Jungle Flying & Crochet Art: 9 March

Today is my last full day in Chiang Mai as I head to Koh Samui tomorrow. I've heard that there is turmoil in Bangkok again and a big demo planned for Friday. There is no indication that it is spreading elsewhere though.

I've booked to go on a trip to the jungle to fly like Tarzan (or Jane) down zip wires rigged to trees. The day does not start off well as they forget to pick me up and then send a motorbike for me. There is no helmet and I have to grab onto the guy's waist as we dart across Chiang Mai to the outskirts where the minibus is waiting for me.

After a 45 minute journey into the hills we arrive and are kitted out in safety harnesses and helmets. For hygiene reasons we are given blue shower caps to wear underneath the helmets. Very attractive (see photo!).

The zip lines are very safe as we have two safety clips however the canopy walkways do not feel as safe as there is only one wire each side to hold onto. The scariest parts are the abseil sections. On one of these the Thai guide straps me up backwards so I don't have anything to hold onto, stepping off the edge feels like free diving and I am super scared! No one else was sent down that way and I think he picked me because he knew I'd scream.

The longest abseil was 40 metres and I chose this last one to go down fast which was a real adrenalin rush.

One of the women in the group kept ignoring the guide's instructions. For the zip wire they give you a forked wooden stick to use as a brake (you put it over the wire and pull down to slow down). At the start they always tell you if you will need the brake so you can hold it in one hand, so she should have been prepared to use it. She didn't hear them yell BRAKE and instead crashed into the guide at the other end with both of them hitting the tree. She lost one of her shoes in the kerfuffle.

After a good three hours wizzing through the trees we enjoyed a rustic Thai lunch before heading off to a very poor example of a hot spring (encased in concrete!).

Lunch consisted of:

- Clear broth with white radish
- Massaman curry (chicken and potato)
- Stir fried mix vegetavles
- Omelette
- Rice
- Bananas

On the way back to Chiang Mai we drop some people off near the university and I decide to hop out there to explore the shops and art galleries. I see an excellent exhibition of crocheted wall hangings and have included some photos of a couple of my favourites.

As it is my last night in Chiang Mai and I'm in the area I go back to the Roast Pork place and this time try their Roast Pork, Wonton and Noodle Soup which is also very good.

Cycling around Chiang: 3 March

This is my main day to explore the city before starting my five day cooking course.

I practice hula hooping on the roof terrace before breakfast and then discover that the guest house has rice soup with chicken on the breakfast menu ... and it's delicious. Really light and fresh with tender chicken pieces and garlic oil (maybe the garlic is not such a good idea for breakfast).

I decide to hire a bike to save my feet and explore places outside the old city. Cycling inside the Old City is quite easy however it is surrounded by a moat and on either side of the moat is a very busy 2 - 3 lane road, each one way. I often find myself having to run my bike across the road. I also find it very hard to navigate as many of the roads are not named (and my Lonely Planet map appears to be wrong). It takes me and hour and a half to find the food market in the guide book and so they are packing up by the time I get there! I buy some Thai omelette from a street vendor outside which is light and tasty but a little salty. Inside the market I buy some spicy, dried fish snacks and the woman who sells them to me has a sister who lives in Brighton!

From the market I cycle to the Mai Ping river to take a boat trip on a Scorpion Tail boat. I'm the only passenger so I get the lovely Nu all to myself as my guide. She is very funny and we share a love for trees and birds. The trip is very tranquil and I hear a lot about the history of Chiang Mai. The boat trip is finished with a snack of sweet sticky coconut rice and very fresh, ripe mango (literally plucked from the tree in front of me).

I then eat lunch further down the river at The Gallery in a beautiful and peaceful setting. I'm not very hungry so I opt for two salad style starters, however even these are huge. Miang Kam (a favourite Thai dish of mine where you roll up chillis, lime, peanuts, coconut, ginger, shallot, dried shrimp and palm sugar paste in a betel leaf) and Green Papaya salad (their version comes with salted crab but the crabs are small and whole and taste more of salt than crab).

I visit another market after lunch where I mistakenly buy Tamarind pods thinking they are Longon. Emma introduced me to eating raw Tamarind and although I quite like it, it is not a favourite like sweet juicy Longons or Lychees. I now have a giant bag to eat! Considering it cost me about 10p I shouldn't complain.

After a rest back at the guest house and a change of clothes I cycle up to the university area which is supposed to be quite young and trendy. I am pleasantly surprised by what I find. The cycle there was horrendous (3 lane roads, lots of traffic) however either side of the main road, Nimmanhemin Road, are cute little boutiques in glass boxes and funky bars. All the Sois (or lanes) running off the main road are also packed with individual shops and art galleries. It is super modern and reminds me more of Tokyo.

On the roadside I see a street vendor selling something resembling deepfried meatballs. I'm not sure I want anything deepfried but I am keen to try one or two, so I just ask for 10 Baht's worth (less than 20p). He then proceeds to fill a bag with about 15 of the balls. I really didn't expect that many and I doubt I can eat them. He then gives me a choice of sweet or spicy sauce (I go for sweet) and hands them to me with a skewer. Well, these little meatballs are divine, and because they deflate a little before you eat them they are not as filling. I manage to eat them all however I'm not sure I'm going to manage dinner now.

Well, not until I spot the Roast Pork stall that is written about in the Lonely Planet. The stall hoarding has a pig on it, and all they sell are variations of roast pork dishes. I go for Roast Pork fried with basil and chilli on rice. All for only 30 Baht (about 50p!). Yet again it is a taste sensation (see photo).

After asking lots of people I finally find the Glass Onion bar which I've read about, and which I fancy having a cocktail in. It is very stylish in a New York kind of way with great lighting and retro yet modern furniture. I meet two US ex-pats in there, Brad (from Wisconsin) and Larry (from NYC) and they regale me with tales about living here and a local dodgy nightclub owner who died in dubious circumstances.