We left the comfort of our Phuket resort on November 25, and headed to Chiang Mai (sadly, via that retarded Bangkok airport again). We basically spent the next 4 days on the opposite end of the spectrum - having gone from 5-star to… well, a place that probably doesn’t even register on the star rating system. I had organized a 3-day trek in the mountains of Northern Thailand - through Doi Suthep - Doi Pui National Park. During the trek, we slept in huts in a Karon (a hill-tribe) village. For the nights before and after the trek, we stayed at a guesthouse called Eagle House 2. Apparently Eagle House 1 isn’t too bad, but Eagle House 2 is… well, loud to say the least. It’s right next to at least 3 nightclubs. So it was a little different from the resort. Fortunately, we were only there for a minimal amount of time, and the trek was great! So… on to the trek…
We left early Sunday morning. There were 4 Canadians (i.e. Mom, Dad, Remi, and I), an Irish couple (Aine and Richard), a Scottish couple (Swampy and Janey), 2 English couples (Ben and Kate, and Dan and Sarah), and our 2 guides, Date (pronounced like a cross between Dat and Det) and Sor. We loaded all our stuff and ourselves into a pick-up truck, and were off!
Our first stop was a market for supplies, and then we got to ride elephants. 
The elephant that Remi and I rode was extremely large (even compared to the othe elephants), and hence - very, very hungry. We bought a couple of bags of sugar cane and bananas for him, as well as a package of Mentos, but he also made our ride more interesting by continually wandering off the path into bamboo groves, and proceeding to systematically rip them down and eat them. It’s a good thing that bamboo grows very fast, as this elephant alone could eat a bamboo forest, I’m sure.
After the elephant ride we all clambered back into the truck and drove for a few hours to the start of the trek. The drive wasn’t so great, as the road was terrible - there were many potholes, bumps, and curves - so we were all very relieved to start the trek. Our trek took us up and down the Thai mountains, across various rivers (some with bridges, some without; we later learned that we were simply criss-crossing the same river over and over again), and through rice fields - much to Dad’s delight.
Of course, 3 hours later we were a little tired, but by then we had reached the Karon village where we spent the night.
The Karon people were very nice, and brought us various merchandise to purchase (including beer!).
They also invited us into their homes for tea, and answered our many questions very patiently (courtesy of Date’s translation services). Of course, there was only one gentleman in the house that we visited, as the rest of his family was up at the house with the satellite TV, watching soccer.
The next morning we all huddled by the fire, as it really gets cold in the mountains at night. Dad and Dan built a rack to help dry the shoes that had been soaked in the various river crossings. Remi and I also attached various wet socks and sarongs to our backpacks, to let them dry while we were hiking.
After breakfast, we visited the local elementary school, and gave the kids candy. Apparently, the villagers like tourists to do that as it provides positive reinforcement for going to school.
Then, we were on our way!
We stopped for lunch at a little hut near a stream, where we ate fried noodles out of banana leaves, using young bamboo sticks as chopsticks. The ultimate enviro-friendly lunch!
After a few more hours of trekking (and crossing rivers on rickety bamboo bridges), we arrived at our camping site for the evening.
We spent the evening relaxing, swimming in the river, and Ben entertained us around the camp fire. He plays guitar quite well, and is part of a band back in the UK: The Day Brakes.
The next morning, we awoke to find Date making sticky rice in a bamboo stick for us.
To make bamboo sticky rice: fill the bamboo with rice and water and let soak overnight (stuff leaves in the top end so there’s no bugs) then cook over the fire in the morning until done.
It was good!
After breakfast (including the sticky rice, but also some French toast - or as the Brits & Irish called it, “eggy bread”), it was time for the rafting portion of our trek. There were 3 rafts, built right on the river next to our campsite.
There were 4 or 5 of us standing on each raft, along with our backpacks on a tripod at the front. Each raft had at least one guide, who took the front position. Then, we set off down the river.
Some areas were more exciting than others…
But all of it was fun!
After disembarking, we hiked for another little bit, until we met up with the truck again. We drove for about an hour to a restaurant for lunch, where we met this little guy.
Then we drove another hour or so to the Great Holy Relics Pagoda of Nabhamethanidol-Nabhapolbhumisiri, built to commemorate the birthdays of the King and Queen (Stupas).
Then, another little bit of driving to the Mae Sa Waterfall.
And finally, we drove back to Eagle House 2. That was the end of our Thai trekking experience.
