I am sorry for those of you who were waiting for the finish of my boat trip. I got distracted by Thailand. I will finish it now.
This is day 2 of the sail from Hawaii to California This next entry is taken directly from my journal. It was a little hard to read because I wrote it while we were under way and sailing through 20-25 foot waves.
‘We headed out early in the morning and set sail for LA. Once again we had big seas like yesterday. We were going 6 knots (MPHs) but between 11 and 1 we noticed we actually lost ground. We were stuck in a current that was moving faster than us. The wind and waves were coming from the northeast which is the exact direction that we need to be going in order to get to LA. We decided it best to change course and head to Molokai for the night. We would get another good night of rest and hopefully the weather would clear up for a smooth sail out of the Hawaiian waters tomorrow.’
Now that we are heading to Molokai we were getting excited for dinner. We have to cross over a submerged island (actually part of the Molokai island which never rose out of the water) where there is always an abundance of fish. As we are approaching the island about 15 miles out the seas pick up a bit. The swell is 20 ft with rouge 25 footers and we sail into a rain storm. I am at the helm of the boat and it is an exhausting job to keep a 40 ton boat on course in the type of weather we are dealing with. Already today we had buried the bow of the boat 2-3 times into the ocean. The 97 foot mass had almost been dipped into the water a handful of times as well. Needless to say every muscle in our bodies had been tensed for the last 10 hours. This made any movement more difficult to complete.
“FISH ON” yells the captain as a wave hits us from the side. I turn and see one of the fishing poles dipping into the water. Kevin reacts first and grabs the pole and starts to real in our dinner. Rocky runs over and unleashes the gaff. Twenty minutes later the fish was close by the side of the boat. It was a gorgeous Ahi (yellow fin tuna). I could almost taste its soft meat in my mouth. I took the gaff, handing the controls of the boat to the captain, and as the boat rolled left and down to the water I reached in and grabbed our dinner on the end of the hook and pulled it in. Rocky passed the rod to Kevin and finished off the fish once it was aboard. It was a gorgeous fish and we were all excited to slice it up and start feasting.
After bring in the Ahi the sky clears some and we have a gorgeous view of the approach to Molokai. Molokai has the world’s largest sea walls. They extend from the ocean straight up 4,000 feet into the sky. Only about 2,000 people live on the island and half of Molokai’s population has never stepped foot off of it. As we are getting close to land I start reeling in the fishing lines to prepare to dock up in the harbor. As I am reeling in the line the end of the pole dips down “FISH ON” I yell and start to bring in the fish. At about 40 yards out it surfaces. The fish is a long skinny fish and is riding on top of the water as I reel it in. Rocky has the gaff and pulls in our second catch of the day (we later found out it is a blue bone fish).
We sailed into Manalua Bay on Molokai surrounded by breaching humpbacks and giant sea turtles. As we pulled into the Harbor we see a group of locals standing around their pickup trucks listening to music and drinking Heinekens. Two stroll over and grab our ropes as we sail in. We tie up to the pier but due to the waves we need to tie off to a floating mooring ball. Being covered in sweat and salt water I quickly volunteer for the job. I climb on top of the boat with rope in hand and dive in. Swimming out to tie us up I marvel in how good the Hawaiian water feels. It is going to be one of the things I miss most about Hawaii.
We clean up the boat and the captain and Rocky start cleaning the fish. As the meat is sliced off the Ahi our fingers quickly slide it into our mouths. Ahi does not get fresher than that and it tasted marvelous. After a small snack of sashimi Rocky and I walk off to go body surfing at a nearby beach with the last rays of sunlight. We stroll back to the boat as the sun is melting into the ocean. The locals have started BBQing some Molokai venison from earlier in the week. They bring us over a plate and we trade fresh Ahi sashimi and sautéed blue bone fish. With a bottle of Spanish red we dined like kings.
After dinner we pulled up the weather report and it did not look too good. We had, at the least, one more day of 20 foot waves and 35 knot winds (40 knots is a gale force storm). The good news was that we were slowly making our way towards LA. By island hopping through Hawaii we were inching our way to our final destination. The next island over was Lanai’i and after that was Maui’i. All we needed from the weather was a window of 3-4 days so we could get away from the Hawaiian waters. That would be the toughest part of the journey and after that the ocean should calm down some and be more predictable. We decided to sail to Maui’i the following day at sunrise. It was going to be a 10-12 hour sail and would inch our way closer to LA. I was excited to see Maui’i but at the same time I was getting anxious to get to LA. I was going to be visiting my Uncle and a couple of good friends there. I was excited to see them all. My last trip to LA was only a 24 hour stay over near the Christmas holiday. It was a fun trip but I hoped to spend some more time there now. Also, after LA I was flying to Thailand for a few months. Another adventure I was excited for.
I was learning however that when you are living on a sail boat you leave all expectations for what is going to happen on land. Mother Nature has complete control over your destiny and all you can do is put your sail up and hope for the best. A good friend of mine had moved to Maui’i and I had not seen him for sometime. This visit would give me the chance to say hello to him before I sailed off.
