Well lodged

So here's the bit of my trip that is work. Yeah, yeah, I know, staying in stunning traditional style accommodation with all expenses paid. But hey, I ask a lot of questions and take a lot of notes, okay. So here's my first room at the Lisu Lodge – palm fronds at the window and the bed fabulously swathed in muslin. The second place we stay, Khun Lanna is a masterpiece in teak and bamboo.

The story about this company, Asian Oasis, is that they approach their tourism offering in an environmentally responsible way and have a code of ethics that sees them consult the local tribal elders over every new development. We visit the local village, for example, and meet the "shaman" who carries out a consultation using some chicken bones, while we are drinking bamboo cups of his wife's bitter green tea. The villagers, who are ethnically Chinese originally, are dressed up and celebrating Chinese New Year, throwing bangers and generally making merry – or not so merry if you happen to be one of the cocks below.

But eco and community efforts aside, these are among the most "touristy" few days of my stay in Thailand...

Ride in an ox cart, check (at the back leaning out).

See an elephant show and ride on the back of one, check (on the left in first pic + my green Converse).

Float down a river (the Ping) on a bamboo raft, check (complete with handy drinks stall).

Take a Thai cookery course, check (from a true pro).

Oh yes, and full Thai body massage with a herbal wheatgerm compress, check.

Most fascinating of all, however, is my encounter with the Chans from Hong Kong, and their completely captivating five-year-old Jasmine, who adopt me as a temporary aunt.

We're officially penpals now and by the end of the trip even the granny was referring to me as Auntie Cate. Here's me and gran on the bamboo raft.

Other highlights include a bike trip to a local market, setting off before sunrise so that we see dawn break over the rice fields that we pass along the way. At the market we marvel at plates of fresh locusts, and drink bitter coffee that tastes as if it has been strained through earth. The roadside shop with strange liquids for sale through an assortment of tubes turns out to be petrol station.

For comedy value I also love our night with the local village kids, who look as if they've had their pocket-money taken away. Our girls are much happier in the headresses.

And the photogenic packed lunch we're served on our grand day out. The banana-leaf parcels contain portions of sticky rice and chicken. While we're enjoying this a coachload of tourists cross a bridge just up river, off to gawp at a village of long-necked women. I'm quite happy with my sticky rice.

As a farewell treat, I let the kids massage spices into my chicken in the final cookery class (I may be eating a bit of it on this trip but I draw the line at direct contact).

I get quite choked up saying goodbye, especially to Jasmine...