INTO THE JUNGLE, Waterfalls, Elephants, and Bamboo Rafting!!!

Into the Jungle for a 3 day trek!!  It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, I've decided I could handle living in the jungle... if I could bring a long something other than a squat toilet, sleeping mat on the floor and drip shower...

We took a pickup truck to a National Park (again... name to be determined) where we swam in a gorgeous waterfall.  The water was clean (by Thai standards) and an unforgettable experience.  After 2 more hours of driving we got to the start of our trek.  We (quite literally) walked 1 1/2 hours straight up hill, and ended up at a Kairn Hilltribe village.  The jungle huts were made out of bamboo and it was quite an unbelievable experience.  My only regret is that we were so focused on the trek that we had little time to enjoy the sceneray!  The villages have chickens running around free range and lovely roosters which coo from 3am to 6am.

We got up in the morning to continue to the trek, stopping along the way at a Lahu and Arun Hilltribe village.  The villagers are wonderful, so happy and appreciative.  It is really eye=opening to see how much we really have.  The trek was about 1/2 up hill and about 1/2 very very steep downhill.  But, we made it to the Elephant camp.

Our tour guide explained some of background behind why and how the elephants are used for tour rides which made me feel much more at peace about the whole thing....  so much so that I opted to ride on the Boona's (the elephant) neck instead of on the seat on the back...  I neglected that a "not too steep" hill when your walking, is incredibly scary when you are up on an elephant's neck who decides to duck his head down and up to drink/eat  (and spray you with water).  It was GREAT, but an hour was quite enough time riding the elephant.. though I would've enjoyed more time to "hang around" with the elephant afterwards.

In the evening we were again at a hilltribe village where they did some tribal and traditional thai dancing and singing...  and we sang some western songs as well.  It was really great.  Another night on the floor in the hilltribe villages with sketchy washing conditions, and in the morning we took off bamboo rafting!! In places it was incredibly peaceful in the water surrounded by the jungle trees going on the raft..., and in other places the water was surprisingly rough on the bamboo raft..  we had quite a few close calls, but managed to stay on (just down the river from where are ride finished, they had white-water rafting wtih rafting boats).

After the bamboo rafting it was back to Chiang Mai for a night out.