We arrived into Chiang Mai early morning on the 30th after taking the night train up from Bangkok. We had not managed to sleep that well as the lights were left on all night and we were worried about our bags. The car next to us was a make shift disco car complete with music , coloured lights and a disco ball! Woke up in the morning in time to watch as the train pased through some park land. Very picturesque.

Our hotel is fantastic! The rooms are clean and we even have a pool. Chiang Mai is much more laid back than Bangkok and the temperature is cooler.

We booked ourselves onto a tour for the day and began with a walk up a large hill. At the top we walked around a hill tribe village - although they seem fairly submerged into modern life - many of them appeared to be at work! After that we had some lunch and then went to an elephant farm where we rode some elephants. About ten minutes into the ride, the elephant trainer jumped off and we were left steering the elephant. Pete jumped onto its head! WE both had a go steering. Great fun. We rounded the day off with a session of bamboo rafting down the river back to the bus.

The remainder of our time in Chiang Mai was spent walking around the city, taking in the famous night market. We also went to see a traditional Thai Boxing match in a local gyn - we couldnt believe our eyes - they even had small kids fighting each other it was brutal.

Briefly met back up with Al and had a beer before heading on towards Krabi.