Today started off perfectly. One of the boys and I hired bicycles for the day and decided to cycle outside of the main tourist square to get to some of the temples and explore a bit further. It was the hottest day yet and we had a lovely cycle along the river before seeing some of the local life through the backstreets and villages.

We arrived at the first temple to find that it was locked so we dismounted the bikes and took a stroll around the perimeter. Already, the sound of barking dogs terrifies me so as soon as the sound came out of a nearby hut, I started to run. Apparently, this is not the right way to react to stray dogs as I only angered it further and it chased me, eventually grabbing me by the leg until I could escape up a nearby wall. I didn't look down to the wound straight away, using the logic that if I don't look, it didn't happen... This apparently doesn't work and yes, the stray dog had indeed pierced my skin nicely, drawing blood from my beautifully tanned legs (if I do say so myself).

My experience in Chiang Mai's biggest hospital was one that I will never forget. In the Emergency Department waiting room, I was joined by 2 other patients and we, along with about 20 bored doctors, enjoyed an erotic film that was being displayed on multiple screens across the room. After getting rather entwined in the film, I was disappointed to be disrupted by the only doctor on duty. However, this disappointment soon turned to frustration as I attempted to explain to the small Thai man what had happened to me and, with the help of Google, insisting that he could not let me walk out of the hospital without providing me with rabies treatment.

Despite all of today's antics, the most dangerous part of my day was definitely navigating my way through the 3 lanes of traffic and markets of this city back from the hospital after sunset on a bicycle with dodgy breaks, no helmet and no lights.

We spent the evening trying to forget about rabies and found the party district, where the white people did gather.