After a thrilling bamboo raft ride down a river to our final destination, I ask the tuk-tuk driver, “Can I ride on the roof please?” He shakes his head with a wide toothy grin, and chuckles, “No.” I settle for hanging out of the back of the carriage. With the luggage stowed and everyone seated, we head back to the city of Chiang Mai with an eye-opening Thai jungle adventure now at a close. As I look around into the beautiful clear sky and the mountains in the background, I think back to the first day of our four day trek.
As we walk along a path with bugs whizzing around our heads, the trekking guide, Peter begins to sing one of the best sing along songs in the English language, No Woman, No Cry. I watch this young man in his element, guiding others through the intense forest. He was shy about his English, but he loved to sing. He sang as he walked and we followed our leader.
“Are we close? We must be close,” I ask Peter. He turns his head with a mischievous grin, nods, and replies with a simple, “Yes.” The afternoon sun is beating down on my forehead, sweat seeping from my every pore. After a refreshing swim in a waterfall, we are on route to our resting place for the night
We are blessed with rain as our uphill hike comes to an end; it washes away the sweat and sticky heat of the Thai jungle. My muscles are aching from the day-long journey. The sound of the rain falling on the leaves of the trees eases the strain on my muscles; the luscious green jungle and the afternoon showers take my breath away. We arrive at the home of the family sheltering us for the night, and are welcomed with bright smiles. The sun quickly sets as we finish eating a delectable home cooked meal in the classic Thai house, made of bamboo and banana leaves.
Our night is filled with laughter, singing, and card playing. Peter later breaks out a guitar and played some great tunes; we had a great time singing English songs and listening to some Thai songs sung by our host. My trekking mates and I got to know each other, we exchanged brilliant stories, and I learned how to count to ten in Dutch. We bonded around a picnic table with a couple of flash lights and lots of bug spray. We talked until what seemed like 4 am. The depth and dimension of the conversation flowing around me was unexpected and heart warming.
As I close my eyes and attempt to fall asleep on the uncomfortable ground, I cannot help but feel excitement surge through my mind. Today has been such an amazing adventure, exactly what I was hoping for. What kinds of exciting experiences will tomorrow bring? I fall asleep with a smile on my face, dreaming about the unknown adventure that tomorrow holds.
