Have you heard the one about the 4 Slovenian's, 3 Brits and 2 Thai's that went into the jungle?

That's what happened this week, we booked ourselves a trip into the Doi Inthanon National Park, southwest of Chiang Mai. Everyone in Chiang Mai sells these trips so we were really unsure where to go, what to do, who to book with etc etc. After a bit of shopping around we picked one and booked it for the following day (Wednesday). Our trip started with a pick up in a pick up truck outside our guesthouse and we had a relatively small group - a family of Slovenian's, another English lad and our 2 guides Neo and Eddy (classic Thai names!).

We were taken to an elephant camp where we rode around the jungle for an hour or so. It was really good but at the same time we both felt like it was a bit cruel to be riding on them, we bought loads of banana's for the elephants and gave them a good feed but it still felt like we shouldn't have been riding them in a way. It was pretty scary at some points as we weren't strapped in and they picked up quite a bit of speed going up and down almost vertical paths in the jungle!

Next up was our trek through the jungle - about 2 hours in all. That bit was great as the views were amazing and the terrain was pretty challenging at times. After sweating buckets it was great to take a dip in a waterfall and chill out for a bit. We then trekked to the top of a hill to stay with a tribe and this was great. The food was good and the views at night were breathtaking. There was a huge storm over Chiang Mai that kept lighting up the sky, which was really clear and covered with stars. We spent the night in a wooden hut and the sounds of crickets and other insects was very soothing. The pig that the tribe kept didn't make such pleasant sounds though.

The next day we walked another couple of hours and it was more difficult - mostly downhill which after the early morning downpour was very slippery. I (Danny) managed to get a Tshirt sun tan whilst wearing a vest, to the amusement of everyone. The afternoon was spent bamboo rafting and then we were back at the guesthouse. It was a fantastic experience for us both and one we'll never forget. Playing Rambo for two days is my idea of heaven!

We're in Laos now, Luang Prabang to be exact. We flew here yesterday and it's a very laidback place which is great. There's evidence of the French influence here, from the buildings to the baguettes (which I highly recommend - a good sanger went down a treat after months of Asian food!). We're staying on a street just off the Mekong river which is a nice spot, despite the constant sound of guesthouse construction.

Our plans from here on in are pretty much take it as it comes until our flight to Australia in December. Hopefully we'll have enough time for Vietnam, Cambodia and the Thai islands!