We arrive in Chiang Mai after a short flight and unpack quickly, excited about staying in the same place for 5 nights! We asked for an upgrade which they agreed to, the room is gorgeous. We go to the pool and after a short spell chatting on a sunbed we make the decision that Martin should see a doctor.In Phuket he got bitten by an insect (we don't know what) but it has become very swollen and it appears to be spreading, the cream we got from the pharmacy isn't working and although he feels well I don't think we should take the chance.We go to the hospital used by the expats, it's large, modern and exceptionally clean.They register Martin and he sees a nurse and a doctor before picking up antibiotics, we're back out in less than an hour and it only costs £23! That night we go to the night bazaar which is just a big night market in the middle of the town, Martin gets something stodgy to take his tablets and I scope out some thai grub.I notice two of the stall holders buying food from a women at the side of the road, they tell me its pork and rice and I put my trust in the locals and buy some.I look around for somewhere to sit and eat but before I know it the same women are bringing chairs and invite me to sit with them at their table (which is a fold up table placed on the road but it's very nice of them and I sit and chat with them) they laugh as Martin takes pictures and are pleased when they see me devouring the 40p food.The next morning Martin isn't feeling well and we postpone our trip to the tiger kingdom, the day isn't wasted however and we manage to get all our laundry done and I finally get the time to post some of these blogs.The next day thankfully Martin is feeling much better so we head out for some temple spotting.Our guesthouse is in the old quarter so we are pretty much surrounded by temples, we decide to follow a walking tour in the lonely planet as the first temple can be seen from our terrace.Wat Phra Singh is impressive and as we approach we can see all the monks inside praying, we take off our shoes (an absolute must at Buddhist religious sites) and stand watching before heading to Wat Chedi Luang.This temple was damaged by cannon fire and has only been partially restored to keep it from falling down completely! The structure itself is thought to be the biggest temple built in Chiang Mai, it's huge compared to the others.As we look around I'm approached by a woman who sells me flowers to offer to the Buddha......when in Rome!As we're leaving we notice a sign saying 'Monk Chat' and a notice indicating that the monks who attend a Buddhist university would like to practice their English.One young monk takes out his mobile and asks me to spell some words for him, I tell them I'm a teacher and they talk about their studies.Monk Chat is brilliant!We find the final temple Wat Phan Tao which is unusual as the exterior is covered in teak, we have a quick look inside before getting out of the sun and finding some lunch.Revived after lunch we decide to find the last stop on the walking tour, Chiang Mai's women's prison. We have read in the guidebook that the inmates are training in cooking, sewing and massage as part of their rehabilitation.Those due for release within 6 months offer massages and we both decide on a foot massage. I'm extremely glad when I watch an old Japanese man being rolled backwards and having his back cracked during his thai massage.Apart from the warden on the door you wouldn't know you were in a prison, the women doing the massages were friendly and well presented in matching spa style uniforms.We relaxed in the reclining chairs and I thought Martin was sleeping at one point, he told me later that he found himself wondering what she was 'in for'.After a nice thai meal we head over to see the muay thai which is the thai boxing.We were concerned that it may a performance for the tourists instead of a real fight, how wrong can you be!In the first round of the first fight a boy got knocked out cold, the doctor was in and it took a little while for him to come round....bit scary actually.Later two women were fighting they were equally brutal! WE found that the thai folk were very vocal during all the fights.We met a nice Mexican couple that night they were also travelling for a year, as they were five months in they gave us some advice on places to go.The next day we were up early for our tour to the elephant nature park, I'd been looking forward to this for ages and I was really excited!The trip certainly lives up to my expectations, the nature park is something special.A women called Lek started the park with a small bit of land and four elephants, today there are thirty six and two of them are babies.In the bus we are shown a dvd about where the elephants have come from, most are rescued from logging in Burma and street begging in Thailand's cities. When we arrive we are given a quick safety briefing before feeding the elephants.They come right up and you put the