I wake up wondering where I am again for the seventh time, probably something to do with the rice whisky i guess. But at least this time it is light, so it must be time to get up for trekking day number two.
I promised myself a bamboo shower this morning, and it was needed after yesterdays hard walking and the bonfire. Should also wake me up quite nicely. It certainly refreshed like no other shower i’ve ‘experienced’
Now I’m FULLY awake we have some eggs and bacon on toast, pack-up and get going.
It was a nice camp lodge, which had only been built last year by Intrepid. As ever its good to be moving on though.
After an hour of so of moderate walking we stop off for water and Dong and Boon start making us some bamboo chopsticks!
I'm also pleased to see that Anna is coping a lot better today.
A bit further down on one of the main tracks we let a moped past. These paths link most of the villages, but we didn’t walk on them much, we mainly took more direct harder routes over the hills.
They don’t think they know each other, people are just really friendly here…
Next stop about an hour later and its bamboo cups this time!…
Look Anna’s smiling!
Rice fields, we must be getting close to some kind of civilisation again!
WE stop for lunch on the edge of this rice field in a bamboo shelter. Apparently these kind of shelters are used for women to put there young children in when they work the rice fields.
Lunch was noodles and some ‘KFC’ chicken served in Banana leaves! Eaten with our Bamboo chopsticks that where made earlier of course…
It was really really good.
Afterwards we popped to the nearby stream to wash and freshen up. Its really hot, must be about 30 degrees…
Now back for tea! Boiled in guess what?
Drunk it from our bamboo cups and used a promptly constructed bamboo tea spoon! Very cool…
Here are some pictures of the final leg to the village after lunch, it took about an hour and a half…
If you look closely in the picture below (middle bottom) you can just make out the hut where we had lunch. We climbed this high in about 30 minutes - A
Although we knew this had been a really good memorable experience, we were both pleased when we got to the village. And also happy to see the river which we will be rafting down tomorrow, so no more walking!
This village was much bigger than the last, it has its own school and a population of about 300. The facilities were not as nice. How does squat toilets and a cold shower with an old oil drum filled with water and a scoop sound? I wish I was joking.
All experiences that make you appreciate what is normally taken for granted though. But not much fun either!
As ever everyone is very friendly. We settle in, I chill out for a bit after our half day trek, Anna and Jenny chat…
The bar underneath our accommodation!…
Before sunset we go and watch the guides playing football. I was invited but didn’t fancy showing them up too much. I just want to be a humble guest and not to be mistaken as David Beckham.
While watching the football one of the locals, an ex guide, wanted to talk to me about football. They love the English premiership and follow it more closely than I do.
Another fine dinner of different Thai food created by Boon, the banana spring rolls are a highlight…
Then over to the campfire for some songs and games! Not before they made some sticky rice in Bamboo. Same as we had seen being made in Cambodia.
The games included singing and enacting the Chang (elephant) song. And doing an elephant walk, kind of like the conga expect you are linked between the legs, like an baby elephant holding its mums tail! Oh what fun!
The local disperse somewhere else, Jenny goes to bed, leaving Anna and I to chill by the campfire for a bit under the moon and stars with a friendly dog. It’s been a hard but amazing day.
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