This fun longtail boat excursion was part of an incredible 3 day mt. bike adventure from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai with activethailand.
Tour company: ActiveThailand Guide: Pan My rating: Excellent, highly recommend
Category: Explorations
Mt. Bike Chiang Mai to Chang Rai Part 1
Tour company: activethailand.com
Tour guide: Pan
Difficulty: Moderate+++ (Depends on your fitness level. It’s not technical or too arduous, but some hills and scorching heat -mid to high 90s. Riding about 30 miles per day with breaks as you need them.)
Route: Chiang Mai – Chiang Dao – Ban Thaton – Chiang Rai
Experience: SPECTACULAR trip and guide. Perhaps the best adventure of my life so far. I can’t begin to capture all the stunning scenery, savory meals and cultural sights we saw. And I can’t say enough about our wonderful guide Pan and our driver Som.
We biked through the countryside taking in the breathtaking sights along the Maekok river and valleys and through forests on singe-track trails, dirt roads and lesser traveled paved roads.
We visited hill-tribe villages, Buddhist sanctuaries, local eateries and the incredible Chiang Dao caves. Truly an authentic, backroad, off the beaten track experience with no other tourists in sight.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention, another highlight was the longtail boat ride we took from one mountain bike area to another on the 3rd day. I’ll post videos from that next, followed by my favorite pics (people, scenery & food). I’m having so much fun, I’m getting behind on my updates.
Chiang Dao Cave Adventure
This amazing cave excursion was included in our 3-day cycle adventure from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai with ActiveThailand. (We lucked out on another “private” tour as there were no other takers in this hottest, off-season month. It was AWESOME, highly recommend – more later.)
The story behind this massive limestone cave (which penetrates 8 miles into the Doi Chiang Dao mountain) is that a Buddhist monk discovered it 1,000 years ago and decided it was the perfect place for meditation…Since then, people have been coming to honor the monk and the hermit who lived and died in the cave.
I felt like I was in Raiders of the Lost Ark in the vast subterranean network of dripping stalactites and other stalagmite formations. I’ve never seen anything like this. If my voice sounds a bit tense, it’s because I’m a bit claustrophobic and not so fond of bats, especially when they are in large quantities…
Every day has been an amazing adventure here. Some days so packed with spectacular sights and experiences it’s difficult to capture them all. Focus on the highlights you say – they are all highlights I say!
Postscript: After what happened to the Thai soccer team and their coach in the caves of Northern Thailand, I’m not sure I would opt for another cave adventure if I was there again (at least not in the rainy season)…Would you still go?
Mae Wang Trek: Karen Hill Tribe Homestay
It’s only appropriate that there be a rather long, steep climb into the village of the Karen Hill Tribe. It is here that we joined in a family’s dinner preparations, enjoyed a sumptuous feast and spent the night in a bamboo hut.
Since 1949, the Karen people have been migrating to Thailand from Myanmar due to conflicts with the Burmese government. Approximately 400,000 Karen have made Northern Thailand their home. Their villages are scattered through the mountain and lowland regions bordering Myanmar. You’ll notice some of the women in the pictures wearing their traditional colorful, embroidered smocks and skirts. This is what married women wear; single girls wear white frocks. We did not see any as the younger generation has gotten away from this and other traditions. Now, they only wear white on Sundays, In these villages, most marry by their early twenties and traditionally it’s the mothers who chose their children’s spouses. This is still true for ~50% percent of marriages though for some it’s a choice the child makes with his / her mother. Our guide, Tui, is Karen and he and his mother will agree on his future wife.
The village where we stayed has had electricity for about a year. It’s fairly limited though with a lightbulb here and there. Some homes are open air huts, others are concrete with tile roofs. It’s a place in transition. The people are warm and friendly. Every house has a pig, several chickens, roosters, dogs, and a wealthy few have cattle too. All seem to cohabit peacefully with the exception of the flash dog fight over scraps.
Speaking of cohabitate, in a village of 130 people, 4 religions are peacefully represented: Animism (an ancient belief system before organized religion that non-human entities—such as animals, plants, and inanimate objects—possess a spiritual essence) Buddhism, Christianity, and Catholicism.
Food preparation is arduous and everyone lends a hand. Multiple dishes with multiple ingredients are made in a wok using just 1 fire source.
Famished from our full day (~2 hour bike, 3.5 hour hike), we relished this royal feast! (It included a pumpkin, garlic dish, curry potatoes and chicken, a scallion and veggie dish – oh my!)
We slept well that night!
Next up, I will share some of my favorite pics!
Mae Wang 3 Day Bike & Trek: Day 1 Cont…
So after a steep climb up a dirt road towards the end of our 3 and a half hour hike, we turned a corner into this elephant sanctuary. It was a complete bonus surprise -not mentioned in the trek description or foreshadowed by our guide.
Giddy from these new sights, I was energized to make the last push up the steep, long hill to the village. The plan was to participate in the communal food preparation and then spend the night with a family of the Karen Hill Tribe…To be continued…
On the Loose Live 