The trek was great fun! We found ourselves with four other people, a danish couple (married a month before and celebrating a 21st birthday while we were trekking...) and two danish sisters. All seemed sound so we set off to the local market which was being fumugated at the time and yet I saw the largest number of cockroaches I have ever seen!

We drove next to a waterfall. Very nice but Alex and I had been rather spoilt by the ones in Luang Prabang so though nice was just a bit refreshing rather than anything else. Gave us a chance to talk to our guide Sombat, or Bat to us. A crazy character! He sang at every opportunity though deffinitely not the right lyrcis! I can still hear him sing 'look into my eyes, and you will see, what i mean for to you'... every time he took a photo this was necessary. And at most times in between. He also insisted on singing the GREEN hot chili peppers and REDday, again not quite how they meant them to be sung! He was also trekking in a pair of football boots which were clearly new since he showed every other guide at any available stop.

We drove to lunch (fried rice, standard) and then onwards to where we would start singing... I mean trekking. Every jungle themed song came out during those hours we trekked! There was a lot of up hill walking to be done at first in the midday heat which was less than enjoyable but created magnificent views and on the way Bat showed us some cool plant life and filled us in on Thai history and the recent political action. He found a leaf which, when the stem was broken, could be used to blow bubbles!

We reached the first village before dark and it happened to be the village that Bat was from so he ran around seeing his family which was nice. The tribe were originally from Burma but are now officially Thai. We slept in a line on thin matresses in a wooden hut raised off the ground. Not overly comfy but when the time came we were so tired that sleep was not an issue. First though a tour round the village where we came across ox, chicken,pigs, people grinding rice, local food, local cigarettes (tobacco in banana leaf), old ladies wearing limp bizkit t-shirts and smoking pipes, children running everywhere and much more besides. Also we were allowed to help cook dinner. Inspired by the cooking school I asked Bat and he agreed. Whether everyone does this I do not know but I like to think people dont usually, if only because there would not have been room for more than six of us in the cooking hut. A delicious dinner of curry and fried vegetables and we hit the sack for an early night.

The next day was not only the most exciting but also one of the girls 21st so we set off on our trek with gusto... the quicker we walked, the quicker we saw, and rode, elephants!!!!

The trek itself took us through the rice fields, which I was asked if I wanted to help in but it required taking off my boots and wading through mud. With an infected mossie bite on one ankle I decided this wasnt the way forward so onwards, and deffinately upwards at that point, instead. We reached the elephant camp in time for lunch and watched them bathe and wander around for a while before a noodle soup lunch. We were asked to walk for another half an hour since the elephants at that camp had been used twice that day and since the extra trek was for the welfare of the elephants who were we to disagree.

When we finally got on the elephants it was so much fun! Our Mahout (elephant trainer) sat on the head and we were on a little platform behind. Lets just say it was about as comfortable as riding a camel.... Still the excitement kept us going and the amusement that the front elephant could not walk 10 feet without stopping for some tree for sustenence. We reached the second village on the elephants where we were able to sit on their heads! A look around this much larger village showed us a school and we were in time to watch the kids line up for dinner. Since there are only schools per nuumber of people the kids board at the school in the week, even at the youngest age.

We helped to cook again, curry and veggies again, same same but different! (A phrase you cannot walk down the street in SE Asia without hearing.) Then the fun began. As I mentioned it was one girls birthday so Bat suprised us with a wok made cake, which was pretty nice a sort of sweet bread and egg slow fired concoction covered in jam. And then the local liquor made an appearance. We played drinking games and every time someone lost we were to draw on their face with the soot from the kettle... we all looked ridiculous by the end. Luckily Bat was the worst and was the one covered in soot by the end.

The last day was a leisurly bamboo raft down the river. Gorgeous views and all the girls had to do was sit or stand on the raft. The boys had the important task of steering with bamboo poles. Kudos to Alex and the other guy for taking one for the team and allowing the rest of us to essentially sunbathe! There was another group doing the same thing, a group of 15 STA travel booked people. Lots of 18 year old girls on their first foray into travelling and how precious they were. Six of them refusing to get into the water as it was 'dirty', despite the fact that they were sitting in the water at all times and therefore were covered in the 'dirty' water.

Sad to reach the end we had lunch before heading off for a slightly uncomfortable two hour drive home. A souvenier each of a bamboo cup, made and engraved for us by Bat and some fond memories. We got back earlier than we thought so after a quick phonecall booked ourseleves onto the night bus to Bangkok and headed South overnight.