The trip from Mae Hong Son to Chiang Rai was a very long one. We had to retrace our steps through Pai and back to Chiang Mai, then immediately jump on another bus to take us North to Chiang Rai. In the end it took us about 10 or 11 hours and it was just our luck that as we arrived there was a massive downpour. Not good as we hadn't booked a hotel! Luckily the one recommended by the Lonely Planet was just around the corner and had rooms available too!Once we g...

So we had heard that doing a hill tribe trek was one of the things to do in Northern Thailand. We'd heard that in places outside of Chiang Mai that it was quite touristy and we wanted to go somewhere a bit more off the beaten track. So we decided to do it in Mae Hong Son a small town surrounded by forested mountains. We were in for a treat! We caught a local bus from Pai. We were at the bus station at least 30 minutes before anyone else yet when the bus arri...

After about four hours or so on a mini bus and me feeling terrible due to the windy roads (beautiful scenery though!) we arrived in Pai.  Pai is found up in the mountains in the North West corner of Thailand. It's quite a small town that you can walk around in about half an hour. Lots of bars, cafes, guest houses and market stalls. When we arrived it was super busy and completely full of backpackers on the main street. There seemed to be more backpackers in...

We arrived in Chiang Mai at about 10:30pm, much later than anticipated due to a late running train. When we got to our hotel at 11pm it was all shut up and for a moment we didn't think anyone was going to let us in. Luckily a very bleary eyed young Thai lady appeared after a few rings of the doorbell and showed us to our room.  The next day we were all set to go around the temples in the old city when I had the foresight to remind Hannah that Chiang Mai is ...