DAY 14 - DAY 21

We decided after so much travelling around we would have a week or so to relax before heading back to Langkawi and the work that awaited us on the Makani Kai. We took leisurely walks through the streets of Chiang Mai, visiting temples hidden within the houses that tourists tended not to frequent, they were not as impressive but they were certainly more peaceful. One even had a small pond between the temple and the monk's residence complete with water lilies and an old dilapidated boat that the greenery was gradually taking over. You walked across a rickety bamboo bridge keeping your fingers crossed that you would not fall into the murky water.

We went to visit the 3 Kings Monument (Anusawari Sam Kasat). They represent Phaya Ngam Meuang, Phaya Mengrai and Phaya Khun Ramkhamhaeng, the three Northern Thai-Laos Kings most associated with Lanna history. The monument has become a shrine for locals who leave offerings in return for blessings from the spirits of the three powerful kings.

Being in a country renowned for its cooking skills we decided to take advantage of it and attend a cooking class. The Siam Cookery school is run by Nancy and her husband Pot (no joke, that's his name), they have a son called Peter Pan (no joke, they actually named him that!!) For the equivalent of around $30, they pick you up from your hotel and take you straight to the markets. At the markets Nancy showed us how they buy their curry pastes, ready made in big buckets scooping out the amount you need. Coconut milk was bought much the same way, always fresh from big pots and scooped into plastic bags. There is a huge difference in taste between the fresh and the UHT we always use in our cooking but I don't think selling it this way would pass the laws regarding hygiene in Australia! She showed us the different vegetables used in Thai cooking and finally Jay and I were able to put a name to items we have been eating in the months we have spent in Thailand. She also told us how to cook a lot of the vegetables we were unsure of, this was a huge bonus for us and the way we travel. Having to source our own food, we often have to make do with what we can get, some terrible experiments have led to awful meals but a little knowledge goes a long way and we are now confident of our survival using our own skills!!

The cooking class itself was held at Nancy and Pot's home, we each had our own woks and burners which was handy and our class was made up of 7 people. The same number were in Pot's class which was run the same time as ours but alternating between eating and cooking. Nancy sat us down to organise what we wanted to learn to cook. I chose Chicken and Coconut soup, Phad Thai Noodles, Red Curry Paste, Red Curry Chicken, Chicken and Cashew Nuts, Spicy Chicken Salad and for dessert, Banana in Coconut Milk. Jay chose Hot and Sour Soup (Tom Yum), Phad Thai Noodles, Green Curry Paste, Green Curry Chicken, Chicken and Holy Basil, Spicy Chicken Salad and Sticky Rice with Mango. We also learnt how to carve a flower and leaf out of a slice potato and carrot. Anyone want to come over for dinner when we get back? It's all relatively easy as long as you can get the ingredients and we intend to practice our skills while we are in Thailand over Christmas. The cooking itself was hilarious, our group was made up of young Pom's mostly male, and Nancy's assistant was the hairiest lady boy I have ever seen. With a full face of makeup, wearing a dress and apron he already had a 5 o'clock shadow when we arrived, his legs were thick and stubbly and his arms had thick black hair covering them that would have put Robin Williams to shame. Most of the lady boys we have seen are gorgeous, this one definitely lucked out and unfortunately for one of the English boys, she/he took a liking to him and followed him around for the entire day making eyes at him as he ate his food. Luckily we hadn't eaten breakfast before arriving, the rest of the day consisted of cooking a meal, sitting down and eating it, cooking another meal, sitting down, eating it. By 3 o'clock that afternoon we had eaten 7 courses and I was stuffed!! But it was a fabulous day and I would highly recommend to anyone travelling to Thailand to do a cooking course.

The rest of the week passed by uneventfully apart from one night where we ventured out with a handful of Brit's staying at Tadkham Village with us. They took us to a bar where a few expats who had put together a band were playing, if we had walked by I would have dismissed the place as one of the many girly bars you find around this area. Many of the men there did have Thai girlfriends but they were all lovely and 'in love'. An Aussie guy there was heading back to W.A. to marry his girlfriend of 4 years, he was older and had a previous marriage behind him complete with teenage kids but he was happy. Who are we to judge? It really opened my eyes, of course there are still quite a few dodgy old pervs around but not everyone should be judged so harshly. From a few quiet beers and a bit of music to another pub where we were soon dancing on tables to Oasis played by a Thai band (so English!) We had a ball, made spectacles of ourselves and staggered back to the hotel in the early hours of the morning. Unfortunately for us, we don't bounce back like we used to and our last day in Chiang Mai was a very quiet one.

Farewell, Chiang Mai, thanks for the memories!!