Chiang Mai, Monday

1313 Only just got up, been snoozing on the alarm since about 11 or 12. Bit wasteful but it's OK.

1516 Finally left hotel about 1430. Went to Lila, no slots today so booked for 10am tomorrow. Will force me to be up. Checkout midday. Left passport with desk for security if did have a slot today, probably for the best. At small restaurant with no obvious name. Going to have stir fried squid and salted egg with a coke zero.

Not sure about going out tonight, unless Jerry e-mails me. Is tempting to go to Boy Blues but at the same time last night was a bit excessive. See how I feel/what happens.

Checked with hotel when handed passport in, they will keep my bag tomorrow so I have most of tomorrow free, though probably have a low key day and maybe just a museum or something.

1533 Pretty good, egg hardboiled so probably safe. Getting fried rice with squid now, bit lardy but portion not huge (though OK).

1557 I expected it to be 130, they said 25, made it 150. Not too bad value.

1637 Back at hotel. Bought an envelope and couple of postcards at a place I spotted the other day with a 'package service' sign, woman there said she can weigh and accept my letter, so going to shove my relatively worthless but WTF 'souvenirs' (tickets, leaflets, etc) in there with a micro SD card of photos so far and post them off to parents. That way I don't have the added weight for the flight to Singapore, or in general have to lug all that paper around til Christmas. I hope it's not too insanely expensive but I am not doing this solely to try to keep bag weight down for the flight, so it's not a pure financial tradeoff vs what Air Asia would charge for a checked bag allowance.

1741 OK, just handed envelope in at that shop. THB180 for that (economy not air mail - it isn't remotely urgent, think it would have been 225 instead of 150 for air mail) and the two postcards (THB15 each, I think). Fingers crossed it is actually sent rather than her throwing it all in the bin the instant I left. ;-)

People lining street near Tae Pae gate, I assume there is a procession tonight (or maybe it happened last night too but I wasn't out early enough). Really don't want to go and stand there for ages to save a spot to watch it. All very nice I'm sure but not really my bag unless it's super convenient.

Probably go get something else to eat then go back to hotel before going out (if I do) 9ish. Will eat now as if I do go to Boy Blues I am not sure I can eat there and I don't want to 'forget' to eat.

1755 At Rachadamneon Kitchen. Going to have a pricey pizza, I fancy pizza so sod it. It feels rather muggy, though it has been fairly overcast this afternoon. Maybe it's just me.

1846 I didn't order at 1755 but nevertheless my lemon juice has come and there's no sign of any pizza. I am wondering if it's coming. If they thought I just wanted a juice I am not going to correct them, I am strangely uncomfortably warm and there's no fan near my tables (aircon seems relatively rare in restaurants/cafes here). Will give it til 7 - of course I am doing my best to save the drink for when food comes - and then maybe ask for the bill.

1855 Just turned up.

1929 Pizza OK if not astounding. Weather feels a bit cooler but back to hotel now if I am able to cross parade route. Bill was 310, made it 340. Seems very expensive really but pizza always seems to be here.

2138 At Boy Blues. It started to spit as I went back to hotel via parade (managed to cross route, saw a few floats, all OK if a bit slow to walk, but all v good natured, no big police presence etc). When I came out of hotel the side street it's on was flooded to about ankle depth (I shoved a tentative toe in to test depth, but some hardy soul was walking down the road). Nearly didn't come out, since fate had decreed I was to be 'trapped', but there was a way out onto the less flooded adjacent road.

Have booked a hotel 10 mins walk from Khao San Road for Wed/Thu night. Bit worried about getting there but meh, there is a bus and it will be day and probably lots of other people going the same way. Going to ask hotel staff for advice on getting to DMK Fri. Not checked AirAsia weight rules yet. The flight is at 1315ish so well done me for booking that, with a hefty traffic allowance it's still an earlyish start but nothing like it would be for a 9am flight.

Lots of people still selling balloons on street today. I can only see one in the sky, I guess the rain is probably stopping the launches. It sounds really heavy but that's the roof, I just walked here through it briefly and unless it's massively picked up it isn't that heavy.

Not packed yet. Feeling a bit sad to be leaving here tomorrow, but as I keep saying that's better than being glad to leave. Also feeling a bit jittery about the travel and the overnight bus and getting to hotel in Bangkok but it should be fine. It also feels a bit like my time in Thailand is up, somehow right now those last couple of days in Bangkok "don't count".

