Chiang Mai, Thailand

Hello from Chiang mai!!

So we have had lots going on since my last email! We arrived in Chiang mai on Saturday morning. We took a night bus which wasn't quite as comfortable as the ones in Vietnam as this one didn't have beds. The chairs reclined quite a lot so we did get a little sleep and the driving wasn't anywhere near as mental as Vietnam which was nice! When we arrived our room wasn't ready yet as it was 6am so we had a little snooze in the lobby on the sofa! Then when the room was ready we went back to sleep up there for a while. The hotel is nice and does food so we got a decent breakfast before going out to explore. They had pancakes which made me happy as I hadn't had one since Vietnam! On exploring Chiang mai even just a little we really liked it. There's a very hippie bohemian atmosphere and its surrounded by stunning mountains. We walked down some side streets and saw lots of quirky cafes and restaurants. We stopped for a drink in one called little angels and chatted to the owner she was a Thai lady married to an american. She was lovely and explained that she closed at four each day so she had time to do baking which I thought was amazing! She was telling us to be careful of the mosquitoes as its rainy season and there are a lot with dengue fever. Her husband had been in hospital with it and when she explained the symptoms it sounds a lot like what I was poorly with which is a bit scary. On returning to the hotel I looked it up and think I probably did have it. Luckily even if you do go to hospital they can't do much for it they just keep an eye on you so I should be OK and now feeling so much better. On Sunday we decided to go and explore all the temples in the town center. There are a lot in Chiang mai! We wandered around them just absorbing the culture . As it was Sunday the whole town is taken over by the Sunday market so many of the temples had food stalls set up in the courtyards. There were some spectacular BBQs going on! The main street in the town is where the main market is and they were selling all sorts of goodies. I bought some really pretty cushion covers made by Thai hill tribe people so they should brighten up my new place when I get home! We managed to find the most amazing restaurant for lunch where I had a big plate of vegetable tempura so delicious! Already we were both feeling so much happier and more relaxed than Bangkok. We have also noticed that here in Thailand and also Cambodia the people are very friendly and cant do enough to help you. I think this was something we found hard in Vietnam as people there were quite the opposite!

Monday brought a whole new adventure! We had booked to go on a two day trip into the mountains doing trekking and other activities. We got collected at 9am and there were 12 of us in total. It was a really nice bunch of people all around our age, 4 Spaniards, 1 Israeli, 1 Argentinian and 6 Brits! So off we set. We had a windy journey into the mountains but got there after about 90 minutes. We stopped at a spot on the way where you could ride elephants. I didn't want to ride one which I had decided before going away. I just think they are wild animals and don't really agree with using them for a luxury purpose. I know some hill tribes will still be using them for logging or other working purposes but to use them for pure luxury I didn't like. These ones also didn't look too happy. The babies had been separated from the mums and were quite distressed and some were chained up with no shade or water. Quite a few of the keepers had to drag the elephants to make them walk. So while the others had a ride I sat quietly and fed sugar cane to one cheeky little elephant while she had her break. The guide did his best to convince me the elephants were happy and at 3pm went back to the jungle to eat but I'm glad I didn't partake. After the elephant stop we set off walking and the views were just indescribably stunning. We were in the jungle so mostly all you could see was bamboo and trees but every so often we would see a clearing and views of mountains and valleys with no one for miles. Some of the paths were quite treacherous and we had to navigate through rice paddies and over some difficult bamboo bridges but our guide (named himself 'jungle man') kept reassuring us it was just in the name of adventure! He was a quirky man and was part of the karen hillside tribe himself and seemed to know these jungle paths inside out. Part of me did stop and think if one of us fell and hurt ourselves or did get bitten by a snake we would be rather screwed as no way to get help or even land a helicopter. I asked jungle man about this and he said this had happened to him before and he just had to keep walking with a broken bone and never went to hospital! He also reassured me that the snakes in this jungle were king cobras and if one bit you then you only live for another 30 seconds so a hospital is a bit irrelevant! I'd kind of wished i hadn't asked! He said there were monkeys and tigers here too but they tend to be active at night.

We walked for about two hours just enjoying being out of town before we got to a secluded water fall. We all had a little swim which was so refreshing before we set off for camp. We reached camp around 2 hours later all a bit tired and hot. Basic doesn't even cover it! We had three huts. One to sleep in, one for the loo and one for jungle man to cook in. We were on the edge of a hillside village and I have huge amounts of admiration for their way of life. They have no electricity or running water and live so simply just living on what they can grow or gather from the jungle. The only noise all night was the frogs and cicadas. It was so refreshing to have a night of simple living. We all sat around by candle light eating a Thai curry that jungle man cooked for us over the fire and he came to sit with us and we played silly games. It was just wonderful. Sleeping was a bit tricky as there were a lot of insects! We had mosquito nets which kept most of them out but there were termites in the wood of the hut so we all fell asleep listening to the chomping of termite jaws. The second day we had some more walking to do. It had rained in the morning so it was a bit slippy. We had more beautiful views and saw a couple of disgustingly large scary spiders! We stopped for lunch which was a bit more civilised than yesterday (a banana leaf parcel with fried rice inside!) As there was a camping restaurant type place. After a quick lunch we drove to a river where we were doing bamboo rafting. The rafts were made of long bamboo canes tied together. I was with two of the Spanish guys who found it hilarious to stand up and rock the raft making me squeal a bit! It was really fun though and started pouring with rain which was quite cool. Our raft only capsized once and the guide reassured me by saying there were only small snakes in the river ha ha! We went down a few small rapids and the boys had a go at being on charge of the raft too. After rafting we headed back to town all very soggy, tired but overjoyed. We all went out for dinner together last night which was lovely too. It was probably the best time I've had so far since being away and anyone coming to Thailand I would say you must go to the north and see the countryside. Today we are relaxing by the pool for a bit to recover and let our feet rest! We were very grateful of a proper bed last night!

Tomorrow we will see a few more temples before getting the night train in the evening to arrive in bangkok again on Friday morning. Johns flight gets in Friday morning so we will meet him and have two days all together In bangkok before sadly on Sunday Chrissie heads home and we will head to the islands. I have now been away for 5 weeks so starting to miss a few home comforts (lasagne cravings are massive! As well as chocolate orange and beans on toast). I will be sad for Chrissie to go home as this is probably the longest I have spent non stop with anyone! But still really excited for john to arrive and for the next 7 weeks of the trip. We still have to see the south of Thailand and what Malaysia and Indonesia have to offer. A little apprehensive about going back to bangkok but we spoke to a couple who stayed on koh San road which is the backpacker area we will be staying in and they said it was easy to find food and things. Hopefully as we are both recovered from illness it will be easier too.

I hear the weather is really hot at home! I hope you are all making the most of it and managing to enjoy it around work etc. Hope you are all keeping well and missing you all loads!!! Lots and lots of love to all of you and speak again soon :-) xxxx