Hello,

sorry its been a while since i last wrote but its diffiuclt to access the internet in a thai mountain!! a lot has happened since i left you in bagkok train station. i have been sucked by a leech, fallen off an elephant , been in a car crash, had a thai massage, walked 20km(ish), bamboo rafting and loads loads more.

when we got to chiang mai we went to a waterfall up in the mountians which was goregous....except the monsoon weather that should have finished by now was not finished, so we got soaked but we went in the waterfall anyway so we didnt really notice.we got dropped off about 2.30pm to start the trek (still raining) and i almost felt like dying...it was so steep, so wet and just sohard and long but it was so worth it when we got the villgae 3hours later. the village(cant remeber the name) was like medieval england about 400years ago. the houses are made from wood and the animals live beneath it. there was no running water, no electricity just fires and a bucket to get washed in. ther was a 'toilet' but not really sure that i should call it that, it was more of a hole in the ground!!! still it was fun. we all slept in a hut, with thin mattresses and a mosquito net. it was suprisingly comfy but so noisy at night from all the animals that were about.

the second day of the trek, the rain had stopped but it wasnt very nice putting on wert clothes...they were still wet even after being next to the fire all night. the trek was really hard again but we all felt a lot more motivated and more up beat so it was hard...but not so difficult. we trekked for about 3-4 hours and were met at the end by the elephant camp. they just leave the elephants to walk about alone so that was quite stange and scary when they are walking up to you! we ate lunch at the elephant camp and then headed off on our ride which lasted about an hour. it was very uncomfortable and surreal. as we were getting off at the platform, i slipped on the wet wood and fell down. so i now have a lovely hole in my knee and my right leg has a very big (which is now green) bruise on it- but before that i slipped whilst walking so i have grazed the other side of my right leg-i really look a treat!!!

the seonc village we stayed at was much more modern...it had a school and most of the houses had sky televison...even though they were still shacks/huts rather than houses. this village has had a lot of help from the thai goverenment- which is why there is a school here. we played ping pong pang at night time-which was so funny. i have not stopped laughing since the moment i arrived! i have got the tightest stomach now from all the laughing!

the third day of trekking we swapped for bamboo rafting (that really wasnt a difficult decision to make) which was fab-however got soaked once again as we went through the rapids. the guys that worked on our tour cooked all our meals and they were so good. the food every night was fresh and amazing-so much better than food in the city.

we got back to chaing mai monday afternoon and we spent the day just having a good wash and shower since i hadnt been near one for nearly 3 days...lovely! it was so nice to sleep in a bed. with sheets and a blanket. with hot water. a proper toilet and carpet under my feet!! last night was the overnight train back to bangkok which was colder and smaller than last time but i slept much better as i was on the bottom bunk.

today we havent really done that much. we went to the other side of the city to go to a sony shop because donnas camera was broken and on the way back another taxi ran into ours...so that was nice. i am suprised it doesnt happen more often with the way they drive-they are nutters. they cut you up. drive over 2 lanes. swerve in and out...getting in a taxi is an advneture itself!

i have had dehli belly too but i guess its thai belly over here. it didnt last long and once i had been sick (sorry if your eating your tea) i felt much better.

we have finished the tour of the north of thailand and now we begin the tour of the south-so tonight we are changing groups and meeting up with the new people. we will probably just hang around the khoansan road-there are good bars and good night clubs down there and its cheap cheap cheap.

i have tried to put some pucs on but it wont work for some reason. will try again tomorrow. lots of love and thanks for all your messages....x x