Category: Thailand

Mt. Bike Chiang Mai to Chang Rai Part 1

Mt. Bike Chiang Mai to Chang Rai Part 1

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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.

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 Pan
Chiang Dao Cave Adventure

Chiang Dao Cave Adventure

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This amazing cave excursion was included as part of 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 (penetrating 8 miles into the Doi Chiang Dao mountain) is that a Buddhist monk discovered it 1,000 years ago and decided that it was the perfect place for meditation…Since then, people have been coming to honor the monk and the hermit that lived and died in the cave.

Cave warning signs
Even the disclaimers are so polite here: Dear all tourists….

I felt like I was in Raiders of the Lost Ark in the vast subterranean network of dripping stalacites 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

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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…

Mae Wang 3 Day Bike & Trek: Day 1 Cont…

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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.

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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…

Mae Wang Bike & Trek Day 1

Mae Wang Bike & Trek Day 1

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Tour company: Green Trails    Guide: Tui   My rating: Excellent, highly recommend

After lunch, we drove another hour climbing steadily North alongside a river and happy Songkran celebrants young and old. (Thai New Year Festival is April 13-15.)  Songkran traditions include visiting local temples and offering food to the Buddhist monks and drizzling water on Buddha statues. This water ritual symbolizes the cleansing of one’s sins and bad luck. Paying reverence to ancestors and returning home are also an important part of the Songkran tradition.

The holiday is perhaps best known for its water festival, which is mostly celebrated by the young and young at heart. Basically, it’s a countrywide, good natured water fight.

Traveling in the back of a tourist transport truck we were sitting ducks for playful ambush by hoses, buckets and hopped up water guns from both sides of the road and passing trucks. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pics of this as I didn’t have a waterproof case for my camera. (I do have one for my cell phone so I will try to capture some of the fun  upon return to Chiang Mai.)

We started trekking in the heat of the day. (About 103 F.) My travel buddy Walter and I were on a “join in” tour, but no one else joined so it was our private tour. We didn’t see any other foreigners until the end of the last day.

Trek Geeks
Starting the climb out of the valley

It was a hot, dry, upward slog. Far drier and a bit scrappier of a trail than I’d imagined. Of course,  April is the hottest and driest month of the year. How hot was it? So hot there were no mosquitoes even along the stream that we followed up to a waterfall. Ahh, what a refreshing reward at the halfway point and an our first  introduction to a couple of Karen tribesmen.

As my Dad used to say, “How refreshing!”

Some of my favorite pics of today’s trek are these of a local at the waterfall and a farmer and his ranch. The crop is peanuts, rotating from rice. I’m using my new Nikkon D3400 for most of these. (My first “real” camera.) Can you tell the difference?

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What an incredible experience this is! Up a hill and around the corner, an unexpected surprise…to be continued…