Destination: Trekking Through Chiang Mai's Northern Hilltribes and Villages

On the second half of my Thailand adventure I embarked upon a three day long trek through northern Chiang Mai's hilltribes and villages, expertly guided by G Adventures.

The trip began in Bangkok where I met the rest of the group that I would be travelling with on this week long adventure. We started with all of the basics, running through our trip itinerary and getting together all our paper work before we went off for dinner with our native tour guide, Tom Tom. Here we learnt our first lesson - always let the Thai person choose your Thai food! Full of food and enthusiasm we then headed off to the infamous Kao San Road for some local beer and team building.

The morning after the night before we awoke not quite so fresh faced, but nonetheless ready for action! A quick tuk-tuk ride around Bangkok soon woke us up and soon we found ourselves packed up once more and ready to board the overnight train to Chiang Mai.

This was an adventure in itself! The sleeper train was clean and cosy, and the staff as friendly as ever in the Land of Smiles. We played cards, chowed down on some more yummy Thai food and fell asleep to the dulcet tones of the staff selling 'Oren juuuuuis!'. If anyone overcame their excitement for the journey ahead and actually slept, they almost certainly dreamt of what was awaiting them at the next stop.

When the day of the trek arrived, everyone was as excited as ever. The prospect of a quick dip in a waterfall en route was almost too much for us to bear! The heat was getting to us all, and the waterfall was a blissful oasis in the glaring sunshine.

Once we had dragged ourselves away from the waterfall and back into the rear of the pick-up truck, we ascended as far as we could into the hills before we had to get out and begin our trek. It was hot and humid, but the beautiful surroundings soon made us forget it. Walking through the jungle we all stopped chatting to take in as much as we could, only stopping to fully appreciate where we were and to point excitedly when we spotted a wild banana or mango.

Our guide was great. Sammy was an expert of the jungle and had the answers to all of our questions. He even got out his catapult to grab us a fresh mango from a tree and was our personal lychee picker! We trekked for two days, stopping at a village each evening to soak up the village life and eat some yummy home cooked food. The second day's trekking was definitely more challenging than the first, but we were rewarded at the end by elephants and by reaching paradise.

As if we hadn't already had the time of our lives, we were in for even more of an adventure! Our third day's mode of transport was a bamboo raft which was lovingly made for us by men from the village we stayed in the night before. We embarked upon the six hour journey in high spirits and arrived at our destination with sun burn, hunger and fantastic memories.

That evening we all slept extremely well and awoke still with the excitement of the previous days, but also with a sense of sadness that the majority of our trip was over. Nonetheless, we continued on our adventure with another day in Chiang Mai, another trip on the sleeper train and then our last day together in Bangkok. Somehow, 15 strangers from across the globe managed to become great friends in the space of a couple of days and share an experience of a lifetime, all thanks to G Adventures!

Review: Blue Lagoon Bungalows, Koh Chang, Thailand

I think I may have found paradise, and luckily enough it came cheap.

As you may or may not know, I whisked myself off to Thailand for a two week adventure which began on the beautiful island of Koh Chang. It was only fitting then, that I found accommodation that was similarly beautiful and certainly I knew my research had paid off when I stumbled across this gem.

Judging by its rave reviews on TripAdvisor I already had a pretty good idea of what to expect from this place - basic, but cute. It was low season when I was staying here, so the place was really quiet which was great. Located in the Klong Phrao beach area of the island, the Blue Lagoon resort is a collection of bungalows with varying rates and facilities. The sun shone strong and bright on mine, and my own private patio provided a tranquil, shady spot to while away the hours. I went for a lagoon-side bungalow with air-conditioning which was well worth the extra 200Bhat per night! These bungalows come with an en-suite wetroom, private patio and  hammock, and are tastefully decorated with hand-painted designs on the walls and lovely curtains over the glass doors. These curtains were never actually closed in my bungalow however, as I wanted to make the most of that view every morning!

As a lone traveller this bungalow was great, but I can imagine that it would also be the perfect place for a couple to while away a week or so. The location is totally romantic, and is only a short walk away from one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. It's a fun journey over the lagoon via a home made raft bridge that takes you over to the seafront where there are plenty of beach bars and restaurants with friendly locals who run them. The greatest bit about the beach though is the complete lack of noisy nightlife and backpacking tourists. It seems like Klong Phrao beach is one of the last untouched spots in Thailand!

There is also a cooking school and restaurant here which is supposed to be one of the very best on the island. I ate in there on one of my nights and I have to say the food was delicious, but I was put off by the lack of people eating there throughout my stay. I'm sure during peak seasons the place is packed, but during the low season people tend to flock to the beach to enjoy the tranquility of dining beside the waves.

