"Wats and water." Days 8 - 10

Sun 8th
Left Sokathai after really relaxing few days visiting Wats of the old town and taking in the country. Left on local bus for four hour ride to Chiang mai. One other european on the bus and uneventful journey until Chiang mai. get off bus and surrounded again by taxi/tuk tuk drivers trying to grab our bags and get us into their wagons. This time we resist and call hotel first, they tell us the price we should pay and we negotiate from a position of strength!!
Visit old city in the evening dodging traffic, eat delicious Thai green curry in streetside cafe (given up the "don't eat from local traders and don't have drinks with ice in" rules!!!)
Hotel cheap but adequate.
Mon 9th
make onward travel arrangements - we have booked flight from Chiang mai to Phuket for next Mon and arranged to visit Pai between now and then for relax in hotel with pool. bargain for less than 25 pounds a night.
Tues 10th
"The day we nearly lost Dee!"
Joined group for trip to forest/jungle south of Chiang Mai. Four English students and Polish couple. Fantastic Elephant ride for hour through forest, brilliant. The trek on foot to get nice and hot and sticky.
we then arrived at a waterfall and were invited to swim, it had to be done so we lauched into fast flowing river at base of the waterfall. Gee swam to other side and found it hard to swin in current, tried to warn Dee but too late, dee was white water rafting downstream with no raft!! Actually very scary as she disappeared beneath water several times, Gee launches into main stream to try and get to her and we are both being bashed about by rocks as we tumble towards next rapids. make it to the other side desperately hanging on until a guide could get close enough to pull us out! A bit shocked and bruised but survived to enjoy the rest of the day.
Trek to hill tribes nursing our cuts and bruises but soon we are visiting the friendly and happy but desperately poor people of the Karen tribe. It didn't feel too intrusive as we watched them weaving things which we could buy to make the deal seem fair.