Trekking in Chang Mai

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Ok...so the story continues but it's incredibly backdated so you'll have to bear with me in terms of what I can draw out of my travel addled brain! We headed to Chang Mai on an overnight bus, it's suprising how quickly you can get used to these. We both actually managed to sleep this time so we checked into our hotel and booked ourselves onto the 'Flight of The Gibbon' for the same afternoon such was our early morning vigour.

Flight of The Gibbon consists of 10 ziplines, 2 abseils and 2 rope bridges and despite being pretty expensive for a backpackers budget I would definately recommend it. Our guide, Ken, really ought to be doing stand-up comedy rather than leading zip-lining groups. He was hilarious and he and the other guide to great pleasure in trying to freak us out by swinging the zip-line, dropping us very rapidly on the abseils or shouting 'not yet'just as we'd left the platforms! Highly entertaining and we've made great use of his favourite expression Óh My Buddha!'ever since.

The next morning I set off on my 3 day, 2 night jungle trek. V had opted out due to her intense phobia of snakes and remained in Chang Mai to do a cookery course instead. I'm looking forward to a Thai dinner party upon our return. We spent a long morning on a pick up truck style vehicle so our bums were very happy to arrive at the start of the trek. We walked through beautiful, very hot jungle for about an hour and then arrived at a lovely waterfall where we were given time to swim and cool off. I have been wanting to do that for so long and it was every bit as amazing as I'd imagined. I felt quite the jungle Jane clambering over the rocks and standing directly under the waterfall in my bikini. Unfortunately I doubt I looked nearly as Goddess like as I felt but you can't have it all! The feeling of exhiliration was reward enough and the photos are from distance enough that if I squint hard enough I can pretend I'm Angelina Jolie.

We then continued on to camp. Both nights we stayed in a purpose built log cabin 10 minutes outside of villages. This is what to expect if your tour says it includes a homestay. You will not be staying in a villagers home, or even the village, as it suggests but it still well worth doing so don't let that put you off. The first night the camp consisted of 2 cabins with mattresses and mosquito nets. I did not sleep well that night having seen the biggest house spider I have ever seen in the toilet shack (yep, that's right, shack...complete with corrugated metal door...and a squatter toilet) and proceeded to have nightmares that would be a surefire hit at the box office were you to turn them into a horror movie. We had a nice evening though, attempting to sing along to the guitar around the campfire except that none of us could remember the lyrics for anything.

Next day we had an hours elephant ride around an elephant camp. Another big tick in a box for me and I got to sit on the actual elephant itself rather than in the seat thing. Be warned, this requires the balance of a trapeze artist as you bum cheeks are on the elephants shoulder blades so as I steps forward you're tipped to one side. Fortunately I wasn't as clumsy then as I seem to have been in more recent weeks so it was nothing but a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

The group then split and those doing the 2 day, 1 night left us to go rafting and we continued. We had a more challenging trek that afternoon which was literally through the jungle. We had a guide from the village where we would be staying who led us off the paths and through the undergrowth! The second nights accomodation was much like the first except that it had a more community feel as there were villagers there cooking our food and their children were playing with us plus chickens, pigs and dogs everywhere. We'd got incredibly hot that afternoon trekking in the heat and were very amused to find that the shower our giude had been talking about was a freshwater bucket and scoop! Amazing how refreshing that can actually be though, it was the one of the best showers I've ever had!

Now in Thailand, wherever there are dogs there are puppies. Actually wherever there's any kind of animal there's inevitably babies but it is puppy heaven if you a fan, which I am....a huge one! So I fell in love with a little brown puppy I called 'little dude'. He was so adorable so I was of course relieved to discover that particular tribe don't eat dog so he wasn't going to end up on our plates.

The final day we didn't trek much. We walked through two villages, Lisu and Acu (who do eat dog.....bastards). I find it so intriguing that these people live in such basic housing and yet all have massive tv's and satellite dishes! We then went white water rafting. Yet another tick in a box and so much fun. My clumsiness began here as I fell out and had possibly the most ungraceful moment of my life having to be yanked back in, arse in the air, after being dragged along by the boat, kness banging on the rocks below and abandoning my oar in sheer panic!

So that was the total of my Chang Mai experience. I didn't see a lot of the city itself as V had amused herself doing that while I was trekking and we were keen to get to our next stop.....Pai. Until next time....

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