Arriving into Thailand late at night with a group of lively women in toe, was probably not what Olly had expected, but upon arriving into Chiang Rai we headed into the backpacker area to find a place to stay for the night. We found one place that looked ok ish, but alas no Wifi or AC. As the 'ladies' discussed the issue of having no AC, Olly sprung off to find an alternative place for the night for us all. We followed shortly afterwards chatting to ourselves looking at the various hostels available. Then from no lwhere he came back, with a room for Olly and I, and one for other ladies to share, with AC. I thought one of them was going to kiss him when he delivered the news about AC. The words Hero were used too. After a quick refresh we went for our first Pad Thai and a few beers.

The next morning Olly and I headed out to do a bit of travel admin, and book a trek for the following day. We then bumped into the other three ladies who were heading to the famous White Temple so we followed them there. Probably the most unique temple that we’ve been to so far; the word kitsch comes to mind. Approaching the temple over a mini bridge, you pass hundreds of sculpted hands reaching up, before you walk over a pond full of mini sharks. Inside the walls are adorned with mureals of Pokemon and Disney cartoons cross with a baroque style design all up the walls. Sadly no photos are allowed, and alas this is where I dropped my camera and so began a long saga of getting it fixed! Following on the weird and wonderful activities we headed back into town and found ourselves in the cat cafe, sipping over priced drinks and playing with a variety of beautiful cats!

The rest of our time in the area was spent on a guided walk up into the hills to stay with a village community. We were lucky enough to be joined by a fellow Brit for the trip which made the experience less intense. The guide was clearly a local boy so was well received when we arrived into the village. We three went off to wonder the small village of around 15 houses all hanging to the hill side looking across a vast expanse of jungle and cut up with tea plantations. We eventually found the local drunks and I had a pleasant one way conversation with a very old lady who was huddled over a boiling tea pot. The boys were tucking into a shot of local brew alcohol. The meal and accommodation here were fabulous. The lady who cooked for us was 65 and had great grandchildren who were 17 years old. Meaning the average age of becoming a parent is around 17. She also had a large extended family, so whilst we ate lots of people dropped by to the kitchen room. Some ate with us, some came for beer.

The journey back was even more interesting. Clearly wanting to provide us with the full jungle trekking experience the guide (and his mate) brought ingredients from the village into the jungle and cooked us up a meal of instant noodles and vegetable omelette, all cooked in bamboo wood leant over a fire. Quite a unique experience to dine in the jungle by a small stream!

From Chiang Rai to the second largest city in Thailand, Chang Mai. Here we spent a few days exploring the city temples and randomly deciding to hike the pilgrimage trail up to a Buddhist temple, where we shared some tea and dates with a Russian lady who had done the same.

The food and entertainment in Chiang Mai is noteworthy. Here I tried my first congee dish, which is a constistancy that can only be described baby porridge with chicken! We also tried another of Anthony Bordains recommendations. A pork and rice halter stall on the outskirts of town. This again was pretty darn tasty and the queue to get a plastic stall and table said it all.

From here we headed into the hills to Pai. Once a little known hippy town, and now full of coffee shops and small bars this is now a major destination for backpackers. We planned to stay two nights and not get dragged into the scene but in the end we stayed 5 nights. The food here was great, strangely enough breakfast is a big deal here more so than dinner, so that made for a refreshing change. We also rented a scooter and headed out into the countryside to find a random Chinese themed village, with a mini Great Wall of china and a Thai version of the Grand Canyon.

I also got Olly into yoga with the best instructor I have come across so far. Her classes were incredibly intense and we’d come away from them dripping in sweat but feeling good. She’m also gave everyone a little massage at the end of the class and review everyone’s attempts at the moves as ‘Boootiful’.

We had a few great nights in pai and the live music was a great addition to the normal string of bars, with people dancing in the street until the police came to shut it down at 12!

From Pai we had to head back to Chiang Mai for one more night before heading south. We chose to visit the lady boys of Chiang Mai show and were not disappointed. A brilliant cabaret of songs from some supremely feminine drag queens!