Trekking up in Chiang Mai

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Day 11

Getting the crew together

I woke up at around 8 o clock in the morning and got my bags packed up and put my entire stuff down in the luggage room and handed over my passport and some important documents in the safety deposit and kept the 50 ltrs fake North Face bag which I bought from the market yesterday with me. I checked out from the room and booked for 2 day trekking tour instead of a planned 3 day trek. The idea behind is that I got to know that the difference between the two day and three day trek is that we can get to meet some extra hill tribes with a lot more of worthless tiring trek and I had planned to leave Chiang Mai on the 3rd day. Hence, it will be a touch and go kind of situation post exhausting trek. Besides, I thought Chiang Mai is a very interesting town so I would like to go and explore the city.

It is never easy for me to swallow any food early in the morning and in an Israeli menu provided I wondered what dishes to ask for. Hence, I better thought I would catch up something on way. The escort Jeep arrived around 9:30 am in the morning and I got in to find 2 different groups of 2 girls already occupied the jeep and there was an introductory session going on among them. One of the groups were from Holland close to the German border (Overijessel) and other were from Toronto, Canada. Then we had Dave from London who was picked up from one of the River Side hotels. The last the people to get in were Do and Fionz, the French couple who hailed from a small town close to Black Forest with Germany border. They quit their respective jobs of cook and stewardess to travel round the world. Dave, the Britt Londoner was an interesting character I encountered. He had lived most of his childhood in South Spain and left his job of Ship brokerage firm and was in a journey round the Asia and finally end up in Melbourne, Australia to meet up with his fiancée. French couple were not very well conversant with English but they could manage and that every one was little bit surprised that I could speak a little of French to the French people and could understand some of the Dutch words the girls were speaking because of similarity with German. I still remember that wonder look from Madelon, one of the Dutch girls when she found me understanding some what they spoke in Dutch. We were off to the Chiang Mai high way in about 15 days time and we were heading North. We got an set of instructions from Chiang Mai Tourist Control police at a stop on way where the old man noted down our details. The roads were amazing and no dirt or dust anywhere and with road it was a delight to drive. I got a chance to get acquainted with the Canadian girls, Kristi and Kyla as well in the mean time. The jeep took a diversion and got down at the Flower Nursery.

Orchid Farm - Flowers and Butterflies around

We were been presented with a flower tied to our collars on entrance. The Orchid farm had great display of beautiful flowers of different colors and it was really a photographers delight to take the photos of different beauties out there which were displayed. Sometimes it made me confused whether they were for real or the paper flower. I secretly touched one of the flowers just to make sure they were for real. Me and Kyla took some photos together on her special request and then we headed backyard to spot the butterflies in there. There were not many butterflies which I could spot but which remained I had a difficult time taking a shot!

The real Village Market, the real food of bugs

We halted for a stop again at a village market again by the road where we shopped for the materials and items for the trek. The market was amazing and interesting as all the ingredients I ever heard of South East Asian markets was present there. They sell everything from insects, worms, spiders, poultry to meat and all kind of vegetables. There are stationary shops as well selling water, cosmetics and other retail products.

Snake Charmer

We were then taken to Snake farm for a snake show. There was a snake museum as well in there where various types of snakes of different size and colors from cobras to small pythons were been displayed. Some of the snakes hissed some glared but one special one looked at me in one of those grey eyes and then tried to attack me and bit me but luckily there was a cage separating us and it has no teeth left to bite. There was already a snake show going on going on so we had to wait for the next session to start. Our trekking group were been placed in separate seats together as we realized there were a huge group of Israelis who has come to this place. There were approximately some 80 of them and looked like the whole of Israel has moved to this part of the world. The snake charmer charmed us with all his stunts of kissing the snake head may a time, swimming with a python in a small well of water next to the stage and also made the snake dance to his tunes. He threw some nylon ropes at the scared Israeli tourists as if they were real snakes which made some of the Israelis jump out of their places and some even hurt themselves in an effort to escape from those fake snakes! He also showed us taking some poison out of a snakes teeth live that was quiet thrilling.