As we got ready for bed we cut holes in paper plates and put them on the ropes from the boat to the dock. They were supposed to keep any unwanted creatures (rats) from entering the boat during the night. I grabbed a blanket and made my bed on the main deck under the Hawaiian sky. As I closed my eyes I could not think of any place on earth that I would rather be. Tomorrow we were headed to Maui’i. The roughest channel in the Hawaiian waters is the channel between Molokai and Maui’i (this is also the largest breeding ground in the world for humpback whales). After all we had already been through however I believed we were prepared for anything; with that thought I slipped into a deep sleep.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Sunday, April 15, 2007
We arrived in Kathmandu about 10 days ago and I fell instantly in love. The city has a great vibe to it. The streets are narrow and hectic with a 100 things going on at any one time. Walking down the streets at night time you can here music playing from the windows of many different bars. The first night here my brother and I walked around looking for some good tunes. We heard Jazz playing from an upstairs window and decided to check it out. We walked down and long dark alley and up a narrow staircase hoping we were going in the right direction. The staircase led to the music. The bar was painted in pastels and people were sitting on the floor jamming to a local jazz band. The scene could have been taken out of a Kathmandu bar from the '60s. Long haired expats and locals mingling together to enjoy a night in the infamous Himalayan city.
Luke and I grabbed a seat on some cushions and fell under the trance of Kathmandu. When the music ended we tried to make our way back home. We knew we were not more than 5 minutes from our guest house yet the confusion of the streets turned it into a 45 minute trip. When the city was built there was no such thing as city planning. The streets were laid in every which way and everything looks the same. Needless to say our first night in the city was a little confusing.
At night time the city took on a different feel. The vibe seemed to change. The Maoist from the country side have recently all come down into the city (not all but a lot). Once everything closed down for the night the city had a not so safe feeling. Nepal has been in relative peace for the last 2 weeks but the tensions lie just under the surface. At night time this was much more apparent.
After my first night here I decided 10 days was not near enough time to experience this amazing place. I have some good friends with whom I worked with in Nantucket who are from Nepal. With a little prodding from them ('zak why don't you stay longer, we'll show you around our country?' "OK") I have extended my ticket 7-14 days. I am not sure when I am going back to Thailand because there were no available seats. I was put on the waiting list however and I'm sure I'll get back sometime. In the meantime I am going to experience Nepal. I kept a journal from my tr eking in the mountains which I will post soon. Once I get back to Thailand I will upload some pictures. Until then...
Luke and I grabbed a seat on some cushions and fell under the trance of Kathmandu. When the music ended we tried to make our way back home. We knew we were not more than 5 minutes from our guest house yet the confusion of the streets turned it into a 45 minute trip. When the city was built there was no such thing as city planning. The streets were laid in every which way and everything looks the same. Needless to say our first night in the city was a little confusing.
At night time the city took on a different feel. The vibe seemed to change. The Maoist from the country side have recently all come down into the city (not all but a lot). Once everything closed down for the night the city had a not so safe feeling. Nepal has been in relative peace for the last 2 weeks but the tensions lie just under the surface. At night time this was much more apparent.
After my first night here I decided 10 days was not near enough time to experience this amazing place. I have some good friends with whom I worked with in Nantucket who are from Nepal. With a little prodding from them ('zak why don't you stay longer, we'll show you around our country?' "OK") I have extended my ticket 7-14 days. I am not sure when I am going back to Thailand because there were no available seats. I was put on the waiting list however and I'm sure I'll get back sometime. In the meantime I am going to experience Nepal. I kept a journal from my tr eking in the mountains which I will post soon. Once I get back to Thailand I will upload some pictures. Until then...
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Day 5
Thirty minutes after we left yesterday the guides stop. They are pointing up to a bees nest in the crack of a tree 15 feet up. The older guide (not quite sure of his name) starts to make a bundle of sliced bamboo. He then lashes it to a long bamboo pole. A torch. They tell me we have found lunch. Naturally I think of the honey. They torch the bees nest and take it down. They open it up and point to the bee larva: “lunch”.
For the 1st time on this trip I found something I did not want to eat. I spent the rest of the morning trying to put it out of my mind with varied success. Luckily when lunch came around there was another plate of food. I got lucky
We camped at a water fall and swam with all the kinds playing in the river. I have been thinking a lot about when I go back to NY. I am getting excited to be there for the summer and fall. I have missed the change of seasons living in the tropics. I have lots of ideas for what I’m going to do for work. After this 3-4 month vacation traveling around I will be ready to work hard until at the least January when the cold weather comes. At that point I’ll probably head to Latin America for a few months. I miss speaking Spanish and the Latin culture.
Well that’s about it. We are going to trek out today and then I fly back to Bangkok tonight. I have 1 day to get ready and then it is off to Nepal for 10 days. I should be able to take some amazing pictures there.
Waiting for the truck to take me back to Chiang Mai. All I can think about is how good it is going to feel to sink into my bathtub and soak. One of my favorite things about hiking or working out is getting clean, watching the mud and dirt run off me and down the drain.
