After another comfortable overnight train we arrived in Chiang Mai where we planned to spend just 3 - 4 nights; 1 of which was in a hill tribe village. We arrived at our remote hotel in Chiang Mai and spent two nights there whilst we planned our trek. The trek itself was extremely tough but well worth it. After an elephant ride we walked for 4 hours to the top of a mountain where a Burmese tribe lived. The village had no electricity or hot water but some villagers had mopeds and I did notice 1 pick up truck which they used to collect supplies from the nearest town. The views were breathtaking and we visitied a few waterfalls which you could swim and stand under. We spent the night with the rest of the group eating together and playing games. We all
Shared a large bamboo hut which was a little noisy by dawn from all the racket the dogs and cockerels were making! When we returned to the base camp we also did some whitewater rafting which was great fun.

We really fell in love with the city of Chiang Mai and in total spent 6 nights there. We were surprised to discover a relaxed and friendly city which was upmarket in places. The food was also better and cheaper here than our previous destinations offered. To my surprise a vast array of vegetarian food and restaurants was available also selling super healthy drinks. One evening we took a boat ride down the calm Mai Ping River to an old farmhouse where Rambo 4 was filmed and the other evenings were spent perusing the fantastic night bazaar! A temple was located up a mountain about 7 miles outside Chiang Mai. So on our last day we hopped into the back of a converted pick up truck which took us there. 300 steps lead us to the top of the temple complex where we enjoyed stunning views over the city and beyond. That evening we enjoyed a romantic meal on the Mai Ping River before returning to the night market for one last look around.