In keeping my promise to not take so long in sharing the rest of my trip, and also a kind of new years resolution for myself to be a better blogger....
Here is Thailand, part 2, where we leave Bangkok behind and head for the hills.. tribes that is.
As part of our Thailand adventure we joined an 8 day Intrepid tour that would take us through Chiang Mai and into the secluded hill tribes where the culture is rich, and the scenery is breathtaking.
We caught the overnight sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, and what was supposed to be a 12 hr journey turned into an exhausting 16hr train trip. But no time to stop and rest. We straight away went on a bicycle ride through the streets of Chiang Mai absorbing the incredible difference of pace and atmosphere compared to Bangkok. We caught a Song Taew (basically a ute with 2 benches in the back) to and from the night markets and then again the next day up into the hills.
Our hill tribe experience involved a 3 day trek through an incredible variety of landscapes. Wide open hills, rich green forest, dense bamboo jungles - you could hardly believe you were still in the same country. We slept in bamboo huts under mosquito nets and did the hokey pokey with local hill tribe girls around the fire. It was a surreal experience.
Our local guide Buhn, was from the hill tribe villages and had such an extensive knowledge of the local flora. He seemingly had a never ending amount of tricks up his sleeve to amaze us. From blowing bubbles with the sap from one plant, to making grass arrows that flew a surprising distance. Along the way he also managed to carve perfect bamboo chopsticks with his machete, that we used to eat our pad thai with - which had been perfectly wrapped in banana leafs. 100% organic - no rubbish left behind to pollute Thailand's natural beauty.
Not only would he lead us all day through the hills, but would cook our meals as soon as arrived with no electricity.
The second village we stayed at was slightly more developed than the first and we had more of an opportunity to explore the village and interact with the children. Every single Thai kid I saw was ridiculously adorable. Particularly this one little girl whose name was Yam. Dressed in her beautiful traditional clothes, complete with crocs about 4 sizes to big for her. Later in the night, her and all the other girls came to perform for us.
On our way back to Chiang Mai after the hill tribe trek, we stopped to ride the elephants at one of the elephant nature camps. The experience was daunting, but I absolutely fell in love with the baby elephant who loved frolicking in the water and chasing after the tourist laden bamboo rafts gently floating down the river. Seeing the terrified look on the tourists faces was hilarious.
Although we were absolutely exhausted we mustered all the energy we had left to visit Doi Suthep, a temple located on top of a mountain, to see the monks chant at sunset. The 40min drive and 309 steps to reach the temple was a worthwhile experience, but I'm not going to lie - I was feeling pretty damn awful by this stage. As in I got back to the hotel and cried myself to sleep facedown in a pool of tears (and snot), while my boyfriend claims he hypnotised me.
From Chiang Mai we moved into the final part of our adventure. Took the overnight sleeper train back to Bangkok before flying to Phuket. But more on that later...
Karissa X
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