Chapter 12
Day 13
Chiang Mai
I woke up that it was still dark outside. My alarm clock was still silent, but I couldn’t stay in bed any longer. It had been such a restless night that I couldn’t wait any longer to get up. I suppose that all the stuff that I’ve eaten the previous day fueled a tormented night in which nightmares had been the only protagonists of my few hours of sleep. Even though that I doubted of having slept more than a single hour.
I stood up from the bed and I switched the alarm clock off before it started ringing. It was the outrageous time of 6.45, my pickup would arrive at 8.30. This meant that I had almost two hours to have breakfast and getting ready for the trip.
My objective was to make it quiet, nice and easy. I didn’t want to rush as I’m used to. I looked at the backpack, it was still packed from the previous day, so I emptied it. Then, I got dressed, placed the sneakers next the backpack and wore my sandals to go for the breakfast. I went downstairs. I sat at the counter of the hotel bar and I waited for a bit. Then, the night-shift guy seen me and came to me yawning.
“What do you want... Yawn... Sir...?”
“A million Euro and some hours of sleeping...” that's what I thought, but I said “A coffee, please”
“Only coffee?”
“Yes, thank you” and then I whispered “I've still enough of yesterday dinner...”
The barman vanished through a door that was leading to a kitchen. It was a real improvement as last time that I ordered a coffee in that place they just boiled water into an electric heater and poured it into a cup along a couple of spoonfuls of instant coffee from a all-but-clean looking can. I wonder if they just moved the electric boiler and dirty can in the other room, or they changed something for real.
The coffee arrived, nice smelling and smoking. I tried it, still afraid of feeling again that unforgettable metallic taste of the previous times, but it didn't. Actually, it was quite good. Probably they changed the heater or the instant coffee, but it was good. I sipped it, and then I went to finish it at a wooden table watching the international news from the TV in the hall. In Thailand there were still troubles for the floods, in USA there was some kind of a storm, some unknown politician was smiling and handshaking another unknown politician, both under a storm of flashes that made them glow into a creep, sinister, white-electric light. Then sport, Mr. Unknown Football Player scored some points and people were crazy. I was keeping the coffee under my nose, but the caffeine wasn’t effective to wake me up, and silent news and footage of nameless people weren’t helping much.
I went back at my room, and in a repeatedly overdone gesture, I took the clothes off and entered the shower. I was soaked in sweat from the night, and I didn't want to repeat the Kuala Lumpur Airport sweaty experience.
Then, the time warped. I don't know what happened, but it did. I went out of the shower that I reminded that the previous night I didn't do the backup of my pictures, and I wished to do it before losing all those that I took at the parade. The backup procedure, using my backup unit, is something really slow. Anyway, I did it. And then, it happened.
I just finished the backup and as soon as I switched the backup unit off, the old room phone rung. It was the hall. They informed me that the pickup already came, and they were waiting for me.
Damn, they are early! I can't be late!
I checked at the time and it was 8.35. I was late. I'm late also in Chiang Mai. So, I stood up and threw the backup unit in the large backpack and closed it. Then, I threw the cameras, a clean T-Shirt and a bottle of water into the small backpack and before leaving, I wore a swimsuit under my shorts. Having trekking might happen to cross a river or finding other ways to get wet. Then I left the room.
I went running downstairs and I went straight to the pickup. A small and chubby Thai guy welcomed me and I made my excuses for being late. I entered the pickup and I said “Good Morning”, but only a middle aged lady answered with a “Morning”, while the rest were or sleeping or listening at their MP3 player. These were just the normal answers that I receive at the beginning of every day trip.
I stood up from the bed and I switched the alarm clock off before it started ringing. It was the outrageous time of 6.45, my pickup would arrive at 8.30. This meant that I had almost two hours to have breakfast and getting ready for the trip.
My objective was to make it quiet, nice and easy. I didn’t want to rush as I’m used to. I looked at the backpack, it was still packed from the previous day, so I emptied it. Then, I got dressed, placed the sneakers next the backpack and wore my sandals to go for the breakfast. I went downstairs. I sat at the counter of the hotel bar and I waited for a bit. Then, the night-shift guy seen me and came to me yawning.
“What do you want... Yawn... Sir...?”
“A million Euro and some hours of sleeping...” that's what I thought, but I said “A coffee, please”
“Only coffee?”
“Yes, thank you” and then I whispered “I've still enough of yesterday dinner...”
The barman vanished through a door that was leading to a kitchen. It was a real improvement as last time that I ordered a coffee in that place they just boiled water into an electric heater and poured it into a cup along a couple of spoonfuls of instant coffee from a all-but-clean looking can. I wonder if they just moved the electric boiler and dirty can in the other room, or they changed something for real.
The coffee arrived, nice smelling and smoking. I tried it, still afraid of feeling again that unforgettable metallic taste of the previous times, but it didn't. Actually, it was quite good. Probably they changed the heater or the instant coffee, but it was good. I sipped it, and then I went to finish it at a wooden table watching the international news from the TV in the hall. In Thailand there were still troubles for the floods, in USA there was some kind of a storm, some unknown politician was smiling and handshaking another unknown politician, both under a storm of flashes that made them glow into a creep, sinister, white-electric light. Then sport, Mr. Unknown Football Player scored some points and people were crazy. I was keeping the coffee under my nose, but the caffeine wasn’t effective to wake me up, and silent news and footage of nameless people weren’t helping much.
I went back at my room, and in a repeatedly overdone gesture, I took the clothes off and entered the shower. I was soaked in sweat from the night, and I didn't want to repeat the Kuala Lumpur Airport sweaty experience.
Then, the time warped. I don't know what happened, but it did. I went out of the shower that I reminded that the previous night I didn't do the backup of my pictures, and I wished to do it before losing all those that I took at the parade. The backup procedure, using my backup unit, is something really slow. Anyway, I did it. And then, it happened.
I just finished the backup and as soon as I switched the backup unit off, the old room phone rung. It was the hall. They informed me that the pickup already came, and they were waiting for me.
Damn, they are early! I can't be late!
I checked at the time and it was 8.35. I was late. I'm late also in Chiang Mai. So, I stood up and threw the backup unit in the large backpack and closed it. Then, I threw the cameras, a clean T-Shirt and a bottle of water into the small backpack and before leaving, I wore a swimsuit under my shorts. Having trekking might happen to cross a river or finding other ways to get wet. Then I left the room.