The guitarist just standing on stage looks a tiny bit like the bloke from the first band I saw at Inter Bar, but I don't think it is him.

Rain does sound even heavier. It's OK, the actual outdoors bit to the hotel from here is maybe a minute, tops, and if I get soaked I will be getting changed a minute later.

Band is coming on (probably back on, actually, if I'd only been here earlier). Not exactly feeling in a massive celebratory mood but anyway, good to have come out and hopefully I will be restrained on the beer.

2244 It is jam night, pretty good. Got second and almost certainly last beer. Mind keeps wandering a bit but am enjoying it.

2254 If guy speaking on mike now can be believed, the 'main' non-jam guitarist/singer is called Boy; maybe it's his bar or named after him. Might be a not-getting-a-laugh joke, but FWIW.

Some fireworks going off intermittently, which is kind of nice. Not (m)any fire balloons.

2318 'Band' (it's a jam, so the concept is fluid) on 10 min break. At pizza place earlier I asked a couple at next table if they had the wifi password (they did, there is a plastic plaque with it on which gets passed around). Anyway, had a brief chat with them (interrupted when waiter came to take my order and not resumed afterwards, though they said goodbye when they left). He was Swedish, she was Dutch, both travelling for six months tho he had about a month left and she had something like three, so I assume they met somewhere while travelling. (I just assumed they were a couple, they might just be friends of course. I think they were both going on to Laos via parts of Thailand north of here.) Anyway, the bloke had been in Singapore, he said he spent three nights there and liked it. So I guess that's nice, suggests my three nights is not unreasonable. He also said that like me he'd had lots of people tell him to just stay for two.

Oh, the hotel in Bangkok is 10 mins off Khao San Road as I said, so I can go to the bars there etc and see the nightlife, but it's about thirty quid a night, not some backpacker fleapit. Yes, keeping to budget (not that I'm tracking it very carefully, but still), yes experiencing all kinds of accommodation, yes meeting new people at hostels and staying in dormitories on cost and scraping acquaintance grounds. But my experience so far suggests socialising requires a moderately prolonged stay, not two nights. I find Bangkok just worrying enough I want to feel nice and safe at night. Also, with my impending flight to Singapore I want to avoid my bag being anywhere near any illegal drugs; this is stupidly paranoid, but fuck it, Singapore scares me. Bangkok is evidently pretty pricey anyway.

Rain seems to have really picked up and a few spots are hitting phone screen even sat here under cover (there aren't really any walls, place is on first (UK style, ie one above ground) floor over market and just has a fence round it). Tis OK. Tempted to ask people sat next to me to guard beer while go for slash but worried might seem like attempt to strike up conversation. Fuck it, there'll be music when I get back so twill be OK.

2332 Back. Some difficulty finding it but followed some other probable-bar-patrons in end. Knowing it existed helped. Beer intact. Pissing it down, maybe that is a bit extreme but it is heavy. Got a bit damp walking briefly through the uncovered bits of the market.

0008 Band off. Don't think will be an encore, doesn't seem that sort of night. Still got bit of second beer which will finish and go. Am glad I came out, though perhaps only due to laxity on tracking my alcohol consumption. Still, I haven't got pissed or anything, which is something.

Will pack when get back to hotel. Won't check out until I return from massage but want everything ready so I just have to grab the bag when I get back, as time will be slightly tight.

0020 Back at hotel. Just spitting now, didn't get significantly wet. Hope it's OK tomorrow otherwise will get soaked on 15 minsish walk to massage place. Should be.

0029 No e-mail from Jerry, not massively surprised nor massively bothered. Am also reminded that I noticed the other day despite not having been using any repellent (only really used it in Mae Sot where worried rightly or wrongly about malaria, and think it just moved the bites onto my hands where I didn't put repellent), my mosquito bites have healed up and not been replaced by new ones. Which is nice, and something you sort of forget what it was like after living with the damn bites for a while.

0109 OK, packed, had second shower of the day given I am unlikely to squeeze one in tomorrow morning so it will be Wednesday before my next chance, shaved (badly using somewhat blunt disposable, but will save my remaining new one for Bangkok). Going to bed. Need to be up at 9 but this is OK, it's not like I'm pissed and if I am a bit tired tomorrow all the better as it increases chances of sleeping on the bus. I seem to have lost or eaten my peanuts, will try to remember to get some tomorrow. I do still have some dried longan left if push comes to shove.