Few days since my last entry and much to tell but I don't have time so I'll keep it short.

Road trip with three Thai girls to Kho Ka which has an amazing temple and is near Lumphang an area rarely visited by farang. I have been taught the proper way to show respect in a Buddhist temple as well as prayer and rituals. This has set me in good stead for temples since then as Thai's have commented to my Thai friends that it's beautiful to see farang showing respect to this extent. Secondary highlight had to be riding in the back of their pickup truck returning the waves and smiles of village kids. Better than the air-con cab and more interactive.

Hot springs about an hour and a half ride away from CM the following day and it's all about the Thai family day-out hotspot country park that stinks of sulphur but you also wonder whether it's maybe just the eggs. The Thais boil eggs in the springs that are 105C and a big sign gives you your cooking instructions titled "Boilegg". 3-5 minutes soft egg, 5-8 minutes medium egg and 8-15 minutes hard boiled. I ate four with soy sauce and probably woke up my guesthouse neighbours with the eruptions the following morning. If you're not quite as budget as I am I'd stongly recommend a stay here as they have little chalets with hot tubs fed by the springs for about 15 quid a night.

Yesterday I rejoined the farang for an organised tour to Inthanon. Reliably informed that it would be a long, hard ride on the bike unless I wanted to upgrade to something bigger I decided to do it in comfort for once. Inthanon is the highest point in all of Thailand, has a couple of beautiful temples with superb views and an incredible biodiversity at such a high elevation. About 20c with not a cloud in the sky and certainly no sign of snow at 2565m!

Last night I met a German and a Dutch girl while out walking round the old city walls and entertained them by eating a variety of fried insect from the the famous Chiang Mai night market stalls. Word to the wise - take the wing cases off the big ones before eating or you'll be chewing for a long time! They don't taste foul but they're not delicious either and a bit oily. The biggest was what the Thais call a mackerel, a cockroach-like insect about 3-4 inches long and an inch across. No, I didn't see myself as Indiana Jones just a slightly more gutsy Michael Palin and certainly no Bear Grylls!

Tomorrow I'm supposed to be heading out to teach the children of the hill tribes for a week...