Hello!

This is kind of sad because this will probably be my last blog of our four month trip! Tomorrow evening we are getting an overnight bus from Chang Mai to Bangkok to stay sunday night with meg again before getting our final plane journey home the next evening.

Since my last blog (which i have no idea what i wrote or when i did it, which is usually the case) we all took part in an epic trek in the northern thai jungle in the area around Pai. Our leader was called D and had a brilliant voice that sounded like a robot. There were twelve of us in the group, us four and a group who all knew each other but were actually 3 different travlling groups. 4 canadians, two english guys and Jo and Mark a couple. Jo seemed to be plased to have some girl company for the trek. We left all squeezed in a taxi to get checked by the tourist police and leave our details with them so if anything happened they could apparently send our belongings home. We then stopped by a market for supplie before heading tyowards Pai and our first village stop with the Lisu people. We had lunch there and jade and i visted the school. The children were all really friendly but things got a bit manic when they were fighting over who could lok at jade's camera as they loved to see themselves. Jade also showed the teachers pictures of her class from back home which they really liked. after that we put our primark trekking shoes on and started walking. after about half an hour i realised i couldn't walk any more in mine, my right little toe was swollen from an urchin spine in it and it was becoming blistered and more painful to walk. So i did the rest of the trek in flipflops or bare feet. after a couple of hours we arrived at our home for the night, another hill tribe. We had a vague shower before some of us helped D prepare dinner and then play with the local kids. Dinner was an amazing yellow curry and bean salad. The children came to sit with us and i made friends witha very cute girl called issia. Then some of the older kids and the younger ones too did some songs and dancing and for some reason Issia called just me up with everyone for one song. It was pretty awkward. We then had to alll learn a dance and then later sing them songs we knew. It was a brillaint night and we spent the rest of the time singing to D's guitar playing and meeting the locals all called tom cruise or brad pitt apparently. We all then had a 'lovely' slep in our hut.

The next day we did a lot of walking (a lot over what we were told!). It wasn't all great but some of it was. We also swam in a waterfall, did another elephant ride and did some bamboo rafting before heading back very very tired. The elephants were much bigger than the ones we had been on in khao sok. They were also a family. I was on the mother who had a calf who walked beside us and also chased us when we were on the ground. It was naughty but very cute and even made us stop half way so it could have some milk from its mum. The baby was three though so i felt a bit sorry for the mother who was still doing it.

We got back to nice place, had a wash and had dinner t our fav place before bed. we woke up late before a relaxed day of tanning and swimming with our new trekking friends. we spent a lots of time with them after as well celebrating Mark's birthday and also saying a sad goodbye last night.

Also in Chang Mai we went to the amazing sunday walking market. We started at around 6 and molly and i returned at half 11 having tried to visit every corner. It was an amazing atmosphere as well as shopping and the food was very tasty and very cheap!

Yesterday we all took a rather exciting trip and molly and i got pierced. Where we were pierced and if anything else was done you will have to wait and see!

This morning we woke up at 6 to do 'flight of the gibbon' a kind of jungle version of 'go ape' but with lots of zip lines hundreds of meters up in the jungles trees. We also got matching free tshirts which we wore for the duration.

Whilst with the hill tribe doing our zip lining we found out from them for sure that Michael Jackson dies. everyone knows here, even those in the most remote areas!

our plans for the rest of Chang Mai are to visit the temples that literally dot every road nearby, and also visit the prison spa for a massage.

We are so excited to come home, but can't imagine not waking up to each other after four months. We don't know what we'll do at home, except be bored and catch up on hollyoaks.

not long now!!

love elspeth xxxxx