Trek

Day 1

We met up with our trekking guide and the rest of the group, and went to the village by boat. Along the river was a giant Buddha statue. It seemed the size of the Statue of Liberty. We arrived at the village and we were off. We walked through the farmlands first. Grains were planted over rolling hills as far as you could see. Cows and buffalo had laid down in the fields. It was very hot. We climbed the hills and saw the start of a bright green bamboo forest. It was much cooler in the shade of the bamboo. The sounds of the bamboo creaking echoed all around. It was peaceful. Then, we came out of the forest and to a waterfall. The water fell down the rocks. It looked refreshing, but no one swam. Then, we walked along the road for a little and arrived at the village where we would be sleeping. The houses were made of logs, bamboo and straw. The village looked cozy. The people had plants drying out on their deck, and some people were preparing dinner. Dogs wandered around and slept in the shade. We went up stairs that led to a house. On the balcony, the floor was simple made of dried bamboo. As you stepped down, the bamboo heaved with your weight. We chitchatted on the porch for awhile and then we went in to watch the cooking and preparation of our dinner. Inside the house, there was a lady stirring something in a large pot over a fire. We went out to the back porch. Men, including our guides, were grounding up meat and preparing the sauces and vegetables. The dinner was incredible! The ladle just never stopped going to and from my plate to the bowls. It was the best Thai food I have had in Thailand. We gathered around on the front porch and listened to one of our guides play the guitar. We slept on mats with flat pillows. Not a beauty sleep, but oh well.

Day 2

The breakfast was delicious, too. I pet some dogs and then we were off. We started along the trail. We had not gone far before we realized we were being followed – by one of the village dogs! Apparently, he knew we would be stopping for lunch at a hut along the way. The trees started getting taller and more bare. Fall-colored leaves were blanketing the ground. Crunch, crunch, crunch. We always knew where Maple (our name for the dog) was because of the crunching sound. Gradually, we started going downhill. We came out of the forest and came up to a little open-air hut. A fire was crackling. Maple looked proud of himself and trotted over to the two other dogs that had laid under the hut. Our guide said this is where we would be stopping for lunch. A man was hunched over the fire laying meat out over the bamboo sticks hanging over the fire. The hut was perfect, the breeze was cool and calming. The hut looked over the entire valley and beyond. Past the valley was the river, and beyond the river was Chang Rai, even though we couldn’t see it. The view was stunning. One of our guides was carving bamboo stalks to make cups for us. Our other guide was showing my mom how to prepare the veggies. Our guide put the veggies and the sauce in a hollow bamboo stalk and smashed them up with a pounder. I was chilling out on the edge of the hut, admiring the view and petting a small, fluffy dog in my lap. After our extremely delicious lunch, we headed out again. We walked through farms and farms of pineapple fields. Finally, we were back in the village by the river again. Our trek was over. I loved it. It was so fun, and we had great food.

White Temple

The white temple was intricate and marvelous. White painted arches, spires and bridges spiraled in every shape and size. Glittery glass sparkled in the sun. I loved it, though some could definitely make the claim that it was built mostly just for tourists.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

NEXT STOP: MEKONG RIVER BOAT RIDE/ LAOS

This was our first stop in Asia. I had heard lots of things about Asia, like that it was chaotic, loud and very different. Because of these rumors, when we boarded the plane for Bangkok, I was kind of nervous. But, I did not have any culture shock at all. Because, now it seems like things can’t be different if everything is different. In other words, different is just the usual this year.

All throughout Thailand, when I see a drink called butterfly pea tea, I have to get it! It is so good. It’s a sweet herbal tea that is good warm or hot. They also have it in some butterfly pea tea lemonade. The tea is blue, but when you put lemon in it, it turns purple!

Elephant Rescue 

We knew that elephant interaction was a common and popular thing to do in Chang Mai. The only thing was, how ethical was it really? Well, my parents researched it and it isn’t very good for the elephants. However, there were some rescue organizations that my dad said were good. Like the Elephant Nature Park. We booked a visit. As we got there, we learned that there were also 400 dogs and even more cats at the rescue park. We had a good lunch and then headed out. We got to stand by the elephants and take photos. We also got to watch them and feed them bananas, squash and cucumbers. They said the elephants had been rescued from logging or tourist camps where people are allowed to ride the elephants. We saw one elephant that was physically unable to get around much, because she had broken her leg in a logging camp. One elephant was blind because she also worked in a logging camp and when she got pregnant the people at the logging camp still wanted her to work. She got mad and then they stabbed her in the eyes. The elephants were such intelligent creatures. It was amazing being so close to them. I felt so bad for them because of their past,  but I hope that they are happy now. The elephants were brown and had long eyelashes. They looked quite different than the African Elephants. It was an amazing experience. It is important we don’t participate in animal cruelty and support the organizations that are making an effort to help. Please don’t ride the elephants; they are not animals to be ridden. It hurts their spine to carry so much weight. Also, if you see a place that says no riding but you can go into the river with the elephants, please don’t book this either. The elephants at these camps are forced into the water everyday and it is bad for their skin. They need mud to act as sunscreen, and when they go in the river it all washes off. Elephants are not pets, nor selling points nor servants. Elephants are intelligent, emotional wild animals.

Temples 

The temples were incredible, and mind boggling. They were intricate. The shiny paint and jewels glittered in the sun. After a long day of temple-seeing you could get templed out, though.

Fish spa

One night, we walked by a place that said: Beary Fish Spa. Rows of tanks with little fish were swimming around in the tanks. Apparently, the little fish eat the dead skin on your feet. It sounded kinda gross but kind of cool. I asked if I could do it and my parents said yes. When I stuck my feet in, all of a sudden, the fish started biting at my feet. It didn’t hurt, though; it just tickled. A lot. 

Cultural performance, dinner, center

My parents had booked a dinner at the cultural center. We sat down on mats with our legs crossed. On the small table in front of us there was sticky rice and an assortment of bowls filled with delicious food. We ate and then the performance started. During one act, a man came up on stage and did a dance with knives balanced on his back, shoulders, knees, and arms. The cultural center was great.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

NEXT STOP: CHANG RAI