Chiang Mai Jungle Trek

Quick Update:  From England to Thailand... it's really happening!  

In mid August, Zack and I (Sarah) parted ways.  I flew back to Canada to visit with family and friends, and Zack took off to the opposite corner of the world.  Zack has now been living and working in Chiang Mai, Thailand for just over one month now.  Thankfully, because of technology, we've been able to keep in contact quite easily and both of us are jealous of what the other one is doing.  I fly out next week(!) to join him in the adventure and can hardly wait (though I have loved catching up with family and friends). 

Here's what he was up to last weekend, written by Mr. Zack himself!  (Mr. Zack is what his students call him... :))

Living in Chiang Mai has been very exciting so far. I have loved trying out all the new foods, whipping around town on my motorbike, walking the streets, and taking in all the sights and sounds. Unfortunately it is not the most pedestrian friendly city and it can at times become overwhelming for someone who enjoys strolling around town. Fortunately I have been able to do some exploring on weekends. I have made it to a quarry to do some cliff jumping and swimming. Gone to the lake for a swim and hiked up to some local waterfalls. Twice I have hiked up the local mountain to find beautiful views looking out over the city. It is always nice to escape the craziness of the city and get back to nature. I was therefore so excited to have a long weekend and signed myself up for a 2 day 1 night trek through the Thai jungle.

The trip started off a little hectic with the tour company not being able to find my apartment and then my cell phone plan running out. I would have topped up my phone in advance, however the warning texts from my provider are in Thai and I have no clue what they mean.  I finally just drove my bike to the office, got picked up there, and then we headed an hour and a half north of Chiang Mai into the jungle.

There were eight of us on the tour and we quickly all became friends. The group made for a fun and friendly atmosphere for the next 36 hours. The group included 2 girls from Netherlands, 3 guys from Belgium, 1 lady from Singapore and a girl from Israel. I was actually the only person who spoke English as a first language even though everyone included our guide did speak it well.  This meant that I became the "unofficial translator" for difficult English words or words that were hard to pronounce or define. It was great to feel useful and I definitely value my English skills!

All set to go hiking

After a lunch of Pad Thai at a locals house, we started out on our 3 hour hike for the day. Our guide was great at telling us about all the locals that lived in towns that we would be coming across and pointing out the local flora and fauna. As far as flora goes, we came across much bamboo (there are over 50 varieties in Thailand) and learned it can grow up to 10 cm a day (You can actually hear it at night apparently). As for fauna, we first came across a few bats in a cave but unfortunately many were sleeping elsewhere for the day. The next animal was quite exciting as I have never experienced one in the wild. As we were walking, our guide, Jacku, stopped at a hillside and started digging in the dirt. After much digging and probing with a stick, a MASSIVE TARANTULA came running out of the dirt! This thing was easily the size of my hand and Jacku had the guts to pick it right up. The last animal that was common along our hike were snakes. Not just any snakes ...but cobras and king cobras. YIKES!!!  Any one who knows me is aware I have a slight phobia and am known to let out quite a girly squeal when even being startled by a little garter snake. The whole group had mixed feelings about seeing a cobra.  It would be so cool but also potentially dangerous. Safely to say, all we saw on the trip was one small snake and just enjoyed Jacku's stories of other group encounters.

Outside the bat cave

Enjoying some partial shade on a hot sunny day

As we reached our destination of the day which was a more wealthy mountain village (compared to some of the mountain villages), we came across some boys playing soccer. Jacku informed us they wanted us to play with them and us guys quickly obliged. With them not speaking a word of English, there were no spoken words between us but many laughs and high fives. It was such a great experience of connecting with the local children, definitely a highlight of the trip. 

We were then led to where we would be sleeping for the night and were all pleasantly surprised. Images of sleeping on the ground while ants and bugs crawled around us had played in my mind before the trip started, but this was not what met us. A nicely built bamboo building with showers, comfy mattresses and cozy blankets greeted us. There were beautiful views looking out over a valley of lush jungles and hillside terraces of rice and tropical fruits. We relaxed in the evening and would have had a great sleep if it was not for all the chickens clucking and squalling at 3:00 and 5:00 in the morning. 

Reindeer all the way in Thailand

My private bedroom for the night

Sunset sequence

The next day we enjoyed a nice breakfast of scrambled egg before heading out on the next portion of the trek. The highlight of the day was arriving at a waterfall where we could swim and slide down a natural water slide. The trip concluded at another smaller village where we had lunch and could buy local jewelry and honey.

Local piggies in the mountain village

Being back now in Chiang Mai, I am already searching for more treks and jungle adventures in northern Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. I can't wait for Sarah to get here and experience more of the local scenery and wildlife with her.