trekking

Sorry for not posting anything for awhile. I'm still in Chiang Mai and I've been really busy. Since I arrived here I've taken a cooking course, rode on a motorcycle outside of the town to see some waterfalls and then went on a two day trek up into the mountains.

I just got back from the trek tonight. I was in a group of nine people and we trekked to the top of a mountain and stayed with a hill tribe who lived at the top. I wasn't expecting the hiking part to be so intense. We walked almost straight up a mountain for hours on end. The path was so steep and rough. I've never sweated so much in my life.

My trekking group outside the bamboo cabin

We spent the night in a sort of cabin located within the hill tribe. The floors of the cabin were made of bamboo, which didn't seem very strong, as it would bend and rattle as we walked over it. But it supported us throughout the night. We didn't see too many tribes people only the few that cooked us an amazing curry dinner.

I thought the second day would be easier becuase we were walking down hill. I was wrong. It was so steep and slippery. I was so scared of falling because it was a long drop. It required a lot of balance to keep me from falling as I steeped over the roots and rocks while trying not to slip in the mud. Luckily I only had a couple of slips.

Also during the trek we rode elephants, and I able to sit right on the elephants head with my knees tucked behind its ears. It was a bumpy ride and the elephants liked to spray us with snot from its trunk.

On the second day we did two types of rafting, whitewater and bamboo. The whitewater rafting was pretty tame, but we did go through some rapids. The bamboo rafting was even tamer, so our guide livened it up by throwing me off the raft into the river - twice.

Regarding the Philippines, I've deferred my flight until November 4th. I had an email from my contact at the hospital who told me that due to a huge landslide in Baguio the town of Sagada had been cut off and there was no electricity. But it sounds like they are doing okay even without. So until then I'm debating between going to Cambodia or Laos. Budget is a bit of an issue and Laos sounds cheaper, and many people come back from Laos saying they loved the country. But I would love to see Angkor Wat in Cambodia.