Only three of us decided to do the thai cooking class in Chiang Mai at 9 am. We got picked up from our hotel and we got to select what we were going to make that morning for the class on the way to the market. I ended up selecting and making spring rolls, chicken in coconut milk soup, green curry, and pad thai.

But before we went to the class, we had to stop off at a local market to pick up some of the ingredients. The market was neat and it had everything you would ever need to make thai dishes. It had pre made curries, vegetables, fruit, rice, and even a seafood and meat section. Our instructor gave us tips and suggestions and went through explaining what some of the food was; since some is not typically found where we are from.

Once we got the ingredients we required, we headed to the class. Most of the food was already pre-cut for us and laid out, but we still needed to cut some items and measure and mix others. The first dish we made was spring rolls and coconut soup together. Once those dishes were made, we got a chance to eat them. Then it was on to the next dishes which we also made together: green curry and pad thai. All of the food was delicious, but my favourite dish was the green curry. We all agreed that it was some of the best food we have had since being in Thailand and the best part was that we made it ourselves. In the end we all received a cook book. So I will try to recreate some of the dishes once I am back at home.. hopefully they turn out just as well as when in class.

The cooking class ended around 12, so we headed back to our hotel and decided to sit by the pool before it was time for us to head for the train. The train would take us from Chiang Mai to Bangkok in about 14 hours.

We left for the train around 3 pm and once we reached the train we went over to 7/11 to buy some snacks then we went back to the train. Rhiannon was wanting a toastie (a ham and cheese sandwhich that 7/11 carries then heats up) so we headed back to 7/11. The train took off around 5:30 and we decided to check out the bar.. we were a little dispointed because it was more like a restaurant and there wasnt much seating, so we decided just to head back to our sleeping quarters and waste some time and take a nap. Around 7-7:30 a couple of us were hungry so we decided to go back to the restaurant for food, I went with them but wasn't hungry so was just going to go for a beer. We weren't expecting much to have changed over the short amount of time since we first visited the restaurant/bar but when we returned it was a complete change over. They had music going and a disco ball hanging over head; the transformation had us all shocked. But we ended up staying and having drinks and food. It ended up being a good time and we started dancing at our tables until the macarena came on.. then we all went out in the aisle and started dancing. We would stick our heads out of the train window to watch the landscape blur past us and would watch people get on our train from the station. A guy from Canada - Saskatoon came over to talk with our group and I can't remember/didnt hear him as to whether or not he was also on a tour or doing Thailand alone but he seemed nice.

We ended up staying at the bar until 10pm, when it shut down and at this time I was a little drunk. We tried to play card games in our sleeping quarters but we got told by our training tour guide to keep it down, although the other group in our cabin were being just as loud. So a few of us stayed up and chatted until it was time for bed. The lights never turned off during the night and the ac was on the entire time, so sleeping was a little difficult.