I love Chiang Mai. The train getting here was a nightmare however - after delays it took a took a total of 42 hours to get here (in all fairness I slept the majority) but nonetheless, next time I will fly. The hostel I am staying at is a quiet one but with the funniest gay thai boy that works there called Boom. After telling me about his Dutch boyfriend he wanted to take me to the Sunday market that night and to meet his friends. The day was taken up trying to navigate myself around the town, stopping off at various pubs to find a good group to talk to. By the last bar I was pretty drunk but started to talk to a group who were staying up the road. I decided to pop in to the hostel to see if there was anything to do. Quickly booking myself on to a trek without knowing what I was even doing, I then pegged it back to my hostel to meet Boom. We walked through the market, of which I wanted to buy everything and met Boom's friend Jam and 2 other girls from Manchester. Me and the two girls were told not to eat all day in preparation for a buffet - This buffet INCREDIBLE! In a tent with abput 30 metres of food spread down the middle. Out of 1700 Thai's, we were the only tourists there surrounded by fish, meat, noodles, fruit, and some things I couldnt even tell what they were. Our table had a griddle/BBQ thing which we cooked shrimps, pork, squid etc, ate catfish, sushi, octopus, everything. Apparently this happens everynight - I will go back - absolutley gutted I didnt have my camera mind. After getting the energy to get up, we headed to a Reggae bar that was known by everybody. The 'security guard' - the funniest looking guy I have seen since I have been here. Only about 5ft6" he was bold, a single dreadlock as a beard and the tightest yellow flares coupled with a sleeveless England shirt. He took an interest in us and instead of manning the street, proposed to feed us shots of Thai whiskey all night. Vile. The Reggae band was class, singing versions of UB40, Bob Marley and Radiohead, the place was packed.

The next two days were to be taken up by the trek. By far the highlight of my trip so far. There were 10 of us, 4 Irish, 1 Canadian, 2 Slovenian and 2 Switz and me. We started at a village school about 2 hours out of Chaing Mai. We then took a three hour trek through the jungle stopping at waterfalls, spider holes etc. Most people were attacked by leeches and bee's, luckily I managed to escape this but most definitly fell over the most. Climbing over trees, sliding down clay hills, and having to hack down trees, this trek was by far the hardest walk I have ever done, to the point where anybody could have fallen down the hills and waterfalls so easily - but it just made it amazing. On the way we had picked up an local old man and a dog which apparently had no home and just followed trekkers. This old man completely rinsed us all struggling in walking boots and trainers as he sped in front in flip flops and sword. After showering in the last waterfall, we went to stay with a family of villagers. There was a camp fire already set up, a big table for us to eat the food they had cooked for us and a coller full of beer. That night we ate gorgeous food, drank beer and smoked the local weed from Bongs made of Bamboo and candle wax. We slept on the wooden floor with some blankets so the trek the next morning was difficult with sore muscles. The villagers had cooked us noodles wrapped in Bamboo leaf and heated up on the fire. When we stopped off for lunch at the waterfall, Chi (our guide) made us chopsticks out of Bamboo he hacked. The next stop was more elephant trekking. The views this time were immense looking over the outskirts of Chiand Mai where all you saw were fields and trees and the odd buffalo herd. Bamboo rating followed. Rafting through rapids ended up in us all trying to capsize each other. The scenery was amazing, where at one point a family of elephants walked through the river in front of us. I saw the village children fishing and drinking beer and dangerous sea snakes too. We stopped off for some rock driving, to which I lost my nose stud. After a couple more shots of whiskey at the village shop we headed back.

The night consisted of me befriending another gay thai boy who hacked a toothpick into my nose, heading to a thai bar where, again, we were the only tourists, making myself receptionist at a hostel I wasnt even staying in and stubbling home.

I love Chiang Mai <3

My last couple of days in Chiang Mai I decided I wanted to do a cookery course. Me and a group of 20yr old girls were picked up, taken to the market and walked around the farm being told about the different herbs and then made so much food I have never eaten so much. Curry, stirfry, spring rolls, soup and dessert - lush.

Then it was onto Pai...