Hilltribe Trek

We each packed a small backpack for the trek, including a water bottle, an extra bottle of water, and a packed lunch wrapped in banana leaves.  Our big backpacks were stored at the guesthouse and our passports were locked up with the front desk.

After a hearty breakfast at Cave Lodge we met our guides, Pat and Jaka.  Pat was born in Pai and has worked at Cave Lodge for over twenty years, first as a cook and then as a guide.  Jaka is from the Karen hilltribe village of Ban Muang Paem where we would be staying on the second night.  The first thing we noticed was their attire. Pat was covered head to toe with very little skin showing: hiking shoes, socks over pants, t-shirt with long sleeved light jacket, a brimmed hat, and a backpack.  Jaka was wearing slides (!), jeans (!), a long sleeve sweatshirt (!), a hat, machete, and a backpack.  We appeared underdressed in our tank tops/t-shirts, shorts, and whatever running shoe we had (Ava was wearing Air Jordans 😆).  

We were each handed a bamboo trekking pole and off we went!  First we walked past a "Danger - Do Not Enter" sign onto a large bridge and were advised to walk spaced apart one by one.  The day before, we were told to avoid this route altogether because the bridge was damaged and dangerous 😬.  After we all safely crossed, Pat showed us how the bridge was no longer firmly anchored to the ground because there was recently a large party on the bridge that loosened it and now they needed to reinforce the supports 😨.

The first day of trekking was 5 hours consisting largely of a steep uphill climb.  The bamboo trekking poles were extremely helpful since it was slippery in some places, and it helped provide stability when we had to take steep steps down.  The path was not used often and was quite overgrown in places so Jaka had to chop through parts of it with his machete.  We stopped at a small waterfall and Pat refilled her water bottle with the cold fresh mountain water, but told us foreigners that we should stick with bottled water because she wasn't sure our guts could handle it 😞.  Not worth having the squirts on a multi-day trek with no flushing toilets or running water, I suppose.  

After a few hours, we stopped for lunch and had chicken fried rice and a banana muffin.  It was weird to throw the packaging on the jungle floor, even though it was just banana leaves.  One of the fun things that Oren and Iyla liked to do, at Jaka's suggestion, was to kick big rocks down the edge and see how far they would roll... and on and on they rolled since it was very steep in places (hopefully not hitting a creature at the bottom).  All I could think about was how unfun it would be for one of us to slip and roll down the hill.  Luckily, we didn't have to find out!

  

As we approached the village, we saw cows and buffalo that the villagers had let out to graze.  At one point, we were practically wearing our shoes on the sides of our feet as we tried to walk along the very steep rice paddies.  Even though we were pretty tired, we were very glad that we opted for the 3 day trek because the thought of going back on the same trail, but downhill and trying not to slip, was terrifying.  

By mid-afternoon we arrived at the Red Lahu hilltribe village of Ban Pha Mon.  Most of the houses are built on stilts and their animals roamed around underneath.  The village previously relied on solar power but have had electricity for the past year.  Our hosts are a husband and wife, and one of their children owns a store in the village.  We had a large room to ourselves with mattresses and mosquito nets.  It was surprising to see how strong bamboo flooring is (Eric walked along the joists for good measure)!  The home had several roosters, lots of chickens, and a family of pigs, as well as visits from neighboring dogs and cats.  

     

After settling in, we had a snack of local corn.  They were small, chewy, and starchy and very different from what we get at the cottage in Gananoque.  Very yummy!  

We happily changed out of our shoes and into Crocs, and Pat took us for a walk around the village, pointing out where the village store rice, dry garlic, and the various fruits and vegetables that they grow.  Most of the villagers are farmers and were still out in the fields, so we didn't see very many people.

Jaka made Oren a bamboo "gun" and showed him how to roll up little toilet paper "bullets" and use the poor hens and chicks for target practice.  The gun would make a loud bang complete with a puff of smoke.  It was impressive!  For what it's worth, the chickens didn't seem to mind at all and would go running toward the "bullets" to see if it was edible.

There are two bathrooms each with a squat toilet and a bucket of water to flush. There was also a bathing room with a huge tub of fresh water.  To bathe, you would use pail to pour water over yourself.  It was cold and refreshing and much needed after the long sweaty hike.  

The kitchen had an open fire and a basket of chilis drying above it.  Dinner was chicken curry, sweet and sour chicken, omelet, rice and an absolutely delicious (and spicy) chili dip that Jaka made with garlic, shallots, lemongrass, chilis, and cilantro.  It was exceptionally flavourful and addictive and we slathered it on everything.

