Me Tarzan - You.......Ladyboy?

So I'm in Chiang Mai, the second city of Thailand - and I like it. Something about the old ramparts and the defensive canal system that remains at the heart of thei ancient city gives it a familiar, colonnial feel.

It's not trying to be anything, as a result it comes off as an altogether more authentic flavour of Thailand. The pace here is less frenetic and you can walk the streets without the constant badgering, which completely changes your own reaction to the town.

I've booked a jungle trek as its less than an hour away in a 4x4 and this is a chance to inflict my ribald British humour on a team of 8 unsuspecting fellow trekkers for the next few days.

Jungle village house Karon tribe

The trekking is damn hot, it's over 30 degrees here and the shade of the canopy is very welcome. One thing I couldn't capture is the oftne deafening roar of the insect life as we trudge through the trees - genuinely on the verge of deafening.

Jungle hotel - the interior

The jungle trip is my first experience of the "mighty woosh" and I'm very grateful for having brought a large dose of Loperamide with me. Nothing however can prepare you for the thrill of a third world, jungle hut toilet, thank god they sell strong beer....

Jungle hotel - the exterior

Fortunately the natives are friendly although I was disappointed to note that as the 5 indigenous tribes are confined within the borders of teh national parks they have been progressively weaned away from their gypsy lifestyle and as a result from their native animist beliefs, many becoming Christians. Hey can you guess what the only building in this village that was made of real bricks, proper machined wooden beams and with a real and expensive slate tile roof was? The blidning contradiciton never ceases to amaze me.

Ok, tomorrow will bring more hills to climb so I'm goign to crawl under a mosquito net.

G'nite.

MrC