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Published: February 8th 2008
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Big Waterfall
In the jungle When we arrived in Chiang Mai at 5 in the morning all that we could think about was the trek we had booked for the following day. We were told that everyone who heads up to Chiang Mai takes part in one of its famous treks through the jungle. Once we found out it included Elephant rides and bamboo rafting, we signed up without hesitation.
We were picked up from our hostel at 9am and all ten of us were piled into the back of a pickup truck. We drove about 40 minutes to this cute market where we were told to pickup all of the necessary supplies. I'd had food poisining about two days earlier and i still hadn't recovered so i headed straight for the toilet paper...i picked myself up two full rolls. Chris and i also purchased some liquor and bottled water. Afterwards we were back in the truck and on our way to the jungle. We arrived at a dead end were told to get out and grab our packs. We began to trek along a river bank leading to a hidden hut where we would eat lunch. At the hut we ate, pet some piglets and
got to know one another. Afterwards, we were back on the track and further into the greenery. We walked about 2 hours until we lay our eyes upon a miniature waterfall which we would use to shower in. Chris and I were smelly and dirty but not so badly that we stood under the flow. We knew we'd be at a better waterfall tommorow so we decided we'd wait till then to get clean. What's one more day in dirt? Only another fifteen minutes and we were at the village we would be sleeping in. It was tiny, only 35 in population. We explored and met some of the locals. They were all more than kind and i was lucky enough to be able to try my effort at rice making. As the night progressed, along with it came a cold front that took us by surprise. With all our thickest sweaters on we ate dinner around a bon fire, staring up at the night sky. The stars shone brighter and in more of number than we'd ever seen. The day had been hot and long and everyone was in bed before they'd expected. We were all crowded in a
The start of the trek
Everyone getting their bags ready single hut with small bed mats and two blankets each to last the night. Mosquito nets hung over our heads untouched because we all knew it was much too chilly for the mozzies to be any trouble. We slept beautifully.
The following morning we all woke to a bright sun, blinding us. One by one we slowly exited the hut and gathered around the breakfast table for tea and coffee. Our two thai guides, whom we'd grown to refer to as Simon and Mr. Potato had prepared a continental breakfast for us which we ate hurriedly. A quick pack of the bags and we were back on the track walking up and down mountain slopes. Simon told us the regular path was too boring and easy so he'd try us in the bush. Both Chris and I agreed but there were a few in the group who weren't quite as welcoming to adventure. We ate lunch at a larger village than the last, about 250 in population. We ate at Simon's house, and met his entire family. They made soup for all and we enjoyed it in the shade. It was much too hot to be out in the sun.
Only an hour and half a trekking and we were at the spot where we'd be sleeping. On arrival both Chris and I feasted our eyes upon the closest thing to paradies we've seen so far in our lives. There were small village huts, only enough space for two aligned one by one and propped up by bamboo platforms. Beside them was a huge hut, where the local family slept and where the kitchen was located. Right in the centre was a huge firepit and a spacious dinner table, enough to sit twenty easy. The best part: Directly beside this man made living area was a huge, clear, clean waterfall that fell into a wide, open water hole, perfect for swimming and bathing in. We all striped down within seconds and were under the pressure, scrubbing our bodies clean. The river raced around the entire campsite and gave us a soothing sound to sleep to. After rinsing ourselves off and taking in where it was were exactly, we changed and got ready for a cold but fun night. After a candlelit dinner by the fire a number of us gathered at the large dining table to play some drinking games.
Soon, the entire trek group was surrounding the table and watching the spectatle that was: Canadians drinking. We all fell asleep late though warm from our late night game.
This night can be described differently and in many words; it depends on who you're asking. Though the general feeling this morning was that we all felt like crap. The night before had been absolutely freezing and no one was able to sleep. Chris has gone to bed happy, and woken up at 4 in the morning with numb hands and feet. He looked around himself and grabbed all the blankets in sight and made a cucoon around his body and never moved. I woke up at 3 and couldnt find any blankets; they happened to be around chris. So, i went outside in the cold and slept right next to the fire. Of course it was dying so i had to walk to the wood pile and bring over three huge logs to stoke it and hopefully last till morning. I woke up early, alone and in the dirt. Ants were crawling on my face and neck and some had bitten me. As well, a stray cat was nessled in
the crook of my neck (it had no ears by the way), and a dog was licking my face. You could imagine that i was in a bit of a daze. After awhile we all gathered outside and ate breakfast, much slower than the morning before. It took us a lot longer to pack up our things, mainly because most wanted to go straight back to bed. We were informed that this in fact was not an option. After the guides had grouped us all and woken up the majority of us, we went on. We trekked all morning to a truck in a big jungle village. The truck took us to our lunch spot and then to an elephant camp.
The elephant rides were fantastic. Our elephants name was "Padu" and both Chris and I got the chance to sit on her head and lead her. An elephants spine is much bumpier than one would think and they aren't quite as comfortable to sit on as we are meant to beleive. But they are as fascinating, and they all have a mind of their own. Whenever Padu saw an upcoming food stand which Chris and I have the option
of buying her food at, she would race there and would refuse to move till we bought a pack of bamboo sticks and fed her some. Luckily they were only 60 cents otherwise we would have been broke by the end of it.
After the hour elephant rides through the jungle we were driven to a Bamboo rafting facility just a five minute drive away. There we hopped on man made bamboo rafts and headed down the river. The raft guides motto was "No wet, no fun" and this certainly became apparent when they began to splash us and tip the rafts. The river was so refreshing no one complained about getting wet.
At the end of the day we had done alot on our 3 day trek and we had enjoyed every aching bit og it, even the freezing cold nights without sufficient blankets. Tip to all who plan on doing a trek in Chiang Mai, when the guides tell you they have warm blankets and that you needn't bring your own...don't trust them. Besides all that, it was fun from start till end and we had a great time. Back to the hostel for some good dinner and
party in the city.
Love from Chiang Mai,
Watts and Hoag
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