I went running downstairs and I went straight to the pickup. A small and chubby Thai guy welcomed me and I made my excuses for being late. I entered the pickup and I said “Good Morning”, but only a middle aged lady answered with a “Morning”, while the rest were or sleeping or listening at their MP3 player. These were just the normal answers that I receive at the beginning of every day trip.
Going for the trekking
We left the hotel and went across the streets of the city. We changed hundreds of streets and it really gave the idea that the driver hadn't a clue of where he was going to. Then, eventually, we reached an hotel where there were two girls waiting for us. They were two girls from Switzerland, one was only speaking German, while the other was quite chatty and spoke English too. They came on board, one was a redhead and the other blonde, both dressed like twins. A white T-Shirt, khaki shorts, gray wool socks and heavy-looking trekking boots. They had trekking boots? They might have been professional trekkers. I was wondering what they were thinking of me wearing sneakers.
The pickup moved again, we went toward the Tha Pae gate, and circled it, then we went into the old city where we reached the “Panda Tours” shop where Mr. Tour Guide took some papers and introduced himself. He said that he wouldn't be our trekking guide but just the one that would transport us to the village where we'd start our trip. Along the way, we'd stop to buy the food for our trip in a local fresh market. It sounded good. I still thought at the previous day fresh market.
As soon as we left, he turned the air- condition on. I started to feel quite cold, and as I'm used to do, I hugged my backpack. But the cold didn't lower. I was feeling cold, especially to my feet.
Fuck.
I was feeling my feet cold for a reason. I couldn't believe. I peered down hoping that my senses were playing a joke to me, but no, they didn’t. I was still wearing my sandals. In the rush of getting out of my room, I forgot to wear my sneakers. How could I have trekking with sandals? I'm such an idiot.
I still had in my mind the scene of when I bought the ticked for this day trip, when the agency man called me back and screamed “Don’t forget wearing good shoes!”. I replied that I’d surely make it as I didn’t want to walk into the forest with sandals. I’m not that foolish.
Yes, I am.
I had to do something, and soon. The tour guy said that we'd stop for buying some food for the trekking day, that was my hope. I had to take that chance and find a shoes shop there near. In the meantime, I was keeping on looking out of the window for shoes shops as I could expect to stop in every moment and in this way, I'd know where to find what I was looking for.
It took about an hour before we stopped and, probably, I mapped all the fashion shops from the city to all this route. I was really scared of having to stop at the village without the chance of having the trekking. Then, we stopped. The pickup entered an hangar-looking market. The market itself was an huge dimply lit cluster of stalls with barely the space of walking between them. The air had the smell of fresh fruit, vegetables and wet soil. Smiling men and women were calling us to convince us to buy at their stalls, but, I was on a mission. My fellows had a puppy look in their eyes, like if they wished to be anywhere else but not alone in that market. I left them behind as I only had 20 minutes to accomplish my hunt. I went along the street side and I kept on peering along any line of stalls that was inside the market, but nothing. No shoes shops. Damn, how can it be possible? Then I found one, but the only shoes it had were high-heels pumps. No, that wasn't good. Nothing was looking like going on the right way.
So, I left the market and I went up an unknown street into this nameless town. There were shop of any kind, and then, I seen shoes. I went running inside. A girl asked me something in Thai and I answered, pretending that I understood a single word “Sawadee Khap, I'm looking for... That ones!” and as soon as I seen sneakers I went straight to them. In the meantime she called an Old Man. I turned around to see what she was doing and I seen a low smiling Old Thai Man. I hoped that he wasn't another Old Chinese Man, but he smiled at me and in perfect English asked me what I was looking for. I said “I'm looking for sport shoes like these, do you have Farang size?”, meaning big sizes for Thai people and average for Westerners. He answered that all the end wall could be suitable for me. I checked them out, whey were some sort of “All Stars” shoes, in fabric with rubber sole. Better than nothing. The choice was between the only two that were with my size, the pink ones with silver stars which were the perfect size, or the camo ones with yellow drops ones that were a little more tight. I chosen the camo ones. In case were tight, I'd cut them with a knife. I asked if they had short socks, and he said “Of course we have!” and took me at the stall. Again, the ones of my size were those with Mickey Mouse or those gray and blue with a red stripe. I chosen the second pair. I wore them on the place and paid the price I was asked, I hadn't the time to bargain. I paid of all almost 700 Baht, that meant about 15 Euro. The smiling girl, when she seen that I was putting my market-dirt sandals in my backpack, presented me with a plastic bag, really kind of hers, especially after that I gave them probably the double price that those shoes were worth.
I left the shop. It felt weird to have these shoes and being heading for a trekking. Anyway, I felt relieved that I resolved, somehow, my problem. By good luck I had that money with me. I had only less than 300 Baht left in my wallet, I had to make them last until my coming back to Chiang Mai.
I still had 5 minutes before coming back at the pickup, so I took a slow stroll across the market. Most of the stalls were of fruit and vegetables. Most of the things couldn't be bought for the day, except for some fruit. Then, while going down an alley, I found an interesting stall. An old smiling lady had a table covered with beehives. In the beginning I thought that she was selling honey, but then when I've got close to her, still smiling, she told me something in Thai. I looked carefully and the beehives were packed with Bee Larvae. Now I knew what was saying. She was selling protein packs. Without saying a word and smiling, I mimed pointing with my finger first the beehive and then my mouth and she nodded, then with a rusty long knife, she took a larvae from the Bee Hive and gave it to me. It was glossy and white and looked like something between a worm and a bee. I took it and I tasted it. As soon as I placed it in my mouth, the larvae skin broke. The taste was very soft, creamy, delicate and slightly salty. I smiled and the lady gave me another and she ate one too. Then, while coming back to the van I bought some small bananas and then, I was ready.
I arrived at the pickup just in time, without being late, that all the fellows were already gathered around the pickup. They looked bored and couldn't wait to leave, but the tour guy wasn't around. We had to wait still 10 minutes before his arrival, and then we were good to go.
The pickup moved again, we went toward the Tha Pae gate, and circled it, then we went into the old city where we reached the “Panda Tours” shop where Mr. Tour Guide took some papers and introduced himself. He said that he wouldn't be our trekking guide but just the one that would transport us to the village where we'd start our trip. Along the way, we'd stop to buy the food for our trip in a local fresh market. It sounded good. I still thought at the previous day fresh market.
