Although not as good as the China trains, our Thai train did have one useful addition: a privacy curtain we could draw around our beds like on a hospital ward. This helped to stop the air-conditioning unit blowing directly into our faces during the night.

We awoke to the stunning scenery of Northern Thailand. Lush green fields tended by sole farmers gave way to verdant hills kissing the low-hanging mist. Couldn't help but smile. The fact the train was late was almost forgiven.

Eventually two hours behind schedule we arrived at Chiang Mai station and the end of the line. We, along with everyone else, hopped out and there began the usual scrum from the tuk-tuk and taxi drivers for our business.

Hoping for a local bus to whizz us the mile and a half to town we were disappointed to learn there was no such thing and the closest was a pick-up truck acting as a shared taxi. Declining this option despite being pestered incessantly by a female driver we settled on a cheaper tuk-tuk.

No idea if it was a reasonable price but we were prepared to pay it so it was reasonable to us. Travellers are full of stories of their triumphant bartering, be it for transport or hostel rooms or goods such as t-shirts and souvenirs. Judging by the stories we hear it sounds like we're the only ones paying an honest amount and thereby keeping the Asian economy going!

I suppose these sorts of stories represent life in a microcosm. Everybody keen to show-off and impress about the time they got a bargain or haggled the poor local to within an inch of their life, neatly sidestepping the times they didn't do so well and got their fingers burned. I guess being a little bit older than the average backpacker we're a little choosier about the goods and services we pay for!

We had no hotel or guesthouse arranged so as soon as we were driven within the city walls our tuk-tuk ride came to an abrupt end. And so followed an hour or so of traipsing around trying to find a room that represented value for money. The heat, initially a welcome relief following the blanket-laden train journey was now beginning to sap our strength and wear us down, however we settled on a room having initially dismissed it for being a tad expensive.

After relaxing for a spell we went back out for a belated lunch and a walk around the walled city. We ventured outside the city walls to Talat Warorat, the city's oldest market. It's a locals' market and this makes it more enjoyable to walk around. The prices, which are lower than at tourist markets (obviously) are clearly labelled and, because there is no room for bartering, you are left alone to browse at your leisure.

We also spent some time looking for a suitable day tour to do tomorrow (there are many variations on a theme depending on the tour operator) even returning to our own hostel to find out what they could offer. All the tours seemed good so, unable to distinguish and make a choice, we booked with the one we felt most comfortable with, the very first place we visited.

After a freshen up and a short wait for the rains to clear, we went back out to enjoy an Indian buffet we had seen advertised a few doors down from the tour operator. There was rice together with four main dishes and poppadums. Eat what you like. The food was fantastic, really took us back home to Leicester!

The owner of the bar where we ate was a jovial guy from England who had his usual crowd and clearly wanted us to spread the word about his establishment. Anywhere that does an Indian buffet on a Friday night and a Sunday Roast has got my vote!

We had a lot of fun walking around Chiang Mai this afternoon. After the bustle of Bangkok there's a lovely laid-back atmosphere to the place. We both immediately got a good feel about it.

The following day started with a futile hunt for breakfast. It was early on a Saturday morning and a few places were open but our biggest problem was that we needed something quickly which we couldn't find. So having traipsed around a little and got sweaty we waited for our lift which arrived a little late.

Our mode of transport was a sawngthaew (a small pick-up truck with two benches opposite each other running front to back and with a covered roof). After a couple more pick ups our group was complete and we were on our way. Once again our group was very international consisting of a Chinese couple, a German couple, a retired New Zealand couple, one American and us. Fascinating to hear people's stories and to discover why they're in Thailand. Really good!

Our first stop was a butterfly and orchid farm, not really my thing but sometimes it's good to do new things. Here we got a belated breakfast of coffee and a wafer. We piled back in before starting the drive off-road and deep into beautiful Northern Thailand.

The setting was stunning with hills encircling us, green fields full of crops, cloudless blue sky, dirt tracks here and there, babbling brooks and the odd bit of wildlife dotted about against a backdrop of almost virtual silence.