We dined in the fresh mountain air against the backdrop of the farmer fields and their garden where they grew chilis, limes, papayas, tamarind, eggplant, coffee beans and many other things that I don't know the names of.  It was peaceful and perfect.  

 

Jaka tried to convince Eric to get a massage.  I'm not sure if there actually was a Red Lahu village massage place, but we have come to realize that when Jaka says it's time for a massage, what he really means is that it's time for an alcoholic drink (an internal gut massage, perhaps?).  We ended up declining evening festivities and went to bed early that night since I wasn't feeling well and we were all exhausted from the trek.  

It's surprising how loud nature can be!  The chorus of frogs, crickets, cicadas, and various other insects was almost deafening so it took a while to fall asleep (not me - I had earplugs 😊).  The mattress was also quite thin so Eric and I had to alternate sleeping on our backs (to give our hips a break) and sleeping on our sides (to give our backs a break).  The roosters below us let us know when it was the crack of dawn so we were up early, listening to the sounds of crowing, clucking, and oinking.  

After breakfast, we thanked our hosts and headed out on another 5 hour trekking day.  Pat informed us that there would be leeches so we put on pants and socks (except Eric who didn't bring pants!).  Other than the leeches, it was a really fun and pleasant hike on day two!  The terrain was relatively flat and we crossed many streams so it didn't feel too hot.

Jaka collected cucumber vines and when we arrived at a particular spot in the river he gave them to the kids to feed the fish.  The fish went WILD for it and splashed and tugged and pulled and clamored over each other to eat it.  It was incredible to see!  The fish were giant - some the size of Eric's from knee to ankle.  Before we could ask, we were told that fishing was prohibited in this part of the jungle.

      

Jaka also found the perfect berry bullets for Oren to use in his bamboo gun.  He said the village kids used these because they were the perfect size and hard enough to shoot but soft enough to squish into the bamboo shaft.  Lots of target practice on the trek that day - Jaka would make targets out of his chest (!), leaves, rocks, and distant trees and Oren would practice his aim.  No animals or siblings were harmed on this trek.

We stopped at Jaka's uncle's stilt hut by a rice field and they prepared a lunch of Mama instant noodles with vegetables served in bamboo bowls.  It was a lovely place to rest!  We had passed Jaka's uncle earlier - he is 90+ years old and in great shape and is still tending to the fields!   

Jaka made us each bamboo mugs and carved our names into them.  Best souvenirs ever 💗.  He also made Iyla a top using a chopstick and a large flat seed.  

Jaka said that the water pipe to his village had broken and was being fixed but he he wasn't sure there would be water available that evening.  We had the option of going on a side quest to a nearby cave, but opted instead to go to a waterfall to bathe.  It was refreshing and fun!

We arrived at the Karen hilltribe village of Ban Muang Paem by mid-afternoon and stayed at Jaka's home where he lives with his wife, several of his kids, and grandchildren.  His 95 year old mother lives in the hut next door.

A truck pulled up outside and they were selling pork siu mai (2 baht each) and steamed bao filled with either pork or red bean (20 baht each).  We enjoyed the tasty snack as we settled in and the kids played Uno with Jaka's youngest daughter.  

I tried to help prepare dinner by peeling the fuzzy parts off the cucumber plant stems that were going in a soup.  I was very bad at it and noticed that Pat had to go through my handywork and make corrections 😆.  Jaka made his delicious chili dip with the help of his grandson.  Throughout the day, Pat had been collecting bits of herbs and vegetables (wild eggplants, bitter melon, chilis, basil, herbs) - these went into our meal as well.      

Dinner is served: cucumber leaf soup, pork and pumpkin curry, pad gra pao, steamed white rice, Jaka's chili dip (this time with tinned sardines in tomato sauce), and fresh snake beans and hearts of palm to dip it in.

After dinner, Jaka and Eric had a massage.  Jaka had the munchies so he fried up some garlic and wild boar that he bought at the previous village.  It was spectacular!  The fat had a nice chew to it and the meat was surprisingly tender and very flavourful. 

There were three bathrooms at the back of the house, with squat toilets and a bucket to flush.  There was a shower (of sorts) but the broken water pipe wasn't fixed until later that evening so it was a good thing we bathed in the waterfall!  The next morning, we had planned to go into the jungle to forage for breakfast items, but it had rained so it was slippery and dangerous (for foreigners, probably).  Instead, Jaka took us for a walk around his village and showed us around.  We picked dragon fruit and he offered us some homegrown tobacco rolled in corn husks (we declined).  We saw some of the villagers weave textiles in their traditional way.  Many of the Karen elders in the village still wear traditional clothing.  I asked a lovely elder if I could take a picture of her and her beautiful traditional outfit 😍.        