As soon as we left, he turned the air- condition on. I started to feel quite cold, and as I'm used to do, I hugged my backpack. But the cold didn't lower. I was feeling cold, especially to my feet.
Fuck.
I was feeling my feet cold for a reason. I couldn't believe. I peered down hoping that my senses were playing a joke to me, but no, they didn’t. I was still wearing my sandals. In the rush of getting out of my room, I forgot to wear my sneakers. How could I have trekking with sandals? I'm such an idiot.
I still had in my mind the scene of when I bought the ticked for this day trip, when the agency man called me back and screamed “Don’t forget wearing good shoes!”. I replied that I’d surely make it as I didn’t want to walk into the forest with sandals. I’m not that foolish.
Yes, I am.
I had to do something, and soon. The tour guy said that we'd stop for buying some food for the trekking day, that was my hope. I had to take that chance and find a shoes shop there near. In the meantime, I was keeping on looking out of the window for shoes shops as I could expect to stop in every moment and in this way, I'd know where to find what I was looking for.
It took about an hour before we stopped and, probably, I mapped all the fashion shops from the city to all this route. I was really scared of having to stop at the village without the chance of having the trekking. Then, we stopped. The pickup entered an hangar-looking market. The market itself was an huge dimply lit cluster of stalls with barely the space of walking between them. The air had the smell of fresh fruit, vegetables and wet soil. Smiling men and women were calling us to convince us to buy at their stalls, but, I was on a mission. My fellows had a puppy look in their eyes, like if they wished to be anywhere else but not alone in that market. I left them behind as I only had 20 minutes to accomplish my hunt. I went along the street side and I kept on peering along any line of stalls that was inside the market, but nothing. No shoes shops. Damn, how can it be possible? Then I found one, but the only shoes it had were high-heels pumps. No, that wasn't good. Nothing was looking like going on the right way.
So, I left the market and I went up an unknown street into this nameless town. There were shop of any kind, and then, I seen shoes. I went running inside. A girl asked me something in Thai and I answered, pretending that I understood a single word “Sawadee Khap, I'm looking for... That ones!” and as soon as I seen sneakers I went straight to them. In the meantime she called an Old Man. I turned around to see what she was doing and I seen a low smiling Old Thai Man. I hoped that he wasn't another Old Chinese Man, but he smiled at me and in perfect English asked me what I was looking for. I said “I'm looking for sport shoes like these, do you have Farang size?”, meaning big sizes for Thai people and average for Westerners. He answered that all the end wall could be suitable for me. I checked them out, whey were some sort of “All Stars” shoes, in fabric with rubber sole. Better than nothing. The choice was between the only two that were with my size, the pink ones with silver stars which were the perfect size, or the camo ones with yellow drops ones that were a little more tight. I chosen the camo ones. In case were tight, I'd cut them with a knife. I asked if they had short socks, and he said “Of course we have!” and took me at the stall. Again, the ones of my size were those with Mickey Mouse or those gray and blue with a red stripe. I chosen the second pair. I wore them on the place and paid the price I was asked, I hadn't the time to bargain. I paid of all almost 700 Baht, that meant about 15 Euro. The smiling girl, when she seen that I was putting my market-dirt sandals in my backpack, presented me with a plastic bag, really kind of hers, especially after that I gave them probably the double price that those shoes were worth.
I left the shop. It felt weird to have these shoes and being heading for a trekking. Anyway, I felt relieved that I resolved, somehow, my problem. By good luck I had that money with me. I had only less than 300 Baht left in my wallet, I had to make them last until my coming back to Chiang Mai.
I still had 5 minutes before coming back at the pickup, so I took a slow stroll across the market. Most of the stalls were of fruit and vegetables. Most of the things couldn't be bought for the day, except for some fruit. Then, while going down an alley, I found an interesting stall. An old smiling lady had a table covered with beehives. In the beginning I thought that she was selling honey, but then when I've got close to her, still smiling, she told me something in Thai. I looked carefully and the beehives were packed with Bee Larvae. Now I knew what was saying. She was selling protein packs. Without saying a word and smiling, I mimed pointing with my finger first the beehive and then my mouth and she nodded, then with a rusty long knife, she took a larvae from the Bee Hive and gave it to me. It was glossy and white and looked like something between a worm and a bee. I took it and I tasted it. As soon as I placed it in my mouth, the larvae skin broke. The taste was very soft, creamy, delicate and slightly salty. I smiled and the lady gave me another and she ate one too. Then, while coming back to the van I bought some small bananas and then, I was ready.
I arrived at the pickup just in time, without being late, that all the fellows were already gathered around the pickup. They looked bored and couldn't wait to leave, but the tour guy wasn't around. We had to wait still 10 minutes before his arrival, and then we were good to go.
Mae Taeng
The pickup left the market of the unknown town and we headed up north. The panorama slowly changed from the motorway to the mountains. The housings were replaced first by flat lands and then hill covered with forest. It was very beautiful. I was enjoying the trip, especially that now I've had solved my problem.
The stop was a village on a hill, which is near the Mae Taeng town. The street was made of gray concrete and it looked like the village was made of just a line of buildings built at the sides of the steep street. Every now and then, there were some narrow side streets that took at other farther houses. In this village we were introduced our tour guides, which I guessed that they were two villagers. One was stocky, while the other very slim. They both had backpacks and a long knives.
Soon we left the place on foot. We headed for short uphill and then we took a flat road that was following, from far, a river that was flowing below. Between us and the river there was a Papaya plantation. I stuck close to the guides as they both spoke English and were much more chatty than my Westerner fellows. The stocky one was the leader while the other was a really funny guy that was keeping on joking.
During the trip along the Papaya plantation street we were shown some plants and how kids use them to play. Like a long leafed plant that is used to shoot the same leaves each-other, another plant was good for being used as a straw, in case you find a soda-cans tree in your path. Then we were shown a plant that had a very soapy resin that, if you broke the plant in the right way and blew in it, you'd have soap bubbles. It was fantastic. I was amazed by these easy things. Kids can play and have fun with these organic and environmental-friendly toys provided by nature. It was fantastic.
In the end of the long plantation the street turned uphill and then it split. We took the way that went to the forest. In the beginning it was still made of concrete, but then, it turned into a battered soil and mud track. I was happy of having shoes as it'd be quite troublesome to make it with sandals. I know that there are areas in which villagers still go in the forest barefoot, but I wished to avoid of getting cut on a sharp rock or getting spikes from some plant.
