F#%k me! How big are the spiders here! ! !

Sorry for the language but they are big! I feel like I have done so much this last few days that I don't know where to begin now. I arrived in Chiang mai early Sunday morning. The night train from Bangkok was a complete nightmare from start to finish. I messed up and booked the wrong time, then when I finally had it sorted there were only seats available. So I might as well have taken the bus, but nevermind.

I found a really nice guest house, its spotless and it has a real toilet which actually flushes! I spent the first day having a look round. In the evening there was a Lantern festival, which was a sight to see. There were thousands of lanterns in the sky, and a firework display too. This also meant that 50 million Thai kids (ok slight exageration) were running around with firecrackers, throwing them at anything moving. I got quite good at dodging them. The night market was really good too.

My second day I set off on a 2 day trek. I met some really cool people, there were 11 of us altogether and 2 guides. A really good bunch of people, we had such a laugh. This started with an elephant ride which was pretty amazing. I think the best part was when the elephant behind could smell the banana's I had and tapped me on the back with its trunk. A big snotty one! Nice! And it ended with a bamboo raft down the river which involved me getting very wet, with a lot of walking and waterfalls in between.

We spent the night at a village on the side of a hill in Mae Wang. We had a nice hole in the floor for the toilet, the shower was a hose pipe and we all had to share the floor of a bamboo hut! If you have never slept on the floor of a bamboo hut, don't! It is no the best! 

Noo, our guide cooked a grand chicken curry, then brought his cards and a bottle of Thai whiskey. I think his plan was to get us all drunk and away to bed as early as possible. We played cards while getting very p!ss#d. We were all sat round chatting and Noo pointed out the biggest spider I have ever seen. It was just sat there on the ceiling looking menacing. I did manage to get a picture, whilst trying not to scream like a girl. It was huge! I still shudder just thinking about it.

Once the whiskey was gone, out came the moonshine, brewed in a hut round the back of the village I believe! Rocket fuel!!!! After about half an hour we were all cross eyed and giggling at everything. It was such a laugh.

I had a stonking head the next day, when I woke at 5am freezing cold! There were chickens and hens making a right racket under our hut. I was seriously considering attacking them with my trusty pen knife, but that would of meant moving, so I didnt! (I slept with my pen knife under my pillow, just in case there were any spider attacks through the night.)

Tonight is my last night here, I'm heading to Laos in the morning. I'm taking a bus to the border and then the slow boat to Luang Prabang. I can't believe that I have been in Thailand for a month now. Its gone really fast. Oh well, am away to have a beer now!