Feb. 5th - Trekking North of Chaing Mai & Overnight with the Lahu Tribe

 Feb. 5th - Sunday, Leaving Bangkok, heading to Chaing Mai, Trekking Begins:

This morning we had to wake up at 5:15 am and got ready to leave Bangkok.  We already packed up our 1 backpack that we were bringing with us on the Trekking tour, because everything else got left at the Travel Hub (where we booked the trip) office.

We checked out of our hotel and headed to the airport, which was a very easy boarding process.  We arrived in Chaing Mai at 9:18 am and our bags came right away.  Finding a taxi was super easy and they allowed us to use their phone to call the trekking people to tell them we were on our way.  It worked out perfectly, because when we arrived we literally gave them our bags, copy of passports, and print out that we paid and then the “truck” showed up to pick us up at 10:00 am.

Now this truck was literally a pick up truck with benches in the bed part and a roof with windows covering it.  That’s what we road in with about 4 other people hahaha, jam packed!! But this is was just the start of an amazing adventure.

Tony & I inside this so called truck with our fellow travelers. 

We first stopped at an orchid farm where we got to walk around and seeing beautiful flowers & a butterfly enclosure.

Me walking out of the butterfly farm

Loved the flowers!

Here we picked up 5 more people to shove in the back of this “truck”, so all together 11 trekkers on our journey: Us, a couple from London, a girl traveling on her own from London, another girl on her own from Amsterdam, a 45ish old man from Paris, 2 guys from France, and a couple from Italy.

We then rode squashed in the back for about another hour to a market in the middle of “I have no idea where”.

View of the Market

Here we got to wonder around for 20 minutes while our guide, Noom, bought supplies for our dinner and breakfast at the Hill tribe village (this is where we were headed!).  At the marketing there were very different types of fried foods, vegetables, meats, drinks, smells, and rice.

Selling all different types of rice at the market

All the meat that was being sold at the Market

Then Tony & I decided to try what looked like a long egg roll.  We weren’t sure what was inside but it was pretty good.  However, 10 minutes later my stomach felt funny, so I took 2 tums and luckily I was A OK!

Me eating the fried egg roll

OH, and right before we left we saw a man pull up in a truck and start scooping live fish out of the back of his truck and into a pool (looked like a baby pool) at the market.  I got a little to close so I got splashed with some of the fish water, oops.

Man getting fish out of his truck

We all piled back into the ‘truck’ and continued driving for about another hour to the Elephant camp where lunch was served to us.  We all sat down at a bamboo table and had plates waiting there.  Tony said, “Oh looks good, I think it’s chicken, rice and carrots” - I didn’t have the heart to tell him that in my head I was thinking “Nope, that’s tofu, not chicken”.  So when I saw his plate was nearly cleaned, I said, “Babe, that wasn’t chicken” and he interrupted me and said “I know, I know, I don’t want to talk about it!” Hahanah ahhhh too funny! I’m just glad he ate it!

Tony happy before he tasted lunch

Now it was time for us to mount our elephants and go through the jungle.  We were able to buy a bundle of small bananas for 20 baht ($0.64 US Dollars).  Tony & I were the first to get on an elephant and he was BIG.  We basically were sitting on a wood bench, strapped to the elephant with metal bars around us.

View at where we mounted the elephants

Our view looking down at the elephant from our seats

Our guy who was “driving” the elephants, was sitting on top of the elephant’s head with his feet dangling in the front of the elephant’s face.  He did have in his hand a wooden stick with a metal hook on the end.

This is our "driver" & our elephant getting a drink

We rode on this enormous creature at like snail pace, but that was good because it was super high up and didn’t feel to secure in our seat.  We rode to a water front first so the elephants could all drink from the river and then continued through the jungle.

The elephants in front of us getting water.

YEAH to elephant rides!

All of a sudden our guy was not on our elephant!!  We don’t know how to drive this thing and he’s in the jungle cutting down bamboo leaves.  Our elephant then decided to lift his truck up and want some food.  I got to feed him!! I place the small banana in his truck and then he kept wanting more.  But our guy yelled something from the jungle in Thai and the elephant started moving again.  But then stopped like 2 minutes later for another banana.  We weren’t sure what was going to happen when I ran out.

Me feeding the elephant

Finally, our guy came out of the jungle and actually feed the elephants these stalks of bamboo.

Bamboo anyone?

We were probably on our elephant ride for about 45 minutes until we got back to the camp.  We said goodbye to our friend!

I was so surprised how close the elephant got to me at the camp.

Here we loaded up on water, went to the bathroom (OH with my own toilet paper & had to squat) and then we were off on our 3 hour trek through the middle of the jungle.  Now, I’m going to try, and do my best to explain to you all how this went down, but I know I’m not that great of a writer to fully have you guys understand the physical demans of this trek/hike.

It started off fine, we were walking down a paved road, passing towns & along side the river.  Next thing you know, we hop over a barbwire fence, heading straight into the jungle.

People hopping fence, Tony not sure how we'll do this

This incline was our first of many, but little did we know it was the easiest and I was out of breath!

Me after our first climb, only 2 hours to go!

