It was lovely to be somewhere that was less humid! The hostel we were staying at was really friendly and we met loads of people when we arrived. We took our first ever tuk tuk on a day out to Tiger Kingdom which was great fun. I could just sit and get driven around on one of them all day just looking at the city and feeling a nice breeze, although they aren't so great for good hair days! I was worried that it would be quite cruel towards the Tigers and had heard rumors that the tigers get drugged to make them more placid, and sometimes chained to the floor, but when we got there they all looked quite awake and there were no chains. We first went in the cage with the baby tigers who were only a few months old and really cute before moving on to medium, and then large. It was surreal to be stood next to such an enormous powerful animal and I was happy to have my photo taken quickly before making an extremely fast exit.
On another one of the days before Madeleine's arrival we also went on a boat cruise recommended by the lonely planet book, but it was really disappointing and quite boring.
When Madeleine arrived on Sunday we were really excited about meeting her at the airport with a sign, but she managed to get an earlier flight so unfortunately I wasn't even out of bed. However, it meant we could spend the entire day together. I got my first ever Thai massage and after carrying my backpack around it felt amazing on my shoulders. We then spent the afternoon wandering around the market and eating loads of strange foods. We ate fried grasshoppers and maggots, before eating meat on a stick, quails eggs, and some sushi. My stomach must have been confused after all that!
The next day we went on an elephant training course. It was absolutely amazing, and I think the highlight of this entire trip. We were given some silly outfits to wear, and a big straw hat as we were out in the sun for so long so we all looked absolutely hilarious. We were then taught how to get on and off the elephants. Unfortunately I'm not the most graceful person when it comes to climbing things and had some trouble with my legs flailing around but I made it up and back down again alright in the end. We were then shown how to control them, giving them directions by tucking a stick under their ears and saying something in Thai (which was impossible to remember). Once we had got the basic hang of it we were then allowed to ride down to the river. It was so scary being in charge of an elephant, but absolutely great fun. I named mine Nellie of course. We then got to wash them in the river with some sort of root that when wet made a sort of lathery foam. We were told this is really good for the elephants skin so I rubbed a bit on my leg, but I don't think it did anything but make me dirtier. Afterwards they prepared us some food before we got given a certificate to show we can now control elephants. I have my elephant licence before I even have my driving licence.
Because the elephant training was only a half day tour, we decided to do a cooking class in the evening where we were shown how to prepare Thai food. We made some amazing dishes which I will make for you all when I get home. I think the soup I made was the best food I have eaten since I have been in Thailand!
To top off this amazing day we went on an extremely drunken night out which was great fun, but we had planned for the night to be a bit more restrained than it turned out to be as we had another tour booked for 7am the next day to visit Chiang Rai. We got taken to see the some hot springs before going to see the White temple. The temple was gorgeous. To get inside you had to walk along a path with hands coming up out of the floor either side and horrible statues of scary looking faces. This was meant to represent crossing hell to get to heaven. There was a man on a microphone, his voice booming down to keep walking and not look back. Inside the temple had some really strange paintings representing hell of Superman, Darth Vader, and Harry Potter.
We were then taken to a dock where we got a small boat past the Golden Triangle, a piece of no mans land between Thailand and Laos. Because there is no law there it used to be used as a place for people to trade opium. The name the golden triangle is because there would be people using so many different currencies, they would instead use gold. I didn't get any opium. We got to stop in Laos for a little look round, where I saw the biggest spider I have been in contact with on my entire trip. This is quite worrying as me and Jess are spending Christmas and New Years in an open aired treehouse in Vang Vieng...
After the trip and a bite to eat we visited a tribe where the girls are encouraged to wear gold rings around their neck to push down their shoulders giving the illusion of extended necks. It was really interesting.
The next day we got a plane down to Phuket. Chiang Mai was amazing fun and I would definitely recommend it to anyone taking a trip to Thailand.
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