Got another overnight train to Chang Mai. Piece of cake, it was only 12hrs! I didnt have anywhere booked so just got a tuk-tuk driver to take me to a Guesthouse and luckily he chose a really nice one. That morning coming off the train was the coldest i had been since New Zealand on the glacier. It must have been as cold as 5C, freezing!

Chang Mai is a cool wee town. It has the remains of the old city walls and lots of temples (everywhere in Thailand seems to have temples but these were particularly nice). I spent my first day there just walking around the city, seeing the sights and soaking up the atmosphere. Even though it had been cold in the morning it got hot again soon enough so i packed it in and went to sleep in the GH.

That evening i went for a wander around the famous Chang Mai night bazaar. It was really cool and i was tempted to buy lots but then i remembered that i had resloved not to buy presents for anyone so i didnt!!! I went to the Raggae bar next as it had been recommended to me by a mate in Bangkok. He had told me it went mantal at the weekends with people dancing on tables and had a lively band playing. When i got there (at9pm) i was the only customer and there was only a guy playing an acoustic guitar. It was really good though cos i got talking to the staff and the guy was playing all my song requests (James Taylor, Simon and Garfunkel, Cat Stevens etc) It got a wee bit busier later but i left, slightly drunk and went back to the night market to buy 5 tshirts. Haggling when half-cut is not a great idea but i think i got a good deal in the end. 5 tshirts for 17quid.

The following day i was meant to go on a days trek-white water rafting, elephant trekking and bamboo rafting but......i was ill. And no, it wasnt a hangover it was proper Thai belly. Didnt leave the GH for most of the day but for a brief trip to the sunday market.

The next day i got the bus (i say a bus but at various points i was also on the back of a pickup truck and a moped too) to Chang Khong on the Laos border. I stayed in a GH on the Mekong river and had dinner and a few beers with the people on my tour package.