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Published: August 15th 2008
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I made it! Three days of trekking through remote jungle terrain, staying with a hill tribe village, all while carrying a 20 lb pack and I made it back to civilization in one piece!! I am a little sore today but it was well worth the experience of a lifetime. I don't want to get ahead of myself because I have done so many things during a short amount of time. I have joined a new group and we have started the "getting to know you" process. I think days of not showering and hiking through mud has helped expedite the process😊 We started the tour at the river Kwai where we stayed on a bamboo raft houses on the river. It was in the middle of our first night that I had my first real insect encounter. It happened just as I was beginning to fall asleep when I felt something touch the side of my face and crawl onto my mouth! I slapped my hand to my face, grabbed something and threw it towards the wall (which made a thud when it hit). I sat up a bit stunned, turned on the light and saw a giant cockroach on
the floor! Needless to say I didn't sleep the rest of the night. After that encounter I think I can handle any bug that comes my way! The next morning (a little tired) we hired a long tail speed boat to take us along the river to see some of the areas history. We went to the Death Railway which was constructed (and destroyed) during WWII by using POW's and Asian labor. Over 20,000 men died during its construction from Myanmar to India. It was even harder to conceptualize the loss of men when the railway was only in operation for less than 20 months. After walking on the railways tracks we went to a museum and cemetery dedicated to those who died.
The next day we wanted to practice our hiking skills in preparation for the trek so we ventured to a seven tiered waterfall that ascended about 1 mile. It was well worth the hike to see crystal blue water filled with toe nibbling fish all while surrounded by lush jungle. There were even a few areas where you could cool off a go for a swim! I really felt as though I had entered the heart of
Thailand. After a few days at the river Kwai we went for a day trip to the old capitol city of Ayutthaya. Filled with temples and oozing with history, Ayutthaya has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. That night we took an overnight train to Chiang Mai where we could prepare for our three day trek in the jungle. We rented our gear, bought our water and insect repellent and went to the local night bazaar for a little shopping and dinner. The next morning we hopped into the back of a pick-up truck and made our way towards the depths of the jungle😊. The first part of our adventure was an elephant ride where we got completely soaked by one of the many spontaneous downpours. A little went but anxious for the days to come we said goodbye to our elephants and started our first day’s trek of climbing three "small" mountains. I quickly realized that this wasn't going to be a well trodden path geared towards the lazy traveler. It was more on the side of climbing on your hands and knees on a log set between a raging river and hugging the edge of a cliff
with a 100 foot drop below. It was an absolutely amazingly terrifyingly tiring day! After about five hours of hiking we reached our sleeping destination, which consisted of a one roomed bamboo hut that the nine of us would share. We ate dinner and played cards by candle light until we couldn’t stand the mosquitos and went to bed. Even though we were all exhausted none of us ended up getting a very restful sleep, especially since when anyone would move on one end of the hut the person on the other end would get smacked in the back with bamboo from the floor. The next day we started our hike bright and early in hopes to reach the Karen hill tribe before dusk. It was such an unforgettable experience to be welcomed into a community that has been minimally affected by outside society. To spend an entire evening shelling rice, weaving clothes and cooking dinner truly makes you appreciate the little things in life. After a delicious meal and another eventful bamboo filled evening, we woke up early to complete our last day of trekking in the serine jungles of northern Thailand. Looking back on the past three days
(now bathed and rested) I realize how much of a personal accomplishment it really was. It is such a rush when you test your limits and surpass them. I think I could do it all over again! I have had such an amazing week and I still have another week to go😊 This week I will delving into Thai culture in the northernmost parts of Thailand and I think I will be able to appreciate it with even more depth because of this experience.
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amy
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Are you ready to come home yet? Probably not. You will have to make a scrapbook with all these awesome pictures when you get back!!!! I love all of them :) Cant wait to see you!!!!!!