Ok so we left Bangkok - thankfully and got on a 14hour train journey to Chiang Mai in North Thailand. The train was AMAZING!!!! it was a sleeper train so we had top bunk (although different cabins) and it was air conditioned. You got fresh warm linen and a lamp and table to put your book etc on. We loved it it was the most the luxorious thing we had seen in weeks!!! We tucked ourselves in and prepare for the long journey ahead. We slept pretty well and arrived in Chiang Mai refreshed at 11am. We were greeted by our hostel owner (Family Treking Guesthouse) and we check in then dumped our bags and went for a wander around to try and get our bearings! After a long day walking in the intense heat we crashed and had a relatively early night.

We woke and packed our bags for our 3day jungle trek and left our rucksacks with the owners in the lockers provided. A mini van picked us up and we drove to the local market to buy toilet roll (jungle trek - self explanatory) and then we all piled back in the van to head up to the mountains. We started at the Elephant camp, it was amazing when we first arrived and we were both excited at the concept of sitting on an elephant for a stroll down the river. Em bought some banana's and fed them - tight arse over here just watched and took the pictures! We climbed the ladder and sat on top of our Elephant (Cee-lo) who was a lady boy!!! - no jokes!! After gettin used to the fact that its pretty uncomfortable and terribly sweaty we relaxed and took in the scenery! We were on the Elephants for an hour walking around the camp, through the river and next to the rice fields it was pretty spec i won't lie. We all had lunch together after that (Pad Thai) and then the trek began ....

We were dropped of at the bottom of a hill with a clay road ahead of us. We walked for about 2.5 hours in the blistering heat up and down through the jungles past waterfalls and rice and veg fields until we reached the Waterfall at 5pm. We took our shoes off and watched the steam leave our burning swollen toes!! We had another 20mins then we arrived at camp. We all stayed together in a massive bamboo hut. We showered of the days sweat then dressed warmly and sat round the candle for some stir fried veg and rice. We all stayed up chatting and Em learned some magic of the local drunk. We went to sleep relativle early in prep for the next day.

We woke and had a 5hour trek in front of us. Had breakfast then walked for around 2 hours stopped for lunch then walked for another 4.5hours again in the blistering heat!!!! We arrived at the second camp which was amazing and had dinner there and again stayed up chatting and getting to no some of the locals.

On the last day we had a 2.5hour walk but all down hill :) i got stung by a bee :( had the poisin squeezed out and then made our way down to the rafting. We did white water rafting and bamboo rafting but the water was pretty low because its dry season but it was so funny we had a great time doing that. We returned to Chiang Mai and had an early night as we were both exhausted.

The next day we got an 18hour bus journey to Luang Prabang in Laos. We spent 5nights there in a hostel feeling like 'lifers' we woke up every morning to an empty bed and went to sleep in a full dorm. Luang Prabang was really nice a very french feel to the town. We hired bicycles and cycled around the town whic was amazing, we volunteered down at the English centre and we saw the temple. We ate every night at the night market (10,000 kip) for a plate and visited the morning market for a wander every morning. Our days were filled with reading at Utopia and taking in all the scenery. We loved it.

From there we moved on to Vang Vieng to tube. We arrived and it was raining. We have been freezing cold and wet for 4days. Its suppose to be nice tmz so we'll tube then i think.

Love and miss you all

Soph and Bov

xxx

Laos number is +8562078756384