Well we don't actually know where to begin with our trekking experience except that it was very eventful, but we are back safe and sound...just more exhausted then we started, more bites, scratches, have seen more insects then imaginable and more aware of the use of drugs in the jungle, mainly opium...all will be explained!!

The whole experience lasted a very long 3 days and 2 nights south of Chaing Mai, in Pai. Ten of us got into the back of an open van, with another guy Andrew a 40 something year old, who also advertised the trek to us in the hostel we were staying in (worse place we have stayed in so far, have already found arrangements to move hostel!) He has been on the trek a couple of times, a bit of a traveler, and teaches English to schools in the jungle! (all sounds lovely until....)

We started our 2 hour journey, 1st stopping via the police. Smiley Smiley (our tour guide, nothing compared to Ricky! Has the longest nails in the world, we think they are his coke nails!) stopped the van, to let out Andrew our lovely 40 something friend just before we reach the police station! The police gave us a few helpful tips then we began again, stopping once again to pick up our dodgy friend. Anyway it turns out he does not have a working visa or something like that, what is worrying it that he is teaching children.

It took several hours to get to our 1st village where we had lunch, which was really lovely it is amazing with little resources what the local people can achieve. We went to visit a local school to see some of the children.

We then began the trek, we decided not to buy or hire hiking boots as we thought that our primark white canvas specials would do the job. I can say that they are no longer white or existing!

We walked, actually more like a slow jog to keep up with the very skinny, toned local boy for about an hour and a half it felt like 4, to the 1st village. It was an absolute mission, going up the mountains was the worst, we were at the back the whole way, panting, red faced and out of breathe, we were going so fast and trying to keep up we did not have time to look at the scenery!

We discovered that during the 1st leg our our trek, that our friend Andrew and Smiley Smiley who were thought to be drinking water were actually drinking rice wine (which is very strong and more like a shot or a spirit you have with a mixer - they were drinking it straight!) the whole trek, that's probably why they were smiling the whole way!

We finally reached the village where we were sleeping for the night, the hut was on a raised bamboo and the toilet was a hole in the ground and the shower was a tap outside. Not sure we could have managed the sleeping and bathroom facilities if it had not have been for the china trip. (but it was all for the experience!)

The local people made us dinner and we spent time with them, playing cards with the children. After dinner where we sat by candle light for light, we had a sing song and the locals danced and sang for us. Bearing in mind smiley smiley and Andrew and many of the local boys were drinking lots of water 'rice wine' and smoking lots! Anyway the night turn into a different form of events. What we though was going to be a night of singing and getting to know each other, turned out to be a night of smoking opium which we was informed is what is used to make heroin we were very nicely asked if we would like some but kindly declined. We are still sitting in a nice little circle the difference now, that smiley smiley and Andrew are in the middle giving us a history of how you obtain opium (its taken from poppies and mostly now grown in Berma), showing us how to use it, our mouths were wide open in shock. It can be said that this was not on the advertising leaflet. Andrew - who we now know is a drunk, drugged up English teacher is telling us that it is all natural and that's why he does it! Andrew also told us at the start that when you get back from the 3 day trek everyone has a glow about them - we now know why that is!!

After that lovely evening we all went to bed apart from Andrew he carried on. We did not sleep very well considering we were laying on bamboo. We woke up around 8.30 to have breakfast and head off on the next part of our journey through the jungle and you have guessed it was more bloody trekking, up mountains!! It did not get any easier and we were still panting at the back trying to keep up!! We made it to our next destination which was a waterful were we had visions of it looking just like the waterful does in the herbal essence advert! Well all i can say is when we finally got their, our dreams were dashed, we had to walk up another part of a mountain and when we did get their we realised that the water did not look as fresh or as clear and was certainly not warm enough to start washing our hair!

After lunch we got ready for more trekking to get to the next place which was elephant trekking! Along the way Stephanie was the first person to fall over everyone herd a tumble of rocks looked round and stephanie was on the floor she blamed the primark specials and quite rightly as at this point they were beyond recognition! A little bit further on the group herd another tumble of rocks this time, yup it was me, i had fallen over and was laying about 2 inches away from some elephant poo! - We would just like to add we were not the only ones who fell over.

So we finally got to the elephants were there was a baby and 2 adults. Stephanie and I both sat on one elephant we were on it for about an hour, it was good apart from the elephant wanting to make a detour up a steep part of the mountain and us hanging on for dear life (apparently a rope to tie us in was not neccssary!).

The next part of the trek was the worst - well for stepahnie anyway this did feel like we were in the jungle making our way through the thick bush with bugs flying at us! This is where Stephanie shouted at me and I quote 'Ive done this bloody trek with you, you can not complain when i take you to any more museums.' We have now decided to do our next activities alone!!

We eventually got to the next hut, we were staying in to find out that the toilet was down the hill about a 10 min walk - which really rounds our day off perfectly. We have some nice food all fresh from the local people farms and all cooked while we were there! There was so much food all the time and it was really tasty!

The next morning we walked another hour and 45 minutes to get to the bamboo rafting, Stephanie did not want to take part in this so she was named photographer. I went on a raft with two girls we have met and then a local man who was supplying the rafts basically the raft was about 8 long sticks of bamboo tied together with us each holding a bamboo stick to steer it! All I can say is thank god the man was on our raft helping us as the boys in front of ours hit the bank fell over and nearly fell into the river! It was really good fun and I personally think it was probably the best part of the whole adventure even though the raft had loads of large ants crawing all over it.
I cant complain though as the group after us got attack by large wasps some of them got stung and said they have never been in so much pain!!

Once back on dry land I meet Stepahnie we had some lunch and smiley smiley gave us the best news for the past 3 days that we would get the truck to take us back in about 10 minutes! We were soon back to civilisation and headin back to a hot shower, a warm bed and a well deserved alcholic beverage!

We are now staying in a little guest house which has a pool, so on monday we just chilled out by the pool all day as the weather was lovely. The road we are staying on is fairly quite with some nice resturants and bars. Yesterday as we walking down to meet some friends from the trek and guess what we saw just walking down the road... and elephant, yup and elephant this place is crazy a local man was offering us corn in bags to feed it - after the trek that was the last thing we wanted to do. We met the girls and at last I had my first glass of wine in 4 weeks! It was amazing which also brings me to the fact that, can you believe we have been traveling for a month already, its crazy!

Well sorry everybody that was such an essay but I hope you feel like you have experienced the eventful trek along with us! Looking back though we are pleased we have done it as we got to see another part of the world, however no more treks for us for a long while!

After the many musuems visited and the trek we have put each other through we have now decided to do our own thing for the day ahead I (Kimberly) will be having a Tai cooking class for the day and Stephanie is going to visit the Longneck Tribe (Dont worry she has asked the hostel many times wether there is any trekking involved!!)

So tune in next time when you can hear how our day apart has gone, if we can cope apart from each other for a day!!

Love to you all
S&K xxxxxxxxxxx
And remember to wrap up warm in that cold weather!!
Please excuse spelling!!