Trekking in the jungle

Well, I'm knackered. Three days of climbing straight up muddy, forested hills only to clamber back down again. How that elephant I was riding managed to make it up a 45' mud slide I don't know, wherever it put its feet (paws?) down they stayed. The white water rafting was great - about a class 3 rapids if that means anything to you. We then had to take the life jackets off, put the comfy inflatable dinghy away and get on 10 sticks of bamboo, and carry on down the same rapids! The raft nearly sank the moment we got on it. There were 9 of us in the group, just the right number. We didn't so much visit the hill tribes so much as see 3 shops in the middle of nowhere - it was so wet the first 2 days the villagers didn't want to come out. I was completely soaked through and muddy all over for the entire trip. It was great. Did I mention the mud?

Don't know what to do now! Carry on in the north, which is cheap, cooler and interesting, go down south to the beaches, travel through Ayuthera / lopburi / lam phun -all the capitals of various ancient Thai kingdoms... I'll relax today and maybe pinch a full Thailand guide book, my S.E Asia book is a bit thin on this.