I noticed I forgot to tell you how I got to the Golden Triangle tour. I left Elephantsworld and went back to my hostel in Kanchanaburi, I spend the night there nd woke up early to walk to the bus station. I took the bus to Chiang Mai. There are 2 options, one in the morning during the day or one at the evening during the night, a sleeper bus. The travel should take 11,5 hours. Because I'm traveling I decided to go during the day. In this way I wouldn't miss the parts of Thailand I did not visit. The first hours went fast and smooth until until my ass started to hurt from sitting. The bus took a stop after 5 hours and got a meal included in the ticket. Everyone went sitting and eating, its a mystery to me how people can sit after 5 hours of sitting. I decided to eat while walking around, stretching my legs. A little later we started driving again, 6,5 hours to go! This bus had some thai movies on all the way, sadly enough I dont understand a word of thai and to make one thing clear, you don't get to see much at all on that bus during daytime! Ofcourse this bus had to be running late as well, it took me 12 hours to arrive just nex to a Mc Donalds.Easy choice if you're too tired. A little later I got ripped off by a taxi driver bus I was too tired to have the discussion so I just let him rip me off, that one euro wouldn't make the difference. I went to bed as soon as I arrived in my hostel. The next day I was worthless and I walked around for a few hours but mainly to get some decent food and apart from that I spend my time in the hostel, doing paperwork and writing a blogstory. Then the Golden Triangle story follows. After the Golden Traingle I was ment to book another tour but all this being active, traveling around got me tired, so I took another food & resting day off. Now you're up to date with the missing part of the story.
I woke up early and waited for the minibus to pick me up and drive me to Pai, my next destination. I read about a lot of horror stories about crazy minibus drivers on this dangerous mountain road, which made some people understand why they believe in reïncarnation. It wasn't a minibus that picked me up, it was a pickup truck. I was placed in front, lucky me I thought, all other in the back of the truck. Another surprise was that this wasn't my ride at all, he drove to some bus station and the minibus I was supposed to take was full, so I had to wait on the next one which was going to be there in half an hour... This half an hour became an hour and when they told me the next minibus was there and I needed to go outside, they already filled that one with other people. They said the next one would be there in 5 minutes. This is where I lost my temper for the first time. I had plans and things to do you know. It took 10 minutes for the next minibus to arrive and I was placed as the first one on it. The road to Pai, my next destination is all thru the mountians, the most beautiful road in Thailand I hear. When we were driving there I started to think how nice this would be to do with a group of friends. Pai isn't that far but because high speed is almost impossible on this road (lucky as I am I had a very patient driver). It curves all along the mountains and shows beautiful views all way long. We stopped after 2 hours for a drink and toilet break. My place was not in the city center of Pai but about 10km outside and the street was almost on the way to Pai, so I asked the driver if he could put me off at the street crossing. He wanted to bring me for 60 baht to the place, ofcourse another rip off but little did he know I had to pay the other driver who would pick me 200 baht, this became a win/win situation for both of us.
He dropped me off right in front of my sleeping place: Pai Bamboo hut. A wonderful place in a valley in the mountains with around 10 bamboo huts in the middle of nature. Looks like a garden of Eden and next door is an elephant camp, not the one I support but anyway I had elephants nearby. Since it was already becoming late afternoon/evening I arrenged the paperwork and the owner wrote me a map to my planned destination here. He told me about a shortcut over the river with a bamboo bridge and draws me a map. I started walking, passed a few elephant camps, always great to see elephants even if they are in poor conditions for them and I feel sorry. The map was not very accurate and I came to the Treehouse resort, I walked in all the way to the river and saw a couple on an elephant in the river but no bridge! I tried to ask about the bridge but they didn't speak english. I walked back out and a bit further following my google maps and saw another way to the river. When walking that way I noticed I walked in some farmers fields and it was a dead end. On the way back I crossed an angry farmer who spoke some in my understanding not so friendly words but anyway I got some good views. I decided to walk back and ask in the Treehouse resorts bar. The woman there had no idea about a bridge. I noticed another path next to the resort and tried that one, and guess what! There was a bamboo bridge but it was broken and positioned next to the river. I gave up and walked back to my hut and didn't believe I was going to make it today. Back there I talked with the owner and his friend who spoke english and he remembers, the bridge was broken 2 days ago because of heavy rainfall. Friendly as they were they offered me a ride and I could walk back when finished, it was only 3km.
Finally on my way! He dropped me off and here I was, Pai Canyon! I was really looking forward to this one! I followed some stairs up hill and there it was! Pai Canyon is as the name says a canyon. What makes this special is that you walk on top of very narrow rocks, its a walking path around 70cm wide, next to both sides it goes down a long way and surrounded by treetops. I started hiking with a smile, such wonderful views and experience again! Its not just a walking path and some points you need to climb or make your way down, at your own risk as usual. I walked there for a few hours, waiting for the sunset, since I read that the sunsets there are magical. Just before sunset a bunch of clouds arrived and there was no chance of seeing a sunset at all. I decided to leave since I had to walk 3km back and with most roads without street lights I would like to be back before darkness falls. I started walking and along the way I meet Memorial Bridge. A big World War II bridge where locals pose for pictures in japanese army outfits and old motorbikes, ofcourse for a tip. I just walked over the wooden walking path and enjoyed the views. Just behind it google maps showed me a shortcut, my driver took a different way. I ended up in a local living area, all over Thailand are dogs walking around free and I never had the slightest problem.., until now. In the middle of the shortcut 2 angry dogs started following me in a very agressive way, I decided to ignore them and just keep walking. They kept being agressive and followed me all the way to the end of the street, at some points very close to my legs. Its the first time I started to wonder about when I will be bitten by a dog for the first time. I arrived just before the night fell and had some local meal before I went to my hut.
This bamboo hut in the nature is a very cool thing. The only thing is, I am not used to sleep in nature. My bed was on the floor, was very comfortable and had a musquito net. I get into my bed and was surrounded by a million sounds. Some of them pretty loud and mysterious. I enjoyed this a lot and after a little while it started to rain. Just me, myself in a bamboo hut in the wild. I had a perfect sleep and was woken up by elephant sounds in the morning. Another magical experience added to the list. Since I had no idea about the bus times to my next destination which is pretty remote and not touristic I asked the day before to get me to Pai center at 8:00. They would bring me there for 100 baht but when I was eating my breakfast the friend of the owner came talk with me, he needed to go to my net destinaton as well and was willing to give me a lift at 8:30. How friendly of them and easy for me. The guy is a guide in the jungle for tourists normally, he showed me a lot of cool trees and gave a lot of information while we were driving, he also included a stop at a viewpoint for me.
I would advise anyone who goes to Thailand to do a stop over in Pai Bamboo Hut, the owners are super friendly, you are near the Pai Canyon and 500 meters from the location are hot springs, I didn't visit them because of my minibus delays. The nights in the hut there are just awesome. And this is how we end this blog story..!