Along the way I kept on talking with the guides, mainly about the forest and food. They told me that we weren't so far from Chiang Dao, but we were next to the border with Burma. The funny guy, that was called by his friend as “Ting Tong”, that in Thai means “Crazy”, pointed a finger to the mountains across the valley.
“You see those mountains?” he said
“Yes, I do, they are big”
“Yes, they are big, there is Burma”
“There? Just there? You mean, I go there and I'm in Burma?”
“No, Burma is there” showing with his hands a gesture like jumping behind the mountains “the mountain is Thailand”
“There are many people here from Burma?”
“I'm Burmese!” he said smiling proudly and touching his chest with this open hand.
“Are you a Karen?” I asked as I know that many people of Karen ethnicity cross the border to escape the genocide in Burma, but he looked at me like I just said a blasphemy.
“I'm a Shan!” he said proudly
“Are you a Shan? I never met one before!” and he laughed.
Later he told me that he lived just across the border and then in Mandalay, but he didn't like the city life, and he preferred to live in a village. He said that he's a Christian and hopes that a day the local Christian Missionary would take him to Rome to see the Pope. It's bizarre, I wish to see Yangoon, Bagan and Mandalay, while he dreams to see the Pope. All people in the world are the same, we always look what looks exotic for us. For me is Asia, for an Asian is Rome. We’re the same, as Thais say “Same Same… but Different”. I asked him for some information about Burma pretending that I'd go there very soon. But in the end, I didn't receive more information than I already gathered. It was still good to have confirmation by a local of what I already knew. I asked about the genocide but he changed the subject. Yes, it happens to forget that your own tribe is the one that hold the most of the lands in the north of a country and is pushing, obliterating, the minorities.
Along the way in the forest I was presented first some fresh chili peppers from a plant as I told them that I love chili, and then, when we arrived at a small waterfall, we stopped. One of the guides stayed behind and we were waiting for him. When he appeared, he had two Papayas. He said that he found a tree with ripe Papayas and took two for us. We took our backpacks off, and the guides, using their huge knives, sliced the Papayas for us. They were orange and tasted very sweet. They were lovely, especially after such a long walk into the muddy forest.
The break lasted short and we were again ready to leave. We kept on going uphill, and the forest changed, from tall trees and bushes, it became a bamboo forest. It was great. Avery now and then, there was a tall tree, but for the rest were only tall Bamboo plants. They were dancing in the wind and their creaking noises, along with the whistling leaves were a song sung into the silent forest. For a moment, I felt like the space and time warped again, and I was landed into a Chinese movie, like “The Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon” or “The House of the flying daggers”.
We were walking and I kept on glancing at the waving, dancing Bamboos. I think that they were somehow hypnotizing. All of us were silent. Like there had been a secret agreement to shut up and listen at the voice of the forest. She, Mother Nature was singing for us, and we were eager to hear her song.
Along the way, Mr. Ting Tong took a piece of Bamboo and started to make crazy stuff with it, like a pair of fake goggles. The other guide had a backpack breakdown, and we had to stop as he tried to fix it. It looked like the steel bars of the back side broke the fabric of the backpack and one slipped off. While fixing it, he took out of the backpack what he had inside, that were a real collection of huge knives. I missed my own small knife that I had to leave in Italy. In fact, the immigration procedures of Hong Kong look quite strict, and forbid the importation of any kind of blade. If the customs find you with a blade, they'll take it from you. So, seen that I didn't want to get my knife lost in Hong Kong, I didn't take it with me. Then the truth had been that at the arrival in Hong Kong nobody checked my backpacks. Anyway, in the forest, the reparation of the backpack took long. I asked repeatedly if I could help him somehow, like sewing the broken fabric or pushing the steel bars, but he didn’t want to get helped. So, I left him into his fierce and time wasting fight against the broken fabric, and I had no other choice than wait. After a very short exploration of the area, I sat on a fallen tree and I ate one more banana while waiting. It looked like nobody bought anything at the fresh market and the guys looked at me weird like the banana eating was some strange thing to do in front of them. Then, after a long time, the backpack was ready and we left for the next part.
We went along into the forest and then we went again uphill. One of the Swiss girls looked like was really tired and the other was keeping on waiting for her. This took our group to split in two parts. I kept the pace up and I stuck at the first group. In this part of walking we arrived a point in which we had a very beautiful sight on the lush forest and the valley. Until then, I didn't feel like we had climbed so much up that hill. From up there, I couldn't see from where we started, but I could clearly recognize the river next the Papaya plantation.
The guides took us a bit further and then, when we arrived next to a cave, we stopped. The guides told us that we'd have the lunch break there and we could also visit the cave. Of course, we said yes. So, first they took us into the quite small cave. The cave itself was made by two rooms, one small and one bigger with a high dome. The rocks were slippery as, probably, in the previous days it had rained much. The guides shown us, first a bat, that they tried to scare, but he didn't even think to get up, and then a huge spider, that with the spread legs, was as large as a man's palm. The guide tried to catch it, but luckily the spider, much faster than I expected, escaped.
We were taken again outside of the cave where we were asked to sit down, on some rocks. I sat next to the middle-aged lady that told me “Hello” when I went into the pickup that morning. She told me that she was with her middle aged, but young looking husband, that now was chatting with the Viking couple.
The guides walked to each of us and gave us our food. It was some banana-leaf-wrapped fried rice and banana-leaf-wrapped coconut cream filled with banana. Usually I like the fried rice, but I've to say that I definitely loved that one. I don't know if it was because I was having such a beautiful trekking or because it was good for real, but I loved it. The coconut cream was so soft and sweet that became the perfect desert for that lunch.
While we were eating and talking with Mr. Ting Tong, the other guide went to a fallen bamboo nearby and started to cut it with a machete. He made some sort of cups with it. I asked to Mr. Ting Tong if he was making a set of cups, but he answered that he was making the bases for the Loy Krathongs for the family.
We spent some time relaxing there, and then we were invited to start the next part of the trip. We wore our backpacks and we left the place. We went uphill still a bit, and then we entered into a street. We followed it, and then we found ourselves surrounded on both sides by fields. On our right hand side, there was a line of banana trees and behind of them, there were fields. On that mountain there were plenty of fields and people were working in them.
