Chiang Dao Elephant Centre

Once settled in at our hotel in Chiang Mai we emailed Pan, a contact of a La Tranche friend, and organised a three day tour of northern Thailand. So next morning, Pan and his driver Andy transported us to our first destination: Chiang Dao Elephant Centre.

A very wobbly rope bridge...

...with views over elephants making their way back from a wash in the river

Bamboo bark that most constructions are made of

Onto the display where the elephants all seemed to be well-treated...

...and happy to show off their logging skills

Each elephant has his personal 'mahout'

One even showed off his artistic skills

Traditional bags for sale...

...a beautiful little girl...

...and wild orchids in the trees

(http://www.chiangdaoelephantcamp.com)

Chiang Mai

We took the overnight train to Chiang Mai, having great fun in the adjacent restaurant car as the waiter changed all the lamps on pulling out of the station to replace them with flashing multi-coloured ones and pumping up the volume on the speakers. We weren't so sure how official this was!

Tine all set to go. Little did we know how chilly we'd feel in the night, the air conditioning pushed up to maximum!

This old steam engine was at Chiang Mai station to greet us...

...and a very pink 'bus' to take us to our hotel

The hotel was a little more luxorious than our previous one...

...and we made good use of the pool in stifling weather

Just round the corner, an example of a private water tower which we saw all over Thailand

The Tha Phae Gate where we experienced a bustling night market on our first day

Chiang Mai is a walled town...

...complete with moat.

It's not often you see a moving McDonald's sign!

Although we didn't take many photos we loved Chiang Mai, finding some excellent restaurants and meeting many friendly people from all over the world.

Last day in Bangkok (2)

With a few hours to spare we pondered on our next activity and decided on a boat trip around some of the canals off the main Chao Phraya River. Good choice it transpired (and lovely to sit down for a while)!

A beautifully adorned longboat, all to ourselves!

People's homes, right on the waterside...

...some with extra company (a big monitor lizard)

So near the hustle and bustle of the city: tropical plantations

We had to stop to buy some bread to feed the expectant fish

A temple with a view

You can just make out the prows of two of the eight royal barges, which only come out of hiding for special occasions

Back on the main river Mr & Mrs Blogger had to put lifejackets on.
Bye-bye Bangkok!

Last day in Bangkok (1)

We said goodbye to our lovely hosts at the Sivarin Guesthouse and headed once again for the local bus, now experts of course!

The only evidence we saw of troubles in Bangkok: sandbags blocking a road

Rucksacks safely in left luggage. Stations are like stations worldwide, but not all have a Buddhist monk section!

Now a wander into Chinatown...

...and a Buddhist temple, Chinese-style...

...complete with lanterns outside.

You could be forgiven for thinking you were in China...

...with amazing selections in the food shops.

We opted for our friends over the road from the station

Mmmm, masaman curry and stuffed omelette (kai yat sai), washed down with the obligatory Chang beer!

Ayutthaya (4)

Wat Phra Si Sanphet was our final visit of the day. The three 'chedi' (towers) were once in the middle of a very large temple complex.

The model and sketch give an impression of how big the temple was

More brick work and leaning towers

Within the grounds was an in-use temple where a 16m high Buddha was prayed to