So this is it, we've come to the end of our adventure. So this is what we've been up to for the last week........

We left Ko Tao last Wednesday on a safe boat. We then had a 9 hour bus ride to Bangkok and arrived there at 9pm. As usual we were mobbed by taxi men but at least we knew we were heading to Ko San Road (the backpacker part). When we arrived it was buzzing with bars, restaurants and stalls that sell absolutely anything. We found a guesthouse which was quite cheap and then went for a little look about.

On Thursday it was time to sort out our visa extensions. When we finally got that out the way with we decided to go shopping. This was easier said than done!! We thought we had located a shopping centre on the map and headed in that direction. However half way there we were stopped by a 'helpful' passer by that said there was no shopping centres in that area - what we saw on the map was the night market. She then put us in a tuk tuk and said the man would take us to a 'shopping centre'. He actually took us to a 3 storey tailors which he said was a shopping centre. After wandering about, we finally found a helpful tuk tuk driver who did take us to the big shopping centre which was where our map said it was in the first place. Some Thai people really are helpful but others just try con the tourists.

On Friday we were up early to visit the floating market just outside Bangkok. It was quite strange going around in a longtail boat with the stalls either side of you set out in longtail boats. They were even cooking on some of the boats. When we got back from the market we went to visit Grand Palace and the Emerald Budda. Even though we took our sarongs to cover our shoulders, it wasnt enough so we had to borrow clothes from a stall at the palace. We looked great in shirts and long skirts!! The palace was quite amazing and all in gold.

On Saturday was shopping day and we made our way to the weekend market. It had 15,000 stalls and as you can imagine, we didnt even get round half. We gave it a good go though and seriously shopped til we dropped. The market sells absolutely anything and was definately worth the visit.

Saturday night it was time to get the overnight train to Chiang Mai. We left Bangkok station at 10pm and 17 long hours later we arrived in Chiang Mai. The train was quite an experience and we didnt exactly have the best nights sleep. The rest of Sunday was spent recovering from the journey!!

On Monday we went elephant trekking. We first got to watch an elephant show which included elephants painting, playing football and walking on 2 legs. This was followed by an ox cart ride to the nearby Lassi village. It was not one of the most comfortable rides but a different experience. After looking round the village it was time for our elephant trek. We hopped on Honlip and made our way through the jungle. She went across the river where most of her body was under water and then up and down the hills. There was some steep bits at times which made it interesting but she was very stable on her feet and we didnt feel worried. An hour later we arrived back at the elephant park for lunch. After lunch we went Bamboo Rafting down the river. We went down the river 4km which was quite relaxing. It was a lovely day and it was nice to get up close to the elephants. It was also nice doing the trek in Chiang Mai as the surroundings are beautiful.

On Tuesday we had our Thai cooking class. First of all we went round the market to get our ingredients. We then cooked 6 dishes each and got to try them all. It was surprising how quick they were to cook. On Tuesday night we went to the Night Bazaar which sells a bit of everything.

On Wednesday we didnt really do a lot as we was getting the night bus back to Bangkok. We left at 6.30pm and arrived in Bangkok at 6.30am. The bus was a lot quicker than the train and quite comfortable. Once again though we didnt get the best nights sleep and when we arrived in Bangkok we had to have a few hours kip before we could continue with our day which consisted of more shopping.

Today we are killing time before getting our flight tonight.

The last 6 months has been a real adventure and we got to do things that we wouldnt be able to do at home. This included following some dreams like swimming with wild dolphins. We've had a busy 6 months and anyone thinking of going travelling really should. There wasnt anything that we didnt do that we wanted to do. It really has been a great half a year and it is now time to head home to some kind of normality. We hope you've enjoyed reading about it as much as we've enjoyed experiencing it.