After a visit to the local fruit stalls, we found a shop that could develop the photos from our waterproof camera we bought for tubing. We left it with them whilst we had a walk around the city. We visited a couple of temples called Wat Pa Pao and Wat Chiang Mun before popping back to the trekking company to confirm our trip for tomorrow. We the...

After two days of boat rides and our 6 hour bus ride we finally arrived in Chiang Mai! Chiang Mai is the second biggest city in Thailand, with lots to do and see, but our main reason for going to Chiang Mai was for the treks that the city is so famous for. Unfortunately when we got there I (Amy) had a cold. We decided to take it easy our first d...

After a relaxing stay in Pai, our couple boards another bus to city of Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is one of the centers of culture for the Thai people, and as the guidebook states (Lonely Planet, SE Asia on a Shoestring) "an important symbol of nationhood". Comprised of an Old City, within the ancient walls of the first Chiang Mai, and a more modern...

let me tell you a little about my 3 day jeep trek in the north.... we got a 4x4 jeep to trek in and travelled 4 of us together. Me, Yaron, Tamar and Amit (two girls Yaron went to school with that we randomly bumped into in Bangkok and have been travelling with since).Yaron was the designated driver and we had about 57 israelis on the trek plus a...

En 7 dias que llevamos en la ciudad de Chian Mai, la que sera nuestra residencia por poco mas de un mes, hemos conocido a personas interesante ademas de algun personajillo... dicese de una vegetariana que debora muslos de pollo rebozado... El domingo 14, a la hora de comer, nos invitaron a sentar a su mesa un matrimonio compuesto por una tailand...

Given our reasonably short notice with organinsing train tickets to Chiang Mai, we bought 2 upper berth sleeper tickets on the 6pm train north due around 6:30am the next morning. Our tickets were 791 baht (NZ$32), lower berth is about 100 baht more (but worth alot more having slept on an upper sleeper) & 1st class train is always another option ...

We arrived into Chiang Mai at 6:30am. We had our trekking booked from Bangkok so had a day to relax around Chiang Mai. Its a really nice city, very relaxed and easy going so it was a nice change from Bangkok. We spent the day strolling around and and heard about this tailor who was meant to be the best in Thailand. The 5 of us ended up buying ta...

SATURDAY 9th April Arrived in Chiang Mai (Thailand's second City) after a very long wait at Bangkok airport. Surprisingly, despite its growth, Chiang Mai still has a fairly relaxed atmosphere. We are staying in the old quarter which still has many traditional wooden guesthouses and markets. We are staying at www.yourhouseguesthouse.com at a gran...

Wow, talk about a shopping experience! I can already see that I will be returning with more than just my backpack; good thing they sell inexpensive suitcases here. I guess I will start a collection of suitcases from around the world since I seem to bring one back each time I travel. Silly me for thinking that packing light will influence me into...

Happy Valentine's Day to all those couples out there. Hope you spoilt your loved one. Today I accomplished one of my key goals to go elephant trekking in northern Thailand. I had a fantastic day today full of exercise, great sights, food, people and adventure. I booked the tour through my guesthouse for the bargain price of 700 baht ($23). For t...