Hiya there

Hope you're all doing ok! We're back in Bangkok after doing a 7 day tour of the North of Thailand. We travelled by overnight train to Chiang Mai (12 hours..but it was ok, because the seats turn into quite comfy beds and you get clean sheets to sleep on! Mind you toilets were seroiusly dodgy, as the deposits go straight out onto the ground below, no need for plumbing...)

We hired a jeep (sounds flash, but it was dodgy old thing) and drove through the mountains over 5 days covering 750km. Well, I say 'we', but Paul did all the driving. Driving in the cities is mad, cars all over the place and in the countryside the hairpin bends make up for the lack of cars.

We visited a different village each day finding accommodation when we arrived, this was quite a milestone for me as I'm used to everything being booked well in advance, but I managed to chill out about it after the first few days. we stayed in some great places, prices are much cheaper in the countryside about 300baht (about 6 pounds) a night for the 4 of us! Mind you some places were a bit dodgy...grey sheets, stand up toilets - Paul says I'm too used to home comforts. The kids have found it easier to adapt than me, they don't care what colour the sheets are as long as they can jump on the bed, spot the lizards and eat banana pancakes!

The highlight of the 5 days was a visit to the Elephant hospital and conversation centre...we all took an elephant ride into the jungle, surprisingly it was quite comfy! Leala's decided she wants to be a mahout (elephant trainer) when she grows up. That'll go down well at the school careers interview.

We spent the night with Jo (Doyle) last night, probably the last time we'll see her. It's been great to see Jo and she really helped us enjoy Bangkok - we haven't seen any of the sleaze we were expecting.

We 're due to travel by overnight train again tonight...but this time to the South of Thailand...to hopefully chill out on some beaches. Mind you Paul wants to visit Khao Sok national park on the way, which will no doubt involve some 10km hikes along the way! Paul is really in his element, he loves travelling. Must admit, I love observing everything, but I've found myself feeling a bit of culture shock and I've had to adapt to different standards of accommodation (rooms size, colour of shtees and hygiene). Mind you one thing I love about Thailand is the food - the Thais love their food and so do I! We're dining out in style every night for less than a fiver..I shall never look at the Thai Palace in the same light.

Anyway - hope you're all ok!

Love and best wishes Jill, Paul, Leala and Benxxxx