SO I am not a big fan of cities in general. I like to explore what a place has to offer in a day and then refine my tourist experience to something more specific to my tastes. In the case of Chiang Mai, there is an abundance of beautiful countryside to traverse. I booked an eco-trek through the Mae Taeng province (1hr outside of the city) for 1,200 Baht. This I have to say is AMAZING value for money as I got 3 days of trekking/sightseeing, 2 nights accommodation and all meals for this price ($40). Considering my budget is 900 Baht a day - I was happy. After picking up everyone (2 Austrians, 1 Dutch guy who lives in the Caribbean, 3 English fellas, 1 Welsh guy and 2 Koreans who didn't speak English), we headed to our first stop; an elephant ride. This 20 min ride was overrated and I am morally/ethically opposed to how they train the elephants but these types of touisty attractions are always included in these trips. However the next 3 hours of walking was what I was more interested in. This trek was not as hard (but very close to it) as my mountain climbing in Chiang Dao, but with my full backpack and the midday sun beating down on us, it was a considerable effort to scale yet another mountain. I have to say that I do enjoy a full day of sweating (aka, hard work), it makes me feel fulfilled, like I have accomplished something. The countryside was so varied and beautiful. We were hiking through banana plantations, bamboo forests, rain forests and cornfields.
That night we stayed in a local village at the top, again with amazing views. My group made for great company and it was fun to drink Chang, sing and play games on the open air veranda. Trekking for the next two days was much of the same. Hours of walking intermixed with swimming in waterfalls, talking to locals, fires at night and some quite good food. Our final day went "white water rafting" and "bamboo rafting" (this was another crappy touritsy attraction that isn't worth getting excited about). All in all I'd say great value for money, fun and very fulfilling but do not attempt these treks if you aren't reasonably fit. They don't tell you beforehand, but some of the climbs can be murderous. |
| This little girl was so shy with everyone else but was fascinated by my hair. She spent the morning putting clips in it with a big smile on her face. |
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