Antony and I left Hong Kong and arrived in Chiang Mai feeling a bit low.We loved China and left like we were just figuring things out when we packed up and flew off to Thailand.We didn't allow ourselves much moping time and checked into a cheap guest house known for their eco-treks and signed up for a three day trek leaving the following morning.After a terrible night's sleep, we woke up with top 40 songs banging in our heads from the obscenely loud karaoke bar next door and dragged ourselves on the back of a truck with 9 other strangers and drove off in the direction of the Burmese border.

It didn't take long to get chatting to the others in the back of the truck. British, Irish, Austrians, and Germans made for a great cocktail.The jostling and bouncing around on the dirt roads way laugh inducing and soon we were learning all about each other, where we were from, what we did, etc.It is a bit weird to get into this kind of conversation because always end up admitting that we have no home, hardly any possessions, or jobs!

The three day trek was anything but leisurely; we packed in an elephant ride, a cave full of spiders and bats, 10 hours of hiking, bamboo rafting, a visit to the top of Thailand's highest mountain, stopping to see a dramatic waterfall, a night's stay in a tribal village and another night in a private camp by the river.The trek was advertised as an eco-tour and it certainly was!Other than the use of the truck (which was only used on the first and last day), we hiked everywhere, left no garbage, ate fruits growing in the jungle and used natural resources.You can see from the photos that even our lunch of fried noodles was wrapped in banana leaves and we ate it with bamboo chopsticks!Of course we didn't just eat fruits of the forest, as it turns out our guide was a very good cook and we ate incredibly well.After 7 hours of hiking in hot and sticky conditions, 'Tree' (our guide) would be joined by local people to cook up our meals while the rest of us laid on the ground trying to catch our breath.

The two nights on the trek were good fun, though a bit uncomfortable as we were sleeping on the floor with mosquito nets overhead. In the tribal village there was a squat toilet and a 'shower' (which was a bucket of cold water next to the toilet). But each day we were so tired we didn't care about the primitive conditions - we were just glad to have stopped hiking!All in all, the trek was an incredible experience and a real highlight.It was also a serious bargain at $50 each for three days with food included.

When we returned to Chiang Mai, we crashed out and enjoyed a night's sleep in a semi-hard bed and woke up with stiff muscles and quite a few bruises on my bum.Again it was a hot day and we walked around Chiang Mai in search of lunch and an internet café (wireless connections were available everywhere in China but they are almost impossible to find in Thailand).I then enjoyed a $6 oil massage that was perhaps a little more intimate than I have had before, but still relaxing.I found out later that I should be grateful that I wasn't offered a 'happy ending' and I'll let your imaginations figure that one out.

That night we met up with a really great couple that we met on the trek.Tim and Martin were staying at a 5* hotel with an unlimited mini-bar and they invited us over to try to drain it - and boy we had a good crack at it!One drink led to another and unfortunately this never led to food and many many (way too many) drinks later and an expensive visit to the night bazaar and a club, Antony and I stumbled into a tuk-tuk and went back to our 0* hotel.

Next installment… Ko Lanta and Krabi!

Love, R & A