feb 25th ish i believe.
Yet again,just when I thought my head was going to explode with plans and trying to do too much I embraced the fact and have started to make everything better... After getting dropped off in Dow town fang I was given some I correct directions about how to get where I wanted to go. But this is kind of an annoying Story so instead I will just tell you about my latest trek...
After spending the night at mustafas hotel in chaing Mai I spent Friday morning telling you all about my first trek...after leaving the Internet cafe I walked Over to the lonely bird hostel to see what was going on over there and to see if it would be a good place to stay for an extra night...I had heard good things about it and was going to stay there but found other accommodations instead...anyway when I got here the hostel had a tremendous vibe and I could tell it must be a great place...as I was looking around and debating what to do with myself next I noticed a hand made poster looking for additional Trekkers to join someone to a "far less touristy" location...I was intrigued because someone making the effort to make a sign like that must know something and it certainly would have interested me if it had been slightly Lower priced than 1500 Bhat they were asking...as I continued looking around a girl started talking ro me About a trek she had been looking into...the trek she was talking about was of course,the one she had made a sign for ... I started talking to her about it and it seemed like a a really awesome opportunity.requiring a 3hr bus ride to a more northern city,fang. we would stay with a local tribe in a homestay and hike up the 2nd tallest mountain in thailand ...I was extremely Intrigued and when she told me that they were doing a group rate And I could drop the price down to around 900bhat I was sold. I had no plans to go on a trek again but it seemed to good to be true so I decided to roll with it. She wAs meeting 2 guys who were motor Klingon to the city ( where was I 2hrs earlier!) while she was trying to tell me all about it we wet out for a lunch of noodle soup and pad Thai and it was after his conversation with her that I decided I ha nothing to lose and should just take the adventure with her and her other recruits. She was leaving in about an hour but but I wanted to be able to go back and say goodbye to mustafa before leaving so I agreed to meet her at an address in fang at around 9pm.
After heading back to the hotel to pack my bag and get ready to head out I was pretty excited. sitting at the computer it is easy together overwhelmed but the moment I got out and just did something fantastic plans seemed to just come about.
As soon as I was done packing my bag I walked Dow. To the lobby to wait for mustafa and there he was sitting on his iPhone using some wifi.we had a quick conversation and he again told me to come to turkey to visit him an she what a beautiful place it is and can be. While I don't know if those Plans are in my future it is nice to know that they could be and I would have a blast if I did. All throughout our trek he was a great salesman about turkey!!
Asi was leaving the hostel I saw one of the other trekking guides that we net at the elephant center,Tom,a super tattooed,super laid back guy who we heard awesome stories about and whose birthday it aS the night we were with him. I was really glad I to to see him again which was really cool.
Although I was cutting it close with time to get to the bus station I decided to walk anywAy. 50b in my pocket is better than a tuk tuk or a taxi drivers anyday! As I walked Dow. The street I also saw o e of the two British guys we net I. The trek walking back to the hotel! Same one! It's a small world and was really cool to see him. We exchanged last names and there's a good chance we will meet up with each other again seeing how we are on a similar plan and might be together in laos. who knows, thats the way things seem to work here.
Combining a mix of power walking and light jogging win y backpack on I luckily made my bus by about 2 seconds.literally. I jumped into to back door to catch it. I almost learned the extremely hard way that my watch time was 6 minutes slow. Ekk!
(slight pause in between writing these two...this next half was written on my tuck taxi hopping transportation from Than Ton all the way to Chaing Rai)
In agreeing to go on the trek with my newly met friend Charlie, I agreed to take a 3 hr bus ride to meet up with her...upon arriving into city at around 8:30p
it was by no means a happening or a busy city.. A small town with only a few street vendors my roughly sketched map that used a bank and a 7/11 a landmarks weren't much solace.I started to walk but when I came across a few people I tried to ask them where the phu manes hotel might be. From the use of hand signals we and they used they didn't know much more but agreed that I was walking in the -ish right direction. thanking them i carried on my way. About ten minutes late as I was walking down the street a truck passed by me beeping it's horn. Urging Ne to get on it was the people who I had asked directions from. I hopped into the bed And off we went. About ten minutes latr and 3 different turns I was staring at the entrance to the hotel and I could see a group of people starring at me from a table. Some luck on my part, I walked into the place at 9:05, right on time. the people i had asked directions from had googled the address and came to pick me up and drop me off there. arent people just awesome?
