incase the last one didn't work

---

Hellooo again :-)
Wow, we have just had an awesome adventure trekking in the rainforest of chaing Mai!!! The first day we ,et up with our group of 8 (1 irish, 2 Vietnamese, 2 spanish and 1 south american) and our little tour guide who was known to be a ladies man! It had started to rain and looked to be pretty set in. We started on an exhilarating ride up into the mountains and stopped at a local market to buy much needed ponchos and food etc. The driving involved being on the wrong side of the road whilst going round blind corners at full speed so we decided to concentrate on the nice views of the paddy fields and getting to know our team :-)
Then we experienced an elephant ride through the rainforest- this involved us two sitting on its back with a guide on its head! n going up and down slippery narrow tracks wherever the elephant decided! it was great fun :-) Our elephant slipped once which made made us scream! n then later decided to pleasure itself on a big mound ('pleasure mountain') which was highly amusing and we were going in all directions!! There was a baby elephant following and we soon got used to being on slippery cliff edges! It was a great experience but we did feel a bit sorry for the elephants.
After this it was lunch then started climbing up the biggest mountain in Thailand on slippery clay but with views to die for.
WE soon were given our own bamboo sticks by our guide to help when being high above rapids on tiny cliffside paths! WE loved it tho! everyone fell at least once so we were very muddy- we also had to walk through rivers and balance over logs, machete our way through the jungle- it was a proper trek!
WE a had a few waterfall stops and Jules and I went under a freezing one for a shower, bearing in mind at this point it was still raining. After more adventurous trekking we started a decline towards our first local village- some of us resorted to sliding down on our ponchos- at this point one of the girls made it clear that it was all too much for her! Dinner was amazing and in the evening 4 of us and the guide sang along to guitar for quite a few hours! Is say we were 9/10 standard :-)
The following morning after a huge breakfast made by the locals and a great sleep in our little huts our group remained as just us 4 (irish, us and south american) but the weather was fantastic!
second day- lots of mountain climbing, amazing views, village stops, throwing machetes at trees, swinging on vines (all because we were a small group and got on well with our guide :-) ) Another waterfall stop for lunch- again great food then over more difficult more more manageable terrain (due to the weather). WE were balancing along the mud sides of paddy fields, jumping over streams- one of which jules didn't quite make! lol- I do have a good picture though :-) And ended up at another quaint little family destination where we had dinner, went fishing, and played non alcoholic drinking games till late- the forfeits involved getting coverd in black coal- it was such a great night.
Finally we had another great days weather, amazing fun and great views on the final trek then a refreshing swim in a waterfall and pool and Jules and I with some persuasion form our guide, went down some rapids to the lower waterfall- very exhilarating but ended up a little bruised!
We didn't want to tour to end but we had our rafting to look forward too- this was soo tranquil, picturesque through villages with children playing in the water and saying hello, elephants coming to drink and the occasional rapids (in which our south american guy fell in!) It was just brilliant and a good end to the trip.
We all met up for a nice meal out in the evening and treated ourselves to steaks- AMAZING quality for just a couple of pounds and in a riverside location with lanterns and live music.
Today we are going to chill out for the first time! massage and sitting by the pool- then later shopping in the night markets. WE plan to go to Vietnam on sunday so back to Bangkok in a couple of days.
WE love Chaing Mai as its not at all touristy and there are many pretty temples among all the little stalls. WE plan to keep in touch with the two guys as we all got along so well, and may bump into them on our future travels.
Will keep u up to date, lots of love from Jules and Laura xxxx

---