Busy Backpackers in Chiang Mai

Villagers of the Karen Tribe - Chiang Mai

After a few jam packed days in Chiang Mai, we will be heading Southbound tomorrow. Looking forward to a quieter, less hectic city and not being afraid to cross the street!

The full day cooking course was fabulous. We were driven out to the countryside after a lesson at the local market and equipped with our own little stations for the day. Of course I land the one with the dodgy burner, but that's alright. Thai cooking is very fast and making the first dish (Pad Thai) was borderline stressful, especially for Whitney who has yet to learn how to cook for herself. Picked up some good tips and ate way too much throughout the day but overall it was a huge success. It was also our first full day experience with Thai people and we've been pleasantly surprised to find out that they are hilariously funny - ie, when telling the class how much palm sugar to put in it's not just "well, it's a matter of individual taste" but "you want-to-get-FAAAATT?" then puts in heaps.

Today we tried our hand at Bamboo rafting, made interesting by the fact that a) it's the rainy season and b) Chiang Mai is currently flooded. No capsizing or other brushes with death, just a nice, sedate cruise, topped with the elephant cruise (#2) which is pictured in the entry below.