A trip to Northern Thailand would not be complete without a trek to the mountains; so, we signed up for a two day trek to Chiang Dao, about 80 Kms north of Chiang Mai. It sounded easy enough: on the first day we would hike for about 3 hours, ride elephants for a bit and then camp in a village. The second day we would hike for an hour and then go white-water rafting on the Maetang River. We brought two small backpacks (one for Dave and the other for Meta) packed with clothes, water and a few toys. Unlike our trip to the Elephant Camp a few weeks back (in an air-con van) we rode in a pick-up truck (called a “Sangtheaw”) with 10 other foreigners packed in. We first stopped at an elephant camp to take an hour-long ride through the forest.
This time we were able to ride on the elephant’s neck’s (while the manhout shouted commands from behind).

Dave took a go on the neck first

and then Caleb gave it a try as well

Anna even got to do it, although she rode behind our German companion, Stephan:

Caleb described the experience as “Scratchy, but lots of fun”.
Afterwards we hit the trail and it immediately became clear that the steep climbs and long downhills of the trail were going to be a challenge.

Dave ended up carrying both packs and our young guide carried Anna at least 2/3rd of the way on the first day

The trails were steep and the footing unstable, making the hike both physically and mentally difficult. Nobody whines (okay, maybe a little) and we make our way along the dusty trail (it s the dry season here) drinking lots of water as we went. About halfway we came to a cave that sometimes had small bats (they were out during our visit)

After 3-4 hours we arrived in the hill tribe camp, which was a welcome sight

We were filthy from the trail.

We were given our own cabin to sleep in (very nice!)

and Dave was offered some Thai whisky by the village men. We washed our feet (there was running water and a shower in the village) and sat down to dinner with the other travellers (2 Germans, 3 Danes, 2 Swiss and an Irishman).

The Irishman, Adrian, who was on his 11 month of travelling regaled us with stories of his travels (including time in the Amazon Jungles). He also talked about how lucky he had been – he had a scar on his head from where his Uncle had backed a trailer over him a the age of 4 and another where a farmer had driven over his foot at the age of 6. I got the feeling that when the Irish say “Lucky” they really mean “Lucky to be alive”.
That night the guides played some music around a campfire and we stayed up for a bit chatting after the kids fell asleep.
After a night of somewhat restless sleep, we hike for an hour along a fairly treacherous downhill trail

to a small waterfall.

Then lunch was provided at a small house/restaurant. Then it was a short drive to the white water drop in point

The kids loved the rafting even though the river was rather low.
The day ended with a reckless drive at 100+ KPH into Chiang Mai (a real nail-biter). We were all tired and glad to get back to our comfy apartment, but proud that we had made it through!

We’ve Got Class

Chiang Mai is considered by many to be the cultural center of Thailand. As such, there are plenty of ways for farang (foreigners) to get educated int he Thai way of living. Meta has taken a Thai cooking class where she learned to make Red Curry, Phad Thai, Papaya Salad, Sticky rice with coconut milk, Tom Yum Gai and Cashew Chicken. Dave took a similar course and learned to make some of the same dishes, and how to clear the kitchen in a hurry:
We have also been taking private Thai language lessons once a week with an excellent tutor named Gaew. An example conversation between Gaew and Dave is attached: it is too inane to deserve translation.
Caleb took some lessons in card magic from a great Thai magician, named Robin, that we met here. It was not exactly a cultural thing, but it was a great opportunity for him.

There are many more options for classes in Chiang Mai: Traditional Thai massage, Thai Kick Boxing (aka “Muay Thai”), jewelry-making, dress-making and, most intriguing to us, meditation. Meta decided to take a five-day meditation course at Wat Doi Suthep,

located 15 Kms from the city. She is staying at the temple during the course.

Each day she wakes up at 4 AM (!), attends morning prayers, has breakfast and then meditates a bunch. She is not allowed to eat after lunch and is expected to sleep for no more than 6 hours a night: no-one ever said that enlightenment was easy. The monks will provide room and board during her stay and, in the Buddhist tradition, there is not charge for course; Donations are accepted.
If Meta survives the experience, Dave will take a 3 day version of the course. He had considered taking Muay Thai classes instead, but his Fight Club days are over it seems. A mid-life crisis should included a search for enlightenment, not a beating.