While in Bangkok and Ayutthaya, Gareth (from Langkawi) had visited Laos and, between trying to kill himself on a motorbike (not a good idea, given that the closest major hospital in Laos is in... Thailand!), had done the Gibbon Experience. He was raving about how good it was, so I headed north to meet up with him in Chiang Mai. I tried to book my place by email, but they were unresponsive, so my best bet was to travel as quickly as I could to Laos and book in person – luckily, Chiang Mai is in the right direction...

I caught one of the night buses from Ayutthaya that arrive in Chiang Mai early in the morning. Orienting ourselves once we got off the bus was the first major difficulty, in spite of the fact that we'd been dropped off at the city gates – one of the main landmarks in Chiang Mai. At 6 in the morning, and with the help of a drunken Aussie (surprise, surprise), myself and a couple of Korean stragglers managed to find the guesthouse district, although most were closed (too early) and the remainder were full (who checks out at 6 in the morning?) - so not the smartest move to arrive at this time. After 2 hours of walking in circles around Chiang Mai, hungry, sleepy, carrying a full pack and just about ready to fork over for a hotel room, the Aussie comes up trumps finding us each a 250B room with AC, TV and private bathroom – an absolute bargain!

Chiang Mai has a very different feel to other cities I visited in Thailand. From a Western Australian perspective, Chiang Mai is the Thai equivalent of Fremantle in terms of the atmosphere, people and overall β€œscene”. It has some huge markets (although the merchandise wasn't significantly different from that on Khao San Road, from what I could see), and prides itself on its cultural and sporting festivals. I was there during the annual flower festival, where they parade massive floats constructed of – you guessed it – flowers down the main street. Some of them are impressive, but I'm a bit surprised by how many people this event attracts – including foreigners who come to Chiang Mai specifically to see it.

Chiang Mai is also a popular launch point for ethno-tourism amongst the hilltribes, and some backpackers I met up with later in my trip highly recommend these programs. On the other hand, some tourists regard ethno-tourism as fake and exploitative – due in part to the sheer number of groups passing through the same villages on a regular basis, which has turned some hilltribes into souvenir hawkers if not beggars. Obviously some programs are run better than others, so it's worth doing your research if you're interested in this.

Eager to reach Laos and sign up for the Gibbon Experience, I booked a bus to the border town of Chiang Khong and managed to injure my ankle walking back from the bus station. Not ideal for carrying a backpack, but my Thai visa was due to expire the next day, so I had to soldier on...