Trekking in Thailand
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It was Christmastime and my best friend was unable to make it home from Osan Air Base, South Korea, due to work. Well, I hadn’t done much traveling and wanted to see the world as well as my friend, so I figured that maybe I could bring Christmas to him by visiting Korea. We planned enough excursions to fill three weeks of my leave, booked a plane ticket and I was off.
When I landed in Seoul the first thing that struck me was all of the dark-haired people milling around the airport arrivals terminal. It was to be expected, of course, but just wasn’t something I had thought about beforehand. My hair was bright strawberry blond, and I could feel the blood rush to my face as I suddenly realized that, for the first time in my life, I stuck out as “the foreigner.” The locals seemed used to seeing Americans at the airport, however, and this at least made it very easy for my friend, Matt Orlowsky, to find me.
After our brief tour of South Korea, we headed back to Seoul to catch a flight to Chiang Mai and begin our 10-day trip through Thailand. Our plan was to trek for four days in the mountains around Chiang Mai, then fly to Bangkok for a couple of days, including New Year’s, and finally end our trip relaxing at the resort beach town of Phuket (Poo-ket).
Little did I know that the most stressful part of our trip would be the most memorable and rewarding. During our trek I was immersed in a completely foreign culture as though I was part of it, not just a stranger watching from afar. All of my senses were more acute. No television special could compare to this.
Our trekking guide was a Karen Tribesman named Waifai (Wy-Fy). It was just the three of us. It was almost humorous to look at ourselves in contrast to Waifai. We were all decked out in special trekking pants, hiking boots and top-of-the-line hiking backpacks filled with every possible jungle necessity. Waifai wore tattered shorts and a tee shirt, sandals and carried a simple cloth pack slung across his body that carried only the food needed to get the three of us through our journey.
Our guide took us through the maze of tracks in the hills to villages that looked as if they were straight out of National Geographic, to include no electricity and no running water. Although we could not communicate with the villagers, Waifai was able to translate questions and answers for us about their tribal cultures. Though some locals shyly hid behind their bamboo huts, others gave us wide, welcoming grins and would come sit with us in comfortable silence, occasionally pointing out something we might find of interest. These isolated communities provided us with a peaceful look at a precious past.
Each night we would stay in a different tribe’s village, sharing floor space in a bamboo hut with whichever family was willing to take us in. The huts in all of the villages were on stilts and had ladders that went up to a porch entrance. This was so the ladders could be pulled up at night to protect the occupants from wild predators. Every village also came equipped with a band of community-owned dogs to warn villagers of danger, ward it off if possible and also to help entertain the kids during daytime play.
Once we reached each night’s camp, we would take our flashlights, soap and towels down to the river to wash up in the dark and then return to the hut where Waifai had fixed us a traditional Thai dinner. Our meals consisted of little meat since it would spoil during the trip. Our main sources of sustenance were rice, fresh pineapple (the sweetest I have ever tasted) and tea. After that we were each given a traditional woven Thai mat to lie on the floor of the hut, and, using our spare clothes as makeshift pillows, we would drift off into exhausted and exotic dreams.
Each morning we woke up with stiff necks and backs and sore muscles from hiking, but as we walked out to the porch for breakfast we were overwhelmed by the view of lush, green mountains covered in magical mists. The other villagers would already be up, gathering water from the stream or tending to their gardens and goats. After a quick trip to the communal outhouse squat pot, which was literally just a tiny wooden shack with a hole in the ground (I guess it was BYOTP), we grabbed our packs and were off. As we walked through the jungle the morning mist would slowly burn off, revealing a brilliantly colored sun rising over the peaks.
Like many other treks, ours included an elephant ride (exciting in theory but a pain in the pants in reality) and a bamboo rafting trip down a river of which I cannot remember the Thai name, but translated meant the “Mother Cucumber River.” Although these are regularly included experiences, the way the Thai people do things is not regular to the average tourist.
For example, when we arrived at the “Elephant Village” to climb on our elephant and ride part of the mountain trails to our destination, we were told we would have to wait longer than expected before departing. Why? The tribesmen were still out “catching” our elephant and attaching his harness. I’m guessing the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals would be happy to know that these were free-range elephants.
When we finally reached the next village and slid off of the elephant with very sore bums, we sat and had some soup and water while other local villagers cut down bamboo trees, made them into poles and fastened them together for our “rafting trip.” The rafts were only good for one-time use, so a new one had to be made each time. They didn’t sit high enough in the water so that we could sit down, so we took off our shoes, rolled up our pants, hung our shoes and packs on a bamboo tripod in the middle of the raft — that I guarded with my life to keep it from tipping into the water — and made our merry way down the river with ever-numbing toes.
At long last we made it to our final lodging place for the night, which was actually considered quite posh for the area since it had both running water and electricity. This was perhaps our most memorable night of all because we were “accidentally adopted” by a Thai family there. Each year this extended family would meet at a different place in Thailand for a reunion, mainly because one of the sons now lived in the United States and could only make it home once a year, so this way he could see everyone.
