The Jungle Trek
As the sun set, the 10 of us gathered around the outdoor bamboo tables, candles flickering in the faint breeze. Surrounded by rice fields, only the sounds of nature and our voices existed, until we heard something else.
At first it was faint, so we all became quiet and put our hands to our ears and listened. Our pulses quickened and we realized what this new sound was: it was the indescribably beautiful sound of monks chanting in a nearby Buddhist temple.
My heart was overcome with emotion, given it was new year’s eve and I was actually here experiencing this sublime moment. I had made it happen. I was following my dreams.
After enduring several days of a fun, grueling jungle trek through the northern Thai jungles, the two families and two solo travelers, myself one of them, had bonded into a unit. Remarkable how human nature brings us together in this manner, as we are social creatures.
Our reward after the long day in the bearable heat, was first a shower at the stunning Le Cocotier Resort, in the Mae Taeng District of northern Thailand. What followed was a sumptuous Thai feast, whipped up by our very own Thai chef, who traveled with us: a luxury we had not realized we would have on the trip, which also included our two van drivers, plus our two remarkable guides.
Mr. Tri, a professional guide and Thai native, was so much more than our guide through northern Thailand. As we relaxed and listened to the sounds of the chanting monks, Mr. Tri appeared.
We burst into laughter, as Mr. Tri had made himself into a makeshift Santa Claus, with scotch tape holding cotton onto his face making Santa’s beard! He came bearing gifts, including Thai sparkling wine and a present for each of us!
Full of joyous laughter, we then presented Mr. Tri with a surprise gift to him, that I had arranged earlier with the resort staff. The look on his face and his gratitude were palpable, as he bowed and thanked us.
With full bellies after our delicious new year’s eve dinner, we could not have imagined anything else for this incredible celebration.
Mr. Tri appeared again. As he walked beyond the tables into the grass, we saw what he was carrying, as he opened them up and lit them – enormous paper lanterns!
At this point we had no more words to describe our amazement. We each lit our lanterns and let them fly away, while the monks chanted and the breezes lifted the lanterns higher and higher.
Stating to ourselves an intention for the new year, we ambled off to our rooms for the nights rest we all needed. This was truly a new year’s eve to top them all!
Adventure Travel Mission
The trip came about as I had decided in the fall of 2019, that I was going to begin my world travel mission. After a devasting breakup, I decided there were so many places in the world I had never been, so the time began now!
Given this was pre-COVID pandemic shutdown, I made plans to travel to one new place in the world each month, even if only for a day or two. Obviously Thailand is a long haul from California, so I went for a week and a half.
I found the incredible website, REI Adventures and was excited by all the possibilities for adventure travel! Part of my global travel plan was to go on adventures in nature that also involved more than eating, drinking and being waited on, as I had spent over two decades traveling to luxury hotels, lying around fancy pools, being served cool towels and champagne – I was ready for new experiences!
Instead, I wanted to explore eco-resorts around the world and this trip to the Northern Thai jungles provided the perfect opportunity. Labeled Thai Multisport, it included 8 days of jungle treks, mountain biking, kayaking, as well as a day at an elephant rescue, sleeping in villages with natives and a hands-on Thai cooking class!
I WAS ALL IN!
The travel to and from Thailand was a haul, but I discovered after booking my air travel, I had
inadvertently booked premium class there, on Thai Airways, as I am a long-time United Airlines frequent flyer and this is a partner airline.
At San Francisco International airport, clad in my comfy cargo pants and hiking boots, which I wore so I didn’t have to carry them in my baggage, I strolled into the premium international lounge, looking unlike the other expensively dressed patrons.
As I had no intention of checking baggage on the chance that it might get lost, I carried on my back my 65 liter backpack/duffel bag, as rolling suitcases would not work for this trip. Looking like a female Crocodile Dundee, I slid into first class and my lie-flat bed.
The breathtaking Thai service began with vintage champagne, not just the cheap stuff they serve in first class on United, but the good stuff. I love good champagne, so I cozied up in my blanket and indulged. I thought to myself, “It’s okay LDub, you don’t have to completely rough it on every adventure trip!”
Exotic Adventures To Distant Lands
In Chiang Mai we began our expedition at the gorgeous KhumPhaya Resort & Spa, a luxury resort for sure, where we met our group, our guides and embarked on our day trip with the elephants. We toured the PooPoo Paper facility, where I thought about how the world would be a better place if we actually used this type of remarkable product on a large scale.
The highlights of our day with the elephants, these majestic creatures, who were rescued from all sorts of horrendous situations, were when we fed them and when we got into their lagoon and washed them! The elephants had a blast as we scrubbed them with brushes, as they spouted water from their trunks. A truly spectacular experience!
We then set out on our jungle trek for the next few days, where we slept in real villages, one with no electricity and both with only cold running water. I was beyond grateful for our awesome guides, Mr. Tri in front, always cracking jokes and the other bringing up the rear.
Sleeping in the jungle in a one room long-house, we had comfy sleeping pads and bags, surrounded by mosquito nets. Luckily during this trip the mosquitos were not bad! I had doused all of my clothing with this fantastic mosquito spray for clothing, which worked great. Along with a few pieces of mosquito proof clothing, I was dialed in and the mosquito bites were minimal.
As a few of the days trekking through the jungle were challenging, Mr. Tri lead us expertly with his machete, chopping through the bush. We were also so well cared for by our chef, who remarkably served up three amazing Thai meals a day. We wondered how she did it!
The other highlight that we discovered, is that roosters don’t only crow at sunrise do you know what I’m saying?! If you aren’t an urbanite like me, maybe you already know this! We found out at 2am and all throughout the night, how many roosters there were and that they crow whenever they damn well please!
Our jungle trek led us through Lahu Village, in the northern hill country, then to Shan Village, also in the northern hill country. We concluded the jungle trek and began our kayaking and mountain biking adventures.
We kayaked to a breathtaking floating restaurant, where we relaxed for lunch and swam and took in all sorts of floating rafts and toys. After lunch, I realized that even with the padded seat on my mountain bike, I would not be booking myself for any trips with days of time on a bike saddle – a good thing for me to figure out on this trip!
We ended our breathtaking jungle trek adventure back at the lovely KhumPhaya Resort & Spa, where I treated myself to a decadent massage, before heading off to the airport.
I will treasure the memories always, of the monk’s beautiful chanting, as our paper lanterns ascended, surrounded by new friends in this exotic land. Where will you go next? Is your heart yearning for adventure? Make the choice. Feed your soul. Pursue your dreams to LIVE LIFE FULL OUT!
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Lauri,
Sounds like a life changing and very moving trip. Especially the monks chanting and the well lit lanterns floating to the sky. Remarkable story and very well written.
Best,
Kevin
Thanks Kevin for the gracious feedback and for visiting! Come back soon!
Much love, Laurie