Having arrived in Chiang Mai we visted the local witch doctor (thai Chemist) to get some medicine for are fragile states. It is amazing at what you can get over the counter in Thailand! Following this we decided that it would be nice to spend a few days in bed ill! Lucy had a rather large bout of the terrible tummy trouble and my sinus infection was worsening so much so that my temperature hit the roof and a short trip to the local hospital was need to gain some anti-biotics. After a couple of days in bed watching some stunning films such as Dunston Checks In (amazing!) and Fools Rush In (based on a real life romance) we were back on track to explore the city. We visited the much revered temple Wat Phra Singh and took a walk around the City Arts and Cultural Centre. Walking around Chang Mai you sense the expanding commercialisation of the city whilst managing to keep its origional values, houses and markets.

The next day we went on a two day hilltribe trek which we arranged through our guesthouse. The guide was called Toto (no he was not a dog), but a born tribesman who had left his tribe to create a life in the City. Toto was full of information and taught has a lot about tribe customs, songs and rituals. The trek itself was a good starter for us - lots of steep hills and challenging paths. We wandered through the bamboo jungle in the humid heat for a couple of hours taking in the stunning views of the surrounding villages. As we treked the rain arrived and Toto made us some lovely hats out of leaves to shelter us from the rain - check out the picture! The girl with us is from France and her name was France - she was slightly crazy but fun to have a round and did a great impression of Lucy with a touch of d*** Van Dyke! We stayed in a bamboo hut which was right in the centre of the jungle. Our host was a crazy man who made vast amounts of curry, smoked hundreds of cigarettes and snored like an elephant!

Having gone to bed at the early time of 8:30 we were awoken by the sound of a real life elephant and we rode him for a couple of hours through the jungle! We had an amazing view and the elephant was very friendly. She seemed to be looked after well and enjoyed squirting us with water! Although the ride was not the most comfortable it was a great experience! We visted several of the hilltribes where we were greeted by lots of children who encouraged us to buy some local bracelets. The hilltribe people were very friendly and the children loved shouting "hello" as we walked past. The afternoon was spent Bamboo Rafting which consisted of Lucy sitting down, sunbathing, taking in the view whilst I, heroically guided us down the river.

We arrived back at the gust house later that evening and took a much deserved warm shower! The next day we vsited Doi Suthep which was a magical shrine in the upper mountains. The gold plated terrace was breathtaking and the views of the City were amazing. We randoming visited the Zoo in the afternoon which was really interesting and much better than we expected. We got to feed the leopards and watch a panda eating whilst he sat in a deckchair! We really enjoyed our time in Chang Mai and would have loved to have spent longer visting the surrounding towns and villages but as time was ticking we headed south to Kanchanaburi.