The sun made its way through the thick clouds. Warm rays of sun were coming down brightening this magnificent place. The wind was coming from east like a gentle warm caress. The rice fields were dancing as the wind was blowing, giving us a deep sense of quiet. We, dirty of mud and soaked into our sweat, stood there, facing east, feeling that warm breeze on us and gazing at the rice field before us. Mr. Ting Tong came to me and pointed with his finger a direction and told me “Chiang Dao, that way”, I answered “Can we see it?”, the answer was simply “No”.
A little further we were shown a corn field that gave on a valley, the panorama was even better than the one before. While there, I was shown by Mr. Guide that there were several scarecrows, resembling angry demons. They were wearing masks and stuff was hanging from them. Then, I turned and I found at few centimeter from my face a demon. The demon had angry dark deep Asian eyes. The mouth looked like saw teeth and had no nose. The skin was bright green and almost glossy. I looked at him and then I whispered his name “Ting Tong!”, was Mr. Ting Tong that had just made a mask with a banana leaf. He put a finger before the mask mouth to tell me to stay silent, and moved behind Karen, the Swiss chatty girl. The girl heard a noise, turned and when she found the face of the demon at few centimeters from her face, she screamed. I laughed at the joke, but Mr. Guide threw a small stone at Mr. Ting Tong for scaring a customer.
We left the corn field with the young Viking that was trying to eat some dry corn that found still attached at a plant, but it looked it was too hard. So, he pocketed the corn hoping to use it back home. Perhaps he’d try to make some 100% Thai Pop Corns to use when he’ll be back home and he’ll be watching his holiday movies.
We went back down the mountain with a different way than the one that we already took. The guides shown us a village and told us that it was a Hmong village that was established only few years before and it was growing fast. In the village we left the main road and we went down a small valley. In the beginning the valley looked quite small and shady, but then, we seen that on our left it became quite broad as she joined the bigger one. On the side that we were descending there were some housings and we were explained that they were a sort of a shelter for trekkers that did the two or three days trekking. We looked inside one of the housing and it was just a four-wooden-wall-one-wooden-roof hut with some boxes on which lay the sleeping bags.
We left the place even if the Vikings complained that they wished to stop and relax a little, but we had to keep on going. We went down a little more, and we arrived at a beautiful waterfall. At this point, the invitation of jumping inside the small pond and stay under the waterfall was too strong to resist. I had just time to take my dirty T-Shirt off and I jumped in.
The water was fresh and was falling down like a river. The rainy season was just over, and it had a lot of water. Mr. Ting Tong shown me a place where to sit, but the water had such a power that felt like having a Thai Massage with masseur sticking a finger deep in a muscle. Both the Vikings and the Swiss girls came in water and we joked saying that it had been a good way to get rid of the mud that we had over.
It felt too soon when we were asked to dress up and leave the place. We had to climb back a part of the mountain, and then to follow a flat path, then we found ourselves back in the street that we took in the beginning, the one next the Papaya plantation.
Walking down the street I had time to talk a little with Karen, the Swiss chatty girl which was the redhead of the two. She asked me if I had other day trips, and I answered that the previous day I had the cooking school. She looked quite interested to take one of those classes too, but then she said that in her town finding exotic ingredients is harder than in bigger cities like Zurich. I told her that I love to cook, and for me it's easy as in my city there are plenty of exotic foods shops, and then we started a long chat about our balconies. I never imagine that for a Swiss girl the balconies can be such an interesting subject.
Once arrived into the village, we had to wait for a very long time. Our pickup looked like it took ages to come. Every now and then, we kept on hearing blasts. A girl asked what was happening and the guide answered that a Tiger had been seen near the village and some men were hunting it down. Then, when the girl looked shocked, I don't know if for the thought of walking in a forest with a tiger nearby or for the poor animal being hunted, the guide laughed and said that was joking. They were just firecrackers for the upcoming Loy Krathong. She asked what was this “Loy Kratong” and I told her that is a very important party. She asked me about it, and I told her if she seen the parade the previous night in Chiang Mai, her answer was “No”, I asked if she seen the decorations in the streets and the flying lanterns in the sky, and she said “Yes, I thought that they were for the tourists!”, “No, they are for the Loy Krathong”.
We were sitting next to the village pub, where locals were coming to have a glass of something. I don't know what was that clear spirit into that dirty looking bottle but I'm pretty sure that it would be something between diesel and depleted uranium with mold inside. It looked terrible, but it looked the highlight of the locals. Many men, quite drunk looking men, were keeping of drinking that thing. This was one of the times that I didn’t feel the urge to try something. It was clear like water, but I’m sure that it was all but healthy or safe.
After such a long waiting came our pickup. We hopped in, and said “Good Bye” to our guides. Then we were again going back our way. Leaving the quiet village, its inhabitants and the imaginary tiger, for the lively city and its real Loy Krathong.
We sat in our pickup, everybody looked tired and nobody was talking. Most of us fell asleep. I woke up that we were near Chiang Mai and it was already dark. I changed my shoes into my sandals. Finally I felt back comfortable. Those shoes were a little tight for real.
When we arrived in the city, the traffic was jammed for real, so we asked to be left just near the center and we'd make our way back to our hotels by ourselves. We parted our ways, and I headed to the Black Canyon Coffee, where I had a very hot Latte.
The stop was a village on a hill, which is near the Mae Taeng town. The street was made of gray concrete and it looked like the village was made of just a line of buildings built at the sides of the steep street. Every now and then, there were some narrow side streets that took at other farther houses. In this village we were introduced our tour guides, which I guessed that they were two villagers. One was stocky, while the other very slim. They both had backpacks and a long knives.
Soon we left the place on foot. We headed for short uphill and then we took a flat road that was following, from far, a river that was flowing below. Between us and the river there was a Papaya plantation. I stuck close to the guides as they both spoke English and were much more chatty than my Westerner fellows. The stocky one was the leader while the other was a really funny guy that was keeping on joking.
During the trip along the Papaya plantation street we were shown some plants and how kids use them to play. Like a long leafed plant that is used to shoot the same leaves each-other, another plant was good for being used as a straw, in case you find a soda-cans tree in your path. Then we were shown a plant that had a very soapy resin that, if you broke the plant in the right way and blew in it, you'd have soap bubbles. It was fantastic. I was amazed by these easy things. Kids can play and have fun with these organic and environmental-friendly toys provided by nature. It was fantastic.
