Okay, so I decided to do a ten day meditation course with the main advantage being that it was free!
A bad reason I know, but I was also really interested in what I'd read about it.
I got here on wed 23rd, and the course properly started on the Thursday.
We got woken at 4am everyday, got fed twice, and then went to bed at 9pm. The day consisted of an average of about 10hours a day meditation and the purpose of this meditation is basically to get you to change the way you react to things which will eventually get rid of any misery you may have. Some of their principles really do make sense and I agreed with a lot of it but Jesus it is so intense and draining at times.
You have to be silent for ten days, you get iPods, phones, books everything taken off you and I found it really difficult. For a few days I was super homesick cause it's all I could think about, I didn't particularly like the food they served or understood what it was but when it's free you can't complain. So lucky for me they had bread and jam, so I lived off that for most of the week which led to a weight loss which is always good haha. (after talking to a few people afterwards I've become known as the jam sandwich girl haha)

I did have to cheat mid week and found a puzzle book that Anna had give me before I left, which seriously saved my sanity!!! I made that last all week, and then I slept a lot, too much I think.
In the meditation hall, everyone would meditate but I couldn't help not fall asleep lol so I'm sure I didn't work as hard at this as I could have done but i do feel positive coming out of it now.

Some funny things that did happen:
- they pronounce my name 'Eric' and look confused when I correct them
- I was eating these seeds for a few days and thought they were a bit strange, when the Thai lady next to me got some and bit into it, took off the shell and ate the insides.... Whoops!
- I had to borrow a tshirt from the people here that had something wrote on it in Thai, I've since been told it basically meant I was a pilot so everyone thought I was haha how cool.

I won't go on and on about it cause I could do but now at the end of the course I do sort of feel good about doing it and will definitely apply some of their teachings to my life but right now I want meat, I want people to talk to and anything to drink that isn't water!!!
Back to Chiang Mai I go!!!