Sunny Sunday Sightseeing

After last nights very late night, I had a lovely long lie this morning, with no thoughts of having to get up for training and running and all the rest of it, and finally dragged myself out of bed at about 10.30 for a shower. I met up with Ben at 12 and went for lunch down the road, having for myself half a roast chicken with sticky rice. Yes. I'm fat :) After the waiter claimed to have absolutely no idea what pad Thai was, or what a noodle looked like, Ben gave in and ate the chicken satay which was brought to him and blatantly should have gone to someone else instead. You snooze you lose.

After that we headed into Chiang Mai on Ben's moped, and went to see Wat Phra Singh which is, seemingly, the finest example of a wat (temple) to be found in Chiang Mai. So says my Rough Guide to Thailand, and it was very beautiful, but I would love to have seen Doi Suthep while I was here - I just don't think it's going to be possible though, without a willing volunteer with a moped to take me.

I have uploaded some photos of the wat here, and it was lovely to see such a beautiful building and experience some of the atmosphere of calm inside it. I got myself blessed by a monk, who threw ALOT of water at me whilst chanting, presumably in Pali, and received a small, scented piece of white string tied around my left wrist. I wont lie: I have no idea what it means. Ben had to tie it for the monk, as monks are forbidden to touch or be touched my a woman, presumably because it's just not fair when you've been celibate for 50 years.

Because it's Sunday it's eat-what-you-like day (this is an unofficial thing, obviously...) so Ben wanted to go to Mike's a place which sells hellishly unhealthy Western food, like chilli burgers and the like, and after a wee basket of chips for me I felt pretty damn Western, I can tell you. Honestly, the look of internal struggle on Ben's face whilst his conscience fought his appetite was a wonder to behold :)

And that was that, really. We headed back, got a coconut icecream with Damon at the gym from a wee man on a moped who came by, then had another coconut icecream and sat about an shot the breeze whilst the heavens opened and dumped ridiculous quanities of water on Sunpaliang.

I had kind of hoped my day of tourism might last a bit longer, but it's been good to get out and about, and see some things which have nothing to do with Muay Thai. I'd really like to go to the Night Bazaar this evening, but without a friend and some transport it isn't going to happen so me this week. Perhaps something will come up - you just never know. Either way, perhaps banana rotee will feature in my plans...

I'm really looking forward to getting home now - I'm pretty homesick and quite lonely alot of the time, although it's been much easier this week with having plucked up the courage to force innocents like Ben and Damon to hang out with me. But I miss my friends, my family and my Paul.

One more week to go of hard training, then a day of bathing and feeding elephants, two days off, and a fight - plenty to think about and keep me occupied at any rate and before you know it I'll be back in rainy, rainy Scotland, damp but happy :)

Aarayan x