Journey.to.the.Sun: writing and memory and something being forged.

a while back i posted that i would still write about my expereince trekking through the jungle north of chiang mai. so much has happened between then and now, and much of which i have not managed to capture in either my blog or my journal, and as such i feel it already fading into that obscurity where memories begin to feel like events and stories that happened to someone else. as such i have been using this blog as much to communicate what i have been up to as a way of recording the experiences and thoughts for my own person documentation. however having said that, my experiences trekking have already faded somewhat and will be difficult to resurrect here without them seeming forced so i will settle for some very brief, mostly factual notes and some images, but what i will say, is if you are ever in the north of thailand, then trekking is must, and better to opt for at least a three day venture - but longer if possible.

we had a small group, just 5 of us in total when there is usually 12.
stopped at a market on the way up to the start of the trekking site.
tried some beetle-nut from on of the local hill tribe woman selling water bottle holders at the market.

the beetle-nut gave me the biggest head spin and i had swallowed too much of it which made the bumpy winding road to the site hell.

it was appropriate however, as everyone else had had a big night the night before and, so i was now on a similar footing.
got to the site, had lunch and then elephant trekking. i must admit that the least memorable part of the trek was riding the elephant, not because the beast was not majestic and regal in its calm sure footed-ness, but more that it seemed to have no purpose in the context ot the tour - at least for me anyway. the route we travelled was not lengthy and could have quite easily been navigated on foot. i think that if we had gone for a longer trek it might have had more of an impact. as it was i felt that this part of the trek was just to humour the tourists that we were and as such did not give the credit due to both the elephants, the guides and the farangs - or this is just my cynical side coming through once again.
a long steep 3 - 4 hour hike up to the first village left us all exhausted upon arrival.
had an amazing dinner of sweet and sour veg, rice and curry.
sat with our guides around the fire on the balcony of the bamboo hut singing classic rock and folk songs from the 70's and 80's under a blanket of stars. our guide told us how once wanted to be a rock star between trying to remember the cords to the next song.
next morning, left by 10am for more trekking on foot.
had lunch in the jungle, pad thai style noddles, served off of leaves and eaten with jungle chopsticks.
ended the day at village with a small water fall.
finished up on the third day with white water rafting and then bamboo rafting in which time was both present and irrelevant, but we all knew that we would be back in the civilised much too soon.
getting off the raft we were greated by our guides and their black taxi truck. how much is that doggie in the window was blarring on the radio. i don't know why but the oddity of it seemed some how fitting.
the entire experience was book end by led zepplins, stairway to heaven as we rolled into our last lunch site with that pumping out of the back of the van. that had been the same track with which we journeyed to the first site three days before and one of the songs that we had sung on that first night sitting around the fire. wayne's world will no longer be there first that i think of when i hear stairway