A challenging trek, an authentic experience in the jungle of Chiang Mai in Thailand, discovering local villages, rice fields and Oolong tea plantations.
I had expected numerous trekking for my trip to Thailand but the best, as well as the first of a long series, was the one made at Mae Wong National Park near Chiang Mai with the "Pooh Eco Trekking", an agency found after much research on the internet, which allowed me to go outside the classic tourist itineraries, immersing myself in the jungle and rice fields of Doi Inthanton.
What can I say, it was a unique experience that I will never forget.
Pooh Eco Trekking, how it works
It was just me and my sister with Mr. P, a nice one local guide who lives in one of the villages inside the jungle.
Mr P came directly to pick us up at our accommodation at 7.30am with the agency pick-up and after a short stop at a local market - more or less halfway between Chiang Mai and the park where P bought the food for our lunch - we reached the village from which we then left on foot.
A challenging trek
From there we started walking and walking for the whole day, between beaten and unpaved paths, crossing rivers, climbing up rocks, juggling branches. Luckily we were well equipped with excellent hiking shoes and "sticks" made with bamboo branches that Mr. P had kindly carved into it.
Fortunately my sister and I have a good level of physical preparation and therefore we were able to sustain the pace of the excursion, we knew in advance that it would be hard because the day before, at the time of booking, we were told that it would be a trekking reserved for expert hikers only.
During the trek P, who spoke very good English, told us numerous anecdotes about the Thai culture and that of his village, in particular.
He told us, for example, of his particular diet - which he follows for religious reasons - characterized by an abundant breakfast and only bananas during the day.
He even let us taste the bark of the cinnamon plant and showed us a plant from which paracetamol is obtained.
It was a truly informative day, as well as an exciting landscape.
But it is a pity that time has not been on our side ...
August is in fact in the middle of the rainy season and, in Thailand when it rains, it rains seriously!
I have never seen and taken as much water in my entire life as on that occasion!
Luckily my sister and I were provided with a nice kway jacket that covered us from head to toe and also allowed us to protect the backpack, unlike P who had only one garbage bag as a raincoat.
Eating in the jungle
The lunch time was sensational, one of the most beautiful and authentic experiences of my life.
We had lunch in the middle of the jungle, sitting on the ground with some excellent chicken cooked on the fire that P had lit with twigs and a delicious mushroom soup that he had prepared inside a banana leaf ... never seen anything like it!
During the trek we got to admire rice fields, Oolong tea plantations, local villages and many species and varieties of plants and birds.
Despite the rain that didn't give us a minute's respite, despite the fatigue, tiredness and sore legs I can say with certainty that it was the most beautiful trek of my life, I would repeat it instantly as it was, even with the rain that made everything a bit more "wild".
