Thailand Trekking: Day One

Today was the beginning of our three day trek. We took a 1 1/2 hour drive out of Chaing Mai. We stopped for lunch at a small park halfway to our starting point for the hike. We had some delicious fried rice with some fresh fruit for lunch.

After lunch we reached the beginning of the trail. For the trek, we were going to hike through the hills to two different rural hilltribes. The first village we were going to visit were from the Karen tribe.

The hike was about three hours up and down a few steep hills. It was the dry season, so the dirt was like a fine powder, which made it easy to slip. Our local guide, Gee, was hiking in Crocs and jumping from rock to rock, saying "slowly slowly, smiley smiley." We were hiking slowly. We were not smiling because he was not hiking slowly. It was like a game of tag trying to keep up with him.

The hike was absolutely gorgeous. Once we were about an hour into the hike, all signs of civilization disappeared and we were surrounded by unbelievable hills. There is an amazing sense of peace when hiking through a place that is not often seen by others. You lose all sense of time and priority, replacing it with a focus on the small things: a beautiful flower, the warm breeze. It is something that reminds me how important it is to slow down and appreciate every moment.

We continued to hike until we reached the village. The village is home to about 200 people. The Karen people are nomadic, which means that they stay in one location about five years, after which they will move to a different area in the hills. Most of the people in the village are farmers. The Karen people are very conservative people. It is also the group of people that in some villages, the women elongate their necks with brass rings. The village we stayed in did not carry this tradition.

We set our backpacks down in our hut, which was a traditional home about two feet above ground. It was very cozy inside: several raised sleeping areas with mosquito nets. Before dinner, we walked around the village, meeting a few of the locals. We met an elderly couple and walked around their farm. Even though they were probably in their late 60's, they were a fiery couple, putting their very disobedient water buffalo in line.

For dinner, Gee made us a delicious pumpkin soup with a chicken stew. It was so good, especially after the hike. After dinner, we watched the sun set, and headed off to bed. The next day would be our long, difficult trek, so we wanted to get some rest.