Chiang Mai and Pai
Door: Claudia
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Claudia
12 Februari 2005 | Thailand, Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai, Monday 31-01
Trekking, a popular activity here in Chiang Mai, consisting of a lot of walking in the jungle, usually combined with rafting, elefant trekking and other exciting stuff. Great fun, I'm sure, but I don't think I'm up for it, fisycal speaking. Definitely not for 3 days anyways. Luckely my guesthouse offers a one day option with only 2 hours of rather easy walking.
So now, we're on our way, me and a young swedish couple and 4 yanks in the back of a truck (a pick-up with benches in the back and a roof over it). On arrival the yanks leave us, because they're only here for the rafting but me and my new Swedish-friends-for-a-day climb on the elephants. They're only taking us on a short walk, but I'm happy they do, because threse elephants scare me. For the first time I feel uncomfortable on the back of these massive animals. i have a feeling they don't know where they are going and when you're walking close to a high riverbed, a cliff almost, I assure you that that's really scary. Also, for some reason these elephants don't all have their own driver, which I think is weird. They told me that it's very important to match the right person with the right elephant, a proces that can take up many months. And now we are walking with 3 elephants and only 2 mahoods. Especially my elephant is very unwilling to move and on the mahoods start poking and hitting him. The elephant starts flapping her ears and blowing his trunk, I just wished he stopped. I feed my girl some bananas because I feel sorry for her and I hope she will see me as a friend. I'm relieved to get off thise animals and get out of their reach.
The trekking to the waterfall is a lot more fun. We walk through the jungle, I would call it forest to be honest, but the views are breathtaking. The hills are filled with trees, mandarines, oranges and bananas and from the valley a few huge teak wood trees rise up to the sky. When we get deeper into the woods we have to cross the little stream a few times, balancing on rocks, treetrunks and pipes. Now and then we see groups of small butterflies or a single big one, but they're all just a beautifull. When we arrive at the waterfall we are a little bit disappointed because it's so small and way too cold to swim in it. But have a short rest and then return for lunch.
Then the most fun part starts, the rafting. With 4 people we get in a rubber boat (the bottom of which has a huge rip, but who cares) and peddle down the river. There are a few small rapids and they're good fun, even though we almost tip over at one of them. Between the rapids we just float with the current and enjoy the silence. We listen to the birds, see some fish eating some sort of fruit or seeds fallen from the trees, enjoy the cows on the riverbank, pass a bridge.....and then.....my heart misses a beat when someting hits the water, just on the right of me. The unexpected blast really scared me and with big eyes I turn around and ask our guide what the hell that was. He says it was a big snake which dropped itself of the bridge. Should we believe him or was it just him, hitting the water with his peddle. I guess we will never know.
At the end of our 1 day trekking we are joined by the Americans again to return to Chiang Mai.
Not having any plans for the next day, I think it's an excellent opportunity to party and in Emils bar we haven an excellent evening.
Chiang Mai, Tuesday 1-2
It's an easy day today. I sleep in, have some breakfast and look for a nice silver ring to replace the one I broke on the bus in Sukhothai. I find this wonderfull shop, with the most beautifull silver jewelry, all really nice displayed in an almost western matter. I try on a few nice, but small design and when I tell him I'm looking for something bigger he hands me this big shining design. I like the shape but it's too shining so he gives me a sandbrushed one to try. I really like this one but it's too big for me. He has only one that is smaller, the one on display, but he doesn't think it will fit me, but I try anyway. We are both amazed when it slides down my finger, as if it's made for. Actually, that is excactly his filosofy. He designs all the jewelry himself and they have their own factory. And every piece they make, every piece in the shop already has an owner, they are just waiting there for their owner to come in and collect them. Well, this ring has found its's owner. After a long explanation on how to take care of my purchase, I leave the shop. almost not being able to wait and get the ring out of it's little red velvet bag and put it on.
After all this excitement I need a drink and I drop in at Emils. This guy must have magical chairs, because once you sit on one, it won't let you anymore. I just manage to get out for a meal at the Bierstube (potatoes, sauerkraut and porkchop. A piece of paradise between all the rice and noodles), but the rest of the evening I spent with Emil, Swedish Danny and Markus, Danish Jim and Lisa from Shanghai. It's the last night in Chiang Mai for everyone so the bottles of Thai whiskey and cokes seems endless.
Chiang Mai - Pai, Wednesday 2-2
Hung over I get on the mini-bus to Pai. Pai is a little village up in the mountains and it takes us about 4 hours to get there. A tip for all those people considering going to Pai, make sure you're not hung over. I'm sitting on the middle seat and I'm really struggling to stay seated. We have to climb almost all the way and it's curve after curve, curves of almost 180 degrees. The views are stunning and I wish we good stop to enjoy them, but there is no time. I just cling on to my seat and try to find my happy place.
On arrival I found a nice guesthouse at the river. I get a cheap, only 100 baht, hut, but I'm surrounded by beautifull huts on poles with nice veranda's and a view of the river. My hut is in the garden which is just as nice, because it has fruittrees and hammocks.
