The Quest for a Trek

So, we didn't go on a trek as soon as we had hoped . .

Initially, we checked into a very reputable guest house with an affiliated trekking company. After reviewing the options, we decided that we wanted to do a four day trek to a more remote area. Trekking is very popular among tourists in Chiang Mai and there appears to be a very common 2-3 day trekking route. We decided to seek out a more authentic experience. Unfortunately, the company needed a minimum of 6 people to run a four day trek to a more remote region. When we signed up there was an Australian couple, Jarrad and Emily, signed up too. We befriended them and decided to wait an extra day to see if another two people would join. In the meantime we'd found some cool people to hang out with and decided to take a cooking class.

The next morning, we were off to the market bright and early. Edan was in his element. We learned all about the different types of curry, what makes them distinct and how to prepare them. One important lesson was that the smaller the item the stronger the taste - small chili, big taste, as our cooking teacher, Oh (pronounced like it is followed by a question mark) repeated frequently. As Edan bombarded Oh with questions and tried to taste and/or buy everything in sight, she dubbed him "Big Hungry". The cooking was a lot of fun, we learned how to make a red curry, hot and sour soup, pad thai and spring rolls and got a recipe book out of the deal.

Later that day we set off to look at another wat (temple). This one is unique because it has a series of tunnels underneath it that were built several hundred years ago for a hermit monk. It seems the King at the time was having trouble locating said monk and decided to build him a little hideout. We met a young Thai student who was meditating when we arrived. He told us about the wat and showed us around the tunnels. There are some beautiful paintings on the walls that were in the process of being restored. After all the glitz and glamour of the Bangkok wats this experience felt uniquely touching.

We returned to the guest house to discover that there were still no more takers for our trek. Many people had recommended Pai, a small city 5 hours north of Chiang Mai. Since it's smaller and nestled in the northern Thai mountains the treks from Pai were supposed to be cheaper and a little more authentic. The Aussis seemed to have heard the same reports and so the four of us decided to set off for Pai the next day.

After a long and uncomfortable bus ride with such a lack of leg room that even I felt like a giant, we arrived in Pai. Pai is a town of about 3,000 people - 2,500 Thais and 500 hippies. The pace is slow, the scenery is spectacular and the company is fantastic. A lovely British girl in Chiang Mai had recommended "Annie's Darling Guest House" in Pai. Armed with a business card and a completely inaccurate map we set off to find it. As the frustration mounted, a Thai woman on a motorbike pulled up and asked if we needed somewhere to stay. She said she had bungalows for 200 baht ($6). She showed us her business card and, lo and behold, it was the same one. We had found Annie who calls every foreigner "darling", hence the name of her guest house.

Our darling bamboo bungalow seemed like paradise. It was perched on a hill overlooking the river and the town of Pai with majestic mountains in the background. There was a private bathroom with a western toilet! We thought we were in heaven, and so it seemed for the first day or two. We quickly learned that Annie herself was a registered trekking guide and that she'd be happy to take us and our Aussie friends on a trek. It turns out that two other Austrian girls who were staying at Annie's were also waiting to go on a trek with her. It seemed perfect. She seemed to know the area well and have personal connections with the hill tribes (mostly Lahu) in the area.

We spent the next day enjoying Pai, which included checking out the nearby hot springs and just generally relaxing. Northern Thailand is breathtaking. I've never seen so many shades of green with rice paddies scattered throughout the hills and valleys. We later discovered that much of the Northern wildlife was living in or around our bungalow, including geckos, snails, ants and cockroaches inside; and roosters and water buffalo giving us a wake up call in the morning. But who cared? We were geared up for our trek. Little did we know what was in store for us . . .