We arrived in Chaing Mai early in the morning, and after bumping into Lyndsay, a girl from Salisbury, at the station (!) we took songthaews to the hotel. These are like tuk tuks but are normal cars at the front with kind of trailers on the back with two benches on either side. They carry about 8 people in each and are a rather bumpy ride! The hotel had a gorgeous swimming pool, but as our rooms weren't ready we headed up to Doi Suthep, a temple on the hill about 15 minutes songthaew drive away. It was a steep windy road up the mountain, and the temple itself was up some steep steps, with bannisters of mosaic serpents. The temple was once again beautifully decorated and filled with gold Buddhas in all sorts of positions, and one side had gorgeous views out over the city and jungle surrounding us. Back at the hotel we jumped straight in the pool for a cool off, and sunbathed into the evening before heading out into the town for a group meal. We sat in a large courtyard full of fairy lights and a stage of live music. Fresh fish was the main dish, and the food was delicious and so cheap! We then shopped through the night market taking in all the sights and sounds of Chaing Mai, before heading back to the hotel.