Ok, well I've just arrived in Pai and I still can't put my photos on! I hope it's not my camera. I think it's the spywear programmes certain places have that blocks it.

Anyway, I shall continue with my account of the trek....

The 3rd day we had a nice lie in (although it was hard with the cockrels crowing and the dogs barking and all the other noises that sound as if they're coming from within the room) before setting off on the final downhill part of our journey,back to the river. When we got there, we kitted up in helmets and life jackets before hopping into a dingy with 'captain jack sparrow 2' and trying our hand at white water rafting. It was quite tame, to be honest, but good fun. The best part was having water fights with the people in the other boats. Half way down the river we stopped and changed vessels onto a bamboo raft. I'm sure it would have been fine with 3 people on, but with 6, it sank about an inch under the water so you were basically floating along being dragged through dirty knee deep water. Still good fun though! After that, we got dried, had some lunch and swapped e-mail addresses so we could all keep in contact and see eachother's pictures of the tour on facebook. After a long 2 hour drive back in the sawnthaew (my bum was numb!) we were all happy to get back and have a nice shower (we'd been moved to a room with hot water!) before meeting up for a few drinks later on. Most of the people on the trek were (originally, at least) travelling alone, which made me feel a lot better at the prospect of having to do so myself. And I already bumped into one of the people from the tour 5 mins after arriving in Pai!

On Sunday, Roxy and I decided we deserved a massage and we'd read that there was a woman's prison in Chiang Mai that ran a spa so inmates who were due to be released could learn a skill and earn some pocket money before leaving. It was quite an experience, I think they liked the slapping and bending parts of the massage a bit too much, but it seemed to help our aching muscles, so all was good. In the evening, we decided to try and find 'herb garden', the restaurant we had been looking for before we went on our trek. But it was closed again! SO we headed off down the 'sunday walking street', which is similar to the night bazaar, although we assumed not so big. It was huge and crazily busy. We never got to the end of it. To call it a street was deceptive, as there was lots and lots of streets involved! We managed to get some cheap grub at one of the food stalls and browse a lot of stalls. There was some really nice stuff for sale, it wasn't completely full of the usual tourist stuff that's all the same. It's so hard not being able to buy stuff though, as my backpack is already full enough!

Bright and early the next morning, Roxy left to get her flight back to Bangkok and I was left on all my own. I'd decided to have a bit of sightseeing day and speant the morning wandering round a few of the many many temples that line the streets of Chiang Mai. There was one (called Wat U Mong) that was out of town in a forest. It was a really nice experience walking through the wooded areas and by the lake they had there, reading all the buddists proverbs written on the trees and taking in the sights of the old ruins. Later on I decided to go to the cinema again, and ended up going to see Watchmen. It rained in the evening, so I borrowed an umbrella from reception before heading out to explore the night market again.

This morning I caught the bus to a little town called Pai, which is tucked up in the mountains. The road here was really really winding and I started feeling a bit car sick. But I made it, luckily, and met a really nice american girl called Jen on the trip, who was meeting up with her friend in Pai. The place where we're staying are really basic little bamboo huts, but they have electricity and the grounds around them look amazing. I've been for a bit of a wander round town to get my bearings and it seems like there's so much I want to do here. I might sign myself up for a yoga course tommorow, or maybe hire out a bike and explore some of the waterfalls that aren't too far away (although I imagine the route will be very hilly!). Then the plans to head back to Chiang Mai, and possibly head up to Chiang Rai, to sort out bits and bobs before I head on into Laos.