a night in a jungle camp - trekking pt.3

2nd - 4th January 2012

The Mae Teng foothills north west of Chiang Mai, Thailand

                If the views from the hill tribe village the previous night had been impressive, the vista which greeted us the next morning was equally as stunning. The coolness of the early morning hours had drawn moisture into the valley and hung it out in shimmering waves of mist that spread across the landscape like a thick white blanket. As the morning progressed however these white ribbons gradually dissipated as the sun grew in intensity alerting the jungle below to a new day in Mae Teng. After wolfing down my breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, I went to have a look around the village in the light as it had been getting too dark to properly explore the night before. An assortment of huts were dotted around the village and it amused me that even in the relative isolation offered by such a setting, the 21st century had still managed to creep into village life as satellite dishes and even solar panels had been fixed up outside the respective huts. Walking by these huts villagers were hanging their clothes out to dry in the hot morning sun whilst pigs, dogs and hens scuttled about the dusty paths which connected the small village together. Under the light of day it seemed that amazing views of the surrounding landscape were plentiful, as every direction I looked offered a stunning photo opportunity from this spectacular panoramic platform. The walking this day was significantly less arduous with the focus more on visiting several waterfalls, stopping at each to have some food and go for a swim. Another guide by the name of Willow joined us on our the second day of walking replacing Toy; as our former hyperactive leader had fallen ill the night before. A more than adequate substitution, Willow along with his contagious giggling and impressive sling shot skills revitalised the group with a cheerful manner and friendly disposition as we spent a few more hours traipsing along well worn dirt trails and traversing tiny rivulets which sliced through the thick vegetation.  Half way through the day, Willow stopped the group and plodded off into the bush returning with a large bundle of banana leaves slung over his shoulder. Unclear as to what their purpose might be, the answer soon presented itself when we came across the second waterfall of the day to stop for lunch. Going for a swim in the cool refreshing waters, we returned to find that Willow had skillfully used his razor sharp machete to manufacture natural plates from the large leaves and had wrapped a large pile of noodles in each package. The thick stems of the leaves did not go to waste as once sliced off they were placed upon each bundle to be used as chopsticks.  

               As we were to spend our final evening in a jungle camp the last hour of walking had us skirting the edge of a fast flowing brook which carved through a dense undergrowth heavily populated by large bamboo thickets. Following it downstream it was necessary at certain points to use the rocks which lay partially submerged under the water as skipping stones to traverse sections when no obvious pathway was present. Looking down for balance, the running water below reflected the midday sun back up into our eyes in a kaleidoscope of colour; drawing upon the rich tapestry which hung around us to paint the scene. Eventually the rivulet widened and the scene opened to the jungle camp where we were to stop for the night after a far less strenuous day of walking - not that anyone was complaining after the savage first day. The camp itself consisted of a congregation of ramshackle wooden huts varying in size with the largest one housing a large communal wooden table where we would later eat from steaming bowls of rice and stir-fry under the flicker of candlelight. After numerous games of shit-head (the most prevalent card game I've come across whilst on the road) Willow got a large camp fire roaring and we spent the rest of the evening chatting away in the comfort of its warm glare while a full moon lit up the sky overhead. Thank god  a guitar wasn't present as it was the kind of scenario where we would have been holding hands singing endless renditions of 'Wonderwall' and 'Kumbaya' - the thought of which makes me queasy.  Around midnight everyone turned in and crashing out on my rolled out ground mat, I slowly drifted off while the mosquitoes buzzed around my net and the stream played its gentle twilight melodies in the brook outside. At the final camp - after an hour on some fairly tame but fun white water rapids - our Songthaew came and transported a disheveled and weary looking bunch of Europeans back to Chiang Mai where a hot shower and soft bed were hugely welcomed.

And here ends my jungle trilogy.

x

Looking over the mist covered valley from the tribe village. The tribe we stayed at was part of the Lahu clan.

Daily life in the hill tribe village.

Not a bad view to wake up to.

 My little Canon produces some nice effects.

A hill tribe village further down the valley.

Willow, our sling shot wielding guide.

The cascading waterfall.

Lunch time! The noodles wrapped in banana leaves and the stem chopsticks.

Trekking through the bamboo forest.

Our man Willow cracking on with the latest edition of the Thai Godzilla.

The Jungle Camp.

If you look closely it's possible to see the outline of a small ladder which runs up the main trunk. Unbelievably locals make this dangerous climb to collect the honey from the top branches.

It's impossible to not look like a complete muppet in those helmets. Heyyy!