trek
intr.v: trekked, trek·king, treks
1. to travel or migrate, esp. slowly or with difficulty.
2. a journey or trip, esp. one involving difficulty or hardship.
3. drenched in sweat, blood-sucking leaches, mosquitos the size of pterodactyls, and complete and total muscle exhaustion.
Days two and three in Chiang Mai took me and my adopted Irish family into the hills of northern Thailand for an adventure-filled trek of hiking, elephant rides and bamboo rafting! We piled into a rickety truck bed with our overnight packs (bringing with us the essentials: dry clothes, bug spray and toilet paper) and braved the bumpy hour-plus ride into the Chiang Mai National Park. Our first stop was the waterfall and hot springs, where we took photos and a refreshing dip in the lagoon.
As I was beginning to think what a breeze this trekking thing would be, we began what soon turned into a treacherous, grueling uphill battle with the steep terrain and relentless weather conditions. As we climbed higher and higher into the jungle, our legs began to burn and everyone struggled to keep their erratic breathing in check. Just when I thought my legs would give out, the trail evened out and began a sharp descent, sending us scrambling down muddy embankments and rocky outcrops. A few drops from the sky gave us a five-second heads up before we were caught in a monsoon-like rainstorm, drenching us to the bone and sending leeches down to worm into our shoes and through our clothes. A mentally and physically exhausting four hours later, we trudged into a remote village deep in the jungle, tired but thankful to have made it. We passed the evening around the campfire, gazing at the star-studded black night sky and finally fell asleep in a one-room wood cabin underneath our mosquito nets.
Day two thankfully involved no more hiking, but an elephant encounter and a ride down the river on a bamboo raft. The bamboo raft was just that -- a collection of bamboo stalks tied together with reeds. The weight of nine bodies pushed the rickety bamboo raft under the surface of the water, and we floated off down the river with the lush green jungle foliage looming above us on either side. At times we glided lazily along enjoying the sun and scenery, other times we sped up with the rushing current, barely avoiding large rocks and torrents of churning water. Quite fun. Eventually we made our way down the river and back to the hostel, and I've never been so thankful for a lukewarm shower.
I think I like this trekking thing after all.
intr.v: trekked, trek·king, treks
1. to travel or migrate, esp. slowly or with difficulty.
2. a journey or trip, esp. one involving difficulty or hardship.
3. drenched in sweat, blood-sucking leaches, mosquitos the size of pterodactyls, and complete and total muscle exhaustion.
Days two and three in Chiang Mai took me and my adopted Irish family into the hills of northern Thailand for an adventure-filled trek of hiking, elephant rides and bamboo rafting! We piled into a rickety truck bed with our overnight packs (bringing with us the essentials: dry clothes, bug spray and toilet paper) and braved the bumpy hour-plus ride into the Chiang Mai National Park. Our first stop was the waterfall and hot springs, where we took photos and a refreshing dip in the lagoon.
As I was beginning to think what a breeze this trekking thing would be, we began what soon turned into a treacherous, grueling uphill battle with the steep terrain and relentless weather conditions. As we climbed higher and higher into the jungle, our legs began to burn and everyone struggled to keep their erratic breathing in check. Just when I thought my legs would give out, the trail evened out and began a sharp descent, sending us scrambling down muddy embankments and rocky outcrops. A few drops from the sky gave us a five-second heads up before we were caught in a monsoon-like rainstorm, drenching us to the bone and sending leeches down to worm into our shoes and through our clothes. A mentally and physically exhausting four hours later, we trudged into a remote village deep in the jungle, tired but thankful to have made it. We passed the evening around the campfire, gazing at the star-studded black night sky and finally fell asleep in a one-room wood cabin underneath our mosquito nets.
Day two thankfully involved no more hiking, but an elephant encounter and a ride down the river on a bamboo raft. The bamboo raft was just that -- a collection of bamboo stalks tied together with reeds. The weight of nine bodies pushed the rickety bamboo raft under the surface of the water, and we floated off down the river with the lush green jungle foliage looming above us on either side. At times we glided lazily along enjoying the sun and scenery, other times we sped up with the rushing current, barely avoiding large rocks and torrents of churning water. Quite fun. Eventually we made our way down the river and back to the hostel, and I've never been so thankful for a lukewarm shower.
I think I like this trekking thing after all.
1 comment:
One thing for sho' Miss Valerie, you STRETCHED yourself with this trekking! LA glam femme treks in jungle with leeches. Whoo! Rock your world! Way to test your limits.
Love, love your posts.
Post a Comment