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Day 13
Today we are off on a trekking experience... Two days one night.
We are collected by a common sight in Northern Thailand... Its a pick up truck with a high level roof over the back... This is where the passengers sit.. They still have traditional TukTuks for shorter trip around Chaing Mai but we are heading out of town...
We are the last to get collected and squeeze into the back of the pick up taxi.. There are a view English speaking voices so we breath a quiet sigh of relief... Neither of us speak another language so it could of been a quiet few days....
The journeys around an hour long to the first village we stop off in for supplies that night. Myself and Shiree also get a vehicle change.. We are both pleased... The English speakers could all of been runner up cast members for the lead role in " A Brit Abroad "
After the village stop we are now with 5 French people... Three guys and two girls... They seam friendly and have a reasonable good grasp of the English language which is good.... For us....
Our first stop in the elephant ride... We both feel a little uneasy about this so are pleased to see that the elephants appear well treated.
There is a loading platform that we climb to get us high enough so that we can just step straight onto the elephants back rather than making them lie down all the time to help our access. Our elephant follows voice commands which is nice.. This means he has no chains around him like the others...
This elephant knows the routine.... We walk for about 5 seconds and it stops... Up comes his trunk over the top of his head... He wants food... We've bought a bag of bananas with some sugar canes in.... Every ten seconds the elephant grinds to a stop and up comes the trunk.. Breathing elephant size lungfulls of banana breath on you until he's fed again... This elephant must eat tons of bananas a week. The rides slow and takes you pass raised platforms where more bags of elephant food can be bought....
Because of being voice controlled our elephant has a little more freedom than the others, so whilst his keeper is preoccupied trying to shot things out the tree with his catapult our elephant wonders off in whatever direction he choses, hungry for more food, he obviously sees I tree he likes and sets about its destruction... He can hear his keeper shouting.. We all can, but he is far more interested in the branches than our tour... But we are happy to have a ring side seat... The tours short and after a few photos we are soon back in the truck. It was nice to experience and long enough to enjoy, but it'll probably be the only elephant ride we do...
We get dropped off with a male guild called Chi that we collected at the elephant stop in what seems like a random lay-by in the middle of know here.. We have left the bulk of Thai civilisation long behind, the lay-by sits within thick Forrest on one of the few flat prices of ground around... Lots of the trees have big thick Buddha orange ribbons marking a route through the trees... Our guild leads the way... Soon bringing us to a clearing in the trees where we are told to sit... Are you sure.. I'm thinking as I perch on my ruck sack... Non to keen to sit amongst ants the size of a 20 pence coins. We have a savoury rice dish served in a banana leaf. It was quite possibly the nicest rice dish I've had.. Mainly due to the leaf and surroundings no doubt. The nicest aspect of this meal was no waste... You simply throw your banana leave into the Forrest and it's instantly undistinguishable from the others....
We head off in single file following a narrow path cut through the trees, this path is never flat ! or easy going... If your not climbing up hill your negotiating your way down, often on loose terrain... The guilds wearing flip flops that are well past there best, i'm very pleased to be wearing shoes.
After around an hour of walking we climb down I sharp drop to the base of a waterfall. There is much needed water here... We are all hot and sweating quite a bit from the last hours trekking so quickly change into swimming gear and head straight for the water......
"Liquid Ice" would if been a more appropriate word for it, and cool us off it certainly did. Our guild has laid out on a few lengths of thick bamboo... Fast sleep... Where he remains for around an hour or more.. We are all dried and back in trekking cloths again by the time he wakes up... Jumping to his feet and he's off.. Over some stepping stones and following another trail...
30 mins on and we all wish we were back in the water fall... The terrain making us all work hard again.. Every now and then you emerge from the trees into clearings containing huge teared rice plantations which gives us a couple of minutes rest as photos are taken... The guild points out various points of interest along are walk... Mainly about food sources.. Of which he usually takes some... For tonight's dinner.
We arrive into a very traditional looking hill side village... Our resting point of the night... The children play amongst the many animals that wonder around... It seems that it's only the cows and larger pigs that need to be tide up... All the houses are made completely from locally sourced wood and leaves, and all are built on stilts. It's very rustic, and with exception of the French its only our guild that speaks any English.