We met Jaka's aunt, who is 105 years old and tied with another woman as being the oldest in the village.  The secret, he said, was the clean mountain air, fresh mountain water, freshly foraged or locally grown vegetables with no pesticides, and lots of exercise working in the fields.      

When we arrived back at Jaka's house, Pat had breakfast ready for us: chocolate and regular pancakes, coffee and ovaltine, watermelon, bananas, and the dragon fruit we just picked.  We also had some leftover rice, soup, and Jaka's chili dip for good measure.  

Before we packed up to leave, we had the opportunity to buy some local crafts.  One of the things we bought was a bag made by Jaka's wife.  We gave this to Ilana for her birthday!

The last day of the trek was shorter (about 3 hrs) and easier since we were able to wade through many river crossings along the Phaem River.  We did this until we reached the junction of the Mae Lang River, which is much deeper and faster.  From there we took the overland route back to Cave Lodge.  We met two women foraging for mushrooms.  I showed them a big beautiful mushroom nearby and they informed us that it was most definitely NOT edible 😅!  On the walk back through the village, we walked by Pat's house where she picked a papaya for us from her yard.  We devoured it right there, on the road, and it was juicy, fragrant, perfectly ripe, refreshing and so good!     

We arrived back at Cave Lodge in the early afternoon.  We were thrilled to take off our filthy mud caked shoes and take a shower.  It's funny how just a few days ago, the Cave Lodge amenities seemed very rustic, but on that day, it was luxurious!  Pat and Jaka made us lunch - cashew chicken and vegetables with rice.  

Jaka and Eric had one last massage, and then we said thank you and farewell to our wonderful guides.  Along the way, Pat and Jaka had showed us so many amazing things - medicinal herbs for a variety of ailments (cramps, gas, nausea, stomach aches, rashes), teak tree leaves that turned red if you rubbed the leaves together (perfect for feigning injuries inflicted by the bamboo gun), a tickling tree that moved its leaves when you gently touched its trunk, edible jungle fruits and vegetables (wild passionfruit is so delicious!), poisonous jungle fruits and vegetables, beautiful orchids I've never seen before, the different varieties of bamboo used for building or flooring or furniture or eating, a soapy plant that you could fashion into a bubble blower, a plant with beautiful flowers that you could transform into earrings complete with a built in clip, etc.    

The trek exceeded our expectations.  We did not see a single other tourist or foreigner the whole time.  Pat and Jaka were so patient, informative, and happy to share their knowledge and culture.  Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts!  We hope to see you again someday.   

Cave Lodge

One of the things we wanted to experience in Thailand was a hilltribe trek.  I had read horror stories about some of the over-trekked routes near Chiang Mai where villages were designed to appear primitive (tourists sleep on straw mats on the floor, locals sleep on real beds behind closed doors) and propped up to look authentic (locals trade in their jeans and wear traditional clothing for the sake of the tourists).  Even worse were staged long neck villages where girls wear rings around their elongated necks and tourists a charged a fee to see them.  There are ethical concerns that these people are imported from Myanmar with limited rights and are used for profit, and that the practice of neck elongation is no longer common and is being staged for tourism.  We wanted to avoid these potential issues and find something off the beaten track.  This is how we ended up at Cave Lodge, a four hour drive northwest from Chiang Mai, near the Myanmar border. 

Before heading to Cave Lodge, we checked out of Lanna Bonita Boutique Hotel and went to the local market for breakfast and found some delicious pork skewers (5 baht each!), a very flavorful northern Thai sausage with garlic, lemongrass, and limeleaf (12 baht), Thai iced teas (15 baht), iced coffees (20 baht), and dragonfruit/avocado/mango smoothie (40 baht).  That was probably my favorite breakfast this whole trip and it was $7 total for the 5 of us.  You just can't beat the local market for value and deliciosity.  There were so many other tasty tidbits we wanted to try (as well as tidbits we didn't want to try, like this comb/hive with pinky sized larvae, some visibly wriggling - a Google search revealed that this was likely Asian giant hornet larvae).

Since we didn't want to rent a vehicle, and didn't have the guts for public transportation with three kids (instructions: take public bus to nearby village, stop at the minimart, try to find and wave down five motorbike taxis to take you the rest of the way 😨), Cave Lodge suggested we contact Mr. Meechai to arrange private transportation.  Mr. Meechai's son, Tom, picked us up in an air conditioned mini bus for the drive to Cave Lodge.  We made a couple of pit stops, including a lookout point near Pai with beautiful scenery and a questionable ferris wheel.  The second half of the drive was on a very steep and windy road, and it really tested the limits of Gravol.  We were all happy to arrive at the guesthouse!    

