I almost feel disloyal to the amazing experiences and fantastic beaches in South Thailand by saying this but North Thailand truly rocks. I like Chiang Mai instantly and I'm psyched to be back in beautiful Thailand so even getting ripped off by another asshole taxi driver and picking a hostel at random that ends up being miles from anything can't dampen my spirits. On the plus side, the hostel is stunning so I happily spend most of my first day lazing around the garden lounge and getting straight back into the Thai curry and Chang beer. I'm staying in a dorm and struck it lucky by meeting Logan, a New York girl whose here for a few months to learn how to teach and then teach English. We have a laugh about being a bit scared of the fierce German girl and decide to share a taxi and move into town the next day. Plan is to head to the place Logan is going to take for a few months and then go and check out neighbouring hostels for me, we make it 2 doors down before we decide to postpone and have pedicures instead and then another few doors and we've stopped for an awesome Mexican lunch.
The day progresses in much the same way and by mid-afternoon, having viewed a total of zero places, we have all but given up on the idea and so it is decided that all decision making will be postponed and I will just stay with Logan until I don't, basically. It is another beautiful and random day in Thailand. That night we head out to meet Samart, the tour guide who my original travelling buddies all raved about and he's definitely as cool as his reputation. The bar he picks belongs to one of his mates and is off the main drag and practically impossible to find (we turned back twice and came across more rats than I have ever seen) but it's a hidden gem. At one point we even order some redbull and they send a young guy off on his bike to buy some and then sell it to us at the shop price – gold star for service! The next bar has a live band that alternately improves and murders some recent songs while a guy selling bananas walks around outside with his elephant. Anything goes. I move round the corner to a gorgeous guesthouse the next day and then after an evening back at Logan's picnicking on Oreos and ice cream, we get up early and head to the coolest 
place on the continent - Tiger Kingdom. This is a real bucket list entry for me and the idea of being beside a tiger, let alone three fully grown ones, is breathtaking. The animals are hand reared and it's the middle of the day so they are lazy in the heat but there are still a few rules – don't touch the head or paws, approach only from the back, don't make any sudden movements. Oh and if the tiger is feeling playful then be aware that they might bite - this last one is possibly why we had to sign our lives away at the door. At this point, even the threat of losing a limb won't deter us so we choose to meet the biggest cats (cubs and middle size are also an option) and enter with two trainers, armed with little sticks perhaps to buy themselves half a second should they need it, and needless to say, tigers look a lot bigger from the point of view of prey. Welcome to our only contender for top of the food chain! But the presence of these beautiful animals is so magnificent that even when she yawns and shows us her full set of teeth, we are too awestruck and excited to think about being scared. So if you ever get the chance to do this, in a place where they are not drugged or kept in appalling conditions of course, then jump at it. We were on a high all day and I must have looked at those photos a hundred times since then even though it's tough competition being photographed with one of the most beautiful creatures on this planet.
The next couple of days drift past and we do some budget damage at the night market
(surely every backpacker needs a purple leather handbag?), watch too much asian MTV, show some self restraint and visit funky restaurants other than the mexican place and just generally have a cool time. Annoyingly, we also get eaten alive by mosquitoes one lunch time and I receive around 2 dozen cracking bites but I guess that's all part and parcel - and thanks to some super strong cream at a random thai 'pharmacy', it's no big deal. check it out though!
Next stop is Pai for some yoga, health food and a little taste of the hippy lifestyle!
