So I landed here today...

'Attractively sited on the banks of the Ping river & situated amid a lush valley fringed by forested hills, Chiang Mai lies in the heart of some of Thailand's most beautiful natural scenery. Doted throughout are villages & small historic towns, where the majority of people follow the unchanging lifestyles of traditional farming communities. Chiang Mai combines modern city comforts with a veritable treasure house of the arts & architecture unique to the region. Inside the city's original perimeter, still marked by a moat & fortified gates are numerous Buddhist Temples/Wats & other monuments attesting to a distinguished past.'

I think I brought the rain with me to this wonderful place as on walking out of the Chiang Mai airport I was greeted by showers of refreshing raindrops. For some this may have been a slight annoyance, however I was quite amused & also comforted as I left home with rain so it felt nice to arrive with rain. I guess it felt like it was a joining element in two very different places.

Onto the volunteer house to meet everyone I would be sharing my time here with & hopefully get to know more. The house is lovely & we have a garden of plants which is wonderful. Have met some other volunteers who also arrived today (Verena from Germany, Ciara & Naomi from Ireland) and there is another three volunteers (Spencer from America, Sofia from Australia & Hitomi from Japan) staying in the house who I look forward to hopefully meeting soon. So much to take in but my mind is enjoying its wondering thoughts. xx