This is your hotel our guild says with a smile... It's no different from any other building there... As you open the door it's got four large mosquito nets that hang from a spiders web infested roof. Two raised platforms on either side which are the beds that have very thin child's mattress on them and piles of neatly folded woollen blankets.... All very simplistic. With no lightning and without windows its dark.. Its feels a little like being in a barn, only without the straw...
We are given the opportunity to swim again, "follow the girl" we are told... She's nine years old.. So of we go on what seams like a continues down hill walk for 20 mins, finally we cross a river on a flimsy bamboo bridge and the water awaits.. I'm the last to get changed and judging be the looks on peoples faces the water has not increased in temperature... I decide after dipping my toes in the water that I don't need to swim again today... It not only the temperature, theres elephant poo floating in the water too and I'm not sure either is that appealing to me....
On are arrival back at the village are shown a part defrosted bucket of water containing a mixture of chilled drinks cans... We grab a can each... 60b per can.
The village is nice and Very Basic. There's no electricity anywhere other than battery and no drainage... Only running water.. But how clean the water is we are not sure... Everyone seems ok with us being there... Its a nice place to be...
We are told its ok to wander anywhere in the village, so grabbing the camera that's what we do...
Its interesting to see such a varied group of animals all living together side by side in peace... Only the pigs seam a little feisty and it would appear there not frightened of anything.... We find the local school.. Its one room and a few stools... Numbers 1 to 100 on the wall and a 44 character alphabet.
There is maybe 15 homes in this village... maybe half have a motorbike parked amongst the stilts of the home above...
Once back at our home for the night we are served dinner by our guild... Its a rice dish with Thai green curry and it's lovely... You can see some of the items collected on today's trek within the meal... All very nice, and not overly spicy.
A fire is lit by one of the locals and after washing in some very strong mosquito repellent we sit ourselves down as a group around it.. Its nice to see the fire going and some of the local men join us... After a while they start to offer around a locally produced Thai rice whiskey and although hesitant at first and with some Dutch courage from a few cans of chilled Chang beer I take the plunge... On reflection this probably wasn't a good move... Thai home brew whiskey is not that strong, but it's mixed with red bull... Something the Thais seem to prefer to water and something once I'd gone to bed I'd later regret drinking.
It was whilst sitting around the camp fire that the two French girls - Marie & Samantha became more friendly having so far kept themselves to themselves. Both could speak pretty good English and both were good company and if seemed they preferred the English accent to the French which made life easier. We later learn that they were actually sisters.. And didn't know the three French guys....
A local guy turns up with a guitar and is playing in the back ground whilst some very broken English conversations take place, part French, part Thai, part English.
Some bananas get put on the fire and Shiree's up... In search of a Snichers bar of chocolate we'd brought along to add to the bananas that are quickly heating up... Before we know it what seems think the whole village is aware of the chocolate and everyone's there... Chocolate, Chocolate there all saying.. I think they want some...
It gets spread around to whoever wants some and it seems to be enjoyed be everyone.
The guy with the guitar only knows one English song... It's called "Happy Birthday" and as luck would have it, it was someone's birthday.... Shirees... She even had to blow out a candle... No cake though..
I notice as the night continues that with exception of the Thais I'm pretty much the only one drinking this Thai whiskey... And people are slowly drifting off to bed... So It's not long before it's just me.... With that the fire is picked up and moved outside one of the locals homes where the drinking continues... Before long one of the Thais comes out with a fire lantern. They struggled a little to light the fire block but eventually it was alight, the heat built up and the lantern slowly lifted into the air... When the second came out a decided Shiree would probably like this so went off to get her... We watched it rise high into the sky before burning out, had one last drink and called it a night...
We thanked the Thais for the fantastic hospitality and walked back to our hotel... Its surprising how much can be seen in moonlight.
The bed was very creaky and uncomfortable... You slept in the clothes you had been wearing all day and nothing was comfortable, I was aware of not wanting to touching the mosquito net with any skin, and the Thais conversations in the distance, combined with the bitter cold around 3 am and the caffeine in the red bull made for a very short nights sleep.
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