In the end of the long plantation the street turned uphill and then it split. We took the way that went to the forest. In the beginning it was still made of concrete, but then, it turned into a battered soil and mud track. I was happy of having shoes as it'd be quite troublesome to make it with sandals. I know that there are areas in which villagers still go in the forest barefoot, but I wished to avoid of getting cut on a sharp rock or getting spikes from some plant.
Along the way I kept on talking with the guides, mainly about the forest and food. They told me that we weren't so far from Chiang Dao, but we were next to the border with Burma. The funny guy, that was called by his friend as “Ting Tong”, that in Thai means “Crazy”, pointed a finger to the mountains across the valley.
“You see those mountains?” he said
“Yes, I do, they are big”
“Yes, they are big, there is Burma”
“There? Just there? You mean, I go there and I'm in Burma?”
“No, Burma is there” showing with his hands a gesture like jumping behind the mountains “the mountain is Thailand”
“There are many people here from Burma?”
“I'm Burmese!” he said smiling proudly and touching his chest with this open hand.
“Are you a Karen?” I asked as I know that many people of Karen ethnicity cross the border to escape the genocide in Burma, but he looked at me like I just said a blasphemy.
“I'm a Shan!” he said proudly
“Are you a Shan? I never met one before!” and he laughed.
Later he told me that he lived just across the border and then in Mandalay, but he didn't like the city life, and he preferred to live in a village. He said that he's a Christian and hopes that a day the local Christian Missionary would take him to Rome to see the Pope. It's bizarre, I wish to see Yangoon, Bagan and Mandalay, while he dreams to see the Pope. All people in the world are the same, we always look what looks exotic for us. For me is Asia, for an Asian is Rome. We’re the same, as Thais say “Same Same… but Different”. I asked him for some information about Burma pretending that I'd go there very soon. But in the end, I didn't receive more information than I already gathered. It was still good to have confirmation by a local of what I already knew. I asked about the genocide but he changed the subject. Yes, it happens to forget that your own tribe is the one that hold the most of the lands in the north of a country and is pushing, obliterating, the minorities.
Along the way in the forest I was presented first some fresh chili peppers from a plant as I told them that I love chili, and then, when we arrived at a small waterfall, we stopped. One of the guides stayed behind and we were waiting for him. When he appeared, he had two Papayas. He said that he found a tree with ripe Papayas and took two for us. We took our backpacks off, and the guides, using their huge knives, sliced the Papayas for us. They were orange and tasted very sweet. They were lovely, especially after such a long walk into the muddy forest.
The break lasted short and we were again ready to leave. We kept on going uphill, and the forest changed, from tall trees and bushes, it became a bamboo forest. It was great. Avery now and then, there was a tall tree, but for the rest were only tall Bamboo plants. They were dancing in the wind and their creaking noises, along with the whistling leaves were a song sung into the silent forest. For a moment, I felt like the space and time warped again, and I was landed into a Chinese movie, like “The Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon” or “The House of the flying daggers”.
We were walking and I kept on glancing at the waving, dancing Bamboos. I think that they were somehow hypnotizing. All of us were silent. Like there had been a secret agreement to shut up and listen at the voice of the forest. She, Mother Nature was singing for us, and we were eager to hear her song.
Along the way, Mr. Ting Tong took a piece of Bamboo and started to make crazy stuff with it, like a pair of fake goggles. The other guide had a backpack breakdown, and we had to stop as he tried to fix it. It looked like the steel bars of the back side broke the fabric of the backpack and one slipped off. While fixing it, he took out of the backpack what he had inside, that were a real collection of huge knives. I missed my own small knife that I had to leave in Italy. In fact, the immigration procedures of Hong Kong look quite strict, and forbid the importation of any kind of blade. If the customs find you with a blade, they'll take it from you. So, seen that I didn't want to get my knife lost in Hong Kong, I didn't take it with me. Then the truth had been that at the arrival in Hong Kong nobody checked my backpacks. Anyway, in the forest, the reparation of the backpack took long. I asked repeatedly if I could help him somehow, like sewing the broken fabric or pushing the steel bars, but he didn’t want to get helped. So, I left him into his fierce and time wasting fight against the broken fabric, and I had no other choice than wait. After a very short exploration of the area, I sat on a fallen tree and I ate one more banana while waiting. It looked like nobody bought anything at the fresh market and the guys looked at me weird like the banana eating was some strange thing to do in front of them. Then, after a long time, the backpack was ready and we left for the next part.
We went along into the forest and then we went again uphill. One of the Swiss girls looked like was really tired and the other was keeping on waiting for her. This took our group to split in two parts. I kept the pace up and I stuck at the first group. In this part of walking we arrived a point in which we had a very beautiful sight on the lush forest and the valley. Until then, I didn't feel like we had climbed so much up that hill. From up there, I couldn't see from where we started, but I could clearly recognize the river next the Papaya plantation.
The guides took us a bit further and then, when we arrived next to a cave, we stopped. The guides told us that we'd have the lunch break there and we could also visit the cave. Of course, we said yes. So, first they took us into the quite small cave. The cave itself was made by two rooms, one small and one bigger with a high dome. The rocks were slippery as, probably, in the previous days it had rained much. The guides shown us, first a bat, that they tried to scare, but he didn't even think to get up, and then a huge spider, that with the spread legs, was as large as a man's palm. The guide tried to catch it, but luckily the spider, much faster than I expected, escaped.
We were taken again outside of the cave where we were asked to sit down, on some rocks. I sat next to the middle-aged lady that told me “Hello” when I went into the pickup that morning. She told me that she was with her middle aged, but young looking husband, that now was chatting with the Viking couple.
The guides walked to each of us and gave us our food. It was some banana-leaf-wrapped fried rice and banana-leaf-wrapped coconut cream filled with banana. Usually I like the fried rice, but I've to say that I definitely loved that one. I don't know if it was because I was having such a beautiful trekking or because it was good for real, but I loved it. The coconut cream was so soft and sweet that became the perfect desert for that lunch.
While we were eating and talking with Mr. Ting Tong, the other guide went to a fallen bamboo nearby and started to cut it with a machete. He made some sort of cups with it. I asked to Mr. Ting Tong if he was making a set of cups, but he answered that he was making the bases for the Loy Krathongs for the family.
