Crossing borders

Crossing borders always seems to be an adventure for us. Nothing ever goes as planned, everything always costs more than expected and somehow I always seem to be hung over on the day. I'm sure the last one has something to do with always feeling like we should leave every country with one final good night of partying. Crossing into Laos tested our patience with being ripped off that's for sure. We certainly knew better than to go with a tour but Thailand just makes it so easy to book everything and for some reason you think this one will be better than the last. 

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Who would consider that you would have to pay a middle man (lady) to actually cross into Laos. Let alone pay her more because you don't have American dollars. I guess Thai Baht wasn't good enough even though we were actually in Thailand? After getting swindled out of an extra $25 she finally took us down the street so we could walk across the river. 

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Fortunately once we entered into Laos we we're greeted with smiles, baguettes and our boats for the two day journey down the mighty Mekong. The trip was long, hot and extremely loud, but we became good friends with a lovely couple from Manchester and spent most of our time with them, which made it actually quite fun. 

762 Turns later

When Cassie and I set off on one of our most epic motor bikes trips we had no idea what really lied ahead. We knew that Pai was a good distance away from Chiang Mai, we also kew it was supper hilly and had heaps of turns, but how do you really prepare yourself for 762 mountain turns? Luckily we got a suped-up motorbike which had no problem taking us up and over these mountains with ease; although it was certainly a bit stressful at times. 

Once we arrived and settled in our place we set out to explore all the waterfalls and rivers in the area. One thing is for sure, we never get tired of swimming at the base of a lovely waterfall. One of waterfalls we walked out to took us wading through a river 82 times. Yes, we actually counted every time we criss crossed this river there and back. 

After a few days of exploring and chilling in this artist/hippie village, we had our fill and started our journey back to Chiang Mai. Luckily we made it back safely with Cassie taking control of the motorbike across this beautiful countryside. 

Coffee and Gardens

I thought I would spread a bit of love about my favorite little cafe in Chiang Mai: Baan Narumitr. It is well hidden from the rest of the city, and that was exactly why I liked it. Tucked back into a small alley this cafe is surrounded by lush gardens with lovely music filling the air. It's the perfect place to surf the web while consuming iced coffees and tea. 

Unfortunately, we didn't always have such an amazing time here. On one of our visits Cassie, as usual, got something stuck in her eye. But unlike most times, we couldn't get it out. The workers attempted to help us as I splashed water from the sink into her eye. But this thing wouldn't budge. As we walked back to our place I kept shooting water bottle water into her eye as well with no success. Next up, was an eye doctor but they didn't want to help us. Finally after we got home, an hour or two later Cassie pulled back her eyelid far enough and I was able to finally get this little rock out to a much relieved Cassie.

Look at what I can cook!

While in Chiang Mai we had to join the thousands of other tourist and get in the kitchen to do a bit of cooking. This city is littered with cooking schools so we gave it our best shot. Cooking a total of 8 dishes and walking away with a nice little recipe book we are now officially amazing Thai chefs. That last part might be a lie... 

Back in Thailand

Back in Thailand, for the second time of four visits, I believe? We landed in Bangkok and quickly hightailed it out of the city on the first train north to the cultural hub of Chiang Mai. Surrounded by an old brick wall the city is a lovely place to get lost and eat as much Thai food as humanly possible. While the city is pretty amazing, you would be missing so much if you didn't venture out. One of our days we hopped on our motorbike to explore some caves in Chiang Dao National Park 70km north of the city center. 

The next day we ventured out early in the morning to the Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep. Easily the cities most famous temple built in 1383. Some how we woke up early enough to watch the sunrise above the city far below this lovely temple.