Going to the north country

Been in Chiang Mai just 2 days now and I am totally in love with the city!!
The people are great, the food is excellent and the weather is almost perfect.
There seem to be a million different Wats (temples) in the city and I might have walked to almost half of them on my first day. If it wasn't for the downpour of rain I might have seen a few more. Then I went to a day market for some light shopping....which actually seemed to have the standard things most foreigners like to buy as Bangkok , but at much lower prices.

Yesterday I spent the day 'chilling out at my guesthouse and went for an amazing Thai massage. I think the woman must have been an angel (you all know my back issues) because it feels like she fixed whatevertheheck has been wrong with my back for months. Incredible!!
(and sooo cheap - it cost me less then $4 for almost 2 hours of massage). Fell asleep easily last night (although it was likely the combination of massage and a few beers on the roof terrace that made it so perfect).

Today I spent the whole day taking a Thai Cooking course - well worth the 800 baht!
I learnt to cook 7 Thai dishes including Pad Thai and green curry, as well as one dish that we got to set on fire (be patient the photos are coming soon). Basically, a full day of cooking and then eating. The course was excellent and we were given many helpful hints (examples of things to substitute etc) to help make it easier to cook at home.
Yes friends and family - I promise to cook you some authentic Thai cuisine when I return (and for the Vegans in my life...I've got ya covered too!!)

Now my belly is full and I am going to take a rest again in a hammock at my guesthouse. Tonight I might go to the night market for an hour or so then go to meet up with my teacher and some people from my cooking class for a few beers.

Tomorrow I am taking a bus up to a small town called Pai (pronounced 'Bye'). Apparently it is one of those towns that we foreigners go to for a few days and end up staying a week or two. Not really 'Thai - but more of an artsy, hippy-ish village with a nightly live music scene and plenty of cheap international cuisine. It is set up near in the north west of Thailand amid misty mountains, large waterfalls and even has a hot spring. It should take about 3 or 4 hours tomorrow by minivan to get there.

So as you might have aniticipated, my original plans are changing - I think I might stay up north for another week or so before I head down south. The temperature is much cooler (easy sleeping at night), the people are kind and everything is really cheap. Other foreigners are telling me that the beaches are great - but very expensive (in comparison) and the people less friendly (yet another undeniable impact of too many travelers...hmm) so I am trying to soak in the relaxed, laid-back atmosphere here in the north before I leave for the south.

I keep for getting my USB cord to download photos - but will try tomorrow morning again.

Love you and miss you all
Colleen