We left Bangkok on an air-con 1st class bus headed for Chang Mai at 10pm. Though 1st class is not really so.. but we had a bus hostess dressed in a bright blue and yellow 70's style air-hostess outfit complete with the hat! No English was spoken, Thai movies shown on the TV and we were given a little bus freshener pack with lots of unknown objects. We arrived in Chang Mai early morning, took a taxi (back of a ute!)to town and lugged our packs around trying to find a suitable place to rest our weary heads. We chose Banana Guest House (because of the name and it had a nice reggae bar next door). The next morning we left Chang Mai for a trek with 'Pooh Eco Tours' and headed deep into the jungle. It took about 3 1/2 hours to arrive at our starting point, which was a beautiful hill-tribe village set high in the hills. We began by drinking sugar-cane rum with the local shaman and village men, then set off over the hills, past rice fields, meeting local women along the way, returning from work in the fields. The landscape was amazing, green fields so bright and fresh. The rain poured for most of the first day, Aaron and I the only ones apart from the lcoal guides without raincoats but it was so fresh it didn't matter. We stopped in on other little villages on the way, drinking more and more rum, eating squirrel and steamed mushy corn. After many treacherous Mekong River crossings, muddy slides up and down mountains, we arrived at a bamboo camp on nightfall. Time for a swim in the creek then dinner cooked over the smoky bamboo campfire, eaten with bamboo spoons and forks, washed down by a vodka and hot river water blend. The next day was trekking up a creek, past wasp nests, listening to gibbons high in the trees and finally arriving at a bats cave. We walked through the creek in the cave for 1/2 hour, lit by bamboo torches rubbed with beeswax. Smelt like ear candles! More trekking up mountains, stopping for lunch (noodles wrapped in wild banana leaves and tied with bamboo string) and more climbing through the rain and mud. Was a beautiful experience.
Now back in Chang Mai, landed at an amazing guesthouse run by a local couple with a baby. She is an artist so there is lots of beautiful paintings around the place. It is set away from the business of Chang Mai in a lovely garden, an old 70's style 2 story home. We have been there for 2 nights now, will stay another night then possibly off to Pai tomorrow. More later...
