Chiang Mai - travel diary

We decided to abandon the chaotic city life to dedicate ourselves to three days of trekking through the Thai jungle, buying a package that took us from Bangkok to Chiang Mai by train (14 hours). After the long crossing, which turned out to be painless given the brilliant choice to take the night train, we were picked up at the station and delivered first to an agency and then to the guest house. The usual formalities, and in the evening a brief briefing with the person who would be our guide for the following three days, and then off to visit the "night market" of Chiang Mai. The expedition included nine would-be Rambos ready for any kind of adventure: bags packed and breakfast eaten, we climbed into the jeep to reach point X. The goal of the day was a long trek through the jungle, to finally reach our base camp where we would spend the night.

The route proved quite easy, though still interesting, thanks to the lush vegetation surrounding us. In less than an hour and a half we reached the lunch spot. A demerit to our guides, who were not exactly the picture of professionalism. In any case they managed to show us teak plantations, which we're used to seeing in the form of tables or chairs, and characteristic termite mounds, but any other kind of information was off-limits. Once the rations were consumed like good Indiana Joneses, there we were on the march again to reach some waterfalls turned into a public bathroom, where we took a decidedly freezing shower. Washed and perfumed, another fifteen minutes of walking, and there was the base camp for the night.

It was a village inhabited by the Karen people (an ethnic group of Chinese origin) protected by the Thai government, which grants them pieces of jungle for growing rice and raising livestock for their survival. Here, to our great surprise, we became acquainted with the only truly authentic thing that could fall under what everyone imagines when they think of a jungle adventure: the dwelling. Huts built with leaf roofs and decidedly breathable walls, quite characteristic; the problem was that in this period the nighttime temperature in the mountains can hardly be called pleasant, and our survival package included a measly summer sleeping bag, a thin blanket and a sort of pseudo-mattress that certainly didn't make sleeping on a "solid" wooden floor any more comfortable.

After hurriedly and furiously wolfing down dinner consisting of rice with a good three side dishes, we gathered around a fire set up for the occasion under an enchanting starry sky, entertained by the implausible stories offered by our picturesque guides, and at an ungodly hour, it was nine in the evening, we headed to the "bedroom" in an attempt to catch a nap.

Wake-up at dawn with the adorable grunting of the pigs roaming the courtyard; the second day awaited us, entirely dedicated to walking among the steep hills and streams that are part of this environment. The second day went along the same lines as the first... walk, lunch, walk; what struck us most was the beauty of the second base camp, inhabited by a single family and built near a stream naturally designated as our personal bathroom. The usual night spent fighting the cold, though in the evening, gathered as always around the fire, one of our companions cleverly pulled a bottle of a very well-known whisky from his bag and shared it with his fellow victims of misadventure.

The third day was the most eventful. Morning spent on the backs of trained pachyderms, and afternoon descending the rapids of a stream that had turned into an Italy versus the rest of the world challenge, thanks to the skill of our gondolier and our proverbial Italian dirty tricks. The challenge ended with an honorable silver medal, but we had lost all our oars... we couldn't have done more. Having climbed back into the jeep, we left the jungle and returned to our guest house in Chiang Mai. In the evening, exhausted after the effort expended in the afternoon race, we finally laid our weary limbs on a real bed for a very long and deep restorative sleep.