Chiang Mai is set in beautiful northern Thailand. It is a small city (a mere one million people) with its own sense of history, beauty, and kindness. To quote the genius of Borat, “I like!”
Cheryl and I had a three-day weekend following our return from India. We took the opportunity by the reigns and booked a three-day trek in Pai, close to Chiang Mai. My parents asked that we peruse the situation to see if it would be something they might like to try. Yes, it is, but unfortunately, this trek is for the young. Sorry, but that’s all folks.
The trek was arduous and adventurous. The first leg was the twelve-hour bus ride to Chiang Mai, which was the usual ho-hum/uneventful experience that one would expect of a bus ride. But then the game was on. We boarded a song-tao and immediately drove out of town into the foray of the wild. We stopped for a brief lunch and learned our itinerary involved a kick-off of several hours of trekking. At this point the most feint of heart in our party quietly put her tail between her legs and took her meek boyfriend with her. I suppose this was Darwin at work and we were soon to find who was the fittest.
After our lunch of rice etc. (the norm in Thailand) we were off at roughly a thirty degree angle up the side of the valley. The vegetation was lush but our guide was not, so we became thankful for our youthful exuberance. However, we soon realized that our guide had more youthful exuberance than all of us put together. He pushed us through at breakneck pace. It appeared “Mr. Whiskey” as he liked to be called was as strong as his namesake. We criss-crossed the river valley hopping on rocks, using tree bridges, and generally scaling the terrain.
We felt like warriors on a mission. Mr. Whiskey was spry and soon we were passing other groups trekking the same wild. It appeared we were the most stalwart in the valley that day. Soon, however, we were all commenting the need to band together in slowing down Mr. Whiskey and enjoying the sights more than just the strain. This we did, and soon we were taking in our breath out of wonder instead of weariness. The views were amazing; lush, panoramic, and exotic. At any time one could turn around and see an entire valley around them stretching on into the sun and the mist. We were in the midst of bamboo forests, rushing creeks, and the jungle that is northern Thailand. I would say it was God’s country but Buddha says godliness is attainable by all; so I suppose we were all gods taking the country for ourselves.
After several hours of trekking and some weary stops we arrived at our final destination for the day, a hill-tribe perched atop the rim of the valley. We walked amidst the bamboo huts observing the free range animals throughout the village. Families were working in various capacities and the children played. Our hosts were kind and we asked for little, just a place to sit and some water. This was our opportunity to get to know our group and begin the fellowship rites of communal living.
Our crew was sorted out from various countries. Representing at our table (or woven mat as it is in northern Thailand) was three Canadians, one Hungarian, one Swedish, four Irish, and of course Mr. Whiskey from Thailand. It was a great mix. We were all between our early twenties and early thirties with backpacks and adventurous spirits. We hardly moved all evening choosing instead to engage in conversation, some music, some spirits, and later, a campfire. Good night.
The second day included a trek to several waterfalls. The hike was similar to the previous day with many precarious crossings and fantastic sites. Along the way there were several stops of small local dwellings where we could purchase a refreshment and rest awhile or eat a meal.
The waterfalls were fun to see. Venturing deep into the wild is fun in itself but to arrive at an auspicious natural location such as a fresh water fall is an event. It makes the whole trek seem like a building towards a goal that does not disappoint. The first waterfall was nice. We took some pictures, at lunch and bought slingshots with which to exercise manly egos; which the men all had fun doing so until the trek continued.
The second waterfall was more adventurous than the first because it was in this one that almost all of us immediately donned our bathing suits and jumped right in. The water was cold, rushing, and exhilarating. Cheryl was kind enough to stay behind the first few minutes and take pictures, but soon she was in the thick of it having natures most refreshing of showers. There isn’t much in life more refreshing than bathing in a natural waterfall.
Near the end of our trekking that day Cheryl and I were also privy to another adventurous aspect of trekking through the jungles in northern Thailand; we saw a wild elephant! Cheryl and I have seen many elephants since coming to Thailand and even rode atop of one named Dodo on our wedding day, but we had never before come across a wild one. As we were walking on the trail we heard some slow but forceful brushing sounds coming from the bushes uphill from us. We stopped to investigate with camera in hand and saw a large elephant lazily munching on all available vegetation and slowly moving forward after each mouthful. They are such peaceful creatures. Although I would never want to be on the receiving end of an angry elephant I have yet to see one.
On the third and final day we did not trek. This day was reserved for elephant riding, white water rafting, and bamboo rafting. The elephant ride was fun. The elephant Cheryl and I were riding appeared to be a mother as there was an adorable little baby elephant that followed alongside us the entire way. We traveled along the sides of the valley and returned to camp beside the river where the elephants stopped to drink.
Next was the white water rafting. This was fun; a little rough at times and relaxing at others. We had some water wars with the other boat holding the rest of our trekking crew. Then we transferred to the bamboo rafts for a soft drifting down the river. This was a very relaxing portion of the trip. We were even lucky enough to drift past an elephant hospital where injured elephants are cared for. One was receiving a bath in the river as we floated by.
Post all our adventures we had a small lunch and then headed back to Chiang Mai to await our bus. The ride home lasted another twelve hours. The bus dropped us off on Kao San Road at five in the morning, so we went home for an hours rest before working at eight a.m. Work hard, trek harder.
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