The beer was great. Erin and Tony got some great photos with the elephants they rode while the elephant camp was bathed!
Dinner again at Forestry 33. Great thai food at a good price, nice big tables and seats. I think the best place to eat in Pai.
Picked up our laundry this morning, quick breakfast at our favourite restaurant (perhaps this is the only meal that should be had elsewhere?) and then off to our minibus.
We booked a minibus back to Chiang Mai, our transit stop before Chiang Rai; thinking it would be more comfortable. The seats were quite comfotable, good leg room, a vast improvement from the local bus we took up the mountain. And air con. But a fair bit faster and more downhill = lots more sharp windy turns that were much more noticable... Tony and I bought motion sickness tablets tongiht. I am thankful for the short stop and potent ginger tea!
A short wait in Chiang Mai and back on an air con, first class bus to Chiang Rai. We even got given a bottle of water, a snack and then a fresh towel before arrival! Very stylish compared to some of the baking dishes we have travelled in so far.
Chiang Rai has given us our most involved accommodation hunt so far. We met an Australian couple (the first so far... perhaps the Aussies prefer the islands?) close to the bus station and quized them about guesthouses. They kindly showed us to where they were staying. Then started a hike around town: here is odd in that the guesthouses aren't located in a strip or concentrated area. Finally settled on a room to share after snubbing an absolute dive and a very lovely but pricey place.
Walk through and dinner at the night markets/bazaar. Bargaining powers in practice again.
Tomorrow we will be heading off to the border town Chiang Khong (most likely). First must stock up on things to keep us amused; apparently we have a 2 day boatride ahead of us o any kind of accommodating town in Laos. As well as currency for Laos (the only ATM is in the capital, Vientiene).