Over a few drinks we were introduced to the tour guide named dome and were told all about the trip, everything we would be doing and what it would be like. After learning about it and meeting the other people in our group, Phil and Matt, who had biked to the hotel, charlie (Charlotte), and Steven. All were traveling from the uk and all but Phil had been at it for at least 3 months. I don't know how people do it but it's amazing. Over the course of dinner the only upsetting thing was that we came to find out that the price was much greater than we had expected. While I was told it could be as little as 900b the guide, who also happened to be the hotel manager,informed us that it would actually be 2000b. While I was extremely extremely disheartened by this, no one else in the group thought it was a big deal even when I compared it to the last trek I did. I seriously considered jumping ship but I would have had nowhere to stay and it would have been kind of a lame excuse. I went with it anyway, already being the 5th wheel and not wanting to outlast myself over something relatively petty. I'll chalk this one up to the next time I go and spend 20 bucks on something pointless. For the 2nd time and again the night before a trek i decided that a liquid dinner would be a great idea. We had fun and it was a nice surprise to find out I could stay in the hotel mangers room an not have to pay any extra for accommodations since it was already more than I thought.
^market^
The next morning we were up by 8 and eventually were all ready to leave by around 10. We stopped at a temple on the way in that was dedicated to one the most regarded Buddhist monks whose picture we had seen all over the place.
Apparently he was the guy who had built the road all the way at the top of the hill. Chang Mai, DUI suthep,the one I went to on my first day with shavanee and the 2 canadians on gap year. We also stopped at a market where we picked up some water and snacks. Finally after getting gas we were off for he one hour drive it would take to get to the waterfall next to the village. riding in the back of a pick up bed for that long takes a to o. Your rear but when we finally got to the falls they were totally worth it and had a really unique drop to then. Hitting a rock and spraying g upwards it formed a water bubble you could stand undress and it was pretty cool. We got some great pictures and it was a pretty cool spot. While we were there our guides porters ( who spoke no English but wanted to come along to see what it was all like and eventually learn) made us cups made out of bamboo by which we drank some magic water sake out of. Pretty cool drinking out of a cup that was a tree five minutes earlier and hadnt existed 5 weeks earlier!
We had another almost hour drive to the lAhu village but the back roads we were now on were just that. Unpaved hilly ,not wide and quite treacherous. A great adventure standing In the back of a pick up truck holding on for dear life driving over 2ft potholes and sliding by inches between the oncoming trucks. When we got to the village it was a pretty cool place. The villages main source of income is coffee and tea so that is what they grow the most if although they have everything on their land. We had lunch at the highest hut o. The mountain and it was a beautiful spread cooked in bamboo over an open fire. Potentially one of the best meals I have had so far for sure but thats a common trend after I eat. After lunch we were taught how to play a Thai card game that is the equivalent to Blackjack. The goal is to get to nine. face cards are worth zero and you only use the number in the ones place ( i.e. an 8 and a 7 is 5 points, as well as an 3 and and a 2) you get 3 cards and there are a bunch of other rules about doubling up and betting your money. we played for awhile and it was pretty fun but I wasnt going to lose any actual money to a bunch of thai villagers in there own game. sorry guys. While some of the people in our group enjoyed a massage after cards I decided that I was going to find a perfect spot for my hammock. After a few failures i was successful and it felt great. I think I only took one picture but it was pretty much the perfect spot to relax. it was a great place to unwind and do some journaling as well.
^view from ze hammock^
After a relaxing break we went into the village to harvest some tea. In the village we were in although narcotics had been there money maker for the last forever number of years in the last 20 years there had been a major push for sustainable and healthy trade. (as is the case of most mountain villages...this place did a great job of never mentioning it or keeping it out of sight if it was the case. Zero mention or signs of it, as opposed to the last place where it was subtly present)
Starting with picking the leaves from the small trees, we then had to dry them out over an open fire pot. We then had to roll them out and get hte last of the moisture out on a bamboo mat. Lastly they had to dry and the stems picked out.
It was a relatively simple but arduous process but seeing how they make hundreds of kilos of the tea a day, and sell it for a tremendous price to bangkok and other foreign markets, its well worth their time. I include a few pictures of the process below. you should be able to figure out what I am doing based on the brief description i have above.
After the tea process we also got to check out a parrot and some really wild turtles with long tails and non retractable heads. Alex would have been interested in this for sure. pretty cool little creatures.