Trekking, a popular activity here in Chiang Mai, consisting of a lot of walking in the jungle, usually combined with rafting, elefant trekking and other exciting stuff. Great fun, I'm sure, but I don't think I'm up for it, fisycal speaking. Definitely not for 3 days anyways. Luckely my guesthouse offers a one day option with only 2 hours of rather easy walking.
So now, we're on our way, me and a young swedish couple and 4 yanks in the back of a truck (a pick-up with benches in the back and a roof over it). On arrival the yanks leave us, because they're only here for the rafting but me and my new Swedish-friends-for-a-day climb on the elephants. They're only taking us on a short walk, but I'm happy they do, because threse elephants scare me. For the first time I feel uncomfortable on the back of these massive animals. i have a feeling they don't know where they are going and when you're walking close to a high riverbed, a cliff almost, I assure you that that's really scary. Also, for some reason these elephants don't all have their own driver, which I think is weird. They told me that it's very important to match the right person with the right elephant, a proces that can take up many months. And now we are walking with 3 elephants and only 2 mahoods. Especially my elephant is very unwilling to move and on the mahoods start poking and hitting him. The elephant starts flapping her ears and blowing his trunk, I just wished he stopped. I feed my girl some bananas because I feel sorry for her and I hope she will see me as a friend. I'm relieved to get off thise animals and get out of their reach.
The trekking to the waterfall is a lot more fun. We walk through the jungle, I would call it forest to be honest, but the views are breathtaking. The hills are filled with trees, mandarines, oranges and bananas and from the valley a few huge teak wood trees rise up to the sky. When we get deeper into the woods we have to cross the little stream a few times, balancing on rocks, treetrunks and pipes. Now and then we see groups of small butterflies or a single big one, but they're all just a beautifull. When we arrive at the waterfall we are a little bit disappointed because it's so small and way too cold to swim in it. But have a short rest and then return for lunch.
Then the most fun part starts, the rafting. With 4 people we get in a rubber boat (the bottom of which has a huge rip, but who cares) and peddle down the river. There are a few small rapids and they're good fun, even though we almost tip over at one of them. Between the rapids we just float with the current and enjoy the silence. We listen to the birds, see some fish eating some sort of fruit or seeds fallen from the trees, enjoy the cows on the riverbank, pass a bridge.....and then.....my heart misses a beat when someting hits the water, just on the right of me. The unexpected blast really scared me and with big eyes I turn around and ask our guide what the hell that was. He says it was a big snake which dropped itself of the bridge. Should we believe him or was it just him, hitting the water with his peddle. I guess we will never know.
At the end of our 1 day trekking we are joined by the Americans again to return to Chiang Mai.
Not having any plans for the next day, I think it's an excellent opportunity to party and in Emils bar we haven an excellent evening.
Chiang Mai, Tuesday 1-2
It's an easy day today. I sleep in, have some breakfast and look for a nice silver ring to replace the one I broke on the bus in Sukhothai. I find this wonderfull shop, with the most beautifull silver jewelry, all really nice displayed in an almost western matter. I try on a few nice, but small design and when I tell him I'm looking for something bigger he hands me this big shining design. I like the shape but it's too shining so he gives me a sandbrushed one to try. I really like this one but it's too big for me. He has only one that is smaller, the one on display, but he doesn't think it will fit me, but I try anyway. We are both amazed when it slides down my finger, as if it's made for. Actually, that is excactly his filosofy. He designs all the jewelry himself and they have their own factory. And every piece they make, every piece in the shop already has an owner, they are just waiting there for their owner to come in and collect them. Well, this ring has found its's owner. After a long explanation on how to take care of my purchase, I leave the shop. almost not being able to wait and get the ring out of it's little red velvet bag and put it on.
After all this excitement I need a drink and I drop in at Emils. This guy must have magical chairs, because once you sit on one, it won't let you anymore. I just manage to get out for a meal at the Bierstube (potatoes, sauerkraut and porkchop. A piece of paradise between all the rice and noodles), but the rest of the evening I spent with Emil, Swedish Danny and Markus, Danish Jim and Lisa from Shanghai. It's the last night in Chiang Mai for everyone so the bottles of Thai whiskey and cokes seems endless.
Chiang Mai - Pai, Wednesday 2-2
Hung over I get on the mini-bus to Pai. Pai is a little village up in the mountains and it takes us about 4 hours to get there. A tip for all those people considering going to Pai, make sure you're not hung over. I'm sitting on the middle seat and I'm really struggling to stay seated. We have to climb almost all the way and it's curve after curve, curves of almost 180 degrees. The views are stunning and I wish we good stop to enjoy them, but there is no time. I just cling on to my seat and try to find my happy place.
On arrival I found a nice guesthouse at the river. I get a cheap, only 100 baht, hut, but I'm surrounded by beautifull huts on poles with nice veranda's and a view of the river. My hut is in the garden which is just as nice, because it has fruittrees and hammocks.
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