Hello once again from sunny Thailand!!

Gonna pick up from where we left you last.

Day 5:

So we are here in Northern Thailand in a small City (compared to Bangkok) called Chiang Mai. It is so much more peaceful here, especially on the evenings. Still get the locals hassling you to spend your money but I'm so stingy that that is never a problem!!

We arrived at Grace's Boutique, our guesthouse for the week at around midday on Monday. The room is great, a/c, power shower & a television which we haven't even used yet & probably wont. The staff are super friendly & speak a decent bit of english between them which is a great help! Lots of different nationalities staying here as well just to mix it up a little.

After dumping our bags & having a much needed shower we took a stroll across town to see what was about. We reached the Ta Pae gate which is the Eastern gateway to the town centre. Took a few pics of the surrounding streets & moat that surrounds the town. On our way back we indulged in our first non-thai meal, a big off pizza each in a cute little Italian restaurant. Albeit with Thai staff & chefs!! It was great, nice cold beer to wash it down as well. Then headed back to the guesthouse for a nap after a distinct lack of sleep on the train!

We were rudely interrupted by our tour guide rep because we were late for our meeting to chat about the upcoming trek through the jungle to the hill tribes!! How inconsiderate! At the meeting we met an Ozzie guy called Jarryd, a 21 yr old from Sydney who was travelling eventually to end up in London working.

In the evening we decided a few bevvies would set us all up nicely for the trek in the morning so we headed off to a reggae bar with Jarryd & a guy called Alex, from Kent who moved here permanently a month ago. It helped cos he could talk decent Thai. We all chatted for a few hours & listened to a few live bands & Alex bought us all Jasmine necklaces which smelt lush. Then decided to call it a night.

Day 6:

Got picked up from just outside our guesthouse at 9.30am after a quick breakfast. We were split from Jarryd as he was only doing a one night trek & we were doing 2. Hardcore!

We were in a group of 7, Chris anAmerican from Washington D.C., Varnia from Brisbane & three Koreans, two guys & a girl. Our guide was Tony. The first stop was the markt so we could top up our water supplies & Tony could buy all our food for the meals we'd be having.

After a brief stop we set off towards the Elephant Camp. We were seated on the biggest elephant which decided to take lots of detours & overtake all the others when there clearly wasnt room to! Was a great experience, the views were amazing, we got soaked in elephant phlegm which was a treat & found out that elephants have great appetites after feeding him two huge bunches of bananas in 30 mins!!

After our lunch we drove to the starting point for our trek! The sun was so intense & our bellies were full. After 10 mins we thought we might actually die, the slopes were so steep. We trekked for about an hour and a half to the first stop, a huge waterfall which we were able to swim in & take a breather. We then set off again for another hours trekking where we eventually reached our hill tribe called the 'White Karem' where we would spend the night. As soon as we got there we all had a well deserved beer. Tony took us round the village school & he had a game of football, while we soaked in the atmosphere. After a chill, we had a lovely Thai dinner with only candlelight to see what we were doing then got an early night. We slept in a huge hut on stilts with just a thin mattress & a mozzie net to protect us from the crawlies!

Day 7:

After breakfast we started trekking again. Our group was down to 4 now as the Koreans were only doing the one night. Today we had to hike up two enormous hills & back down again. The high point was 1080m above sea level & the views were awesome. We were stopping every 50 yds because it was just too steep & the heat was immense. Neither of us fell but Tony took two tumbels along the way! Never sweated so much in our lives. If we havent lost 5 stone each we will be disappointed!! Stopped at another waterfall & had a spot of lunch. After 3 hours of solid trekking it was great. Carly thought that the pad thai noodles they prepared for us were actually pot noodles as they came with a sachet of chilli each! What a plank!

After our stop we trekked a short while before we reached our second hill tribe, accommodation for the second night. It was right next to a waterfall & completely isolated for miles around. We took a wash in the river before tea & Carly managed to do the splits on a wet rock which was amusing. Plus Chris fell over a ridge by the waterfall & we assumed he fell to his death until he popped up 5 secs later saying that he flukily got his foot caught in a hole! Lucky boy!

After dinner we sat next to the fire with a couple beers & a bag of fresh lychees to nibble on. It was gorgeous. Yet again we had an early night. Accommodation was similar to the night before except that they used bamboo for the floorboards so it was a bit uncomfortable at times.

Day 8:

Showered in the river in the morning, Carly even managed to shave her pits & legs. Had breakfast then set off trekking for just over an hour but mostly downhill, very steep & lots of sheer drops to manouvre around.

We took a group pic at the top of another mountain where we had a short break then set off again to yet another waterfall. We felt obliged to have a full on swim with the local boys & Carly couldnt get out of the water because the rocks were too slippy. It took me & Varnia between us to get her out. She was pulling, I was pushing. It was sea rescue's finest hour.

We trekked on to our pick up spot where we were taken to lunch. We tried Ciccada, a horrible looking giant grasshopper. Tasted ok, just oily & peanuty from the sauce they cooked it in I guess. After this we went bamboo rafting which was boring, plus we got soaked by all the locals that were picnicing by the river. I had a go at steering which was lame & me & carly tried playing baseball with rotten apples. Didnt really work too well.

Took a pickup truckback to the guesthouse in which they squeezed 13 people on the back. Carly & Varnia managed to blag seats in the cab with a/c. So unfair!

We were both so dirty & tired, took a shower which was nothing like the shower we had in our original room & it was very strange to look in the mirror after 3 days. Luckily my looks are in tact. I got locked in the bathroom & two women from reception came up to bail me out!! Quite embarassing but amusing none the less. We took 6kg's of laundry down to reception, then headed out to get a bite to eat. We had burger & chips & another beer in a little thai place down an alley way. It was so good to eat a proper stodgy meal & not feel sweaty & horrible.

Overall the trekking was unbelievable, so worth every penny & is the highlight so far. Regardless of how much effort we put in, the rewards were always greater.

Will be in touch again after we visit the Golden Triangle via Chiang Rai. We will try to upload some pics now so fingers crossed........

Lots of love,

Matt & Carly xxxxx