Still in Chiang Mai and still having a great time here. We spent yesterday visiting another temple at the top of a mountain just outisde the city - amazing views from the top even if you did have to climb hundreds of steps to get there! Then we went to Chiang Mai Zoo and Aquarium which we were pleasantly surprised with. Highlight was definitely the pandas - very cute. We saw Chuang Chuang (the male) and Li Hin (the female) but the baby, who's less than 2 months old, didn't put in an appearance which was a shame. We could see him sleeping on a TV screen though. (Not actually sleeping on a TV screen obviously - that would be uncomfortable). Today we've done our cookery course which was great fun! We've learned 6 different dishes each so we can treat you to a Thai feast when we get back. The day was really interesting - we were taken around the local market first to get all the ingredients and they were explaning what all the different fruits, vegetables, rices, and spices were. Then we spent the rest of the day slaving over hot woks - and my god were they hot!

Tomorrow we're heading off to Chiang Rai in the north before making our way into Laos on Saturday - which apparently is even more basic than Thailand. They turn the electricity off at 10pm in some places so this is going to be interesting...

P.S. Robin's beard growing is going well (which I'm thrilled about!) So Dad - I hope you're keeping up your end of the bargain!