Just got back from Northern Thailand today - very bleary eyed as the sleeper train wasnt great for sleeping. Had a great week up there. The middle part of the week was spent doing the trek through the jungle. Was fairly hard walking for some of it, although we had two other modes of transport: a ropey bamboo raft and an Elephant. The latter was brilliant and you really have to hang on to the seat - going through rivers and steep slopes was a doddle for these amazing animals. The rafts were great for getting an adrenaline rush - except we were rafting on a flooded river with a few grade 3 rapids in places. Thankfully ours was the only one that didnt capsize - we had a very good 'driver' which helped. The accomodation was staying in longhouse huts in two villages where the Karen and La Hou tribes live. Think i ate twice my body weight in rice and spring rolls at the end of each day. Tried my first fried cricket too which wasnt as bad as I though it would be. I would of liked to have seen a bit more wildlife on the trail - the highlight was seeing a King Cobra (though thankfully just a baby one).
The two days either side of the trek were spent in Chiang Mai itself. We visited the Doi Suthep temple which had stunning views looking down on the city. Also did a bike ride of the old quarter and saw three more interesting temples on the other day. One of which contained a two thousand year old sculpture of buddha. The infamous night bazaar was fun to look round - I didnt part with too much money but its probably the best market in Thailand.
Leaving on another sleeper treain tomorrow night to get to Phuket. Photos to follow soon!
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