Two days of Trekking

I spent my last week in Chiang Mai doing various activities. I was finished with my classes, but continued to practice at school on most days. However, there were two days that I exchanged for an outdoor adventure!
I met a very kind German traveler called Tobias who had only arrived that day, yet I had already seen him twice that day around the city. When we finally met, he spoke of his desire to go on a Trek and I was reminded that I too wanted to walk through the mountains when I first arrived. I saw all these factors as a sign and two days later we and 6 others were walking through some gorgeous mountains 2 hours outside the city.

I soon realized I had made a wise decision to do a 2 day hike rather than the 3 day hike as it was nearly all upwards walking/climbing and I am not in the best shape. Rain meant relief- mosquitoes backed off, it was refreshingly hydrating, and best of all, no one was able to tell just how sweaty I actually was!

Supot, Jivan, myself

The scenic view was amazing! When we were deep in the jungle I was surprised to see mainly bamboo with few trees and to hear the high pitched screams of the cicadas. The tree coverage was so dense at some points that we could hear it raining, yet felt no raindrops.

 

When we trekked high enough to come to a clearing, we were able to see hundreds of miles past the clouds unto distant mountain peaks. 

 We walked past papaya trees, corn, rice, and pineapple field, always continuing up (and sometimes falling down) the wet, muddy rocky pathway.

Jivan at a papaya tree

Our trekking guide Supot set a very nice walking pace and made sure we stopped frequently enough to catch our breath and drink some water. He never looked tired or sweaty. While I tried to not have a heart attack, Supot casually cut some bamboo stalks to make us some spoons to eat our dinner with, and taught us how to entertain ourselves by using plants to blow bubbles.

Supot also took us to a Bat Cave before we arrived to the village we would stay at for the evening. We were not the only guests of the village though. As it turns out, a Korean Christian missionary was also there, and we were "blessed" by their Singing, praising, and "Hallelujahs" from around 4pm-10pm!!

For dinner we ate green curry and a pumpkin/egg/curry stir fry mix with rice. It hit the spot and I was ready for bed! We all slept in the same room, each with our own mattress and mosquito net. I hardly slept, the pigs, chickens, and the sound of others snoring kept me awake all night long.

The following morning we continued on, uphill, until about 2 hours later when we reached a waterfall. We swam, we ate, and we enjoyed a bit of a rest before continuing onwards. The others all stayed on for another night and day, but I needed to return to the city to continue practicing.
Supot had to take me to a separate meeting place and so down we walked, back to the bottom of the mountain!