The next day revealed a new side to the city though; something that has become very clear to us is that Chiang Mai is a very different and much uglier place by night than it is by day. By day it is a pleasant place with quiet little roads and coffee bars that are circled by a small moat. By evening however, its seedy qualities are bared for all to see. Our visit was well timed for a market day. The entire Old Town, with all of its winding streets was take o...

The fateful train was already 2 hours late when we departed the train station for the 7 hour journey. We had bought the far more expensive 2nd class carriage with air con..... or so we thought. What we got was a hot carriage with broken air con and locked tight windows. Fans above simply moved hot air around the cabin. The train staff came around with one simple drinks service for the entire journey. In many ways 3rd class really do have the best of it! But of c...