Heads hurting, we rose fairly early to take in another beautiful day. Our plan for our first Saturday was to take the hours drive, and travel back into the town of ChiangRai. The arranged collection time was just before midday, in order to give us some shopping time.

(n.b. I don’t really have any photos from this time as my camera was broken)

However, time passed, and we started to wonder where our director might be… In the meantime, a couple of kids from year 6 were lingering around on the school grounds and asked if we wanted to play kickball with them; we said ‘OK’. They took us over to where the pitch is, which is also next to one of the teachers houses. The teacher in question, just so happened to be hanging around aswell, and upon seeing us, grabbed us. “We’re going to play kickball.” we protested. “No, no, teacher time.” he explained.

We were sat down outside his house and another one of the teachers joined us. Glass after glass of whisky was poured. A whole variety of fruits and nuts were offered. Sitting out in the hot sun, as much food and drink as we liked (though by no means as little as we liked, there was a minimum consumption requirement), we had no complaints that we were late getting into the nearby town!

Eventually, five hours later we made it into the town. We check into our hotel at £2 a night. We ate at a restaurant, though I’m not sure what I ate (this was due to being unable to read Thai, not due to the whisky), but I think it was frog! We found a western pub, which the other volunteers had recommended us. I started talking with an English guy inside; after a few minutes we discover that we’ve come from the same village, an hour away. He asks where in England I’m from, “Bournemouth”. He looks quizzically. “Where in Bournemouth?”, “Talbot Woods”. And we find that we live a five minute walk from each other in Thailand and England!

We drink more beer, I play on the keyboard with the band which was in there (much to their frustration after a few minutes). We went for a massage at the place opposite (don’t).

By this time it’s late, and sensibly Sean heads back to the hotel. Less sensibly, I head to a club with my newly found friend from England. The club is kindda bizarre, there isn’t a dance floor as such, there’s just tables everywhere. So we don’t stay for too long. I head outside, and all of a sudden, I can’t find John. Fair enough I thought, I can find my way back. After an hour of walking I knew I was wrong. I can’t find a tuktuk or anyone who can speak English. I phone back to England, “Annie I’m lost. Can you find me on Google maps?”. Several minutes of searching back in England, and fighting off the onset of exasperated tears, Annie comes back with the answer. ”No”. Another forty minutes of walking and I eventually find a club that was open, and I get a tuktuk back. Finally, exhausted.

Waking up bright and early (midday), my head hurt. A lot. We had to get up early as we were meeting our director shortly. We go for some breakfast at a random place, again coincidentally, it was where John was staying. The three of us go off in the car firstly to see some ostriches, the majestical, native Thai bird.

Imagine, if you have not before seen such an animal. They stand at a horrific eight foot high or so. Naked, scrawny legs and necks. A stare with such intensity to intimidate the hardiest or predators. An enormous rubbery looking body covered in dirty black and white feathers. They balance and bound around with a sense that they are defying one of Newton's laws. They are to put it simply, possibly the ugliest animal I’ve ever seen. And for £2 you can ride on this prehistoric mistake, where intelligent design just went wrong. It was a very odd experience.

Three ostriches are there running around a pen. After paying your fee, the pen-keepers try and sneak up behind one of these things, with a long pole that has a hook on the end. They then try and hook this around the animals neck such that they can pull its head with the pole. Finally, a hood is placed on the ostriches' head so that it can’t see anything. Sounds simple I know, but the process can take many attempts, depending on how co-operative the flightless fowl is feeling. And aswell as being ugly, you might have guessed, they are unsurprisingly unfriendly. Eventually, with hood on, it stands very still.

They then got some ladders for Sean to walk up on, and sit on this ostriches back. He looked hung-over and scared. I knew exactly how he felt. They kept saying hold onto their wings and keep your legs in tight. They took it’s hood off… The ostrich literally went from under Sean as it made every effort to rid itself of it’s unwanted passenger!! It was a very funny sight. But increased my fear ten-fold. I climbed onto it’s rubbery feathery back, and gripped for my life, feeling slightly giddy. Off came it’s hood, and off it shot. The energy and focus to stay on it’s back as it bounded around with the others was tremendous. But we couldn’t stop laughing; out of fear, and the oddness of the situation. Eventually, I had to slip off it’s back, as it is far from a comfortable experience. I was shaking all over and could hardly stand up, still laughing uncontrollably. Starving, we got our reward and ate the animal. As you might have guessed, not the best meat. All in all though, hilarious!

Next we went to a temple that is currently being constructed, but huge amounts has already been built - Wat Rong Khun.  It is staggering. I’m guessing taken straight from a Disney Pixar film, it’s one of the most remarkable things I’ve seen. It’s a series of blinding white palaces, and elaborate walk ways between them. The first walkway is lined with hands coming out of an interpretation of hell. It is a strikingly gruesome effect. Inside the first hall, the usual paintings of a Budda cover the wall, but with distinctly western additions. Flying, crawling, and spinning webs, are Spiderman, Superman, iPhones and many other images you would never expect to see within a temple. The place is an exquisite attention to detail, and the whole project wont be complete for many tens of years.

Finally, we get back up to the school where we spent some time planning our lessons for the following day. We wondered off to the festival that we went to two days previously and got some dinner. Then at last, a hugely welcomed bed greeted us!