We got dropped off and walked the four hundred metres or so into the village where we were to do elephant trekking. We quickly learned that it was the guide's own village.

With only four elephants and nine of us, myself and Kirsty were part of a three with the American joining us bravely riding the neck of the elephant for the whole hour. Once again the ride was an experience, such a difficult thing to express in words.

Our elephant this time (and I love how they have such strong character traits) was either deliberately mischievous or just had a short attention span as we spent much of the time zigzagging from side to side - could've benefitted from some blinkers!

Part of the hour long trek around the village took us past a new elephant mother and her young baby, just one month old - so cute to see an elephant in miniature.

When we had finished the elephant riding we stayed in the village to have a delicious lunch of Massaman curry followed by fresh pineapple and watermelon for afters. When we asked if there was any more fruit, it was brought to us in a jiffy! A really nice place to stay.

But all good things come to an end and we got back in the pick-up and went further and higher into the hills (700m above sea level) along a bumpy, twisty dirt track - we were being thrown all over the place in the back sitting sideways without any seatbelts and without being able to see the road ahead!

Eventually we clambered out at the start of the waterfall walk just as the heavens opened. As a couple of us went for our waterproof jackets, our guide showed his resourcefulness by fashioning a couple of umbrellas for other people and a poncho for himself out of banana leaves.

The walk was great fun, sweaty work and slippery in places but the rain stayed away for most of it luckily. The guide stopped at several points to show us some interesting things around and about the jungle.

When we made it to the waterfall the setting was amazing! A change of clothes was followed by a quick dip (it was freezing!) before the rain returned with a vengeance causing a quick halt to proceedings.

Shoes and socks back on, we scurried across the now wet and slippery stepping stones over the river, through the jungle before arriving at another village where we saw how the locals lived. The family of six all slept together in one space, they had no electricity living just by candlelight and their houses are made of bamboo. Amazing really!

After being reminded how much we have in the West we left the village and visited another tribe further along the main highway. Here, although the Government allows them to have the land free of charge, they only have limited electricity, the difference they generate themselves using solar cells - the sun something not in short supply in Thailand.

While we were in this village, a local from a neighbouring village arrived in a pick-up selling kilogram bags of pork out the back of his truck. The villages all have their own pigs but won't eat their own meat so instead, they all buy from each other. We had heard that a snack similar to pork crackling was very popular in this part of Thailand but unfortunately (or fortunately for our waistline!) we haven't seen any on sale!

Our next stop after a short drive down the highway was an hour long bamboo raft trip downstream. The only addition to the basic bamboo raft being five mini benches for us to sit on. With one man stood at the front and back each with a piece of bamboo to steer, the current took us very gently down the river. One of the other travellers likened it to punting which seems to me a good way to describe it.

One drawback was, because the raft sat so low in the water, there were a fair number of ants, spiders and small scorpions hitching a ride with us. This unfortunately spoiled the experience somewhat for Kirsty. At one point a large black crab hopped aboard the raft, luckily nowhere near us at the back!

This was then the end of a great day, the tour certainly living up to expectations and even the delay caused by a rush-hour traffic jam getting back into Chiang Mai centre together with the fact we were last to be dropped off didn't ruin the day.

After getting in late we changed our footwear before going for a quick meal and picking up supplies for our early train tomorrow.

An eventful time in Chiang Mai drew to a close the following morning and we went through the usual checkout process with an unusually energetic Frenchman (it was 8am) before jumping in another red sawngthaew for the train station. At the train station we established what platform we were departing from before, leaving Kirsty to look after the bags, I popped to the local 7 Eleven to get some snacks to keep us going.

The train set up was different from the overnight train but not altogether unfamiliar. Second class seats with air-conditioning in the form of rotating desk-type fans secured on the ceiling. What was unusual was that free food and drink was served throughout the journey by the train staff who looked after us all manfully. It felt more like a flight as they wheeled the food and drinks cart up and down the aisle several times during the journey.

The scenery outside the window was beautiful and I felt very privileged to see Northern Thailand in this way.