Northern Thailand - Chiang Mai, Pai and Chiang Rai

Northern Thailand is best summed up by misty mountains, traditional temples and a relaxed attitude to life. We began our journey in Chiang Mai which despite being one of the biggest cities in Thailand, is still rich in long-established Thai culture and traditions. A bustling, modern city has formed around the historical square centre of this city, but there is a slow pace of life when you are within the ancient walls and you are only ever half an hour from being in the dense forest. We immediately fell in love with Chiang Mai and enjoyed biking around to see all the sights - don't worry, Josh did the driving. We were also lucky to stay in a fantastic Hostel, Nature's Way, that had a really great atmosphere where we met so many amazing people!

The lush green forests don't come without a price and that is lots of rain! Being from the land where the rain never stops, we were well prepared for the downpours but there were a few monsoons that sent us running to find shelter in a nearby veggie cafe or temple. There are breathtakingly beautiful Buddhist temples around every corner in this city with most of them being free to enter, but always remember to dress respectfully and cover your knees and shoulders - guys, you too! We visited Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep (the famous temple on the hill) and it was well worth the climb to see the Buddhist Stupa shrouded in mist as well as the happy temple dogs. We also experienced the more modern part of Thai culture which was the Chiang Mai Cabaret Show and it was by the far the best night of our travels, they are the most fabulous ladies in town.

We decided that we couldn't leave Thailand without learning how to re-create the delicious cuisine so we booked to go to Sammy's Organic Thai Cooking School. Sammy is absolutely crazy and most definitely high on life. He will tell more jokes than you can count and his infectious laugh always follows even if everyone else has no idea what he is going on about. Mr and Mrs Sammy were so patient as well as being culinary geniuses, we learnt so much from them and got to visit the most magical outdoor toilet in all of Thailand. We heard about this class through our favourite veggie restaurant in Chiang Mai, Peppermaint Guest House. We must have eaten here over ten times during our stay and every meal was a delight including the pumpkin soup, khao soy and freshly baked bread. It is so reasonably priced plus they had two little kittens scampering around, what's not to love!

We wanted to visit a town in an even more remote part of northern hills, where we could really relax so we chose to head to Pai. There is a catch to this paradise and that is the 762 bends of winding hell on the way there. The bus drivers are so well practised at every turn that they go full throttle which leads to passengers feeling a tad queasy. We met some people who really enjoyed their journey on a scooter so that's something to consider, but we weren't feeling brave enough to slide around the tight bends just yet. Pai is a place to truly wind-down where you can ride around on a bike, hang out with like minded people and immerse yourself in nature. We had such a good time as we paddled in the Pam Bok Waterfall, saw a giant land split caused by an earthquake and got lost in a jungle river. A highlight was visiting Pai Canyon at sunset with the assistance from our Aussie friend Josh, who helped to drag me up the steep cliffs.

After a few days of relaxation and a visit to the local hot springs resort, complete with infinity pool, we decided a trek through the jungle is exactly what we needed. We began in a local village to meet our guide who took us on a 15km walk/climb/swim through the jungle where we saw some giant teak trees, clambered up steep cliffs and slipped down valleys holding onto any vine we could find. We ended the trek by paddling under a lovely waterfall but as it's monsoon season the river was incredibly fast flowing to the point where I very nearly got washed downstream. Exhausted, wet and very car sick, we held it together on our two hour journey back to Pai sitting in a drafty pickup truck and devoured the tasty street food that awaited us. Whilst in Pai we stayed in a little cabin overlooking the mountains for only a few pounds a night, I don't think we'll ever get a better sleep than we did here.

We wanted to test our relationship with buses to the limit and decided after only just getting back from Pai, to go on a 14 hour day trip to visit Chiang Rai. The main reason we wanted to head here was to see the infamous White Temple which was phenomenal. A local artist decided to completely rebuild the dilapidated temple a few years ago with an innovative, modern twist. To enter the temple you must step over the 'cycle of rebirth bridge' which has carvings of hands and demons reaching up to drag you down to hell, before you go through the gate to heaven which glistens in the sun. Inside are modern murals of superheroes, the terminator, pikachu as well as depictions of nuclear warfare and terrorist attacks. The aim of this creation is to stimulate the enjoyment and interest of young people in Buddhist temples and represent the modern world. The Blue Temple was next on the list, another artistic creation but this time more traditional and with a similar ethos reflecting a contemporary relationship with Buddhism. The Black House was a mixture of home, art gallery and a collection of weird items which we found intriguing. We were sadly not able to stay there for long because we had to head over to the Golden Triangle where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet in the water.

Northern Thailand has astounded us. We didn't expect to love it as much as we did or have as many adventures - some not so exciting like how I managed to break my toe at an inflatable water park, but the less we mention that the better. Now, to the islands of southern Thailand.