So got up at 4am and caught a taxi to the airport for my Thai Smile flight to Bangkok. Thai Smile is the discount airline owned by Thai Airways. It was interesting to fly. It was an hour and 15 minute flight and during it I got served Salmon with rice in a little box along with tea. It was tasty and kept me tied over.

At 8.15am landed in Chiang Mai and picked up by the Guide. We went straight to Doi Suthep and the temple overlooking the City of Chiang Mai

Bangkok is warm and humid but as soon as you enter any building like Hongkong – there is air conditioning however that humidity is present. The lack of humidity in Chiang Mai is a lovely relief especially for farang (the Thai word for foreigners – it comes from the Thai not been able to pronounce French apparently).

Doi Suthep is either a long climb upstairs or cable car, I chose the cable car on the way up and the stairs on the way down.

The temple is approx 900 years old and very beautiful. The legend is that 3 elephants were sent from Chiang Mai, and where the white elephant made it is the place of the temple. On the journey 2 of the elephants disappeared.

The number of tourists (Chinese) was staggering. I did manage to capture 2 doing the luck game where you shake out a stick and then get a fortune related to the number on the stick. There are lottery people all around the temple.

I did get a blessing from a monk and had holy water tossed on me a couple of times. It ended with “healthy healthy healthy happy happy happy, happy new year” to me. I heard the monk speak English, Thai and Mandarin to different people.

After the temple we stopped at Wat Pha Lat on the way down the mountain. Which is where the elephants rested, the temple is a lot quieter and is beautiful, I found it very peaceful with the stream flowing through it and the old statues covered in ivy.

We then drove to the Karen long neck village (I may have napped in the car) which are a selection of refugee tribes from Burma. It is very interesting that all the Thai refer to it as Burma and then will say “Myanmar” if you are confused. The main village is further away and this is far more of a touristy one with all the tribes selling the same things. I think the long necks (gold rings) are the bigger attraction so they call it that… just a feeling.

Now it’s off to Mae Ngat Dam Lake for Lunch on a floating house on the lake. The lake is beautiful.

I ate thai coconut soup, chicken cashew and fried chicken strips. I did try the guides pork meal, and then spent 10 minutes crying and sniffling. It was spicy!!! I’ve already learned “My Petty” (pronunciation) for no spice. The Thai guide added more chili’s to it to give it flavor. I had the option of swimming and kayaking on the lake but chose not to.

Off to the sticky waterfalls we go. I looked at them and decided with my tiredness and the fact that tomorrow is the elephant day not to risk climbing up and down a waterfall with ropes.

I have had several things – where I go – it’s an adventure!!! And I am all in. Then there are the one’s where I go – yeah… I could do this but the risk of injury is high. Let’s not at this point – I’ve done this before. Physically for me the hardest thing is watching my head on objects, getting up and down off the floor and staying in the kneeling position for any time. Lol. This is not a place for limited mobility issues. To survive here you have to be able to at least walk up 30-40 stairs I feel.