We spent some time relaxing there, and then we were invited to start the next part of the trip. We wore our backpacks and we left the place. We went uphill still a bit, and then we entered into a street. We followed it, and then we found ourselves surrounded on both sides by fields. On our right hand side, there was a line of banana trees and behind of them, there were fields. On that mountain there were plenty of fields and people were working in them.
The sun made its way through the thick clouds. Warm rays of sun were coming down brightening this magnificent place. The wind was coming from east like a gentle warm caress. The rice fields were dancing as the wind was blowing, giving us a deep sense of quiet. We, dirty of mud and soaked into our sweat, stood there, facing east, feeling that warm breeze on us and gazing at the rice field before us. Mr. Ting Tong came to me and pointed with his finger a direction and told me “Chiang Dao, that way”, I answered “Can we see it?”, the answer was simply “No”.
A little further we were shown a corn field that gave on a valley, the panorama was even better than the one before. While there, I was shown by Mr. Guide that there were several scarecrows, resembling angry demons. They were wearing masks and stuff was hanging from them. Then, I turned and I found at few centimeter from my face a demon. The demon had angry dark deep Asian eyes. The mouth looked like saw teeth and had no nose. The skin was bright green and almost glossy. I looked at him and then I whispered his name “Ting Tong!”, was Mr. Ting Tong that had just made a mask with a banana leaf. He put a finger before the mask mouth to tell me to stay silent, and moved behind Karen, the Swiss chatty girl. The girl heard a noise, turned and when she found the face of the demon at few centimeters from her face, she screamed. I laughed at the joke, but Mr. Guide threw a small stone at Mr. Ting Tong for scaring a customer.
We left the corn field with the young Viking that was trying to eat some dry corn that found still attached at a plant, but it looked it was too hard. So, he pocketed the corn hoping to use it back home. Perhaps he’d try to make some 100% Thai Pop Corns to use when he’ll be back home and he’ll be watching his holiday movies.
We went back down the mountain with a different way than the one that we already took. The guides shown us a village and told us that it was a Hmong village that was established only few years before and it was growing fast. In the village we left the main road and we went down a small valley. In the beginning the valley looked quite small and shady, but then, we seen that on our left it became quite broad as she joined the bigger one. On the side that we were descending there were some housings and we were explained that they were a sort of a shelter for trekkers that did the two or three days trekking. We looked inside one of the housing and it was just a four-wooden-wall-one-wooden-roof hut with some boxes on which lay the sleeping bags.
We left the place even if the Vikings complained that they wished to stop and relax a little, but we had to keep on going. We went down a little more, and we arrived at a beautiful waterfall. At this point, the invitation of jumping inside the small pond and stay under the waterfall was too strong to resist. I had just time to take my dirty T-Shirt off and I jumped in.
The water was fresh and was falling down like a river. The rainy season was just over, and it had a lot of water. Mr. Ting Tong shown me a place where to sit, but the water had such a power that felt like having a Thai Massage with masseur sticking a finger deep in a muscle. Both the Vikings and the Swiss girls came in water and we joked saying that it had been a good way to get rid of the mud that we had over.
It felt too soon when we were asked to dress up and leave the place. We had to climb back a part of the mountain, and then to follow a flat path, then we found ourselves back in the street that we took in the beginning, the one next the Papaya plantation.
Walking down the street I had time to talk a little with Karen, the Swiss chatty girl which was the redhead of the two. She asked me if I had other day trips, and I answered that the previous day I had the cooking school. She looked quite interested to take one of those classes too, but then she said that in her town finding exotic ingredients is harder than in bigger cities like Zurich. I told her that I love to cook, and for me it's easy as in my city there are plenty of exotic foods shops, and then we started a long chat about our balconies. I never imagine that for a Swiss girl the balconies can be such an interesting subject.
Once arrived into the village, we had to wait for a very long time. Our pickup looked like it took ages to come. Every now and then, we kept on hearing blasts. A girl asked what was happening and the guide answered that a Tiger had been seen near the village and some men were hunting it down. Then, when the girl looked shocked, I don't know if for the thought of walking in a forest with a tiger nearby or for the poor animal being hunted, the guide laughed and said that was joking. They were just firecrackers for the upcoming Loy Krathong. She asked what was this “Loy Kratong” and I told her that is a very important party. She asked me about it, and I told her if she seen the parade the previous night in Chiang Mai, her answer was “No”, I asked if she seen the decorations in the streets and the flying lanterns in the sky, and she said “Yes, I thought that they were for the tourists!”, “No, they are for the Loy Krathong”.
We were sitting next to the village pub, where locals were coming to have a glass of something. I don't know what was that clear spirit into that dirty looking bottle but I'm pretty sure that it would be something between diesel and depleted uranium with mold inside. It looked terrible, but it looked the highlight of the locals. Many men, quite drunk looking men, were keeping of drinking that thing. This was one of the times that I didn’t feel the urge to try something. It was clear like water, but I’m sure that it was all but healthy or safe.
After such a long waiting came our pickup. We hopped in, and said “Good Bye” to our guides. Then we were again going back our way. Leaving the quiet village, its inhabitants and the imaginary tiger, for the lively city and its real Loy Krathong.
We sat in our pickup, everybody looked tired and nobody was talking. Most of us fell asleep. I woke up that we were near Chiang Mai and it was already dark. I changed my shoes into my sandals. Finally I felt back comfortable. Those shoes were a little tight for real.
When we arrived in the city, the traffic was jammed for real, so we asked to be left just near the center and we'd make our way back to our hotels by ourselves. We parted our ways, and I headed to the Black Canyon Coffee, where I had a very hot Latte.
Chiang Mai – Evening at the Cabaret
I came back to my room. I dropped my backpack down. I sat for a moment on the bed with the TV already on a music channel. I relaxed a little, and then I undressed from those sweat soaked clothes. I left the new shoes into a corner of the room, unpacked the backpack and I went to have a real shower, but I still missed the waterfall in the forest. It had been so gorgeous being under that waterfall. Anyway, in spite of the waterfall, I still found some parts surprisingly still covered in mud. I wonder if in that village they mix mud with glue to make it last longer on the skin. I already imagine the advertising “Mr. Ting Tong special mud, it'll keep up even after a full powered waterfall!”.
It was again late, so I dressed up and I went out for dinner. The city street were lit for the night. I went down Loi Khor road with the wish of having a very nice massage, but the parlor, which is an open-air parlor on the street, was crammed with people, and I didn't want to spend time waiting. I kept my way down the street and I arrived, across the Night Market, to the Anusan Market.
