Advertisement
Published: November 6th 2007
Edit Blog Post
Following my instinct I decided to jump town and accompany the two British girls (actually one Brit, the other
Welsh) that I met at the Sunday market on a journey to the north west of Chiang Mai. We caught an early bus heading to Mae Sariang, 4+ hours into the mountains to the west. By far the most compact bus I've ever been on, and the poor old machine struggled desperately to haul about a hundred people up the steep mountain slopes. We arrived mid day and checked into the "loveliest" guest house (I can't help adopting their lingo) I can imagine. It was mostly teak with floor mats and an open air lobby downstairs. The girl running the house/ veg restaurant was incredibly friendly and spoke English perfectly so we were able to joke and laugh with her informally. We intended to come here and find an off-the-beaten-path trek to the hill tribes, but didn't really find them appealing or trust many of the guides. Evidently there is a reason for the beaten path...
The three of us took a walk in a wide loop around the little town and across the bridge into a Karen village. We explored and
photographed the views of banana groves, rice paddy fields, and the wat up on the opposite mountainside. The village children screamed "hello!" at us and immediately giggled and ran away. On the way back over the water there were more Shan style temples (from what I can tell Shan, or Burmese, style indicates a dark teak wood full of elaborate cut designs and spires that point straight up instead of the Thai finger-like decor), bleating goats, and a male voice chanting loudly through a loudspeaker into the evening air.
We returned to the guesthouse and relaxed for the evening in the lobby; I learned how to play Shithead, which is suprisingly fun despite the terrible name. The girls informed me about all sorts of daily UK life I am totally unaware of, including geography and lessons in politics. We shared our dinner family-style and I've decided it was hands-down the best meal I've had yet in Thailand. I've been having a hard time finding anything that is remotely appealing because, although I don't want to miss out on the Thai food experience, most dishes here are heavy on the meat and fat and... well I can't imagine putting globlets of
fried animal parts into my belly yet. However, we had the most wonderful garlic-kale and tofu, and penang curry; we sat happily talking in our respective accents and laughing at each other's life experiences. Each of us has such a different background, its odd that we could have all ended up together.
This morning we caught a
very early bus (another 4+ hour trip) to Mae Hong Son, which is more north and closer to Pai. The bus was much more comfortable and the scenery out the window was absolutely breathtaking: misty mountain peaks, terraced rice paddy fields, endless greenery...
This town is also quite nice; larger and more modern than Mae Sariang, but it has a beautiful little lake with two giant temples set right out on the waterfront, exactly opposite our guest house. We had lunch at the Sunflower Cafe-- another meal I was happy to gulp down, this time simple green curry with tofu. From here we signed up for a trekking adventure (after checking out 4 different guides) which leaves tomorrow morning. We'll be out for 3 days; the first day visiting two Hmong villages and one Karen village where we will sleep for the
night. This includes 4- 5 hours of walking in between. Next day we walk to some waterfalls and camp out in the jungle, including 5 hours of walking along a mountain ridge and down into the valley. Last day we will cross the river 3 times to the nearest road, stopping at some hot springs, and then we'll drive back to Mae Hong Song. I hope I get some rest tonight!
Carli and I had a pre-trek warm up after lunch by walking the switchback staircase up the nearby mountain to the town's biggest temple (and best view). I'm not sure if this one is Shan-- it was white and cylindrical with Garuda and Naga statues carved around the entrances (which are typically found at Khmer sites). From there we circled the town and wandered through a fresh food market, then returned to the lake and see the night time excitement. Food stalls appeared and people came out in droves, funny how that is.
For now, I am going to grab my book and settle down on the balcony overlooking the lake. The temples are lit up and reflecting back across the glassy water...
Advertisement
Tot: 0.105s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 6; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0424s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Anne
non-member comment
please write a book
Courtney, someday please promise me you will write a book about all the things you have done and all the places you have been. I am sitting in my room reading your entries after I get out of class and I feel like I have opened my favorite book. Its such a nice escape. I love you! Your adventure with the Brits sound wonderful!!! I would love to be there with you and I am trying so hard to imagine what it looks like when you say the temples are reflecting back across the glossy water. It sounds sooooo beautiful!! Be safe! Love you, Anne