7 March Chiang Rai

Spent most of the day in a taxi. Me, Holly, Brandon and Kelly shared one. Read a lot of my book and listened to Dave Matthews for most of the journey. Highlight was when the song 'dragostea din tei' came on and we all had a little boogie in our seats speeding up a hilltop path with the windows down (mainly because there weren't any windows). I know..we are actually such party animals...we really should calm down.
Stopped off at the market and finally found holly a bra. We were wondering why the thai people in the shop were laughing at us until we read the name of the shop on the bag Hol was given. 'Bras for Kids'.....ain't that a kick in the head. No one bothered to cross the border so we were off to the Golden Triangle...the border of 3 countries.
When we got off the tuk, there was a group of 3 children singing in thai. Aw, how lovely, I thought...lets take a photo of them. So i snapped away. I turned to photograph the amazing view in front of me when i felt a little tug on my shorts. It was a tiny thai boy holding his hand out to me. 'One Photo ten baht' he frowned. They weren't singing a thai song at all but 'One Photo For ten baht okaaaay'...brilliant..everyone laughed as i scrabbled round in me bag for ten baht (which is about 6p)...i just got conned by an actual child.
Went down to the riverside to chill with a drink. A shipment of 40-70 year old tourists arrived for a boat tour...there was about 50 of them...all arrogant, classic tourists. Bum Bags, loud floral shirts, scrunchies, video cameras, ridiculous tans, chest hair (even the women) and socks pulled right up to the knee. They treated the 3 singing children like animals, posing with them for photos with thumbs up signs, falshinf cameras right in their faces and ignoring the childrens plea for money. It was like a zoo. I felt guilty for taking a photo in the first place. They were loud and clumsy and the kids had been ripped off...so me and the girls went up and offered our spare change much to the kids delight.
Arrived at chaing Mai and was met by the greatest smell of fish imaginable.
Hotel was amazing...the rooms were luxurious. Went out in the evening. I went with Bran, Kelly, Claire and Martin for a cheeky italian and ice cream. Kelly tried to order a cone with two scoops but the thai man simply could not comprehend this idea and insisted on giving her two cones. 'God Damn Fat American' Kelly laughed. 'hey saddlebags!' greeted Brandon. Finished the evening with a viewing of the infamous Lady Boys of Thailand. I can't actually describe it but it was very strange and very funny. One of them was so pretty...the only thing that gave him/her/it away was the fact she had massive hands. It's quite gutting to watch someone who is a thousand times prettier and more elegant than you..and its an actual man.