On day 4 we left the hustle of Bangkok to catch an overnight sleeper train north to Chiang Mai. The train station was a bit crazy mainly because Thailand are celebrating their King's rein at the moment. I think he has been king for longer than any other monarch in the world and they all love him. Everywhere you go there are pictures of him up on huge billboards. This year marks his 60th as King, so there were people up on a stage singing songs for him. Apparantly they try to sing for as long as they can without a break. Also everyone in Thailand seems to be wearing the same yellow t shirts for him, so people wearing them were everwhere too.

The train was really clever how it converted into beds and everything, but they are very cramped and I must admit it wasn't the best night sleep I had. Being the smallest I was the one that had to get crammed into the top bunk. We were joined by the other member of our group just before the train ride, and led by our group leader Pun Pun. At first we were a bit annoyed we weren't going to be part of a larger group like I said, but it definetly worked out for the best it being smaller in the end. Also, the other girl was really nice and I think we will all get on well. The whole journey was for 12 hours, but the trains are always delayed. I did try another Thai beer though which Pun Pun bought us - Leo!

On day 5 we arrived in Chiang Mai about 8.30, which was a bit late as the train was stupidly slow and kept stppoing the whole way there. We had a free day on the first day there. Justin wasn't feeling very well so myself and Eleni went for a walk around the city and visited two of the most famous temples, Wat Chedi Luang and Wat Pha Singh. After this we went on a four hour bike ride around Chiang Mai which was great. Our quide, Mieow, was really funny and showed us all the sites. As well as going around the city and nearly getting hit by cars, we went out into the country and around the paddy fields. It was nice to be out of the city for a while to be honest. We saw how all sorts of people lived, both the really rich and the really poor. Mieow knew alot about the whole city. We also saw a place were the buddhist Thai people cremated their dead. There were still bits of bone on the floor, so that was a birt creepy. We saw a few temples and things too. We stopped halfway through for a drink and some bananna cake!! I hadn't ridden a bike in about 5 years so I was a bit wobbly at first!

That night Pun Pun took us to the night market to do some shopping. It was right next to our hotel and they sold some good stuff. I contained myself though and didn;t buy as much as I wanted. We ate at a street restaurant and the food there was gorgeous, and seemed much nicer than the street food in Bangkok. There we loads of different stalls selling different foods. I haven't had much of an appetite since we arrived in Bangkok but I managed to eat quite a lot that night!

In the morning we left for the hilltribe trek. We took a trek out of Chaing Mai to the jungle. On the way we stopped at a waterfall which was amazing, but so cold! I went in, but Justin went right under. Not for long though as I think it was too hard on his back! You didn't need to go in at all really. The water was coming down so fast that there was loads of spray and you got wet just from standing on the sidlines. We drove a bit further and stopped for lunch, then started our trek. We walked for 3 hours the first day at it was fairly hard, especially as a lot was steep downhill which could be tricky. There were loads of roots sticking out on the path that you had to watch out for, and I nearly twisted my ankle 10 times. That night we stayed in a karen tribe village. The Karen tribe were originally from Burma, but escaped to Thailand many years ago. There are hundreds of Karen tribes throughout the jungle. The village was very small but all the people were so friendly. It was so different to what I'm used to at home and it was hard to believe people lived there all their lives without ever steeping outside the jungle. We slept that night in one of their wooden huts, with cows sleeping underneath us! There were animals everywhere though, and they had to sleep under the bungalows for protection from wild animals. Obviously the huts were completely basic but they did have one electric light. We had to sleep on the floor with a couple of blankets underneath, and used mozzie nets for the first time. It got quite cold during the night as it was their winter, but it was quite refreshing. Pun Pun said it was so cold for him thathe had to sleep under 5 blankets and wore a wooly hat.

The next morning, Day 7, we left early after breakfast and trekked for another four hours. Although generally it was easier than the day before there was one bit up the mountain which was so steep it nearly killed me! It was almost vertical in places. It was a real struggle for us, but the guides could almost run up and didn't need to use a stick or anything to help them. It made me sick, but I'm supposed they get used to it as it was where they grew up. We stopped for lunch at the elephant camp. I helped to feed and wash the elephants and then we rode one through the jungle. I felt quite bad for it having the both of us on its back, and we had to stand on its head to get on it. The ride was so much fun though. I can't believe Butya, our elephant, could walk down the small paths that we found tricky to walk down. Some parts we a bit hairy as I was hanging over the edge of a cliff! I loved it though and it was one of the best things I have done so far. We then walked for 5 minutes to the last village. This one was much bigger and had a school and everything there which we looked around. Justin played football with the kids there, and I watched! Again we spent the night in a hut very similar to the one before. They didn't have any lights though so we had to eat dinner by candle light. All the food we have eaten was great though, and Pun Pun or So, the other local guide, cooked it themsleves. It was all proper Thai food. We even got starters, and the second night we had Thai yellow curry which was gorgeous.

In the morning we took a bambo raft along the river instead of doing any more walking. The other option was to do a 6 hour trek, and I don't think any of us could have handled that. The rafting was really fun, especially when we went down the rapids but I got so wet and cold. We couldn't stand up as it was too hard to keep balanced, so I was sat in freezing water the whole time. I didn't stop shivering for about an hour after we got out! The rafting lasted about 3 hours, then we drove for another 2 hours back to Chaing Mai. Unfortunatly I was a bit ill that night and couldn't go out. I had felt a bit rough when I woke up, which is probably why I felt so bad after the rafting. I had a bad migraine and the 2 hour songthaew journey home was hard. I just went straight to bed when the others went out. Justin enjoyed himself though, as he went to an English bar with a cook-your-own steak bbq!

On day 9 we had another free day in Chaing Mai. As we ached so much from the trek we went to another hotel for a traditional Thai massge and a swim. I felt alot better that day after a long sleep and didn't want to miss out on our last day there. The massage was really relaxing but painful in some places, mainly when she was crawling with all her weight up my back! I definetly felt better for it afterwards. The pool was too cold to swim in though so that was a bit of a wasted trip. At 3.30 we are meeting Pun Pun and catching another train back to Bangkok. I can't wait for another 13 hour train journey!