Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai again was intense. The second biggest city in Thailand. I should really do some research before I go to these places... but actually it was fun to hear and learn about the place whilst I was there. My friends who acted as my tour guides, so extremely proud of their city and made it even more fun for me.

I know, elephant riding. Nobody shoot me, it was just one of those experiences they took me too. I can't lie, it was fun but sad to see the elephants had hooks attacking them. The man tried to assure me he was using them to kill flies, what can I say I'm naive, later I read that it is clearly not the case. The elephants seemed so loyal, listening to their every word :(

One of my favourite past times - coffee time! I love that Asia has these cute little inspirational quotes everywhere, can you tell I'm a sap?

Overlooking the whole of Chiang Mai on our way up to the temple. How beautiful it all is and the weather was crazy good.

My favourite photo throughout my whole camera roll. This dog with eyebrows, this DOG has drawn on eyebrows..

HAHAHAHA, I look like such a dork. I don't know how to smile for photos, I'm not a "let me take a picture in front of the.." kind of person. They forced me to do this - and you can tell what an awkward turtle I always am :(

And guess what? They have a cat cafe in Chiang Mai, so we obviously had to go. Thank god these kitties were friendly than those Japanese ones. This cat cafe was loaded with them too, this moody one in particular was my favourite, just look at that grumpy face.

Chiang Mai night safari, I didn't actually capture any good photos during that evening. I mean I'm such an amateur photographer I don't even know how to adjust my camera for night time mode.

Finally on my final evening I manage to make it on a night out - with people who had been sleeping in the bunk next to me for 3 days who I hadn't spoken a word to. Turns out we get on like a house on fire and the rest of the night was history. Chiang Mai was a beautiful little getaway, besides the overbearing humidity and being eaten by gnats, it was a good change from Japan. It was now onto the next and final destination!

Tokyo Continued

The second sunset I encountered on my trip was in Tokyo, we'd already spent a couple of hours searching for a place to visit and this gave us a moment to again enjoy the moment. It was an incredible view in Asakusa, there are some moments that are worthy of a photo; that is always a sunset.

 As I mentioned there are numerous places you can view Tokyo from above. I did this on my final day in Tokyo, it was way too busy to be able to have a refreshing experience. Most people were more concentrated on the Star Wars exhibition going on, which was right behind me whilst I took this photo.

 Apart from these kids, totally at awe with the height and the buildings. That kids hat though, totally cute.

It's hard to tell from this photo but this escalator was incredibly long and steep, one that makes your heart drop a little as you are going down. Ah, I miss all this walking around, people watching and escalator riding. Sounds so mundane... but it's the little things you miss.

Tsukji Market, this was just a whole other experience. It was so busy, full of locals and tourists alike. The prices though, through the roof, I mean I know it's fresh, but c'mon.....

And that was how my Tokyo adventure ended, I enjoyed the food, the sights and the people and was thoroughly marvelled by the culture and the people. The highlights definitely included Golden Gai, a little bar area in Shinjuku, Asakusa and the wagyu beef. I cannot wait to return to this incredible city, it's fast paced and yet people are still so friendly and willing to interact. I think I've found the city for me....