Up, Up Never Down With Bang & Mr. Cash

Hey folks,

Another whirlwind four days have passed by, and unfortunately we leave Chiang Mai in about an hour and a half on the train. We will be making our way down to Kanchanaburi to check out Hellfire Pass and the Bridge over River Kwai before proceeding to the islands for some sun and partying.

But the past four days have been amazing and have made me fall in love with the region of Chiang Mai. I don't understand how so many tourists can come to Thailand and not come to the North to absorb the incredible culture and lifestyle here. Granted we have done a lot of things specifically designed for tourists, however, some of our experiences have been very authentic and have given us a real sense of Thai living and how unbelievably funny, kind, and hospitable the people here are.

Relaxing on the slope of our second waterfall

  We took off from our hostel Spicythai Backpackers on Tuesday morning, packed like sardines into the back of a truck with 10 of us in total making up the group, all American or Canadian pretty much. After a stop for supplies at a local market, we drove up the side of the mountain and got off for a little hike down to a waterfall where we went swimming. We then proceeded to hike up some 200 odd stairs to the top of an outlook over the jungle with a huge buddha sitting atop its peak, 7500 metres above sea level. This was an incredible spot to stop at and a nice view before the hike began. We hiked for only an hour and a half the first day and made it to our camp for the night at around 5PM, a simple, little camp owned by a Thai family with very primitive huts to sleep in with bamboo mats. Our tour guide, a hilarious guy my age named Bang, made us an awesome dinner over the fire and we spent the rest of the night sipping on beers and playing guitar. The next day we hiked for about six hours total with four stops at four separate waterfalls along the way. The first one we were able to go right behind the streaming water and sit behind the waterfall, the second one has a nice spot to lie down and get a water massage, and the third had a gentle slope that was super smooth, allowing us all to use it as a natural water slide. The hike was full of amazing scenery as well, and Bang gave us nice little tidbits about leaves that make noises, termite nests that you use to yield sap for liquor, and berries that are full of vitamin c and nutrients should you get lost in the jungle. Our accommodation the second night was a little more comfortable and the food was just as good as the night before. Once again, we sat around with good people and spent the night talking and laughing. I tried my hand at Thai guitar too, a funny little instrument that has only four strings, each in a set of two that sound the same. I didn't think I sounded very good, but the group said I actually sounded like the owner of the instrument so I guess it is supposed to sound a little monotonous and twangy... On our third day, we didn't have to do much hiking, it was all about new experiences, adventuring, and culture. We started the day with a small hike to one last waterfall (after a botched trip to a bat cave) called Mae Wang Waterfall, one of the most popular in the region and home to some cliffs that are perfect for jumping. I never used to be afraid of heights as a kid, but over the past few years, I have developed an uneasiness when perched high above the ground. Despite this fear, I climbed to the top of the 10-12m cliff and lunged into the suds of the waterfall below, an adrenaline rush well worth the slight nausea the experience induced. After our stop at Mae Wang, we drove to a camp to start our bamboo rafting adventure, led down the river by a 10 year old boy named Nawt. He was an awesome captain of our expedition, laughing and steering us away from rocks and yelling "Snake!!!" before slamming his bamboo spear/paddle into the water to splash us. This little raft ride was one of the highlights of my week in Chiang Mai so far, as we passed through little tribal villages on either side of us and floated on the pristine, ice cold water, blasted by the blistering afternoon sun. After thanking Nawt, we finished our jungle trek tour with a 45 minute elephant ride. This was definitely a cool experience, but the ride itself was not very comfortable and our elephant did not seem entirely happy or well treated so I am a little disillusioned by the whole thing. We have another one in Phuket at the end of the month, so hopefully it will be smoother and the elephants will be happier.

Doing some absailing down a 40 foot drop to the platform below

To finish off our week in Chiang Mai with style, we woke up at 6AM this morning and got picked up to head to the middle of the jungle for some ziplining with the world renowned company, The Flight Of The Gibbon! Our trusty guide (and guardian) for this expedition was another hilarious individual by the name of Mr. Cash, who was quite a joker and well versed in five languages, including Hebrew! The names of our guides so far have been quite awesome and I hope this trend will continue; the record stands: X-Man, Bang, and Mr. Cash. After explaining the safety rules and regulations and filling out some waivers, we were off and flying through the jungle like the very primates the tour is named after. For the second time this week, I had the opportunity to conquer my fear of heights! It is quite an awe-inspiring experience, especially with our third line which spanned an entire 800 metres and crossed the jungle from one mountain to another. The course consisted of about 18 platforms, including some Superman type jumps where the cables were attached on our back and some absailing, where you drop down free-fall style. We finished the course with a 40 foot drop which we all did upside down before checking out a waterfall and grabbing some lunch. Definitely a worthwhile experience and one I will not soon forget!

So now it's time to leave this city I have grown to love so quickly, and head off to our next destination. Hopefully the internet will be as accessible there as it has been so far and I will update you all soon.

Ciao for now,

Max