Chiang Mai & the trek part 1

Chiang Mai is sound...why?? Well because the locals aren't obsessively trying to rip you off at every possible turn. Amazingly you actually pay the same prices as the locals! Hence why we got pineapple at 5 Baht a bag - and got two of them at that price. It was about time we had a bit more fruit and veg. Meat and rice can take its toll on the body! Also you can fill your water bottle for 1 Baht a litre. This is the life!! Shame there's no beach - if there was we could have just stayed here for 8-1/2 months haha!

Next day we started our trek. It kicked-off with Elephant trekking - that was awesome but they're really greedy buggers! They'd literally walk 10 paces and then put their trunks up over their heads to demand a banana! Absolute laughers! Martin and I had ours under control though and on a wee diet after a bit...though that only seemed to exaccerbate its naughty streak - causing it to try and steal bananas from the people on the top of the other Elephants!! Amazing how much a probing trunk makes a woman scream!!

Annoyingly all our dutyiful work was undone by thge local who jumped on the front of our elephant at the end of the trek and used up all our bananas. I think 20 Baht a bag of bananas which you feed to elephants is a bit rude when we paid 10 for the same amount for ourselves the day before!! We're not stingy...honest!

Hit a waterfall where Martin scared the hell out of Kate by dropping his camera in the water whilst passing it to her! Good job its waterproof to 3 m! That evening we spent singing songs at Chew's (trek-leader's) cousin's hut and later playing 0-0-7-Bang. This mainly involved lots of people getting covered in the black c**p from the bottom of a cooking pot! Awesome hut and a surprisingly good night's sleep for being out trekking!