sawasdee ka

hello from Chiang Mai AGAIN.

Well since I last wrote I have officially spent a night in the most rural jungle village you could think of!!! I seriously felt like I was in the show Lost Tribes! But you knwo what, it was so completely amazing.. I would not take any of it back for a second.
We took a song tao to a market place for lunch yesterday and then headed off to a base village of the hill tribes.. The tribe we visited was from ther KAREN tribe and it was called Palong village.

We sat and ate our lunch at the base village and just had a littl wander.. we saw the school which was just incredibkle.. there was about 6 children between 2 and 6 and they were just playting with stamps and stamping all over themselves but they were beinmg super shy. Jo walked over top them an gestured they can stamp on her arm.. WELL that did start some craze... soon after about 4 of us had arms covered in stamps from fingers to shoulders.. but the look of excitement on the children was one to not forget.... We had to start leaving for the 4 hour trek so we said goodbye to the village people and thats when I made the decision to NOT trek.. I had had ZERO sleep the night before due to 4 hours of continuous coughing and my lungs were in terrible shape... Everyone agreed I should not trek.. so I didn't... So Deanna, Jody and I set off in a Song Tao and the others left trekking.. We got to Palong village around 1.30 and the others didn't get back till just about 5pm. They said it was extremely hard and they said to be glad we did not do it.

Now the village was just incredible. There were little huts all over the place and ofcourse the ladys had there little stalls set up trying to get us to buy everything. all of them screaming different prices at you is quite overwhelming sometimes, but its what makes it all so unique.

After a quick wander around because at this stage I think the temp was about 37 degrees Jode and Deanna and I got on our mats on the ground, pulled our m9ozzie nets out and went to sleep.

So as I said the others got back about 5ish and then Pui (our guide) made us some awesome dinner in apparently the most basic kitchen ever and we sat down, chowed that down pretty quickly then the village girls put on a show for us around the fire.

They were all dressed up in their native costumes and they sang songs and did some nursery rhymes, then a sudden they are singing "Old macdonald and jingle bells".. it was so very cute to hear this!

Then they turned to us and asked us to sing... so we all got up and did I'm a little tea pot and then we sang Advamnce Australia Fair and then onto Waltzing Matilda.... they loved it and clapped ever so loud.

It was only about 9ish by this stage and we were all so very tired, so we all packed up and went into our little hut to sleep.

Slept from about 10pm after we all stopped talking and woke up about 70 thousand times.. wonderwing why it was still dark.. the night seemed to go on forever and ever.. finally got up about 6.45am and got myself ready and went and sat outside... Had some brekky and then all of a sudden....

... an elephant walks past... it was completely astounding.... I was like.. where else in the world could I be sitting, just outside where i have slept, eating brekky and watching 4 elephants just stroll on past and stop right infront of me.... CRAZY!

So we all gathered our things and then jumped on the elepahnts for a trek thru the jungle... it was so much fun, just riding along.. I was with Jode and courts.. and Jo was riding on one of the elephants heads and so was emma, dan also had a go.. that woulda been cool but I was scared to fall off hahaha!! Our elephant guide rode the front our our elephants head and he was so cheeky, he kept hitting things off the trees and then trying to pick bugs up with his elephant stick and throw them at me!!!! NOT COOL... but it was funny.. then all of a sudden he just HOPS off and i'm like ... ummm we MAY need you, coz our elepahtnwas leading the pack.

SO we trudged along for a while in the jhungle and then came to the end, i jump off and then jody and courtneys seat practically slipped right down the side of the elephant... whoa did they shit their pants.. so all the guides run over and try pulling them back off, because it was a decent fall of this massive elephant.. They got rescued and we all hopped off.

Then it was onto BAMBOO rafting. That was fun... nearly fell arse over just trying to get down to the raft i was meant to be on... we just drifted down the river for a good 40 mins and then hopped off...

We took the song Tao to another market place and then headed back here.

Jo me Dan, tim and emma are here checking emails then its off for a TRADITIONAL THAI MASSAGE!!!!! loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee it!!!!

Tonight its hitting the Chiang Main Night market and then O'malleys pub for a few bevvies.

Tomorrow we have free day and then board the sleeper train back to Bangkok.

Another night with this crew and then its back to auntie susans...

wow, i am so puffed from replaying all that.

Miss you all like a fat kids misses Candy.

Much love.

MEGZ