Adventures!

Never volunteer, they say. So how did I end up balanced precariously on the neck of an elephant with no handholds in sight? It started off ok-ish, with me cuddled up behind elephant boy, arms around his waist. But after not very far, he suddenly slides off, leaving me perched there in panic. It is actually ok on the straight, or going uphill, when you can lean forward and rest your hands on the top of his head. Going downhill is another matter - there's nothing between you and the ground about 40ft (seemingly) below. So I've added another skill to my cv... circus, here I come...!
It is so busy at the moment, our feet hardly touch the ground. We had a good overnighter on the train to Chiang Mai, where I mastered the squat toilet (thanks for all the tips, Marie); no mishaps thus far, by dint of balancing against the wall where possible. The group bonded a bit as we were close-quartered. An interesting group, mainly young, 3 couples, 6 lone travellers; some starting travels, some on last lap. Much exchange of info and experiences.
After the elephant ride yesterday we then had rides on boats made of 4 long bamboo shoots tied together, 2 to a boat, going over very gentle rapids - more like 'slows', really. But we did get wet - shorts and undies soaked through; no fun sitting on bus afterwards... then on to a temple in the evening where we saw and heard monks chanting, and also a ceremony with everyone wearing white robes. This was at the end of a road up the mountain, with 99 hairpins bends allegedly. We were in an open-sided truck, and I felt pretty queasy by the time we got up there...
Today we've driven up country to Chiang Khong, via a cashew factory (that's the second picture - I never knew they grew on the end of a fruit like that), then the White Temple - built by a young man who has travelled and incorporated modern ideas and pictures - not to everyone's taste, but certainly different. My pictures of the temples so far have been disappointing, really - nothing looks as good as the original. You'll have to look at guide books to see them - all you'll get here is MY view of everything.
I feel a bit rushed at the moment - but I am getting better at packing my backpack. Thanks go to Sylvia and Sandra for the vacuum bags - my clothes pack up fairly small. Pity the bags don't reduce the weight as well as the size! Our next couple of days will be more relaxed - two days on the Mekong River, into Laos. By the way, thanks for not correcting me earlier - Laos is the country, Lao the people and language.
Loads more to say, but less is more, they say, so suffice it to say I'm having a wonderful time, wondering what I did right to be so lucky, I'm out of touch for a couple of days at least, but keep the comments and emails coming, really appreciate them...

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