I could recommend this place highly enough and at only 800Bhat per night during low season for a deluxe, air-conditioned lagoon view bungalow you can't go far wrong!

Find more information at www.bluelagoon-kohchang.com and enjoy!

Review: Mad Hatter's Tea at The Sanderson Hotel

Wow.

That is the only way to describe my latest afternoon tea experience at The Sanderson Hotel, London. Their 'Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea' is certainly one to remember!

The boutique hotel provides the perfect setting for a quirky and memorable afternoon tea, and they have certainly taken full advantage of this in order to create an original and delicious dining experience. Upon entering the hotel itself expect to be greeted with fresh, contemporary decor and a welcoming smile, before being escorted to your table in the courtyard. Technically you are sat outside, but when it is slightly cooler they roll down the sides of the marquee-like roof that covers you so that you still have the feel of the outdoors without the chill. The space itself is bright and airy with a water-feature in the centre and quirky decorative pieces scattered around. We went there on a Monday afternoon and yet the place was packed out. Although it's no wonder really...

Once we had gotten comfortable and fully appreciated our surroundings we began to notice the little touches that had been thoughtfully prepared on our table. A hardback copy of Wuthering Heights was sat underneath a jewellery box on top of which 'a spoonful of...' was inscribed. Upon opening we found that it was filled with sugar lumps and was actually one of those musical boxes with a little turning ballerina inside which was just adorable. Our curiosity heightened, we opened up the copy of Wuthering Heights to eventually find the afternoon tea menu glued into one of the pages. I don't know about anyone else, but I certainly already felt as curious as Alice, ready and willing to jump head first down the rabbit hole and discover more delights!

Waiting eagerly for the next instalment, the waitress arrived just at the right time with some glass bottles filled with their signature teas. We inhaled the gorgeous scents of tea leaves with original flavours such as mint choc-chip and strawberries and cream before being presented with a tea stand full of deliciousness. We chose the strawberries and cream tea infusion which was unbelievably tasty, and the lovely waitress explained to us each layer of the tea stand and in which order we should indulge in them.

We started with the sandwiches which were cleverly rolled up and filled with mouth watering fillings. We had smoked Cumbrian ham with wholegrain mustard on sun dried tomato bread, cucumber and chive cream cheese on spinach bread, egg mayonnaise with lemon and a smoked salmon delight. I then stayed with the savoury items, making my next stop the savoury scone with herb butter. It made a nice change to have a couple of savoury items on the menu, and the quiche of the day was absolutely delicious!

Next I travelled right up to the top layer which housed some delightful little carrot meringues on a bed of pea shoots, all contained in a dainty tea cup. At this point I must also mention how gorgeous the tea set was, all being designed by Luna and Curious especially for The Sanderson Hotel.  You can even purchase the sets and attempt to recreate the experience at home! To round off the top of the stand there were also some little marshmallow mushrooms which were a fun extra before tucking into the main events on the middle of the stand.

First I tucked into the chocolate teacup filled with green tea mousse. The fun of the teacup being made of chocolate was evident as all around us we could see other guests posing with it for the camera and delightfully chomping their way to the delicious centre. The 'tick tock' Victoria sponge was also completely yummy, very refreshing and importantly not too filling as there is still the melting mango cheesecake and scones to enjoy! The scones as it happens, were similarly great and the jam and cream were some of the best I've ever tasted.

The melting mango cheesecake was however, one of my personal highlights. Coated in rainbow patterned white chocolate, it hides an inventive and tasty secret at its core. As I delved further into the centre I came across a passion fruit 'yolk' which burst and covered the remaining cheesecake with a zesty coulis. 

Full and definitely satisfied I sat back and began to notice once again the little details that make this afternoon tea experience so spectacular. The napkins are held together with a riddle, a different one on each table, and there is even a 'drink me' potion hiding on the bottom layer of the tea stand with a handwritten 'drink me' label. Sipping a gorgeous passion fruit and tropical mix of something or other from the tiny bottle really rounded off the Mat Hatter experience and made everyone smile!

The cocktails that are listed on the tea menu also compliment the theme completely, and I enjoyed a creative and yummy Scarlet Martini made with Wyborowa vodka, strawberries, cucumber, honey and water, and finished with pomegranate juice. This was just one of many touches that made this afternoon tea experience one of the very best I've ever had, and one which will definitely be difficult to top! Although I'm sure I'll have plenty of fun trying!!