What an awful nights sleep! I look like death warned up! Ew! It was an experience to use the squat toilets on the train, but I managed.

Paap and I had a delightful breakfast on the train we purchased from the supermarket - bread, jam, BBQ chips and water. As Paap said, it's the breakfast of champions!

Our train was running late so we got into Chiang Mai about 11am! Exhausted! It's been 18 hours on the go! We are all a bit smelly and tired bug head into the city of Chiang Mai.

First thing you notice is that this place is a bit quieter and cleaner, the stink that was always present in Bangkok is gone! Hooray! Our hotel is simple and clean.

We headed off for a group lunch at a nearby chinese restaurant. It was a little entertaining as the staff spoke no English and there must have been over a hundred things on the menu! But our trusty leader, Long, sorted then out! Paap and I shared and the food was pretty good, even though the service wasn't.

After a bit of a walk around town we headed back to the hotel to get ready to visit Wat Doi Sutep. This buddhist temple is located up a mountain on Chiang Mai, approx 2500 ft above sea level. This temple is important to Buddhist people as part of the Buddha ashes are here. We walked up the 306 steps to the temple which was beautiful. We had a look around the grounds with a beautiful view of Chiang Mai then had a talk & story by our local guide, Jim. He was a bit intense and I must have been one of the only ones paying attention and he kept staring right at me!

We then went inside the temple to get a blessing from the monk. I was up the front and got drenched with the holy water and the monks wise words (although in Thai). We then got a bracelet from him for good luck it's just a white piece of string with a knot in it but the monk couldn't tie it as he can't touch women. It was pretty special. He was a smiling happy monk and had a bit of a joke with some of the guys on trip telling Lindsay she was strong like a bull. Then the monks performed their ceremonial nightly chanting, which was amazing, peaceful and spiritual!

Dinner was pad thai at a local restaurant at the market, sooo good! Paap & i headed back to the hotel via Hagen Das ice cream, possibly the best ice cream I have ever had....! Then onto the night markets which were beautifully lit up by hundreds of fairy lights, there was also a cabaret show with lady boys which looked pretty fun but we didn't go watch it.

Chiang Mai is such a nice place, much slower and more relaxed than Bangkok. But still with all the great shopping and varied sites to see, would love to come back here again instead of Bangkok! Tomorrow we head off to the border crossing into Laos!