Trekking tour alias survival ;)

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The second day in Chiang Mai we had enough of all the wat’s and stuff, so after a relaxed morning (uploading pic’s, updating the blog, writing emails..) we went to the Chiang Mai zoo. It was, uhmm, for sure an interesting experience. At the entrance we were offered to take a train through the zoo, but we didn’t even consider it and started walking. However, this was easier said than done. It was more like a big jingle with some animal cages in it. A small zoo, spread out over a huge area with many hills. In the beginning we even had troubles finding some animals!

In the evening we decided not to have a Thai dinner for a change, so we went to a Thai-Italian-Mexican restaurant (?) where Emma ahd a great burrito and I ahd a yummiehome made pasta. So good not to eat rice or noodles for a change (haha, I know, we haven’t even been here for 2 weeks..)

Next day it was time for the Big Event: our trekking tour. Two days of trekking, with an overnight stay in a hilltribe village. They told us it would be like 3 hours of walking a day, however, there we discovered the concept of ‘ Thai-hours’ . In Dutch hours it was more like 5 to 6 hours of hiking, so really pretty exhausting in that heath. Besides that, we had to go through a lot of rivers, what meant you had to hike on your flipflops (don’t ask me why they tell you to bring flipflops, not exactly the best material for hiking). The surroundings were very pretty, but after a while everybody was just hoping we would reach the village soon. There we could fi-nal-ly relax and let our bruised, scratched, mosquito-bitten legs and feet rest.

And, I have to say, despite the absolute lack of comfort (don’t expect a normal bed, toilet or shower!) it was a great experience to see this village and also to spend such a night with a group of people who still were complete strangers at the beginning of the day. We had a nice dinner, some beer, played some games with funny sounds like ‘ oof’ and ‘ pakatang’ and chatted a bit. We really had a nice group, including an American couple of 122 and 23 who were on their honeymoon! So funny!

The hiking on the 2nd day (my B-day!) was a bit harder since it had rained that night. And, I have to say, after a while even this beautiful ‘jungle’ got a bit boring. So we were happy when we reached the car and were driven to a place to have some lunch. Afterwards it was time for the biggest event of the hiking: the elephant riding! I expected we wopuld only make a small circle, but we really made a tour through forests and stuff. An amazing, awesome, indescribable experience, for sure! First a bit scary, but after a while you trust the elephant when it goes up or, even worse, down incredibly steep hills and you just enjoy the great ride. After the elephant riding we went rafting, which was not as exciting as it sounds, but if it was definitely fun. Altogether the trekking tour was a wonderful experience, so happy we made the decision to do on this tour!

Then back to the hotel, where another surprise was awaiting me.. My luggage! Finally! So after dinner we didn’t only have my Bday, but also the return of my luggage to celebrate!

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