Trekking in Doi Inthanon Nat'l Park (near Chiang Mai)

Treacherous paths, hanging out with local villagers, and incessant, pouring rain made this one of the best backpacking trips I'd been on for a long time. (At times, it would rain so hard that our path became a stream, and we found ourselves trekking through a foot of water.)

My guide and I were walking along, when he yells "Ai ai ai!" and runs forward. He proceeds to beat the crap out of this snake -- laying in the rice paddy, minding its own business -- and then stuffs it in a plastic bag, where it wiggles a bit and then gives up the ghost. He grins and says, "Dinner."

Teetering bridges: these were some of the most treacherous bridges I've ever walked across. (Trust me, the pictures below don't do them justice). Most were nothing more than fallen trees that had been placed across a variety of gorges, rushing streams, and steep ravines. Also, they were slippery from the moss and rain, and me than a little shaky.

Rice planting: I stayed the night in a Karen village, and the next day, we all went out into the fields to plant rice. It was a little humiliating -- the first thing I did was slip and fall down this muddy slope as the local women giggled at what i clumsy doofus I was. Also, I would no sooner begin planting when the villagers around me would blaze by and plant 10 rice seedlings in the time it took me to plant one. It was like being on a racetrack, only I had a tricycle while ervyone else had racecars.

Smoking: I don't smoke, but in this sort of situation, how could I refuse? My guide insisted on rolling me a cigarette, and I said yes. He put some tobacco in a dried banana leaf, added some crushed tamarind shell, and then lit it and handed it to me. To my surprise, it was delicious! I'm not going to start smoking, but I'm glad I had that one.

This was a great night all around. Me and three other Karen villagers stayed up late smoking banana leaf villagers and drinking their local moonshine. (Yeeeech -- but good in terms of the experience. It tasted like paint thinner mixed with bug spray, only worse.)

Through my drunken haze, I had a moment of clarity., which i'll share with you now: that dudes everywhere talk about pretty much the same stuff. Take 4-5 dudes from anywhere, put them in a room with alcohol and cigatrettes, and they talk about what dudes all over the world talk about: girls, their shitty jobs, sports, and exagerrated stories of times that they were awesome.

Waterfalls: who doesn't like a good waterfall? This one was extra special b/c we could swim and go behind it and watch the water come down.

Elephant riding: we went on an elephant ride, and later on, I got to meet a baby. He was super cute.


Finally, another guide and some of his relatives. I had a number of long and enlightening conversations with this man about the Karen culture and its relation to the tourist trade.


Ok, that's it, now I'm on to Phuket and volunteering at the orphanage!

btj