I am amazed that I am only a few hours north of Bangkok and yet in an entirely different world.

A Thailand like no other:

When you think of Thailand your mind conjures up a variety of images: beautiful sun-drenched beaches and azure blue seas; the excesses of full moon parties and Bangkok's infamous red light district; ancient ruined temples, with giant Buddha statues arising from rubble, and modern golden Wats shimmering in the sunshine.

In Thailand your senses can be all too easily overwhelmed, while the delicious food, cheap drink and party lifestyle can induce you to overindulge your body as well. But if you're seeking a different type of holiday, or simply need to escape the hustle and bustle, there is another, less explored side of Thailand.

If you're willing to ditch the beaches and forgo some luxuries, Thailand's Northern Provinces offer some of the most spectacular and well preserved forests in South East Asia. But they offer something more than just a natural paradise, something perhaps even rarer: the chance to be witness to a way of life that has been largely untouched by modernity.

In the hills and mountains surrounding Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, thousands of people live traditional tribal lives. There are at least ten different ethnic groups, with many still practicing their ancient livelihoods, animistic religions and sometimes bizarre rituals and practices. And for the few that are willing to don their walking boots, brave the insects and camp out in the jungle, there is a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience a Thailand like no other.

Base Camp:

Chiang Mai has long been on the backpacker trail and is one of the best places to base yourself before heading off for a trek into the jungle. But with literally dozens of tour operators offering hill trekking, some less responsible than others, it is well worth doing your homework first. A quick look around town and you will find treks ranging from one day jeep rides to seven day hiking excursions, covering every fitness level and budget.

After much research, and negotiating over price, we signed up for a three day trek. The very next day we found ourselves on an adventure riding elephants, rafting through white water rapids, sleeping in the jungle and coming face to race with the exotic "Long Neck Women".

Stepping back in time:

For many, the idea of hiking through the jungle might not seem too appealing. The heat can be oppressive, the ground difficult and at times arduous, and the unidentifiable cries and calls of insects and animals can send chills down your spine. But for a few it is a thrilling adventure, all the more so when you climb atop an almost unimaginably large elephant to tackle to the trickiest terrain and board a bamboo raft to take you down stream, past villages and through white water rapids to reach your jungle camp.

Watching the lush forest pass you by, seeing the small villages consisting of wooden huts that litter the river bank, and spotting villagers dressed in unusual costumes peer at you as they wash, swim, and float down the river, can leave you feeling like you have stepped back in time, to a lost world.

This sensation is amplified when you find yourself entering a tribal village. From the moment you step through the large ceremonial gates of an Akha village, carved with images designed to scare spirits away, you realize that you have left the modern world behind.

The villages themselves are small and generally consist of bamboo huts. Many of villages, particularly the most remote tribes, have no electricity or modern conveniences. The lifestyle is communal and clearly demarcated: the women cook and clean, weave textiles and make jewelry, while the men typically work in the fields. Children, like livestock, run around, every adult keeping a watchful eye over their neighbor's kids. Meals, drinks and possessions are shared and you get the distinct impression that personal ownership is not a concept that the tribes understand.

To get the most out of the experience you need to remember that you are a guest in the village, and if you are really lucky, into someone's home. It's important to respect the culture and taboos of village life. In the case of some tribes, you may be forbidden to take photographs of people or shrines, due to their animistic beliefs that having their photo taken steals a piece of the soul. It may be really tempting to take a sneaky snap, but breaking the rules can lead to a fine, and worse still ruin the experience for members of the tribe as well as visitors.

Protecting the environment is equally important. Soaps and detergents are damaging to the rivers and streams that are used for washing, and the scarcity of toilet facilities means that you need to forget any reservations about burying your own waste. Trash should be carried with you, no matter how inconvenient, no one will thank you for a gift of empty bottles and candy wrappers.

But if you tread carefully, dress respectfully (no spaghetti strap tops and mini skirts please), and politely eat the food and drink generously offered (deep fried crickets anyone?), the experience can be unique and enriching for both parties.

The "Long Neck" Tribes:

The most famous (or infamous) of the hill tribe groups are the "Long Neck Women". Originally refugee's from Burma, from the age of five the women in the tribe wear brass rings to stretch their necks to 30 cm or longer. The effect is actually an illusion: it's not their necks that stretch, but their collar bones and ribs that are squashed down. By adulthood, if they were to remove the rings, their collarbones would collapse and they would suffocate.

The practice can seem barbaric and alien to Western eyes. The women are turned into objects of beauty: and beautiful they are, with necessarily graceful and elegant movements and stunningly intricate costumes and jewelry. And yet they are unable to carry out any work more strenuous than weaving because their movements are limited. It's a fascinating glimpse into a centuries old tradition and way of life that is seemingly so removed from the modern world. It's easy for Westerners to bed appalled by the practice, but on considering the lengths to which Western women go to achieve the ideal of beauty, from high heels to the extremes of lipo-suction, nose jobs, breast implants and the excesses of plastic surgery, it might not seem so alien after all.

Like many of the hill tribe traditions, this practice is dying out. Modernity and globalization can seem like unstoppable forces as electricity spreads to the hills, TV and with it the rest of the world enters into the villages. Many villagers openly embrace the changes, while others cling to their ancient ways of life, seeing tourism as a means to keep their practices alive.

It's difficult to say if these fascinating spheres of existence will last much longer, a fact that makes the efforts of traveling through the jungle for three days and two nights seem so worthwhile.

Back to civilization:

Some people love the jungle experience so much they want to stay, others, their adventurous appetites sated, long for the comforts of modern life. I was certainly in the latter category. Smellier and sweatier than I ever thought I could be (showers are a convenience yet to reach the villages I visited), and craving food I considered 'normal', I was relieved to return to Chiang Mai, and the ready access to pizzas, soap and Thai Massage but also a little wiser about the superficial cultural differences that get in the way of our common humanity.