The Train to Chiang Mai

12/12/06
When you think of a train ride in the first class carriage (on an overnite train), you imagaine, or you expect a few luxuries. Okay its not Australia, but its not Africa either. Just the few modest things like a comfy bed, free meals and drinks in the dining car, and maybe our own bathroom, or at least a shared clean one. Well, as you can probably guess our 'first class' experience left alot to be desired. The cabins were very small and pokey, but you could open up a partition and have a shared space with the people in the next cabin. So we did this and got to know some great English blokes, one of whom reminded me alot of Dan (Cousin Alex's boyfriend). The 'comfy' bed was the seat folding out into two bunks, they weren't too bad, although all the next day we could still feel the rocking sensation of the train. The meals, well, there was no dining car for starters. A large pushy Thai woman who kept pestering our English freinds with "One more beer?", took our orders for Dinner and Breakfast (the prices being quite dear considering the cheap meals we've had elsewhere). These meals turned out to be very average, I couldn't even stomach the cold greasy egg, limp toast and ambiguous meat that was our breakfast. The bathroom was a pokey little shower/toilet cubilce with the strange Thai toilets they have here (huge toilet bowl and a hose for...well you can work it out).

But all this aside the train ride was quite an adventure, great to make some new friends (who loved playing Uno, but couldn't master 500). Also in the morning it was great to watch the jungles and little villages pass us by as the train weaved its way up through the mountains to Chaing Mai. Sadly the only fauna spotted were dogs, cattle and maybe a cat or two. No elephants or monkeys.

We arrived in Chiang Mai and found a taxi driver who would take us to where we thought we were booked in. He generously gave us the ride for free (when we told him we are volunteering here). It turns out we weren't booked in there at all, so we booked for a night and set out to explore. Chaing Mai is a great little city. Its so much less comercialised then Bangkok (which is virtually first world, good trains (sky and sub way) aircon everywhere and many of the brands and business we have in the west). There are lots of little open air eating places, street stalls, and quite a few ornate guilded temples. In our explorations, just past an Irish Pub, we found a much better place to stay then our current one; which had no aircon, skungy floors and fluoro lighting, and a low door into the bathroom which Seth constantly banged his head on. So we booked ourselves into the new place for the next four weeks.

In the evening we met up with our English mates, Chris and Paul. We went out for a meal and then went down to the night markets. It seems you can buy pretty much anything, from T-shirts to swords, kitch and kitchen utensils, jewelery and watches that are "not fake, is good Rolex" to all manner of little food stalls. So we wondered our way along bargaining and bartering, picking up a few choice pieces. We spent alot of time trying to find cheap t-shirts, but the sales people wouldn't take what we considered a good offer. Finally the boys walked away with a t-shirt each for less then $4 each.

From the night markets we wandered back across the city and found a little pub run by a Dutchman, where the Aussies beat the English at pool 3 to 2. Traveling home Em and I decided on the luxury of a Tuk-Tuk;a little 3 wheel motorcyles type vehicle, a great experience with the wind rushing past as we speed through the busy streets.

14/12/06 (or 14/12/2549 as it is here...we're in the future!?)
This morning we moved into our new place, a very comfortable room with bathroom, balcony, aircon, tv and fridge, for a modest price. There is also soon to be free internet. The place is very new, you can smell the fresh paint. This afternoon we plan on making the trip out to the leprosy hospital where Emily will be working.