The 2 day trek

The vehicle arrived to pick us up at 9:30 a.m., and we had a small backpack for our needs for the next 2 days: a swim suit, a change of clothes, flip flops, extra socks for our shoes, a small towel, and our toiletries.
We were good to go!
Our guide was named Born, and he was a little hip Thai guy. He was full of energy and blasted good music from his phone for the drive out. Sue and I sat in the back on the bed of a truck with benches and a roof. It was interesting. There was no door, and the way the driver was taking turns, we had to hold on for dear life. hahahaha! We laughed gleefully the whole way. The trip was already proving to be fun. We howled and laughed with the driver and our guide, which encouraged them to drive even faster and more crazy.
We arrived to a small bamboo hut where we had lunch. I had the best Pad Thai of my life! Awww, it was soooooo delicious! Yum!
We were fueled up and taken to the elephant camp.
After a few minutes a young man lead us down a windy dirt trail to a platform with 3 elephants all saddled up with a bench-seat. We carefully climbed off the platform and took our seats. Then the guide connected a bar in front of us, so we wouldn't go tumbling off into the dirt. Elephants are quite high off the ground, and we were grateful to be strapped in, but it was hilarious because I felt like I was taking the precautions appropriate for a roller coaster ride at Disneyland.
Then the young boy jumped onto the head of the elephant and hit it in the head with a bamboo stick and grunted to reverse the elephant and guide him on the trail. I felt enraged and uncomfortable. I asked Sue what was going on...? Why was he hitting the elephant in the head with that stick?!?!?! She said that she didn't know. I wanted to cry! I am so against animal cruelty! Every time he grunted and whacked the elephant in the head I said: Stop that! Don't do that! please stop! I was trapped, and felt helpless. He ignored me, and couldn't understand me because of the language barrier. Just when I felt my face become flush, and I knew that was the onset of my emotions about to come flooding out, he jumped of the elephant, pointed at me, and asked if I wanted to move forward.
Sigh.
I said yes. :)
I unlatched the bar and carefully climbed onto the neck of the elephant. I pet her, rubber her ears, sent her loving energy, and rode her for 45 mins. back up to the camp through the gorgeous jungle scenery. The elephants near Chiang Mai are apparently not treated very well. I wish I could help....

*I posted pictures on myspace, because this blog keeps deleting my photos every time I try to post new ones.

Sue and I jumped into the back of a truck with our guide Born. Three young guys jumped into the front and drove through the windy dirt roads like bats out of hell. Born and I stood up, clung to the roll cage, and giggled with delight as the truck bounced over every divot in the road. It was madness! It was a blast! At one point Born tapped on the hood of the truck and told the driver: Concha, that it was time to stop and walk, but the driver was having too much fun with us, hearing us giggle, that he told Born in Thai that he wasn't going to stop, and that he would drive us all the way to the trail of the waterfall, and then stepped on the gas much harder. hahaha!
Once we hiked down the trail a beautiful waterfall emerged through the jungle, butterflies filled the sky, and a smile kissed my face. We stripped to our bathing suits and jumped in. The water temperature was perfect! The Thai boys lead me up a trail to the top of the waterfall where they showed me a natural slide. SO MUCH FUN! We slid down the rock slide into the water, played under the waterfall, splashed water, giggled like children, took pictures, and cooled off.
What a lovely way to start our trek.
Once we began the ascent up the mountain, and struggled because our muscled weren't warmed up yet, we arrived to a small village where we met up with our trekking crew: 4 French men and 1 woman(Mani, Max, Oliver, Roule, and Florence), and a darling Irish girl(Lorraine).
Then we began our 4 hour trek through the jungle on a sometimes narrow slippery path with a terrifying drop. We hiked through fire for 10 mins. straight up a mountain, through cold creek beds(where we drenched our hats for natural air-con), used bamboo to swing, and then we took a break when we were about to drop dead, and continued on to the Padang village of the Red Lahu tribe-people.
There we stayed and slept in the accommodations they provided, which was on the bamboo floor with a blanket and pillow. All of us together like a slumber party. After the best dinner of my life, and well deserved! We partied hard into the night. 2 Australian girls(Glady and Rachel) arrived from a separate trek and joined us, and we bought amongst the 9 of us(not including our guides and new Lahu friends) 5 bottles of rice whiskey. We rubbed one others aching feet, played cards, did yoga, and laughed under the full moon until about 2 a.m. in the Padang village(in the middle of nowhere). IT WAS UNFORGETTABLE!

At 4 a.m. the roosters awoke us and crowed until 7, then the dogs barked, and then it was time for breakfast. We were trying to eat while all the Lahu women tried to pressure us into buying stuff we didn't want, and it was very uncomfortable. I understand that we were staying in their hut, but we paid for that experience, and the people received a large cut from the tour operators. We were a little tired, some were hungover, we were trying to eat, the merchandise was ridiculously overpriced and nonnegotiable for price reduction, and it was just all so miserable. We felt the Red Lahu masses pressuring us in their environment, so we all went into our hut and hid until it was time to leave. Our fun friendly guide: Born, was moody, obnoxious, and rude the whole 3 hrs. down through the mountains. He would pinch my neck and mumble weird things in Thai under his breath as he walked past us on the trail. At one point I sternly said: Mai-ow ka, Go! Which means: I don't want! Go! He then thankfully left me alone, but unfortunately annoyed my new friend Lorraine.

We arrived to the river where we went white water rafting for an hour with a new guide. Just the girls: Lorraine(Ireland), Glady and Rachel(Australia), Sue, and I. We had so much fun with our pink helmets, and I had the whistle. Whoo-Hoo!
Then we saw our bamboo raft awaiting us with our new guide. We climbed up, and had fun trying to stand, and balance on it all the way down the river. I have a great picture of us that I purchased. :) Once a hut came into view the ride was over.

We jumped into the water and swam to shore where lunch and rice whiskey was awaiting us.
The 5 of us sat with our moody-weird guide Born and his lovely friend Ton for a couple hrs. until the French crew rejoined us, and then we all took the covered truck back to Chiang Mai.
The hot shower that followed was heavenly. :)