Day 1 - Chiang Mai

Today I'm meeting up with a group of other outdoor enthusiasts to explore the northern hill tribes and hike through some hilly, forested terrain. We depart this morning on the northern road toward the Maetaman Valley where we first make a stop at the Elephant Training Center in Chiang Dao to ride an elephant through the surrounding forest with our mahouts and learn about caring for these gentle giants.

At the training center, we meet with the mahouts (elephant trainers) who live at the center in bamboo and teak leaf housing. They briefly say hello and then disappear into the mountainside to gather the elephants. The mahouts bring the elephants in to the center once a day to feed and bathe them. These elephants have been rescued from the logging industry where they were used for manual labor. Many elephants would actually get injured or have legs blown off from stepping in landmines along the boarders. These mahouts rehabilitate and take care of these elephants. I got to see a baby 1yo and feed her. The strength of her trunk was incredible! She grabbed onto my arm and gave me a little tug. Quite impressive for a 1 year old! The mahouts then let us mount the elephants and give us a tour of their grounds. We went up a mountain and through the river. The elephants love the water! They were playing and splashing with the mahouts. Quite a fun and interesting experience.

Then we head up into the neighboring mountainous region to Mae Tang river camp for lunch. We take an afternoon hike up to a tiny Lahu hill tribe viallage about 4 hours straight up where we spend the evening in a rustic bamboo hut. The Lahu, like many other northern hill tribes, fled Burma (Myanmar) in the late 1800s due to the oppressive practices of the Burmese government, settling in northern "Siam". They refer to themselves as the "Children of the Blessing" after their belief that the blessings of health and security were the greatest gifts that their Creator could bestow.The Lahu tribe is the second largest tribe in Thailand, next to the Karon tribe. As we're hiking through some small villages, I ask my guide, Mr. Pan, about the medical needs of these people. He tells me that they have a shaman in the village and they recently starting having a medical doctor come up there once a week or every other week to check on people and bring medication. Most people are now using western medicine, even in these hill tribes.  

Lodging for the night.

The first of many squat toilets.

Our guides prepare an excellent dinner tonight while we relax and soak up the lush beauty of the surrounding valley. Our lodging at the tribal village is VERY rustic. We all share one sleeping room upon a raised sleeping platform in a longhouse made of bamboo and thatched roofing. Bathrooms are basic outhouses with a hole in the ground that you squat over and then 'flush' your business down with water from a pail. There are some makeshift showers and there is no electricity. It's kinda like camping except that I don't have to worry about bears! But there were lots of pigs, roosters and wild dogs running around.  

There is an 8yo girl living next door who comes over to meet us. She doesn't speak any English, but pulls out a sling shot and some rocks and starts showing us how to hit a can about 10 feet away. Clearly she spends a lot of time doing this. Then one of my fellow hikers pulls out her iPad and starts playing Angry Birds. Ironically, the little girl knows how to play this game!!! All the way up here in a remote village without electricity and this girl plays Angry Birds. Interesting.