We arrived by raft, “parking” it among about 30 other rafts banked against the mountain lodge, and gingerly made our way across the other rafts and up the muddy path to our cabin. The cabin did not have beds nor a flushable toilet, but the flat wood floor and sleeping pads provided made it heaven. Plus we at least had our very own squat pot within the cabin walls and a spigot of running water. We changed and washed up for dinner, then headed down to the main building with a large bamboo deck overlooking the river and an open fire pit at one end.
Other than the Thai family who were reuniting there, my friend and I were the only other guests. As we were finishing our meals, one of the lodge owners brought out a radio and began playing a tape of traditional Thai music. This got the whole family excited and, one by one, they got up and began to dance. We watched them with fascinated smiles and, once a new song came on, one of the grandmothers came over and pulled my friend and me up to dance with them.
We joined their circle, trying to follow their small, intricately winding steps and large whooshing arm motions while keeping our thumbs pinched close to our fingers and staying in directional sync. The men of the family were sitting at the tables laughing heartily because this dance was apparently traditionally only for women, but my friend didn’t care and we were laughing just as hard at ourselves thinking how silly we looked. We danced and talked long into the night with those who could speak some English before finally departing to our cabin after many hugs from the family members.
We rose in the morning, smiling and refreshed, and headed back down to the main porch. The Thai family already had a large open fire roaring in the pit and were cooking themselves breakfast. As soon as they saw us they insisted that we let them fix us a traditional Thai breakfast and it was obvious they would not take no for an answer. They served us tea, fresh pineapple, pork cooked over the fire that tasted like a good jerky, and then our favorite dish, sticky rice. Sticky rice was made by grabbing a fistful of rice and clumping it around the end of a stick, then dipping the rice in a mixture of egg, cinnamon and I’m not sure what else, and cooking it over the open fire until the outside becomes crisp.
When Waifai walked onto the porch, we felt like kids caught with our hands in the cookie jar, as he liked to cook us all of our meals. We told him that we appreciated all of his efforts but that we were stuffed now, yet he insisted on cooking us an “American” breakfast with eggs and toast anyway. I’ve never been such a glutton for guilt and the truck ride on bumpy dirt roads back to Chiang Mai was made all the less comfortable due to all the food stuck in my gut.
Although a trip to Thailand would almost seem incomplete without visiting Bangkok and Phuket, anyone who wants to see what real life is like in Thailand behind the touristy façade should take advantage of a trek. I have done a lot more traveling since my Thailand trek, but my best trips have always been to the strangest places where I was out of my element and therefore had to learn to survive in the local culture. Chiang Mai was the inspiration for all of my greatest adventures thus far, and I hope it can be the same for you. Safe and happy traveling!
If you go:
Getting a guide: Going on a trek with a guide is the best way to see the hill tribes of Thailand. When booking a trek, make sure you check how large the group will be. We ran across several large groups of people with only one guide and, while there might be safety in numbers when it comes to jungles, they all had to keep pace with the slowest person and often couldn’t hear everything the guide was saying or have the opportunity to ask exploratory questions.
The average trek will cost around 600 Baht per person per day for a reasonable tour if the group is at least six people. It obviously cost more for us since we had booked our own “customized” trek to do and see everything we wanted, but it was well worth the extra cash.
What to take: When trekking, travel light. Keep at least one clean change of clothes dry to wear at night, as your daytime clothes are sure to be soaked with sweat (large, sealed plastic bags are a perfect way to pack). Warm clothing is essential for evenings during the cold season (a fleece pullover suited me perfectly), and a sleeping bag is a nice luxury if you’re willing to carry the extra weight (I wasn’t). A rain poncho, which costs about 70-90 Baht (very cheap), is good to have on hand for use as both a raincoat and ground sheet. Also, it’s good to carry plenty of cash on you in a safe place since there will be many items you may want or need to purchase in villages, such as fresh bottles of water and handmade local wares, and they usually don’t take credit cards.
Get your shots: You should make sure you are up to date on all of your shots before heading to any foreign country and, of course, ask the doctor if you need any special shots for the region you are visiting. It’s also good to carry a stash of basic medical supplies to sterilize and cover cuts, settle upset stomachs and sterilize water, in addition to enough of any prescription medications you are on to last the duration of the trip. Use mosquito repellent and clothing like long pants and boots to keep mosquitoes away in the evening and early morning, and sunscreen and a wide-brimmed hat are recommended to avoid an uncomfortable burn, even during the winter.
Trekkers beware: Fair warning to any would-be trekker – trekking is not just hiking, and a jungle is not just a thick forest. This is serious climbing up and down mountains through unimaginable flora and fauna, so you’d better be in shape before you go, or at least willing to bite the bullet for a few days. The sheer sense of accomplishment at the end should be enough to give you a lifetime of fulfilling memories. Safe and happy traveling!
