Paul Henry Eat Your Heart Out!

Participating in 'Songkran'.


Dinner last night. Our family would not eat with us - too shy.


With our homestay family.


Rosa fulfills a dream!


At the elephant conservation centre yesterday morning - the elephant is enjoying Finn's bananas.


Last night we starred in our own version of 'Intrepid Journeys'. We travelled 90 minutes from Chiangmai to a village of around 125 families. Each family on the tour was assigned a homestay. We were so proud of our kids - they not only coped but enjoyed it a lot. Rosa's quote of the day was 'the toilet has this amazing flushing system!' (a bucket!)(the toilet is for squatting - usually only western ones in the hotels). We were treated so well by these great people who live so simply in comparison to our own complicated lives. Last night we were treated to a concert by the nursery school children (some of the most heartbreakingly gorgeous kids - will upload photo at a later date - different camera) and a Thai boxing demonstration by the local youths. In Thai boxing you can use any part of your body. Yesterday we toured the village and they showed us their plan for regenerating the bamboo forrest. Today we went on a jungle tour and were shown lots of plants and a few bugs and beetles too. There are, we were told after I enquired, pythons, cobras and king cobras in that jungle, but they flee if they hear danger. Yipee that my footfall is danger! The biggest surprise was that they have moles in the jungle - similar to English moles. They are delicious apparently!
It is an exciting time in Thailand. It is New Year and the Songkran festival is on in full force. This is celebrated by throwing water(symbolising cleansing) and it is all on for young and old! Everyone expects and most enjoy getting soaking wet. As you can imagine the kids are loving it. When we got back to Changmai this afternoon we rebooked into our hotel and Rosa and Gordy went down to the canal. Apaprently the traffic is gridlocked - nobody cares and it is full on. Buckets of water - some iced - are thrown, water guns are everywhere and there are people in the canal, some more than a little tipsy and everybody going for it! Finn and I just stayed poolside here, but we'll go later. The market is on every night - hope it isn't as busy as Sunday - there were thousands and thousands of people and hundreds and hundreds of stalls. The crafts are fantastic - modern and traditional and very very cheap. From 5 baht (about 23 cents!). We are going to eat at the market tonight - the street snacks are great - fruit, iced smoothies, waffles and lots of traditional food. Restaurant meals are reasonable too - we spend on average $23 NZ for a full dinner including drinks. We are living the good life and may as well enjoy it because neither Japan or Aussie will be so kind! Only two of the familes (us and the Americans) are finishing the trip in Bangkok - the others had planned to stay at Hua Hin already. And get this - the Americans are going on the same plane to Japan as us! I know! Bizarre!!! We have been shifted to a different hotel in Bangkok - what I didn't tell you earlier (because I didn't know) that the violence a few days ago was only one street over from our first hotel. (We had walked down it several times of course) So now we are to be in a different part of Bangkok in a flasher hotel. Bonus! And a small relief! xxxx