The Trip Continues...

We sat in Chiang Mai's TAT office (Thailand Tourism) among posters and
photo albums of tourists (all Caucasian, surely by design) Trekking, Ropes
Coarsing, Elephant Riding, Rafting, Experiencing Thailand, etc.. It all
seemed very canned and regulated - single servings of Thailand ready for
consumption. The guidebooks warned of this. Many options offered little
chance of great adventure, but also little chance getting lost or hurting
oneself. Lonely Planet was specifically weary of the "One Day
Treks," describing them as equal parts Driving, Eating, and Walking -
hardly trekking at all. That said, we decided for the obvious choice, the
road less traveled, the 2 day trek.

Said trek was sold as a 4 part adventure: 1) "Elephant trek", 2) hike to
waterfall (to play and shower), 3) hike to native hill tribe where we would
stay the night in a "5 star accommodation (for hill tribe)", and 4)
bamboo raft down a river. Given a baseline expectation of canned-ness, it
seemed that we'd chosen enough activities that something would feel
authentic, local, and adventurous. At the outset, this was more of an
adventure than expected.

Starting w/ the Elephant "trek," Thailand tourism was force fed as
expected. That said, we hadn't fully anticipated our immediate discomfort
with the whole operation. It didn't seem that the elephants were terribly
abused; however, the exploitation didn't feel right either. Had we not been
quickly shuttled out of the car straight onto the biggest elephant in the
park, and given a bit longer to think and feel, we wouldn't have taken the
tour. Definitely our biggest regret so far.

Elephants aside (we'd rather not dwell on that either), the rest of the
trek was an adventure to say the least. A clear reminder that we weren't in
Kansas anymore, or the USA, or the Western World. It seems that the tour
guides are bound to few rules or safety standards (Not sure, but it doesn't
seem that lawsuits are common here). This was both refreshing, and at times,
a bit scary. It's fun to go on a guided hike that doesn't feel like
you're in the latest disneyland adventure park, but you don't want it to
feel like a horror flick either. For example: paths shouldn't be fitted with
guard rails and lighted walkways, we want to push ourselves and have a bit
of fun; however, guard rails on bridges are fun.

In order to speed things up, I'm just going to give some of the highlights,
we can tie the full story line together when we get back:

1) Although not indicated by the TAT salesperson, the hike on day one was
strenuous and directly up hill for the first 2 hours or so. There was a
point that I didn't think our Canadian counterparts (two other girls on the
same trek, one with asthma) would get through the first hour. All told, our
first day hike was about 3.5 hours and 12k or so.

2) The waterfall was cool, despite spurring mostly brown water. The rivers
are pretty muddy. The waterfall also marked a turning point in the trip -
Angela slipped and banged up her foot and knee pretty bad. Turning point,
because our guide didn't speak English and we were concerned that we would
need to get her out early. (This was 5 days ago now and Angela is just fine
- we didn't go home early)

3) In actuality, our "5 star accommodations" should not have been judged in
stars at all. We stayed in a shared hut with 5 other "trekkers", on
dreadfully stained mattresses, with questionably clean blankets, and unclean
pillows. The mosquito nets were ok, but that's all it had going. The toilet
was "squat only" - the kind you step on.

4) Our fellow trekkers were truly the highlight. 3 Canadians and 2 Brits. The
2 Brits were especially warm, hilarious, and generous with there medical
supplies for Angela's fresh cuts.

5) The tribes people were very nice; however, as the night wore on, they got
extremely drunk off of "Thai Water" (local moonshine). They had fire for us
(despite the heat and humidity), sang songs, and drank. Then they drank
more. This was fun, authentic, and a little sketchy. Our group called it a
night at 9pm when it seemed that the wheels were close to coming off.

6) Didn't do the bamboo raft - we didn't think Angela's foot would like it
very much.

7) Hiked through some awesome looking mountain side rice farms.

8) Per above, we crossed somewhere in the neighborhood of 8 bridges, most very
short. Perhaps one had a shaky hand rail. When necessary, Angela scooted
across on her but.


There is more to tell, but we want to get back to having fun. We're
currently in Ko Phi Phi and enjoying the beach. We barely proof read, so
don't be too harsh. There was much learned and experienced above. While we
may not chose to do something like that again, I don't think we trade the
experience either.