Another Village Market

After the show we headed north further on the mail road and we stopped for a while at another unknown roadside local market where we got our supply of water bottles and some stationary for the journey. But the local raw food market was worth a view. They sell all sort of food items and some cooked items as well. I tried some sweet with coconuts wrapped in leaf and which tasted very nice. They sold some fried crickets, warms and weird stuff as well. I wanted to try them but considering the journey yet to be covered I did not proceed.

Real North Thai oriental lunch

We continued our way on main road and after some time we hit the smaller road and then the earthen low hill roads. And then we have all the dust and smoke hit us. We could barely see anything outside and it was all full of dust and reminded me of Indian dusty village roads finally. At least Thailand has spared some places from urbanization! We also started to get the feeling about what program we all booked for as we were all going by jeeps and barely walking and it was supposed to be a trekking trip! We got some place close to a river flowing at backdrop and an elephant camp somewhere by the river and the hills on the other side of the road. We halted for lunch at a open air all wooden bamboo place arranged for us. The lunch was simple but nice stuff consisted of mixed fried rice, fruits(water melons and pine apples). But the best part was the sticky rice from bamboo. I had no clue as to what to do when our tour guide Paan handed me over those cut bamboo to me. The place steamed rice had that special aroma which filled my senses. Post lunch we relaxed for a while and then took our luggages out of van and left the vehicle to go back to city.

The trek

Even before I realized the trek started. All our fellow people in gang in full excitement and vigor started to jog. But within 15 minutes up hill in normal paved road all became so tired that we all took a pit stop at one corner by the hill where I realized my tripod was broken a bit already. The walking way up hill shortened a lot and the hills became quiet steep when we resumed our trek. Sometime there was no defined path up just the narrow water trail down which we followed on our way up cutting through the itchy scrubs and wild jungle bushes. After an hour long trek we spotted an small elephant on other side of the hill and then we spotted the mother elephant. We passed by another mountain stream on a log of wood when we realized our big American boy Brian has fallen far behind. We took a pit stop and when he turned up it was with the help of a wooden stick provided by Paan, our guide. We noticed he walked up with a pair of flip flops only. I wonder how long those will last and whether he has back up or not. I could not risk that incident hence I already bought a fresh pair of trekking shoes at Paragon mall in Bangkok on second day in Bangkok. We found the answer soon as Brian tied to drink some water from the oozing mountain water hidden behind bamboo trees, he fell in the mud miserably and broke his flip flops. Pan fixed those ghetto-jungles sandals with rope made from a tree and he continued. We continued in an almost difficult trekking jungle trails up hill pausing regular intervals when we finally reached the village up in the hill in an 5 hour long trek, the largest I have done till date up hill.

Evening in Tribal Village?

All my water was finished before I could reach the village and I was worried whether I will last till the end. Luckily, the village had enough suppy of water, beers, and soft drinks! There very few people in the village leaving and most of their earning members have moved to cities for work. The places the tribes live were devoid of any electricity or modern amenities. But I doubt they were devoid of modern civilization as I found a motorcycle in the village in the suspended bamboo houses. I found they have made nice sleeping arrangements in for us with mosquitoes nets all over. We had forgettable massages from the opium chewing old grannies. I even got my shoulder tendon been pulled so hard that it still hurts and I could not move my right hand and she kept asking me for money in Thai. As the evening lights faded a bonfire was set up with wood from jungle. It was more of a need than pleasure as the weather became very chilly. We got in to our room we took the massage from those Thai tribal grannies which was not very comfortable and relaxing but I will take that at end of track. We had an early dinner where we were some served with locally made chicken dish, rice, some really tasting beans and fruits. We were so hungry the food tasted like out of the world. Post dinner we all gathered by the fire as the slow burning wood continued to have brief chit chat session sipping Thai Rum (Sangsom) and listen to the guide and get an insight about the life of the tribal people. There are still opium cultivation existing on the border regions and some villagers to make a living. As I neared finishing the second bottle there was a tribal singing and dance show performed by the tribal kids of the village. Then we continued to drink beer cans and the killer Thai whiskeys Sangsoms. I ended up drinking a lot alcohol before going to sleep.

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