Chiang Mai and Jungle Fever

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It's 6am, it's raining, we're tired and we are about to embark on 3 days of hard trekking through the jungle.

We had arrived in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand, after a 12 hour bus ride from Bangkok and we weren't in the best mood to start trekking. However, within an hour we had been introduced to our group, the sun had come out and everything was gonna be alright!

We drove out of the city and into the jungle, stopping for some lunch and then commencing with a 2 and a half hour trek to the hilltop village of the Lahu people. The terrain was hard going and it took its toll on some but I am pleased to report that the 3 English boys did their country proud by being the first to reach the village. Our accommodation was a bamboo hut on stilts, much the same as the rest of the village. After a brief tour of the village we returned to our hut for a home cooked meal under the stars.

The Lahu people originate from Burma but are slowly becoming Thai citizens. Their children go to local schools and the Thai Government have invested in solar cells for those villagers who have become Thai. The people are extremely friendly and keen to show off their musical talents! As the Chang's (Thai beer) flowed, we were serenaded with a mix of western and Thai hits (on guitar) late into the night!

Morning came to a chorus of over-zealous cockerel crowing and the odd sore head. After a hearty breakfast however, we bid the village farewell and headed off back into the jungle. Our guide carried a slingshot with him and after an hour of trekking we stopped for a rest and a little practice. Lets just say if it were left to us to catch dinner, we'd still be trying!

We marched on and reached the waterfall for a rest, a quick dip and some lunch. On the descent to the falls, our guide had slipped down the path and dislocated his finger. Upon reaching the falls he disappeared to find his brother, and after a few screams, returned with a relocated finger - jungle medicine!

From the falls we trekked for a further 2 hours, arriving at our camp just in time for dinner. This time we shared a bigger bamboo hut as we merged with a second group. Spirits were high over dinner and as the sun set and the beers flowed, some deep and meaningful conversations ensued.

Next day we left camp as one group. After a short walk we swapped our guides for elephants (Again!!). I will spare you the details of yet another elephant trek and move onto our white water rafting adventure instead. I think we were doomed from the outset due to rumours that our guide was a lady-boy but, being professionals, we pushed this to the back of our minds and concentrated on getting the other boats in our group as wet as possible. As the rapids themselves were relatively tame, this generally involved invading other boats and pushing people into the river!!! We did suffer casualties though, chris was knocked out of the boat as we passed through some rougher rapids and was lucky to escape before we cruised right over him! Ben then fell in later on and was hauled back on in the nick of time. Great fun!

After the rapids, we exchanged dinghys for bamboo rafts and had a gentle paddle downriver - not much fun as our raft persisted in floating about 6 inches below the surface, but lazing back in the heat of the Thai sun we furthered our tans to a now subtle off-white!

After heading back to the HQ, we grabbed a quick meal and relaxed after another tough day riding elephants and being paddled around, and boarded the night bus back to Bangkok. No dodgy japanese films this time, we stole a few hours sleep, although it wasn't that easy given the complete absence of suspension/shock-absorbers on the bus. Back in BKK, we booked a ticket to our next port of call - Siem Reap, Cambodia (where we had looked up temperatures online to be around 38 degrees!!) and the home of Angkor Wat.

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Photos

Jungle trekking
Intrepid explorers

Jungle trekking 2
The boys have spotted something....!

Lahu village
View from the hilltop village of the Lahu people

Just chillin
Liam and Ben with our guide at the Lahu village

5-star accommodation
The bamboo hut that 10 of us shared at the Lahu village

Entrance to the village
The name for the village can be translated as 'River sounds like horses running'

Under construction
Each house is good for approx. 3 years before it needs rebuilding

Kids at play
Who needs a Playstation when you've got some string?!

Our trekking group
Sat out under the stars after a long days trekking

Trekking: Day 2
The group on the move

Trekking: Day 2
Happy campers

A fearsome jungle creature...?
...or is it Chris with a bit of bamboo?

Waterfalls
A welcome break from some tough trekking

Our second nights accommodation
This time there were 16 sharing!

Elephants
In the morning they work with local people but are allowed to roam free in the afternoon

Give us a banana!
Liam marshalling his stead!