fruit in their trunks, they eat so quickly and it takes two people to keep up! Later we went down to the river to give them a bath, we threw water over their backs and were given a bit of a shower ourselves as they sucked the water through their trunks and sprayed it up.We were able to pet them and it was obviously how contented they were.There are no chains on any of them and even the mahouts don't ride on them.We were served a delicious lunch and then it was time for more feeding, this time the elephant wouldn't wait and kept stealing the food from the basket, they are so adorable.We go back to the river and bathe another elephant this time we are given the chance to feed them by putting the food directly into their mouths, they are very gentle.It's a great experience and with the stunning views all around we have an amazing day.Before we leave we are shown another dvd this time we are shown how elephants are domesticated to work in the villages or in tourist sites.It's horrific, they are put into a cage called a 'training crush' and kept there for days without food, water or rest and all the time they are beaten and have nails put into their skin.This is supposed to break the elephant and make it scared of humans so they follow commands.I cannot believe I haven't heard of this before and it shows how important the work at the nature park is.In the evening we shop at the Sunday Walking Market, the road our guesthouse is on closes and hundred of stalls appear. I bought a lovely bracelet made from coconut shells and get a new top for 50p then I munch some corn before hunting out a 'banana handcake' - they are so good!The next day we hired a tuk tuk for a couple of hours and headed up to the Tiger Kingdom, I am concerned as I've heard reports that the animals are drugged in some places.When we arrived we had to select which size of tigers we would like to go in beside, we opted for the smallest they are only four months old and the biggest who are fully grown.We were taken to the smallest first, they lie sleeping and I wonder if they are in fact drugged.Very quickly the question is answered one stretches before chasing some coconuts on a stick and another is woken up for a bottle feed.They are so cute!When it's our turn to go in most of them are sleeping again, we just cuddle into the first one and let him sleep.We sit on the floor with another one who wakes up and wants to play, he rolls on his back and we rub his belly.....awww!Next we are taken to the big ones and we joke about signing the liability disclaimer but we are both pretty nervous!We are shown a set of rules and ushered into the enclosure, we are taken to the first tiger who is sleeping, they take pictures as we stroke his back and I'm concerned he doesn't really move.....seconds later his head shoots up and he turns and looks at us before yawning and showing his enormous teeth!They take us over to another tiger, he is sitting up and his eyes follow some coconut shells the handler is shaking after a few snaps he gets up and wanders off.The last tiger is very playful he rolls on the ground scratching his back and his big paws stretch out as we scratch his belly.It's a really enjoyable experience but we still are relieved to be out in one piece!We eat lunch in a restaurant overlooking the big cats, there we get a chance to observe the relationship with the handlers which is not what I expected, they are playful with the tigers and we see one handler put his nose to the tigers before rubbing its face.We take our tuk tuk to see a village where the people are called 'Long Neck Karens'.They wear metal rings around their neck and legs as a sign of beauty.When we arrive we see it's not really their village but a row of huts selling handicrafts which they have placed in front of their village.It's understandable that they want to protect themselves from outsiders; otherwise their village would be overrun with tourists.Fortunately between the huts we see glimpses of village life, we can see a few homes and watch some children playing.Later we head out for some Mexican food and another visit to the night bazaar, Martin is loving all these markets!Our final day in Chiang Mai and after a couple of hours by the pool we get out of the midday sun and head to a mall to try unlock Martin's iphone.It can't be done but we enjoy looking around the mall and doing a bit of people watching over lunch.We don't see any other westerners, we have really enjoyed being here in low season.We return to pack up and decide to go for a massage, we opted for an oil massage which is supposedly soft compared with a thai massage but it didn't feel it!Really enjoyable though! We were taken to the airport by Tatar (he says 'like the sauce') a delightful thai boy who worked at the guesthouse and was so helpful especially when Martin was feeling sick.Chiang Mai has been wonderful so many different experiences.In the airport we chat about our time in Thailand, we have had a ball!