Sheila writes:

We've now been in Chiang Mai for six days and have come to love the city. It's easy to avoid busy touristy bits and good to immerse in crowds and fun when we want! The loved the Soi Duthep Temple - which is by far the most spectacular location and setting we've seen anywhere. It's about 1000ft up in the mountains north west of Chiang Mai, in the Soi Duthep/Pui National Park. The views out from the temple are fantastic. There are so many golden images of Buddha that you can't count them - with a different position - standing, reclining etc, for each day of the week.

The shopping markets are the most extensive and colourful I've ever seen! The daily night market is a mixture of formal and informal shopping stalls seelling everything from rude tee-shirts to hilltribe woven bags, to tiger balm, imitation big logo make men's boxers, carved elephants, jewelry and Thai silk. We much preferred the Sunday night market which is in the city centre - which has lots of local people selling really unique arts and crafts they've invented themselves - like children's toys, handbags, mobile phone bags, hand painted teeshirts, cool floaty shirts and slacks, keyrings, everything you can think of. We loved the food stalls - every wat (temple) hosts its own food "court" lined with food stall selling different fast takeaways - like Pad Thai (fried noodles), spring rolls and vegetable samosas, sticky rice in banana leaves, noodle soup, roast chicken with sweet chili dipping sauce, Japanese maki....hey - something for everyone.

We're on out way tonight to Bangkok and then to Krabi on the night bus - it will take 2 overnight trips, each of 10-12 hours - so either we'll feel rested and raring to go when we arrive, or, more likley, dead and needing to flake out on the beach.....