CYCLING leisurely through rice paddy fields lined with banana and papaya trees, under clear blue skies, it was hard to believe we were just an hour's train ride from bustling Bangkok. My friend Tracy and I had met our guides, bubbly Mint and Pui from Absolute Explorer cycle safaris, in downtown Bangkok before wandering through one of the many food markets.

Stalls here sell everything from mangos to jellied chickens feet, which are Mint's favourite and apparently delicious with chilli and lemon. We gave them a miss this time and headed to catch the train.

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In no time at all the high rises receded, replaced by mile upon mile of greenery.

After picking up our bikes near Khlong Bang Phra station we were soon winding our way through the countryside of Bang Toey, over rickety wooden bridges straddling canals, and past rice fields and shrimp or fish farms.

Along the way we stopped to taste sweet and spicy basil, lemongrass, galangal and kaffir lime leaf: staple Thai ingredients all plucked from the roadside.

After about 90 minutes we stopped for lunch at one of the fish farms. Reclining on a stilted gazebo in the middle of one of the ponds, we were treated to tilapia fish with spicy soy sauce and stir-fried morning glory, which tastes a little like broccoli. With full stomachs, we completed our loop back to the train station. It was hugely enjoyable despite being saddle sore all the w ay back to Bangkok.

Our adventure continued the next day with a Thai cookery course. Blue Elephant cookery school is housed in a colonial building with dark wood flooring and shuttered windows that sits incongruously among the high-rises of Bangkok's business district. We were shown how to make yellow curry with beef from southern Thailand. It was then our turn.

In concentrated silence, 15 of us pounded spices, chillies, garlic and herbs into a paste. Once the paste had been fried off, we added coconut milk, sweet potatoes, onion and the beef and cooked for five minutes.

So quick and simple.

I was delighted that my dish wasn't too far off the one made by chef Khun Nooror Somany Steppe, the humble creator of the cookery school and restaurant chain that has worldwide outlets including ones in London and Dubai.

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Our class ended with lunch in the restaurant enjoying the fruits of our labour, four dishes in all. On leaving, students were presented with a certificate and a gift of an apron and spices to kick-start our Thai cooking w hen we got home.

Leaving Bangkok behind we took the overnight sleeper train to Surat Thani, gateway to Thailand's southern beaches. Passengers were a mix of locals and tourists. There was a meal service, and sellers regularly passed with tea, coffee, beers and snacks.

An hour after our train left, our seats were converted into beds with curtains for privacy and we settled down for the night. Waking to dawn breaking over tropical forest, it felt a long way from the capital. We headed deep into the Khao Sok National Park for a couple of days with Tree Tops Jungle Safaris.

Enveloped by rainforest, we stayed in treehouse-style thatched rooms with an on-site bar and restaurant, all set around a natural pool. Our "safari" started with tubing (sitting in large rubber rings) on the Sok river. It was a great way to unwind, the gentle flow of the river giving us time to appreciate the array of fauna and flora, including pretty lotus blooms.

That night we collapsed into our room, with its balcony overlooking the dense forest and two huge mosquito net-covered double beds.

Tropical rainfall greeted us the following day, though it didn't seem to bother the elephants during our ride through the forest. It was an incredible experience, especially feeding them their treat of bananas, which they took straight from our hands with curious trunks.

The overnight train whisked us back to Bangkok for our last day in the metropolis which we spent at the 18th-century Wat Pho temple, home to the magnificent 50ft-high Reclining Golden Buddha. It is also known as the birthplace of Thai massage and was recognised as Thailand's first university in the early 19th century. Massages are still available here, a prospect too tempting to resist.

An hour later, with every muscle kneaded and stretched, we found ourselves sitting by one of more than 1,000 Buddhas in the complex as, one by one, monks in their orange robes bowed and chanted.

It was deeply moving to witness this peaceful dedication to a pious way of life, a truly Thai experience that will stay with me for a very long time.

GETTING THERE:
Travelbag (0871 703 4240/travelbag.co.uk) offers a nine-night Bangkok, Khao Sok and Koh Phangan package from £889pp (two sharing), B&B. Price includes three nights at the four-star Rembrandt Hotel & Towers, Bangkok, five nights at the three-star Salad Beach Resort, Koh Phangan, a two-night Jungle Safari at Khao Sok and return flights from Heathrow to Bangkok with Jet Airways.

Absolute Explorer bicycle safaris (absoluteexplorer.com) offers Bangkok and countryside tours from £22pp.

Blue Elephant cooking school and restaurant (blueelephant.com/school/index.html) offers half-day cookery classes from £56pp.

Overnight sleeper train ticket from Bangkok to Surat Thani from £17.
Tourism Authority of Thailand: 0207 925 2511/tourismthailand.co.uk