As soon as the Christmas festivities at Sara's school were finished, we hit the road for the New Year's holiday. Sara had found us an amazing place to stay on Doi Inthanon in Chiang Mai called the Bamboo Hut. We caught a bus to Chiang Mai on the side of the road in Hang Chat and almost made it out of the city before the bus broke down. Luckily, the bus attendant had a backup plan: have everybody stand on the side of the road and hope someone came to our rescue. About a half hour later, a different, equally disheveled, twice as full bus rolled up and the crowd of refugees squeezed on board, bound for Chiang Mai. For real this time.
The owner of the Bamboo Hut (and their homestay), Nong, picked us up and we headed about an hour outside of Chiang Mai city. She dropped us off at a temple in the main town Mae Wang. It was here that we met Nong’s husband Koko, who would be our constant companion for the next two nights. His reliable old pickup truck just managed to climb the sheer cliff "road" that led up to the cabins, and I considered us lucky for surviving until Sara and I noticed hill tribe villagers riding their motorbikes up and down the mountain.
We had a comfortable cabin to ourselves, and soon found out we had the whole mountainside to ourselves because no one else was staying there. It was quite cozy with plenty of blankets to ease the 35-40° night temperatures.
We explored the surrounding area, took bone-chilling cold showers, and enjoyed the quiet. This place is beautiful and peaceful.
Day one we took a walk to the "small" waterfall just down the mountain from where we were staying and made plans to go on a trek with Koko’s Karen friend, Hair, the next day. (Hair was also kind enough to build a campfire for us both nights we stayed. Sara and I spent hours relaxing by the fire after dinner.)
After our little adventure, Sara showed Koko how to make scrambled eggs. It was the first time she’s cooked since we got here!
Our trek with Hair was definitely the high point of the visit. It was sometimes pathless, often treacherous, and always heart-pumping. We made our way up and around the mountain, first visiting Hair's house and farm.
The next stop was the "big" waterfall on the far side of the mountain.
On the way back to camp, we happened to pass Hair’s good friend’s house. He stopped to chat and Sara snapped some pics. This guy has a primo location!
It was about three hours of tough climbing, and I for one was drenched with sweat about ten minutes in. We persevered and had a great time (and finally enjoyed that frigid shower!). It was especially nice to hear from Nong that Hair had commented on how strong we were. Thank you for noticing, Hair—we have been working out lately.
Despite missing hot water, electricity, and internet, our time at the Bamboo Hut flew by. Koko drove us back to the bus station in Chaing Mai and we were on our way back to Hang Chat. But don’t worry, this vacation is not over yet. Stay tuned for the conclusion of the New Year’s Doubler!
The owner of the Bamboo Hut (and their homestay), Nong, picked us up and we headed about an hour outside of Chiang Mai city. She dropped us off at a temple in the main town Mae Wang. It was here that we met Nong’s husband Koko, who would be our constant companion for the next two nights. His reliable old pickup truck just managed to climb the sheer cliff "road" that led up to the cabins, and I considered us lucky for surviving until Sara and I noticed hill tribe villagers riding their motorbikes up and down the mountain.
We had a comfortable cabin to ourselves, and soon found out we had the whole mountainside to ourselves because no one else was staying there. It was quite cozy with plenty of blankets to ease the 35-40° night temperatures.
We explored the surrounding area, took bone-chilling cold showers, and enjoyed the quiet. This place is beautiful and peaceful.
Day one we took a walk to the "small" waterfall just down the mountain from where we were staying and made plans to go on a trek with Koko’s Karen friend, Hair, the next day. (Hair was also kind enough to build a campfire for us both nights we stayed. Sara and I spent hours relaxing by the fire after dinner.)
After our little adventure, Sara showed Koko how to make scrambled eggs. It was the first time she’s cooked since we got here!
Our trek with Hair was definitely the high point of the visit. It was sometimes pathless, often treacherous, and always heart-pumping. We made our way up and around the mountain, first visiting Hair's house and farm.
The next stop was the "big" waterfall on the far side of the mountain.
On the way back to camp, we happened to pass Hair’s good friend’s house. He stopped to chat and Sara snapped some pics. This guy has a primo location!
It was about three hours of tough climbing, and I for one was drenched with sweat about ten minutes in. We persevered and had a great time (and finally enjoyed that frigid shower!). It was especially nice to hear from Nong that Hair had commented on how strong we were. Thank you for noticing, Hair—we have been working out lately.
Despite missing hot water, electricity, and internet, our time at the Bamboo Hut flew by. Koko drove us back to the bus station in Chaing Mai and we were on our way back to Hang Chat. But don’t worry, this vacation is not over yet. Stay tuned for the conclusion of the New Year’s Doubler!
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