Upon arriving in Chiang Mai we were thrown in to the deep end of the Thailand culture. After checking in painlessly, we asked the security guard for a good place to eat. He sent us in completely the wrong direction and we found ourselves in a Thai Market with no hint of English to be found. Now the sight of an elephant walking the streets and every other woman lusting for you might have come from my wildest dreams, but being in Thailand it seemed perfectly normal. In the end i settled for some snacks from the Tesco express - how typically British!

The next day we awoke relatively early to start our adventure around such a contrasting city. Our hostels reception was open and they suggested that we walk around the old city of Chiang Mai on our first day before taking a day trip to the outer regions the next. And so we got our walking boots on and soaked in the warm sun as we took in magnificent temples, sights of the famous Chiang Mai wall/moat and typical Thai life in and amongst the busy markets, bustling streets and crowded eateries. If you haven't caught my drift, the old part of the city was compact and claustrophobic! It was a great touch of Thai culture though and the temples intricate carvings and beautiful art typically captivated me.

After booking our train down to Bangkok we returned to the hostel and organised our expected day tour out to the Chiang Mai 'countryside'. Starting at the all to familiar time of 8:00am, we were driven for about an hour to the southern part of Chiang Mai province. There we were introduced to the local life by a bamboo rafting experience down the river. I'd say the rapids were about grade 2 and the raft took them with ease as we floated through the mind-blowing scenery. Then came a taste of the local delicacies, sticky rice, spicy chicken soup and a beef meat paste - all of which were pretty darn hot! Thankfully lunch followed and I tucked into some of the more preferable Thai delights such as sweet and sour vegetables. We then got driven out to one of the local tribes where our guide explained how their life is and how their houses functioned. Surrounding the village were fields and fields of rice growing in the depths of water awaiting to be harvested. We walked through them on the way to the Maewang waterfall, a thunderous shoot of ice cold water in the thick of the jungle. After relaxing in the water and soaking up the sun we then got ushered onto the most remote elephant camp I have ever seen! I was excited to be able to ride elephants again and even got the added bonus of being able to ride up front on it's neck. The ride was certainly more uncomfortable as i felt ever jolt from the elephants huge frame. Their ears flapped against my heels to keep itself cool and the leathery skin felt tough beneath my thighs. It was an incredible experience but I also felt bad for the way in which these handlers kept the animals as they were clearly not as respected and trained in the same way we'd seen others. Our trek then continued onto another local village where we got to meet more tribes people who welcomed us into their homes which were not much more than a shack complete with bed, indoor fire and of course... Picture of their king! The final activity of the day then loomed upon us, rubber boat rafting back down the river. Naturally I inadvertently fancied a swim and with my fantastic grace fell straight in the deep end near the beginning. After the small hiccup it was smooth sailing until we reached our destination which was also home to a heard of elephants. Now here came the most surreal part of the day. Although the majority of the elephants were chained up, the babies were free to roam. Two of the frisky b*****s decided to come and say hello and showed their true inquisition by grazing around us and grasping my arm with their trunks. I really enjoyed the day and it really gave me an insight to the true culture that lies outside of Thailand's cities and touristy regions.

And so came our final day in Chiang Mai. Ideally I would have liked to spend another day here to explore the northern regions and see the longneck tribes and white temples of Chiang Rai but we were due to catch an overnight train to Bangkok. As such, we spent the majority of the day rooting through the shopping district of Chiang Mai hunting for bargain souvenirs! I didn't come across any but happened to sample yet more amazing ice cream and get an incredible fish massage! The massage involved me sticking my skanky feet in a fish tank where literally hundreds of fish sucked your ankles, feet and between your toes. At first it was ticklish but soon became a soothing bubble sensation like pins and needles. After it was finished my feet felt soo smooth too, an unreal experience!