Cave Lodge is located in the village of Ban Tham Lod in a beautiful area overlooking the Mae Lang river.  John Spies, an Australian, built the place in 1984 with his first wife and raised two children there.  John is an adventurer and became an avid caver, discovered many of the caves and artifacts in the area, and has been heavily involved in helping to preserve local traditions and artifacts.  He and his second wife, Nang, a local Shan from the village, have lived in and managed the guesthouse for years.  They recently moved a few minutes walk away in the village, but are at the guesthouse on most days.    

The common area of the guesthouse is built from bamboo and teak and by all accounts (including old photos of the guesthouse on the walls), has hardly changed in 40+ years.  There are many posters with hand drawn maps ("not to scale", "impossible to get lost"), descriptions of the caving/ kayaking/trekking trips on offer, menu items, archeological information, historical tidbits, local information, and fascinating pictures that John took in his early travels in the area.  There is a cozy firepit, hammocks, various tables, chairs, benches, helpful staff and two friendly dogs.  You can just tell there there have been many, many adventures and stories shared at Cave Lodge!  It has a relaxed, chill, slightly grimy, communal 90s backpacker vibe.

We stayed in bungalow A1, which has a private bathroom, double bed, single bed, and a loft with another 2 beds.  It is rustic, clean, and comfortable - similar to the cottage in Gananoque - except in the jungles of northern Thailand.  There was a heavy rain a few days prior to our arrival so the river was milk chocolate brown, quite high and running fast, so unfortunately, there was no swimming for us.  After settling in, we had lunch at the guesthouse (I had nam prik, which is a Shan chili paste served with veggies and rice, Eric had pad gra pow, and the kids had Thai chicken and pork noodles soups).  

Before dusk, we walked 20 minutes to the outflow of Tham Lod Cave.  Every evening, several hundred thousand cave-adapted fork-tailed swifts fly into the chamber to roost for the night while a large colony of bats exit, and we had heard that it is a spectacular show.  We were accompanied (or rather, led) by a local stray dog we named Kevin.  It's like she knew where we were going and led us right to the cave!  The cave had a unique smell from the plethora of bird and bat droppings.  Some of us thought it smelled like roast chicken - I beg to differ.  We arrived just after 6 PM and saw some birds flying around in circles in the sky near the cave and we thought we missed the bird show.  Kevin munched on a bird that she found on the ground.  By 6:30 PM, it was an Alfred Hitchcock like tornado of birds entering the cave at high speed with echo-location screeches.  It was mesmerizing, and one of the most amazing things I've ever witnessed.  

We headed back to the guesthouse, led by Kevin the dog, and had dinner.  The Shan and Thai food was decent but nothing special, so Ava and I had our first non-Asian meal on the trip... we shared an egg, bacon, cheese, tomato lettuce sandwich on a homemade whole wheat baguette.  It was delicious!

Most of the activities can be arranged the day of or the day before.  We were all pretty tired and debated whether we wanted to do a 2 day or a 3 day trek.  The 2 day trek was an out-and-back trail (i.e., we hike there and back on the same trail) and the 3 day trek was a loop trail.  No one had strong feelings either way, but Eric convinced us that we came all this way specifically for this adventure and it would be worthwhile to do the longer trek, and we all agreed.  We made arrangements with the staff for a three day two night trek to visit two hilltribe villages, starting at 9 the next morning.  

Elephant Bush Camp

After a lovely breakfast at a nearby guesthouse garden patio, we walked back to the Lanna Bonita to connect with our driver to head out of Chiang Mai and into the hills for Bush Camp.  After a few relatively easy hours on the road we were delivered to the check in desk of the Elephant Bush Camp.

We dropped our bags and were escorted via an electric golf cart to the common dining and swimming area overlooking the valley.  We had a few minutes before lunch so some of us jumped into the pool before even noticing the surreal scene below the edge of the infinity pool.  The view was just unbelievable.  Several words were escaping all our lips as we took it all in. 

Incredible, green screen, majestic, all-the-components-of-utopian-CGI-tropical-plains-imagery.  We could almost hear the orchestral glory music coming to a crescendo in the background as we panned our eyes across the vast plains dotted with grazing cows, smoking farm huts, wandering river, and mountains on the horizon.  Breath taking by any definition.

