Chiang Mai

So I jumped on a train from Bangkok that took me to Chiang Mai over night. Bought second class tickets and made sure that I got AC in the cart to stay away from the heat. The trainride was good, great views and the comfort of the bed surprisingly so and I woke up quite refreshed the following morning despite some americans having a party a few beds down. Apart from the train being two hours late I would recomend the ride. Got a cab to my hotel which was in Bali style and next to one of the bigger temples in Chaing Mai. When I looked out of my window I have a great view of the temple ground and a monk was banging a big bell as I opened it. Great welcome! Chilled out at the hotel while watching the first Rocky movie before I heading into town. First thing that struck me was how different it all was to Bangkok in atmosphere. The city had a great calm about it in comparison (even though it's still busy) and overall it felt more friendly straight away. Walked around and checked out a few temples and sat down and had some great green curry in one of the local restaurants while reading my first english newspaper since I started my travels. Managed to down a couple of beers and talked to some candian guys who had been here for a week and half and still loved it. Had to leave them since I had to get back and pack my rucksack for the trekking the following day. Things are looking better as we speak!