I was relieved to be sleeping in Chiang Mai last night as the climate is so much cooler than Bangkok, which gave me a good night sleep! I also continued with my own room in what was actually a really nice hotel seeing as it had room service, free drinks, and a swimming pool! I had an early start today, so after another brilliant buffet breakfast like the last time in Chiang Mai, I set off on a bike ride round the city.
The five of us who opted for this today were joined by a German man whose wife had got food poisoning, and after a few safety checks we set off. First stop was another temple which had only been built 50 years ago, yet boasted another massive Buddha and impressive gold and tile work. The temple was solely built by the general publics donations!
After cycling further out of Chiang Mai, including on main roads, we stopped at a rehabilitation centre for all kinds of Thai people. This included disabled, old, ill and even people just on their own. There was a whole community feel, as each person got their own little house to themselves! Shortly after there we continued round the large rehabilitation complex to the Oxfam shop. Like the UK, this shop boasted many quirky little items for a small price to charity. As we came on Sunday, only the shop was open, but during the week people work on other projects too.
We then continued further and further into the countryside, passing banana trees and cabbage patches, before stopping at a rice plantation. We saw a man knee deep in water harvesting the rice in what looked like a long and tiring job. Apparently they sell 70% of what they grow, with the rest for family.
After cycling into a field surrounded by trees, we emerged at a large dam in the Ping river, which is apparently the same river which flows through Bangkok. We then arrived at a crematorium where we learned that most people are cremated in Thailand. After that we stopped off at another temple, similar to the last one, but the highlight was feeding the catfish! Called the holy fish by the Thai people, these fish are not allowed to be killed by the people. We were able to feed them, and it was amazing to see the fish literally jump out the water and even on top of each other to get the food!
After this we made one last push for lunch, leaving behind the lush countryside and old wooden houses. This also involved cycling along a main road for part of it! Luckily Thailand is also left side driving which made it easier. Lunch was a choice of three dishes, including noodles, rice or curry. I just had all three! It was really nice sitting in the countryside on a bamboo table taking in the surroundings. After we were also given little cupcakes and oranges, which was a welcome change from all the pineapple we have had!
It was then off back to the hotel, passing the ancient city on the way, a set of old brick ruins found by archaeologists around 40 years ago, and still being found today. It was then back into the winding streets of Chiang Mai, passing the quirky shops, and yet more 7/11s and Tesco stores.
When arriving back at the hotel I opted for a swim in the pool just to relax for the couple of hours we had to wait for the sleeper train this evening. I also bought some sandwiches, crisps, chicken and oreos for the journey as I didn't fancy the spicy train food from last time! I even stopped off at a local cafe on the cafe on the way back to the hotel and had a lovely slice of rainbow cake!
It was then onto another 14 hour train journey, although it actually went really fast as before long I found myself in the party carriage. However prior to this an old Thai waiter serving tea had the unfortunate embarrassment of his trousers falling down in front of everybody, it was so funny! As today was Australia Day, the Australians insisted we have a drink, or two..., and before long everything was in full flow with the Macarena and YMCA booming through the train. It is also nice on these trains because you meet other people doing interesting things. For example I met this Canadian who was aiming to travel round the world in 180 days without air travel! The party carriage was however shut down at 10 due to a grumpy German couple who seemed annoyed by everything. After finishing our drinks we were ordered to bed by the Thai conductor, who in one word was "scary".
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