Trekking through the mountains!

The two days travelling from koh phangan straight after the half moon party up to Chiang mai are a bit of a blur. I remember being very tired but enjoying the banter :p. I remember the screeching lady at the food stop on the way to Bangkok and our hilarious taxi driver on our way to the hostel. "Lady boys? Oh nooo!" I decided to fly up to save time so at 10am Monday morning I made it! First stop, my hostel.

I stayed at a place called little bird guesthouse. It was really comfy and the staff were really friendly. It was just what I needed after my partying however if it wasn't the best place to meet people. But not to worry as I was booked on to do a hill trek tour the day after. I booked it all through my hostel with a company called panda adventures. There were a lot of highlights but also a few low lights to my trip and in hindsight I would have done more research and wouldn't recommend my tour. However here is what I did.

Day one I met the group and had lunch together. We were ten in total from all over Europe. There was one other Brit, a really cool girl from Devon who I got on really well with :). After lunch we did our first stretch up to an elephant camp. Unfortunately this was the first low light as this camp wasn't very humane to the elephants. I would say go with the elephant nature park as they have the best reputation. After the camp we hiked for four hours to a small village where we would be sleeping. The hike was so tiring! But the views were stunning and our guide was really good fun. 'Call me bond but not James!' That night I slept in a little bamboo hut in the middle of the Thai jungle. So it was a pretty amazing experience. The food that bond cooked was delicious! He made this red curry style soup which I adores. Recipe please! Although the views and surroundings were amazing it wasn't the most peaceful nights sleep due to the chickens... Hmmm. 3am is not dawn mr cockerel!

Day two was started with a yummy breakfast of eggs and toast and then more trekking to a lovely waterfall. Our crazy guide was showing off by jumping off the cliff! But it was the most refreshing thing after our long hike :). However sadly I had to say goodbye to some of the troupe. Alex and the two frenchies were down to do another night so headed off with bond for more trekking. Whereas the rest of us went to do some bamboo rafting. It was very chilled floating down the river. We passed a few villages with kids splashing around in the water.

But before long the day and the trip had come to an end. I was thoroughly exhausted and sweaty so was thankful for my shower and clean clothes. The rest of my time in Chiang mai was spent looking at the temples and spend way too much money in the night market bazaar! Some are presents I promise.

Chiang mai was a nice place although I wish I had stayed in another hostel and seen some more of the cities nightlife. I also would have chosen another company. Talking to a few others, jumbo adventure tours came highly recommended. Nevertheless i had fun and met some cool people. Next stop, chilled out Pai!