For dinner that night as we were walking over to our homestay we saw a massive gathering of men and women all preparing a ton of food. When we asked what they were doing we were shocked and excited to learn that there had been a wedding earlier that day and they were preparing the nightly feast. the entire village would come to the father of the grooms house and he had bought food for the entire village, to which everyone helped prepare the meal. legit the entire village. This was ultra intriging so when we had to leave to have our dinner somewhere else we were pretty bummed. i thought we were part of the village for the day!
After we had our dinner a few young thai-Lahu girls came over to our house and asked us where we were. apparently we had been invited and everyone was wondering where the farangs (gringos, foreigners) were for the great meal. We excitedly walked over and and it was just as awesome as you could imagine. an amazing spread with the entire village at hands, all enjoying themselves and sharing these crazy concoctions. Everyone using there hands to eat off of the bamboo leaves as plates they were quick to offer up the serving dishes to us and the serving spoons to use, as clearly we didnt know how to eat rice meat soup and salad with only our hands. we did our best to learn though ill tell you that. we enjoyed lots of food and some crazy fanta i have never had before but was delicious. i dare say i am enjoying my few treats of soda more than any alcohol. after dinner we met the bride and groom (who were even helping clean up) and got a great picture with them. Pretty casual attire for the newlyweds huh. jay and alex...niles and maggie...not quite similar wedding situations!
That night after dinner, we were also able to partake in a Lahu village dance. Although reserved for special holidays or occasions, apparently our arrival was special and w were treated to a performance and allowed (encouraged) to participate. Wait till you see some of the moves i learned when i burn up the dance floor in beantown when i get back. im sick wit it. we got a great picture with all the dancers and ourselves and fittingly my camera was the only one with battery and space left after a day of more pictures than i ever thought possible.
awesome.
that night after the dancing Steve, Charlie, Phil and I spent a few hours under the beautiful start and fire and told each other some awesome travel stories. Charlie trumped all of us with her tales of S. America rioting in La Paz Bolivia that I cant even recount on here because someday I want to travel south America with my friend who used to live there and speaks rough spanish, and i dont want people to worry. ask me in person sometime though because without hyping it up to much its one of the most ridiculous situations i have ever heard.
the next morning we started our trek up the mountain. It was a long and tough hike but we rocked it pretty well. It was about 12 kilometers the entire way so not extreme but still, it was uphill the entire way so it kept rewarding us with awesome views. I havent mentioned this yet but one of the guys on the trek with us, Matt, took more pictures than i ever though possible. I mean i dont think this guy took a pee without evidencing the toilet or the sink he washed his hands on. Everything. literally 2 minutes didnt go by without his camera. He was a great dude dont get me wrong but he brought his camera with him everywhere and was obsessed with his electronics. my bag had some clothes and a toothbrush. his had his macbook pro, his iphone, his camera and all his chargers. he probably drained the village huts battery (all solar powered) at night charging them all, and insisted on facebook chatting throughout the days and updating his facebook while climbing the mountain, and watching a movie while the rest of us were looking at the stars. Like I said, hes a good dude and i enjoyed hanging out with him but he needs a little priority check. (in my opinion)
When we got near the top of the mountain we stopped for lunch that a few of the villagers had been carrying (a few men had traveled with us...the reason is unknown but maybe they enjoyed the hike....in their flip flops, smoking cigarettes, and eating random leaves) It was a great temperature on top of the mountain and while we were stopped we ended up seated next to a flying squirrel type thing. i think they said it was called a sugar glider. pretty cool little creature.
Looking out over burma was pretty cool and the view from the top was as expected. we were at the highest point around and could see countless other mountains and villages. it was awesome.
After trekking down to the car we dropped off the village locals, Charlie, Steve, and the dogs that had followed us all the way up the hill, and matt, phil and i made our way to the city to catch our bus and head off to our next locations.
Riding in the back of the truck down the mountain and then on the highway Phil and I stood right behind the window in the bed of the truck and had one helluva ride back. certainly not safe but one of the best roller coasters Ive ever experienced. (its ok mom it was kind of safe)
Getting back to the hotel i realized I had missed the last bus to Chaing Rai but was told by Dome that I could take a bus somewhere else and make a good connection the next day. Although that later turned out to be completely false information it led me on my next adventure so such is life. Not sure if ill get to that story but ask me sometime.
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