Day 22: Chiang Mai -> Hill Tribes

-We woke up early and had a delicious meal provided by the hostel. We were picked up in a tuk tuk to go off on our jungle trip, picking up several more people on the way. After driving for 30 minutes we stopped at an Orchid Farm and a Butterfly Farm (with one butterfly in it). The worst was seeing a snake swimming in the water. Disgusting. The orchids were beautiful though.

Some pictures from the orchard farm:

-We drove a little further and stopped to buy some supplies for the trip. Ie. tissues, ponchos, snacks, water, and gum for me.

Rice for sale:

-Our first big stop on the trip was to go elephant riding. On our elephant we were also joined by Daniel, a guy from Kings Landing in Britain (no, he doesn't watch Game of Thrones). It was a lot of fun riding around the jungle. Our elephant was super stubborn and kept stopping to eat grass. The guy had to keep threatening to shoot him with a slingshot so our elephant would keep moving. After elephant riding was lunch. Some yummy fried rice with tofu, apparently it was a little too "starchy" for the Belgian guy.

The stubborn elephant we rode:

-Next up was hiking for 3-4 hours (I never had an accurate time frame on how long it took) through the jungle. It was beautiful but definitely hard work! Plus it started pouring with rain so the path was all muddy and slippery. Two of the girls were having quite a lot of trouble so we all slowed down (which I was quite grateful for).

Marco in the jungle:

Struggling down the slippery slope:

A baby elephant and her mother that we saw when walking:

-We finally made it up to camp for the night- the Lahu village. The Lahu are one of the six main hill tribes in Thailand, numbering around 100,000. However, they are also found in China, Burma, Laos, and Vietnam. They speak their own 'Lahu' dialect. Of course, when we got up there we were pressured to buy with jewelry or massages. A bought an outrageously expensive anklet for Thailand, but had to remind myself how much it would provide for them.

Lahu village:

 The view from the village:

-Our sleeping quarters were basic and there were animals everywhere! Two foreigners were living in the village to help rebuild the school. One of them had been traveling for 12 years, and, excuse me for saying so, but he was a weirdo.

Our beds:

-We spent the afternoon relaxing before dinner- a yummy Thai dish. They made a fire and played some guitar. We played some cards with our British friends. There was no electricity so candles were the main light source for those of us who didn't bring a flashlight. Walking down to the bathroom with a candle was more difficult than I thought. We finally went to bed around 10pm.

Hearts: