Our journey back to Chiang Mai was an entertaining one. After wandering for a few hours in the town's centre whilst waiting for the local bus, it finally arrived and we hopped on. The bus itself was rather in shambles - seats falling off their frames, and doors that did not close properly. There is no aircon on these local buses, so fans are built into the roof, whilst the windows are left wide open.

In this form of transportation we made our way up the steep, winding road that leads though the mountainous countryside. With no seat belts and doors standing wide open whilst driving, we were quite amused. The best part happened when a sudden downpour of rain caused all the passengers to huddle in the middle of the bus, whilst others quickly threw on their rain jackets. We could not suppress our laughter!

Once we had reached Chiang Mai, we attempted the long walk to our guesthouse. To our absolute delight we passed by a bakery that made fresh 'soetmelk' mini loaves filled with bacon or cheese or sweet things. We shared a little loaf, just so as to quiet our craving for fresh homemade bread.

The rest of the evening was not very eventful, for the day was dedicated to saving some money for our island part of the trip. So we had a nice supper at an evening market, and then retired for the night.

Thursday morning we explored the old city again. The little side streets are so picturesque! William and I had signed up for an evening cooking class; and having herad many good reviews of the cooking schools in Chiang Mai, we were rather excited. It proved to be a very worthwhile and fun experience. It kicked off with a tour to the local market, where the chef teached you about the various Thai herbs and veggies. The country really does have the most bizarre fruits and veggies! They produce round aubergines ranging in size from Astros to rubber bouncy balls; and basil varieties that are as zesty as lemon. The course itself was a delicious one, where we were taught how to make curries, spring rolls, and Thai soups. We had a single other young guy in our party, who was from Chilli.
The next morning we packed our bags and did the very long walk to the bus station (four kilometres is not much, until one is carrying a very heavy hiking bag). We were relieved to find that the next immediate bus had seats available; and so we prepared for our adventure in Chiang Rai.