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Published: March 16th 2007
night train to chang mai
aka the venga bus, blurred cos it rocked violently 1We toke the over night train from bangkok up to chang mai . air conditioned and a bit like a morgue. the buffet car though was amazing.
they close at ten but around half eight turned off the lights , cranked cheesy western music right up and just left us with a string of crappy coloured lights hanging from the ceiling and a banner saying happy new year, plus there's no windows. the noise was amazing what an experience. kinda made the night.
got to Chang mai early doors and had a free day so went up to to the elephant conservation centre. they had a two day old baby elephant and put on a bit of a show. moving stuff, painting and the like.
next morning we went up and up in to the hills. hot and dusty , hanging out of the back of kinda a pick up truck.
then in the afternoon we literally plunged down the side of a hill.
our guide , Sunni, lives up there and was determined for us to have the real experience. we were knackered and as black as dust men.
his village was proper remote.chicks, pigs ,
elephant conservation place
nice pic, painted on paper made from elephant poo ! dogs and people just wandering around, but they are very polite and nice.
Sunni and Mr Chad carried food which they then prepared.
he told us about the customs and life in the hill tribes. he was great, really polite and genuine and it didn't feel like a tourist thing. no luxury,squat toilets, mossies, cold water the works.
next day we headed off further down the valley through streams and the like eventually getting to an elephant camp. we then rode the elephants up to another village. it was a real roller coaster ride ! everyone else does it on the flat ! not us , oh no.
when we get there we swam and washed in the river then froze our nuts off over night. it was proper cold.
third day there was no way we were going to walk again. so they built bamboo rafts and we floated down the river for a few hours, over rapids and stuff, got in the water and hung on to the side, it was bliss !
no life jackets or anything.
the trip back to chang mai turned into a food and anything else fight between
northern thai land water fall.
stunning place, i didn't go under but chris was brave enough, freezing water ! the two pick up trucks. made the journey go pretty quick and was a great laugh.
the night train back to bangkok was windows open , fans on the ceiling and well shabby, it was great , better than the other one.
Matt from Sydney was a real beer monster and we loaded up on beers from the seven eleven and bought more throught the window when we pulled into stations. we also bartered and bought ice off a guy on the train to try to keep them cold.
all in all a fantasic trip and a genuinely great bunch of people.
some of the group left at the end of the trip but there was a few of us left who went to an irish pub to celebrate chris from northern ireland birthday. an amazing laugh made by the beer towere and a fantastic thai rock band that did mr bright side for us plus loads of really great rock.
off to see a shopping mall then its off down south through the bit with the mini bus ambush earlier this week, doh !!
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