Vacation Thailand ... by ash-hotel.com

Hill Hike  On an  Elephant.....

0nly about 90 minutes' drive from Chiang Mai to the south-west, past the market town of Sanpatong, is a river where elephants love to play.  For us,  it was the beginning of an unusual trek, initially by elephant, to hill tribe villages in the nearby mountains.
A ride on an elephant's back, admittedly, is not the most comfortable way of travelling but the perspective from a seat metres  above the  ground  is  compensation  enough; when  elephantine  downhill  traffic is encountered,  you  are glad  to be  sitting on one yourself rather than being on foot. During the rainy season, elephants are essential for tackling  the  muddy  tracks.   We  traveled  atop  the  elephants  for  an  hour,  then dismounted to continue our trek on foot, leaving the elephants by a stream.
Our first stop was at a  Hmong (also  known  as' Meo) village.  We sat on a bench to have  lunch  while taking  in  our surroundings. Most of the villagers were out trending their fields; the rest had taken  refuge from  the heat in  their cool,  thatched  homes, from where the sound of murmurs reached us.
It was lychee season and surrounding the huts were orchards with hundreds of lychee trees in fruit.  Groups of  women were  sitting under  shady  trees separating a recent harvest of  lychees into  categories. Grade  'A' s  the way  the  connoisseurs  like it, a plump red fruit without  blemishes  on the skin,  almost dry when peeled, but juicy and sweet when bitten into.

After the Hmong village, it was time to tackle the toughest section of the trek  with the trail  ascending  a steep gradient. We stopped for  the  occasional rest to  quench our thirst and to enjoy the juicy wild mangoes our guide  had picked  from  the forest floor. We encountered  a couple  of  Karens  out  on  a hunt  for deer  with what  looked like antique rifles. After about  three  hours of  walk,  we  caught  our  first  glimpse of  the Karen village of  Baan  Huyhoi,  but  it  would take another  minutes to reach it. Near a creek, a group of Karen women, easily  recognisable  by  their  colorful dresses,  was taking a break;  we  joined  them  for  a brief rest  in  the  welcome coolness. The last stretch to the village was an invigorating climb; not long after, we found ourselves on a bamboo  platform, sitting on  straw-mattresses, earning a deserved rest. This was our 'conversation pit' and dining area. Just in front was a leaf thatched hut where we were to stay for the night

The  Karens  do  their  bathing, and  washing   in  the  great  outdoors.  I did  as  they did, enjoying my shower under a refreshing thing three-metre-high waterfall. My guide prepared a simple but delicious meal with we shared, eating in the open with  the lush greenery around us
The night in our thatched shack was cold; a peek outside revealed a starry night sky. No one was about; even the dogs were at peace with themselves and the world – at least until about 4.30 am when they were joined by the rest of the resident animals in morning 'concert'.

By 7 am, village  life  was  in  full swing. Even  the  young  ones  helped with the daily chores before they set off for the army-run  primary school. Unmarried  girls changed from their white shirtdresses into white-and blue school uniforms. Once they are wed, at about 16, they abandon the white dresses for more colorful outfits.
At our shack, several women had congregated to chat and to offer textiles and other hand-made  items for sale. With the help of our Karen-speaking guide, we were able 
to  get a  better  idea  of their  self-sufficient  lifestyles,  far  removed  from  our own city bound way of life.
The Karen families live in compounds where buffaloes, pigs and poultry are kept. Rice, vegetables and fruits are grown in the surrounding fields; some of these are sold at the markets to raise cash.
Our return was a pleasant stroll through field and forested patches. After about half an hour, we stopped at a waterfall for a midmorning shower and dip.

To add further excitement, we  embarked on bamboo  rafts to go downriver. The low water level made for  difficult  and  exhausting  steering for the rafts man while we sat comfortably behind him. After 90 mutes,  we entered  a  river valley scene, where we remounted our elephants, spotted contentedly  splashing  about in the stream, for our return ride.

hotels, resorts, lodgings and accommodations in .........

         Bangkok || Chiang Mai || Chiang Rai || Hua Hin / Cha -Am || Khao Yai || Krabi
     Khao Lak || Korat || Kanchanaburi || Phi Phi || Phuket || Pattaya || Rayong & Samed
                                             River Kwai || Samui || Trang || Other Cities

Home || Golfing Holidays ||  Sightseeing Tours || || Eco-Tours
Profile of Thailand, its Cities, Attractions,Tourist Information & Maps

 
    Internet Sales and Reservation Bangkok office
     e-mail : tourdesk@ash-hotel.com  website : http://www.ash-hotel.com
    
   147/58 Pinklao Nakhorn Chaisri Road
    New Southern Bus Terminal  -  Bangkok 10700 Thailand
    Tel: (662) 435 7514, 423 2263  ( 5 lines auto )      Fax: (662) 435 7515