Chaing Mai and Ayuthaya

---

I'll try and pick up from where we left off, Kanchanaburi.
After Kanchanaburi we went slightly east to Ayuthaya and its famous temple ruins. Easiest way to get around was by bike so once again we hired some for the 2 days we were going to be there. On the first day we were planning on cycling to a temple on the river to watch the sun set (we arrived mid afternoon in Ayuthaya) but on the way my tyre exploded. We started to walk the rest of the way but realised by the time we got there the sun would have gone down and then we'd just have to walk back, plus id cut my foot on some brambles or something on the side of the road. After attempting the dubious task of having Vanessa give me a backy whilst i held on to the other bike beside us, we just dived into a tuk tuk, bikes and all and went back to the hostel.

The second day was a bit more successful. We managed to cycle around most of the temples within Ayuthaya, seeing some beautiful ruins, including the famous Buddha head in tree roots, taking in the culture and some history and then took a well needed break in a gorgeous park. At night we boarded the night train to Chaing Main (north).

The night train was surprisingly comfortable, with our own beds, and we both managed to sleep for the majority of the 14 hour journey. The breakfast was not so good, a ham and cheese sandwich with no ham, and a fruit selection made up of a quarter ring of pineapple!

Chaing Mai then - At first I was a little disappointed with Chaing Mai, after hearing about how gorgeous it was from everyone, I was surprised to find a city not too different to Bangkok, it was very busy and once again we were hassled by everyone trying to get money. Once you delve deeper into the town you see that there is a much stronger underlying Thai Culture, with lots of local markets selling all types of crazy food and handmade gifts and a far more layed back atmosphere. The first day we wandered around taking everything in, few temples, markets etc and then retired to a bar and got quite drunk with a German bloke, a guy from Edinburgh called Will, an American Vietnam War Veteran called Larry and some locals. This resulted in a very lazy and hungover second day in Chaing Mai.
On our next day we snuck into a hotels swimming pool for a quick swim and cool down, as it was boiling, did some more sight seeing and then booked a 3 day 2 night trek. That evening we went to the Night Bazarr - a huge night market selling pretty much everything you could ever need (if everything you could ever need consisted of fake t shirts, hand made crafts and knock off DVDs) but it was still brilliant and we managed to get a lot of bargains!

The Trek then. This trek was apparently a 'real jungle trek' that was different (and a lot more expensive) than all other treks being offered in Chaing Mai that just took you to the forests just outside the city. Our group consisted of us, and 4 dutch people (2 on their honeymoon) who luckily spoke great English and were all really funny and up for getting drunk! On the first day we went to a local market to pick up some provisions and then drove to the rainforests west of Chaing Mai.
Our first stop was a really nice waterfall, that unfortunately because it had been raining, we could not swim in as debris from up river could be washed over at any time. Still was nice to see and the power of it was amazing.
First stop we took an elephant trek through the jungle and river, which was brilliant. I rode on his head and got elephant spit in my mouth everytime he raised his trunk to ask for food.
After this we drove a little to visit a hill tribe, the name of which escapes me (Hu Long? Hu Mong?), who were an old Chinese tribe who had moved to the Thai hills around 200 years ago. The village was made up of about 25 houses and 1 bar where it seemed all the men of the village were getting hammered whilst the women did everything else - Vanessa took note!

We then did a small 1-2 hour trek through rainforest which then opened up over rice fields, with the sun setting over them it was really beautiful. Just off the rice fields was the next 'village' where we would be spending the night. Not so much a village really though, as 1 family, with 1 house, a kitchen and lots of chickens. The family made us very welcome and the views from their house were incredible - we were about 2000m up. There was no electrcity so for entertainment we all sat round, drank Chang, and sang terrible songs including Ronan Keating, Aerosmith and the Cranberries (about the only ones the Dutch people knew). Dinner was cooked over an open fire and was amazing- best we've eaten in Thailand.
After an uncomfortable sleep on bamboo we set off for a 6-7 hour trek through the rainforest. We saw a giant centipede, monkeys, a snake, a lizard, loads of big spiders and leaches. Our guide was brilliant, and kept stopping off to give us information and feed us with various nuts and berries. We ate our lunch at the the top of a mountain with home made chopsticks and plates (leaves) all from the trees we were sat under. This trek was pretty tough especially in the Thai heat, and we were all releaved when we arrived in our next village, of the Karen Hill tribes, made up of 9 houses with 9 families. We grabbed a very cold shower, fed the children with sweets, and I chased Vanessa with a chicken claw from the chicken Wood (the guide) had just killed for our tead. Again we got drunk and ate by candle light, playing games and singing. Our hut seemed quite comfortable until we were all woken at 5.30 am by the local cockerels.
Next day more trekking. A bamboo rafting which was great and ended with each team trying to capsize the other and then the worlds coldest waterfall.

More to come, running out of time. Speak soon. x

---