Okay so we're in Chiang Mai right now - it's absolutely gorgeous here ... so chilled and laid back, just what the doctor ordered. We flew here having arrived in Bangkok early on Thursday morning and finding out that there were no trains or buses running due to flooding (great!). All worked out in the end though as we were able to get a cheap flight the following day. So that night we checked into the most amazing hotel ... for only 10 pounds! The 4 of us made ourselves at home in our very own suite (yes you did hear correctly!) ... air con, 2 en suite bathrooms, 3 tvs, a bar and kitchen area, and king size beds, woohoo!!! Needless to say we all slept very comfortably. Also made use of the rooftop pool, steam room, sauna and jacuzzi he he was fab. So we we arrived in Chiang Mai on the Friday and checked into a cheap and cheerful guesthouse (with a pool) .. love it! Signed up for a 2 day trek and a cooking course which apparantly is a MUST if you're travelling around the north of Thailand. In the evening had a little wander round town and visited the night markets ... okay so up until now I've been so good with my spending but that's kinda gone out the window (could be laurens influence hmmm not too sure!). Right so the following day we embarked on our two day trek through the forests of Chiang Mai ... we were all pretty excited but little did we know what the next two days would have in store for us ... dum dum dum..... So the beginning of day one was great. Hitched a ride in the back of a truck with our guide J (such a dude!). Stopped off at Buotong waterfall - amazing! Made simply of limestone with crystal clear water cascading down the side, it proved to be quite a picture. So we climbed up this waterfall - so much fun, until J accidentally dropped Katies camera down it .. understandably she wasn't a very happy bunny : ( Okay so after having stopped off for lunch we swifly moved on to the forest for a 3 hour trek, exhilirating yet exhausting at the same time. Later we were met in a clearing by 2 beautiful elephants (I actually adore them!). Sadly our elephant riding experience was not as enjoyable as we had hoped; this was mainly due to the fact that the elephants were so poorly treated by the their 'drivers (if you can even call them that). They were continuously hitting them and pulling at their ears.. not very nice at all and we were all pretty upset by the end of the ride. Needless to say we were so happy to arrive at the small village where we'd be staying the night. Warmly greeted by the tribe we instantly felt at home. Spent a gorgeous evening there .. entertained by some of the kids and we were glad to recipricate with some pop songs of our own he he we even got a round of applause. Okay so the second day of the trek was interesting. Started off well with a gentle stroll through the forest which was fine .. after lunch though was a traumatic experience to say the least. All four of us clambered onto a small bamboo raft, which after a few minutes began to sink - great start! So we floated down the river for a while then, about half way through, our driver made a boo (a rather big one!) He misjudged a rapid and we got stuck in the middle of the river. The raft was pushed up against a log and the driver seemed unable to set it free ... we started to sink properly now. We all grabbed hold of this log and climbed on to it; at this point we were actually getting scared. Eventually, after what seemed like forever, our driver managed to free the raft - the log (which we were all sitting on) started to sink. Katie and Dani managed to get back onto the raft, but Lauren and I got stuck. My leg got caught in between the bamboo raft and the log - I've never been so scared. I thought my leg was going to snap in half, thank goodness Lauren was there to hold me up otherwise I would've been dragged under water. Don't really remember much of the episode due to immense shock but I'm told Katie helped to get my leg untangled - thanks Katie you're wicked! The raft driver wasn't very helpful at all as while all this was going on he swam off to retrieve his lost flip flop, nice hey?! Oh well needless to say we were happy to arrive back at our hostel. Following the traumatic goings on of yesterday we all went on a thai cooking course today, so much fun! We visted the market early this morning to pick up fresh ingredients then we got cooking 5 dishes which we got to eat at the end ... so delicious! Mummy and daddy I promise I'll cook for you when I get home, I really will this time he he. Phew I think that's all the updating I've got to do for now. Heading down to the Islands tomorrow which we're all very excited about. Will update you all again soon if I've not too busy lounging around on the beach! Much love x x x