Due to such bad weather, and flooding in general, we didn't arrive at Chiang Mai until noon. Oh well, less time to shop and better on the back. Even though we downsized our packs I don't think I can carry anything else!
Off to town we ventured to the day market. On the way, I spied the evil empire - Starbucks but the latte sure tasted great. Not a big SB fan but it was so much nicer than the "shopping capitol". No bargaining and no bargains to be had - what a bust! We were there for the trekking anyhow so no matter.
On to the old city section and some temple sight seeing. We made it as far as the outer wall before we had to duck into a burger joint. It was a complete wash out as it rained so hard that the water in the canal raised at least a foot. The street had a good 1/2 foot of standing water in it by time we finished our burgers, veggie for me, and cheesy fries.
Concerned about the adventure trek we had planned for the next 3 days, we headed back to the hotel. After that night's meeting, we were still a go. Their was 4 of us, plus our guide. The other couple were from Switzerland. Maybe I could practice my German - Not!Trekking was good but not in the way I expected. Our first day we had elephant riding on the agenda. I was excited and the animals were magnificent. However, the ride was not really that enjoyable as I was literally freaking out for the entire hour! I thought we would stroll through the Flat jungle, and maybe wade through a stream. Instead the elephants were made to climb these ridiculously steep, and very muddy, slippery hillsides with us ridding on top of them! I had a death grip on Brian’s hand.
Next up was lunch, followed by a quick stroll through the Karan Hill tribe village where as chance would have it, a wedding was going on. Well, the reception at least. We were requested to sit down and share in some local rice whiskey. Two huge shots later, we managed to politely excuse ourselves. Now we just needed to hike for 5 hours!
We arrived at base camp early, around 4:30pm. Plenty of time to jump into the waterfall pool for a swim, except for the fact that it was raining, freezing, and cold. Since the bathroom consisted of two holes in the ground, each in a wooden shack, no shower, no lights, no paper, no sink (bring on the hand sani - you get the picture) - not one of us went in that night.The accommodations were less than thrilling, more like 3rd world bamboo hut with musty smelling wool blankets, and a moldy sleeping bag. Oh well, when in Rome. Dinner was fabulous, but the bamboo mat on the elevated hut floor was uncomfortable to say the least.
Up early, as I could no long lie down any longer, Brian decided to venture into the water for a quick swim. As there was only 4 of us, our schedule was a bit casual and we got started trekking around 10am. Just after our breakfast of toast and jam, and more toast and jam :). At least there was coffee. It was no latte but it was hot and good.All geared up, rain poncho's on - off a hiking we would go. As it turned out, we hiked so fast that we arrived at our lunch spot early. We all quickly decided to venture on to our dinner and final destination village. We arrived at 1:15pm!
Needing a break, we all sat down at the picnic table for some lunch. We were then descended upon by the local women and children whom attempted to engage us in purchasing their crafts. Of course, we all obliged. After all, I got 3 hand made bracelet for a $1, and it made their day. We were then attacked by a vicious 2 pound kitten! The picnic table even had "beware of kitten" etched into it. So cute, I wanted to put it in my backpack!
After lunch we all wanted to keep going for the day so our guide suggested another village we could stay at. Unanimously, we got our gear on and 3 hours later arrived. We were all so glad we did, as this was so much nicer. This had cinder block bathrooms, still eastern, and showers! Nothing fancy, but a cold water shower was bliss as the sun was shinning still.This was our last night and was to be our "homestay". However, we still stayed in a separate bamboo hut, like the previous night, but the villagers were much more interactive with us. Again, the local ladies sold us their wares. I purchased some lovely handmade Holiday gifts for our moms.
It was our final day and I can honestly say that I was ready to get back to city life. Well, that amenities, that is. However, this was the day we had water water rafting on the agenda! Super excited we hiked out of the hills to the pick up location. It was a great day, with no rain.
Our white water rafting, ended up being bamboo rafting. Several people including ourselves were more than bummed out. For the Swiss couple whom had never been white water rafting, they were very disappointed. However, it turned out to be really fun.
The 45 min trip down the river took all of 15min! Due to all the rainfall the previous days, the water was fast! Instead of riding the rapids, the bamboo rafts kind of just went through them. We were totally soaked, but it was a blast.
Check out all the pic's here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/katnbrian/sets/72157625998758463/
