you. Still, we were here now, so on we went. What greeted us on the Burma/Myanmar side was far from pretty. The poverty was everywhere and we generally felt quite uncomfortable. Seeing as though all that was there was yet another market we headed back to the safety of Thailand. Another long queue with the addition of worrying about losing our visa and being allowed back in (due to the new immigration rules). Once through we calmed our nerves with a stiff drink and headed back to Chiang Rai. Our afternoon was spent at the Hilltribe museum. This explains each of the tribes, how they live and their origins - definitely recommend that you visit this BEFORE booking any trips/tours! We headed down to the Cabbages and Condoms restaurant. For anyone giggling at the name, it's a charity organisation promoting family planning in Thailand - basically their aim is that one day condoms will be as easily available as cabbages! A very nice meal finished off a stressful day.

And so on to Phitsanoluk.....