It was an early start the next day and was tired from the sleeper so had an quiet night in expectation. In the morning I was picked up by a songtaew full of fellow trekkers from around the world – American Lee, a trio of cool Canadian girls, a couple of girls from Uterecht, a couple from Hannover, two guys from Mallorca, and our two Thai guides. Pai, the sole English speaking guide was decked out in an Obama '08 t-shirt, baggy jeans and a pair of chuck taylors. He did remove the Chucks for the trekking but only to put on his flip-flops!! After a brief stop at the market for our guides to buy the raw ingredients from which they made all of our meals, we were on our way.
First stop after a long drive into the wilderness was bamboo rafting. Certainly not a thrill ride, more of a slow and lazy meander down the river, all the while getting a very wet bum. The rafts were then completely dismantled and shipped back up the hill, to again be reassembled for the next descents.
After this was a three hour trek to our camp for the night. It was hard going in the extreme heat and humidity. I thought the 5 peaks would have stood me in good stead but this was really tough - sweated through t-shirt and shorts within five minutes! The terrain also made it hard going and I did curse the travel agent for saying trainers would be a-okay, but when the guides are in flips and everyone is in the same boat you can't complain too much.
The sight of a glorious waterfall beside which was stationed a semi-permanent camp for us to stay the night couldn't have come too soon. Showering in that waterfall is one of the most refreshing experiences of my life. In the evening we sat round the fire and Pai serenaded us with his take on a few Bob Dylan and Neil Young classics – both amazing and hysterical in equal measure. Also, found out he is a Muay Thai kickboxer on the side so a talented individual but not one to be trifled with. When our guides disappeared into the forest for 15 minutes, I thought they were just collecting firewood but returned with frogs, crabs, fish, snakes all of which they had caught and most of which they proceeded to cook on the fire. It was all a bit 'I'm a celebrity'!
After the second worst night of sleep I can remember, we set off further up the trails and via another waterfall carved a path to Prang Ma Oh a village of the Karen tribespeople. Greeted by a angry dog with an axe wound over it's left eye (apparently it had stolen food or killed a chicken from a neighbouring village and this punishment was handed out) and ant infested sleeping quarters, no body in the group was relishing the prospect of a night there. I thought no electricity or other creature comforts (apart from creatures that is - dogs, cats, bulls, pigs, roosters, chickens), would make for an interesting night, other people in the group had stronger feelings. At one point a leaving committee was almost formed which I was dead against. It would have been a incredibly disrespecful to these people if we can't live one night they way they do 365 days of the year. But fortunately we managed to quash this line of thought. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!
Thank Buddha we had playing cards, and found out that the only money the village recieves from these treks is through the drinks they sell the trekkers. So we set about replenishing the village finances with much relish. One of the villagers had to keep going to the next village to collect more alcohol - it was all very surreal. Again we got a fire going and this time there was a Thai harp doing the rounds... it's quite a piercing instument when played well and ten times worse when played badly and it was nice to find out that my musical inabilities are universal! Even though, all of this was followed by the numero uno worst nights sleep in the history of darkness, it was probably the highlight of the trek. Making the most out of a bad situation and definitely character building stuff.
The next day we made the descent back to civilisation, stopping briefly at an elephant farm. The ride was scary, smelly and generally a horrific experience. I'm not a big animal lover to start with but this was horrible. Those big dirty animals took us on a circuit of steep inclines, holding on with white knuckles - it was scarier than any rollercoaster I've been on, I guess the unpredictability of nature adds a new dimension. Also, the elephant took a dislike to us and insited on sucking up dirt in it's trunk and blowing it all over us. Only redeeming factor for me was to see the native Thai elephant rider in a Newcastle Utd strip!!
Really good adventure but with too much hanging around, it was probably a two day trek streched out to last three days. That did though provide the basis to bond with my fellow trekkers and after you've shared a single person mosquito net with someone, played hours and hours of cards, and shared so many other experiences it's easy to consider them friends. So despite some ropey moments it was a true experience, I was able to experience true Thailand and that's what I'm here for...
So just back and going to hang around Chiang Mai for a few more days. I'm aching and (after the three sleeps from hell) very tired but nothing a good nights sleep and tomorrow's thai massage won't cure.
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