http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/North/Chiang-Dao/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , Thailand , North , Chiang Dao en-us Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:54:17 UTC Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:54:17 UTC The TrekBirds bats bed bugs mossies and cockadoddledoWe jumped in a taxi to the train station where we were due to be picked up at 730 to start our trek. After a two hour drive in the back of our party bus we were taken up into the mountains to the Nest. A small hide away resort which provided a back to basics feel to it whilst still giving off a feeling of luxury and seculsion. I t http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Thailand/North/Chiang-Dao/blog-344008.html I've spent the last week working 56 hours a day 6 days a week on Amee's Farm. It is owned by a Frenchman married to a Thai woman though they are not currently here. We get to stay in their house though which is quite nice accommodations. The farm is run by Amee's brother Alea who lives across the way with his wife 2 sons 4 and 6 and the boys 2 workers aged 18 and 19. They provide us http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Thailand/North/Chiang-Dao/blog-343109.html I was told to catch the bus from Chiang Mai to Chiang Dao which runs every half hour. I watch as several nearly empty buses leave which I'm later told are going to Chiang Dao...mai ben rai no problem I'll wait the 30 minutes. It strikes 4 and another nearly empty bus leaves before I realize I should have been on it so I ask another driver Chiang Dao He responds by pointing to the bus tha http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Thailand/North/Chiang-Dao/blog-340720.html By Sunday we felt that we had visited all that we wanted to in Chiang Mai and were a little bored so Mike suggested that we travel further north for a few days and possibly do some trekking. We found Chiang Dao in the Lonely Planet once again it proved invaluable and it sounded very enticing with opportunities to go cycling and trekking.On Tuesday 15th July we caught a local bus to Chiang Dao http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Thailand/North/Chiang-Dao/blog-301726.html This is why you travel. This is why you don't follow a predetermined itinerary. This is why you embrace opportunities as they come. This is why I came to Thailand.When people asked why I was quitting a great job to travel half way around the world I told them because there was so much more out there to be discovered and that I wanted to journey to the fringes of civilization and experience how t http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Thailand/North/Chiang-Dao/blog-287957.html Right we have made it to Chiang Dao. This is pretty much as far north as we are planning to go.The coutryside here is pretty amazing. Certainly I think it is the first time I have been to proper 'rain forest'. It is an interesting fact that in the 50's 70 of Thailand was forest. By the turn of the century this had fallen to only 20 and currently the Thai government is making efforts to http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Thailand/North/Chiang-Dao/blog-281752.html We booked a Trek through the Top North hotel. Wow WoW WOW Can't believe how much we took in in 2 days 1 night. Northern Thailand is in a word majestic. Our first stop was at a Boyscouts camp somewhere in the middle of nowhere. At first I was a litte sceptical I thought they might make us join the kiddies playing simon says in Thai. Thankfully we walked past the camp and DIRECTLY DOWN A WATER F http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Thailand/North/Chiang-Dao/blog-231510.html A few weeks after our eager return to Chiang Mai Sa a friend of Sodahead's invited us to her home a Lisu village near the City of Stars Chiang Dao. We enthusiastically acceptedalthough Mutti decided to remain behind. Joining us was Sa's good friend Lek who was not only pleasurable company but a reasonable translator. Sa unfortunately knew no English so we could only speak with her in http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Thailand/North/Chiang-Dao/blog-162431.html After a short stopover at Sukhimvit on the Nut in Bangkok we left the following day for a flight to Chiang Mai. Every time I mentioned Chiang Mai as a destination I was told how wonderful it was. However I was really excited about a hut I had booked in Chiang Dao which was about a 1 hour bus ride from Chiang Mai. We took a taxi to the bus station in Chiang Mai. Our taxi driver asked why we w http://www.travelblog.org//Asia/Thailand/North/Chiang-Dao/blog-161054.html