I left Chiang Mai 4 nights ago now, clearly consistent posting is not my forte.

Chiang Mai is a small city in northern Thailand, full of temples and surrounded by mountains.

Day 1

When I woke up after my less than relaxing sleep on the night train, I was greeted with views of the jungle that were a world away from the concrete jungle I left behind in Bangkok

I arrived at my hostel at about 8am and was able to shower and nap before meeting back up with Morgan, who I’d met in Bangkok. We decided to jump straight into activities and organised to go and see the “sticky waterfalls” with incredibly poreous rocks allowing you to walk up the water fall. I managed not to get any photos which was silly but I was exhausted.

I should say that everything I did in Chiang Mai was organised by my fantastic hostel, which is why it was so easy to do everything (and also spend way more than I was expecting)

That evening, I went to see a lady boy show that everyone I spoke to had recommended. This was not like the seedy lady boy shows in Bangkok that I actively avoided but instead was much more similar to a drag queen show. It was completely ridiculous and over the top, but a lot of fun, and the only price was that of a compulsory mojito.

Day 2

The next day, me and two of the girls I met in Bangkok – Morgan and Laura – went to get the best recommended Khao Soi in Chiang Mai. Khao Soi is the regional dish in the north of Thailand and is a really lovely noodle soup which I am very keen to try at home. Anyway, this restaurant was packed with local Thais which was precisely what we’d hoped for, and the Khao soi was truly fantastic, and only 50 Bhat (£1.25)

Next we visited Chiang Mai’s main temple: Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep. I’ll be honest and say that to me, on temple in Thailand is much like another, however, the reason for visiting this temple was not so much for the temple itself but for its location and stunning views, plus it’s really quite challenging staircase

We then finished up the day wandering round Chiang Mai and I even managed to get a good cup of English breakfast tea

Day 3

Elephants!!

So, I initially had no plans to go and see elephants, being hugely sceptical of the ethical implications of “keeping elephants” no matter how well.

However, I decided to go after speaking to the guys at the hostel, and looking up online to try and find out what I could, and I’m so glad I did. The sanctuary I visited was called ElephantLand, and it was a very bumpy 2 hour ride from the hostel.

ElephantLand is different from many of the hundreds of sanctuaries because the elephants cared for there are allowed to roam throughout the national park that the village is set in. The villagers have been caring for the elephants for generations and there was an obvious affection between the elephants and their humans.

We did a bit of banana feeding to the elephants (and one very sweet dog), before following them on a 3 hour trek into the jungle. Then we (the humans) returned for a lunch before stripping off for a mud bath.

One of the more horrible aspects of Thailand is the sheer number of Elephants that are kept in pens on the side of the road or boxed in while hundreds of tourists ply them with food. It’s hard to reconcile this with the genuine kindness of the Thai people, and their treatment of other animals.

The elephants I met were as free as possible while still being protected and compared to the images of other elephants I’ve seen people post, healthy, and happy. I had a fantastic day and was really happy to be able to support a sanctuary that actually cares for its elephants.

Day 4

Unfortunately, I got a mild bout of food poisoning the evening of day 3, which meant that the cooking course a did on the 4th day was a bit underwhelming, as I was too sick to eat anything. Despite this, I’m really glad I did it, because British Thai cooking and Thai Thai cooking are not the same. I now know how to make a proper red curry, and discovered a new love for coconut sticky rice and mango. Plus, I got to see what I was promised was the best toilet in Chiang Mai.

Day 5

My last day in Chiang Mai was lazy, we went for late breakfast, and then hung around waiting for our bus to Pai, which is where I currently am.

I’ll update with what I’ve been up to in Pai when I leave in a couple of days but here’s snapshot of how hectic it’s been the last week (barely left my hammock)