I browsed the restaurants and I chosen one that claimed a special offer on Pad Thai. I entered and I took a place on the outer side of the restaurant, next to the street, far from that huge, gigantic grass hopper on the wall. That grass hopper looked like she wished to jump as soon as she could in somebody's dish.
The waiter came to me and asked what I wished. First thing, a Chang Beer, then I ordered a dish of Spring Rolls and a dish of Pad Thai. The boy vanished and soon later came a chubby niqab-wearing girl that took my beer. I spent some time there, sipping my beer and glancing at the people passing by, then arrived my dishes. The Spring Rolls were nothing else than boiled glass noodles wrapped in spring rolls pastry and then fried. The so called Pad Thai was nothing else than wheat noodles stir fried with some vegetables, among them, cauliflower, morning glory and beans. The dinner wasn't impressive, actually, probably the worst one that I've had in all the trip.
I left the restaurant, glad that I didn't order nothing more, and I headed for what I've missed the previous night. The Ladyboy cabaret. Every step I reminded the evening that Pui, the one that I've met in Phuket, not the Black Canyon Coffee waitress, asked me to take her to the Ladyboy Cabaret. I remember that I was suspicious of it, but then, the show itself had been very funny. So, now I was going for another round.
I entered the cabaret and surprisingly, I discovered that it was absolutely crammed with people, most of which couples, large groups of young people and many girls. I was taken to a seat almost in the center and I only regretted of having a tall guy before me, but at least, I wasn't so far from the stage.
The music started and Ladyboys with white feathered wings made their show. The night kept on many shows performed by an army of both Ladyboys and boys. Most of the shows were very nice, some a little obvious, but none of them had been sexy or sexually explicit, and just like the one in Phuket, this one too was aimed for any kind of person. In the end, the show had been very nice, the beer cold and at a reasonable price, so I can say that I've been satisfied with it.
I went back to the hotel still aching after this very long day. I made one more stop for one more Chang Beer and then off to the bed, with the promise that in the following day I'd have to save cash as lately I exaggerated.
I spoke to Mr. Little Elephant that was listening to me from the Chang Beer label and I told him my plans:
Day 1 (the following one): Visit at the Wat Yot and find a massage parlor, then Loy Krathong Party;
Day 2: Looking for gifts and then the biggest Loy Krathong Party;
Day 3: Phuket, find the hotel and find Pat the Expat and find a bike for the following days;
Day 4: Beach;
Day 5: Beach;
Day 6: Beach or Day trip;
Day 7: Coming back to Italy.
Mr. Little Elephant nodded at me with its trunk as approval for the plan. So, I cheered finishing the beer and then, I left the place and headed back at the hotel. Now, looking it from far, the guesthouse was tall and mostly dark. I wondered if there were many guests inside. I don't think that there were many, especially in the higher floors. At night, so dark, it looked a little creepy.
I arrived at my room, I made the backup of the pictures of the day and then, I headed to bed. It was time to sleep, but this time, without programming my alarm clock.
Good Night Chiang Mai.
It was again late, so I dressed up and I went out for dinner. The city street were lit for the night. I went down Loi Khor road with the wish of having a very nice massage, but the parlor, which is an open-air parlor on the street, was crammed with people, and I didn't want to spend time waiting. I kept my way down the street and I arrived, across the Night Market, to the Anusan Market.
I browsed the restaurants and I chosen one that claimed a special offer on Pad Thai. I entered and I took a place on the outer side of the restaurant, next to the street, far from that huge, gigantic grass hopper on the wall. That grass hopper looked like she wished to jump as soon as she could in somebody's dish.
The waiter came to me and asked what I wished. First thing, a Chang Beer, then I ordered a dish of Spring Rolls and a dish of Pad Thai. The boy vanished and soon later came a chubby niqab-wearing girl that took my beer. I spent some time there, sipping my beer and glancing at the people passing by, then arrived my dishes. The Spring Rolls were nothing else than boiled glass noodles wrapped in spring rolls pastry and then fried. The so called Pad Thai was nothing else than wheat noodles stir fried with some vegetables, among them, cauliflower, morning glory and beans. The dinner wasn't impressive, actually, probably the worst one that I've had in all the trip.
I left the restaurant, glad that I didn't order nothing more, and I headed for what I've missed the previous night. The Ladyboy cabaret. Every step I reminded the evening that Pui, the one that I've met in Phuket, not the Black Canyon Coffee waitress, asked me to take her to the Ladyboy Cabaret. I remember that I was suspicious of it, but then, the show itself had been very funny. So, now I was going for another round.
I entered the cabaret and surprisingly, I discovered that it was absolutely crammed with people, most of which couples, large groups of young people and many girls. I was taken to a seat almost in the center and I only regretted of having a tall guy before me, but at least, I wasn't so far from the stage.
The music started and Ladyboys with white feathered wings made their show. The night kept on many shows performed by an army of both Ladyboys and boys. Most of the shows were very nice, some a little obvious, but none of them had been sexy or sexually explicit, and just like the one in Phuket, this one too was aimed for any kind of person. In the end, the show had been very nice, the beer cold and at a reasonable price, so I can say that I've been satisfied with it.
I went back to the hotel still aching after this very long day. I made one more stop for one more Chang Beer and then off to the bed, with the promise that in the following day I'd have to save cash as lately I exaggerated.
I spoke to Mr. Little Elephant that was listening to me from the Chang Beer label and I told him my plans:
Day 1 (the following one): Visit at the Wat Yot and find a massage parlor, then Loy Krathong Party;
Day 2: Looking for gifts and then the biggest Loy Krathong Party;
Day 3: Phuket, find the hotel and find Pat the Expat and find a bike for the following days;
Day 4: Beach;
Day 5: Beach;
Day 6: Beach or Day trip;
Day 7: Coming back to Italy.
Mr. Little Elephant nodded at me with its trunk as approval for the plan. So, I cheered finishing the beer and then, I left the place and headed back at the hotel. Now, looking it from far, the guesthouse was tall and mostly dark. I wondered if there were many guests inside. I don't think that there were many, especially in the higher floors. At night, so dark, it looked a little creepy.
I arrived at my room, I made the backup of the pictures of the day and then, I headed to bed. It was time to sleep, but this time, without programming my alarm clock.
Good Night Chiang Mai.