Just call me Mogli!

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Hello!!!

I'm back in steamy Bangkok after a most marvelous adventure through the mountains of Northern Thailand. Four days in the jungle passed more quickly than you can imagine!

Left Chiang Mai in the early morning with only a day pack. Read: one change of clothes, flip flops, my journal, swimsuit and a sarong. Stopped at a market in the last town to buy fruit and water before heading into the jungle. Drove for 3 hours in the back of a pick-up truck, uphill, to get to the base camp. That's where we dined on rice and green oranges before beginning the trek.

We hiked for about 4 hours, uphill, to the first hilltribe village. A local man, named Naan was our guide. He pointed out interesting flowers, insects and other edible jungle delights. I ate a mango fresh from a mango tree!

Naan hired a porter -- Tika, a 20 year old boy who is a member of one of the hilltribes we visited. He spoke no english. The poor thing did the entire trek in old flip flops, carring 4 days worth of food. And damnit, he was faster than any of us.

The hike was made more gruelling by the intense heat. We rationed water. Granola bars and almonds from Costco kept me fuelled. (Thank you Momma!) I swear I sweat away half my body mass... See photo of my black pants below for proof! I've never felt a burn in my calves and glutes quite like that before. I loved every minute of it!

We arrived in our first hilltribe village (the Lisu tribe from China) shortly after 6 o'clock. Picture it: mountain peaks off in the distance, fields of grains and vegetables, red mud (much like PEI), bamboo huts, pigs, chickens, roosters, skinny cats and dogs and small children running freely. BASIC facilities. See photo below!

For supper, Naan made us green curry and chicken and vegetables with rice. Fresh pineapple with every meal. We could buy bottled water and pop in the village as well.

After dinner, we played with the kids (hop scotch and throw the rock in the old bicyle tire). Obviously, there was a huge language barrier, but laughter certainly translates. :)

The tribes people were dressed in their traditional outfits. They performed a traditional dance around a fire for us. Everyone had to join in.

Because there's no power in the village, darkness came early. I've only ever seen the stars so bright in Keji! I found the big dipper and the 7 sisters. Keith, one of the Aussies pointed out the Southern Cross.

We slept (all 12 of us) side by side in a mud floor bamboo hut, each separated by bug nets. And I use the word 'sleep' loosely. Who can sleep with baby pigs and chickens and BUDDHA knows what else running under your bed!? Roosters woke up the entire village at 4 am.

We started day two of the trek pretty early, to avoid the hottest part of the day. Hiked for 5 hours, uphill again. Definately pushed some limits. I jumped in every river or stream we passed, fully clothed.

We arrived at the elephant camp mid-afternoon. Dined on macaroni, Thai-style, and fresh pineapple.

Saw my very first real live elephants! They're GORGEOUS! And for such enourmous creatures, they're incredibly graceful. Watched them bathe themselves in the river, blow water out of their snouts -- I even heard them make the trumpet sound! It's loud!!!

The elephant guides suited the beasts up and we finished the last part of the day's trek via elephant. Lauren, the American girl and I shared an elephant. No seatbelts. Just hold on for dear life! I said every prayer I knew for the first 15 minutes. Felt like I was going to fall off, or the thing would slip on the muddy hills and crush me. But no. It was actually very peaceful once I got the hang of it. Our guide sat on its head!

About 2 hours later, we arrived at another village. This time, the Karren tribe from Burma. By this time, we were all so disgustingly filthy, we sprinted for the river. We bathed, shampooed, even conditioned in the same river as the elephants and water buffalos.....crap in. (I saw it myself). And you know what? At that point, no one cared. :)

We had (you guessed it) sticky rice and stirfry for supper. Oh, and pineapple. :)

The next day, we made a bamboo raft and continued on our journey through the mountains on the river. To be honest, this part of the trek certainly wasn't as fun as I had hoped. I thought we'd all be working hard, paddling through white water (that's how the brochure made it sound) but it was more of a leisurely float down the Mae Tang River.
I got so bored, I took matters into my own hands and grabbed Naan's bamboo stick and paddled (pushed) us along myself. See photo!

Stopped at a few more villages along the way. Gorgeous scenery, butterflies, water buffalos, water snakes, and elephants cruising along the riverside. The insects were so colorful -- like the ones you see in National Geographic and wonder if they really exist.

I must say, the trek was an amazing experience. I feel like I sweat all the stresses and guilt and toxins out of my body. I feel cleansed -- yes, even though I bathed in elephant crap. :)

However, I feel like the hilltribe visits were a bit of a scam, and nothing more than a money-making opportunity for them. We had no choice but to buy water (and/or beer/pop) from them. And they were certainly not shy about getting in our faces and pressuring us to buy their crafts. It became extremely annoying. Plus, we didn't really interact with them as much as the brochure had promised. But, I did experience things I never would have otherwise. Plus, the folks in my group really made the trip what it was.

When we got out of the jungle, we took the 3 hour ride in the back of the pick up truck back to Chiang Mai. After a shower and dropping our disgusting clothes off at the laundromat, we went to the Chiang Mai Cultural Centre for a nothern Thai traditional khantoke dinner and show.

Mel, you would have loved it. They bring each table lazy-susan type trays called Khantokes with little dishes of delicious food and individual baskets of sticky rice. We had Burmese chicken curry (to die for), deep friend bananas dipped in coconut, pork with chili sauce, cabbage and cukes, sweet crunchy noodles and vegetables. It was 'lush' as the British girls say. :)

The following day, we went to the spa. Chiang Mai is home to Thailand's biggest school of massage therapy. I had a full body traditional Thai massage for 12 bucks. She had me in the strangest positions. She gets right on the table with you!

Now, we're back in Bangkok just for the night. Tomorrow, we head down south to the Islands: Koh Samui, Koh Pha Ngan, Koh Tao. I hope to laze on the beach, go kayaking and perhaps do a dive or two. Koh Tao is one of South East Asia's prime diving spots. It's only 21 square km!

The three British girls, the one German girl and I are continuing on that part of the tour. The rest of our group is separating. We are gathering some new members though. Should be great. I'm really looking forward to being near the ocean.

Miss you all. Wish you could see the world through my eyes! (I see dogs and babies riding on motorcycles quite regularly. The adults wear helmets, kids don't. People also park their motorbikes in their shops).
What a strange, strange world.

Keep writing, I love hearing from you. It really has taken a week to get over the culture shock, the smells and the jet lag. But now, I'm cruising!

Some new vocabulary:

wankered = drunk
mozzys = mosquitos
lush = delicious
minging = disgusting

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