After lunch we got to go meet with some of the elephants and had the honour of feeding them!  Feeding the elephants over these 3 days is definitely one of the few major highlights of the trip. On our first day, they gave us each a variety basket of elephant delicacies including leaves, pineapples, sugar cane, and baby bananas.  We had to cut them and prepare them to feed to the elephants. They also gave us some tamarind balls, which the elephants detest, but need for digestion.  We were instructed to roll them in unhusked rice and salt chunks before wrapping with a banana leaf and rubbing with pineapple juice to hide the smell.  Most of us were successful in our trickery (sorry Yen).  

Feeding them lets you get really close to them, to touch them, to connect with them and to see and feel up close how dexterous their trunks are and how they cleverly maneuver it and their food around to optimize it all for their preference.  Some took everything they could get as it came.  

Others took only their faves (like bananas, sugarcane or pineapples and rejected the grasses and leaves until all the good stuff was gone.  Some took it all, but put the less desirable bits on the ground between their legs for later once they got all the good stuff.  So fun to watch them and get to know them!

After the elephants, we were walked through some of their gardens and they were amazing with lots of edible plants they harvest for the kitchen and contribute to the elephants massive intake.  They had built some Karen tribe-style houses and buildings along with some traditional rice manufacturing tools (to husk and separate it) and weaving looms to help us visualise how that tribe has lived for centuries.  While they were a re-creation, it was a very interesting glimpse into the Karen history and culture.  We didn't realise it at the time, but in just a few days from now we'd be trekking through the jungle just over the distant mountains and exploring the real thing.

We got a little cooking demo of a traditional Thai curry (Kang Kai Sai Supparod) as well and it was delicious!  Some of the Karen employees' kids tried their hands at grinding the coconuts for the coconut cream for the curry and that in itself was a very cute and entertaining display.

Before dinner we were dropped off at our two tents for the five of us.  They call it camp and say we're staying in "tents", but I'm not sure "glamping" can even begin to describe the elevated status of these tents.  Just because some of the walls are canvas, the door closes with a lockable zipper and it has a pointed roof, I'm not sure it automatically qualifies as a "tent". It was a full on luxury suite.  A cavernous main room with queen and twin beds, a desk, chairs, drawers, clothes rack, fridge, fans, AC and a full and luxurious bathroom with double sinks was what we called home for he next two nights.

We settled into our "tents" and headed for the pool/dining area, where it was happy hour before dinner and swam in the unbelievable view before a few evening activities and dinner.

Evening activities included a cooking demonstration, a traditional Thai dance performance by a local village school and a video presentation about the history of the area and its elephants.  All great stuff.  We were wiped after a full day and retired after dinner to our tents for a good rest before day two with the elephants.

The next morning we set off to an area of their property where they make "elephant poo paper".  Yes that's quite literal.  They make paper out of elephant poop.  

The process was interesting to witness and partake in.  Their poop is super fibrous so they boil it for a long time to kill things, then grind it in a special grinder barrel for hours, before finally making it into balls the right size for a single sheet of paper.  

We each got a ball to make a sheet of paper with, and some flowers and pretty leaves to decorate it should we choose to do so.  The poop balls also happen to be a perfect size, weight and consistency for juggling.  Who knew? 

Once decorated, we left our poop sheets to dry in the sun. 

They also had some pre-made and already dried sheets for us to draw or paint on should anyone so desire.  This wasn't popular with any of the other guests, but we certainly took advantage of the shitty paper to hone and show off our extensive fine arts skillz in poopology!

After exhausting our artistic energy, we got another cooking demo of Khanom Krok and also got to taste some Kafe Boran (Thai style coffee).  However, to cap off the awesome morning, we each got a nice big variety bowl of food to feed the elephants again (yay) before heading to the water hole to watch them bathe. 

This was also a highlight, watching them roll around in the water and play with each other.  It's hard to imagine something so big and heavy play, but once they hit the water they couldn't stop - it was inspiring to witness them having so much fun!

After lunch we had some down time to just explore the grounds and absorb the incredible environment from the pool.

On our third and last day, we started off with the elephants again, this time learning about their medical and veterinary regimen. We were then tasked with cooking up some medicinal herbal treats for them, chopping up coarse grasses, and mixing and mashing in tamarind, banana, pumpkin and other healthy bits and pieces into a thick paste. 

We formed them into balls and decorated them with edible flowers to make them feel special :) They loved them so bad!  And we loved giving it to them!  Win-win!  What a great encounter with the elephants to wrap up our stay at bush camp!

We had enough time after to pack up our "tents", have one last swim, and eat lunch before catching our van back to Chiang Mai to prepare for our next adventure!