We continued on after a short water break on what looked like an elephant path, passing palm trees, bamboo trees, creeks, and actual elephants into the middle of the jungle/mountains of Northern Thailand.  One moment I looked up and it was like I was swallowed by the jungle.

We're tired, hot, and again, where are we????

We then made our way to a very small waterfall to cool off and take a rest.

Tony just drunked his head in the water to cool off!

I didn’t mention Noom (our guide) was wearing sandals for our trek and that he has been doing trek after trek for about 2 months straight.  So he needed to take a rest as well:

He then showed us from where we were to where we were headed. He pointed up, way up, on top of the mountain to the hill tribe village, Lahu people. It looked like days away.

But we continued on, and on and on….

Untill we reached the top of one section of the mountain.  Getting up this mountain side, I seriously thought I wasn’t going to make it.  Our guy had to make walking sticks earlier for a few of the travelers, but at that point I was fine:

Noom using his huge knife to cut bamboo to make a walking stick

WHY, WHY didn’t I get one, I had no idea what was to come. My face was seriously so red, sweat was coming down, I was breathing so hard, and I was so hot, I honestly thought I could have pass out.  I had to take my own breaks and Tony thought I was not going to make it either but I pushed and pushed.

Elephant tusk marking in the tree 

Still trekking, now past palm trees

Making it up to the top for a rest! Please don't mind my sweaty back, I was carrying a back pack too!

All of a sudden, a village woman was on our same path to the village.  She was just out getting bamboo or something else, I’m not sure.  She just smile at us and bowed her head.  She had to be at least over 60 and hiked right past us like it was nothing.  Back to the gym when we get home!

Lahu tribe woman cutting bamboo in jungle

Finally, our trek was done, we made it to the Lahu village on top of the mountain.

Our view getting close to the village

Entering this village was like we were in a movie.  We just couldn’t believe we were here.  The homes were all made of bamboo and had roosters that surrounded them.  There were dogs, chickens, pigs all walking around the village.

First homes we saw entering the village

Tony standing in front of the "kitchen" on our deck area

Our “home” for the night was right next to the camps owner and we had to have had the penthouse view.
Our deck area overlooked all of the mountains that were around us.  Where we stayed was made up of 2 different rooms. First room was where our table for eating was and a camp fire (yes, inside the hut) and the second room was all our beds with mosquito nets.

Where we slept for the night! Mine & Tony's was the 2nd mattress pad

We had to remember to take off our shoes before entering the house.  The toilets, or basically a wooden hut with a toilet seat in it and a bucket of water to wash away your doings.  We had our own toilet paper and a flash light because it was dark in there.

So right when we all got situated, some of the Lahu women & children came to visit with us.

Lahu women and baby coming to sit with us

Lahu women hanging out inside our "home" by the fire

They were selling jewelry they made and 1 hour massages for 150 baht ($4.83).  I bought some jewelry and I actually did get a massage, but after dinner. I loved hanging out with the children, they were so sweet and all looked after each other, even the 10 month old baby (I’m guessing his age).

Some of the Lahu children and myself.  The baby loved pulling on my hair.

Tony & I on the deck outside our home for the night

We enjoyed the sunset over the mountains and then it was time for dinner.

View of the Sunset - simply amazing!

We all gathered around our table, sitting on the floor, and cheers to an incredible days trek.

Dinner is served!

The Lahu tribe prepared an amazing rice with chicken (this time it actually was chicken) & pumpkin curry.  There was also Tofu curry, but we stuck with the chicken.  We both had seconds because how good it was.

NOW we are enjoying our chicken!

After dinner, all the children from the village came and sang us songs.  They wore their traditional Lahu skirts and sang in the Lahu language, which is different from traditional Thai.  They really belted out the songs and then had a little dance as well.

Lahu village children singing songs

The Thai woman who I told I wanted a massage after dinner, came back and gave me an hour massage.  It was SOOOOOO relaxing, and felt great after ALL the work I did earlier in the day.

Me enjoying my 150 baht massage!

It was now getting colder out, and we were all around the fire (which is in the same space that we ate dinner) and Noom was playing the guitar as we all sang along.  We sang songs like “Let it Be“, “Hey Jude”, to “Zombie”.  It was seriously like we were at camp but this time with beers in our hands!

Camp fire sing-a-long

Yes, the hill tribe people beers for us, for only 50 baht a piece ($1.61).  Tony & I ended up having the most, OH Americans!

After singing songs and everyone having a few more beers, Noom introduced everyone to a drinking game.  We had to clap our legs twice then our hand twice while saying a your number and another number.  We each had our own number but if you messed up you had to drink.  Later, if you messed up you could change your number to anything, an animal, a noise, etc.  So it was really fun and funny with everyone because of the languages and people not getting it correctly.  Tony tried giving me the animal Manatee, but everyone looked at him funny.  But it was so much fun!!

Finally, we went to our mosquito net bed which consisted of a hard mattress & hard pillow.  I put Tony’s clean t-shirt over the “pillow” because I just couldn’t put my face on it.

Tony inside our mosquito net beds

We luckily fell asleep, but I woke up an hour and a half later to go to the bathroom, so poor Tony got woken up too.  But then we fell back to sleep to wake up the next morning to the roosters cock-a-doodle-dooing.  But that was like at 4am!!