2:40 PM
It is the beginning of the Thai New Year. This week they have a huge festival everywhere in Thailand. Usually it is the hottest week of the year and because of that water is very popular. So popular that they throw it by the bucket loads on everyone and there is nothing you can do about it. Riding in the back of the pick up truck we were doused all along the highway. No napping on that trip.
Thirty minutes after we left yesterday the guides stop. They are pointing up to a bees nest in the crack of a tree 15 feet up. The older guide (not quite sure of his name) starts to make a bundle of sliced bamboo. He then lashes it to a long bamboo pole. A torch. They tell me we have found lunch. Naturally I think of the honey. They torch the bees nest and take it down. They open it up and point to the bee larva: “lunch”.
For the 1st time on this trip I found something I did not want to eat. I spent the rest of the morning trying to put it out of my mind with varied success. Luckily when lunch came around there was another plate of food. I got lucky
We camped at a water fall and swam with all the kinds playing in the river. I have been thinking a lot about when I go back to NY. I am getting excited to be there for the summer and fall. I have missed the change of seasons living in the tropics. I have lots of ideas for what I’m going to do for work. After this 3-4 month vacation traveling around I will be ready to work hard until at the least January when the cold weather comes. At that point I’ll probably head to Latin America for a few months. I miss speaking Spanish and the Latin culture.
Well that’s about it. We are going to trek out today and then I fly back to Bangkok tonight. I have 1 day to get ready and then it is off to Nepal for 10 days. I should be able to take some amazing pictures there.
Waiting for the truck to take me back to Chiang Mai. All I can think about is how good it is going to feel to sink into my bathtub and soak. One of my favorite things about hiking or working out is getting clean, watching the mud and dirt run off me and down the drain.
2:40 PM
It is the beginning of the Thai New Year. This week they have a huge festival everywhere in Thailand. Usually it is the hottest week of the year and because of that water is very popular. So popular that they throw it by the bucket loads on everyone and there is nothing you can do about it. Riding in the back of the pick up truck we were doused all along the highway. No napping on that trip.
Day 4
Sunrise (see pic)
We went frog hunting last night after dark. We caught about 20-25 frogs and this morning we are making frog, pumpkin, and bird soup for breakfast. We went looking for frogs in the rice fields and along the river. I could not help but be a little nervous about stepping on a cobra. Living in Hawaii you never have to think about snakes or any poisonous animal, insect, or reptile. It gives an extra sense of safety in the woods. You never have to think about what you are going to step on.
I do remember many close encounters with fur-de-lance (terciopelo) snakes (Central and South America’s most deadly snake). Living in the rainforest of Costa Rica it would be a rare sight if my clothing was anything more than a pair of board shorts and sunglasses. Walking barefoot in the rainforest I came within inches of stepping on the fur-de-lance while hiking along the water. This is an experience that puts your heart into your throat.
As I hunted frogs I hoped we would not come along any snakes. Snakes however love frogs as much as the Carway people. They also know where to find them.
Other than my toothpaste and brush I have not seen any other type of cleaning product. At meals they grab food with their and hands and serve it. When we are done we dump our plates on the floor (inside their home) and the dogs come to eat the scraps. Before coming on this trek I wanted to experience something as different from what I am used to as possible. Doing this gives me a better perspective on everything. I wanted to really challenge myself. Having no idea what to expect I open myself up to whatever comes. Also I have an uncanny ability to shut things out of my thoughts. It comes in handy when I find myself thinking about things I can do nothing about. When holding a bird brain in my fingers getting ready to bite I can either think about how mushy and slimy it looks or I can just shut my mind off and enjoy it. I’ve been good at the latter on this trip.
One of the guides has brought his 10 year old son along on the hike. It is nice having him along. He has a constant smile on his face and his laughter is filled with absolute joy. Even though we do not have any verbal communication we are having a lot of fun together.
I think we can learn a lot from little kids. They don’t worry about the future, they don’t have regret, they don’t have past heartache. They have not been let down so they allow themselves to soar. Everything is new to them and their brains are sponges soaking it all in. They live in the present moment and try to fit as much fun, joy and laughter in to each minute of each day. As far as I can tell there is nothing more important than that.
It’s nice being on this trek alone. I feel I can experience much more this way. If I could talk with someone, share this experience with them it would make it different; somehow less foreign. Combined my guides speak less than 50 words of English. Those fifty words they use sparingly. Having someone else there would give me an escape option and take me away from where I am.
Last night for dessert we ate BBQ’d cow skin. It was strange. No real flavor and about as tough as a thick piece of leather.
I can think much better as I walk. When I am just sitting my brain jumps around a lot. When I am hiking it is much easier for me to stay on one topic. It is the same when I go running. It gives my restless energy an outlet.
One of my favorite things to do is make plans for the future. When I am on one adventure I like to scheme about the next. All of these plans don’t need to come to fruition, in fact most do not. I just like to play with many different adventures in my head. What I’ve found happens is when the time comes for me to go on a new adventure the idea I had been playing with the most recently is the one I do.
Sunrise (see pic)
We went frog hunting last night after dark. We caught about 20-25 frogs and this morning we are making frog, pumpkin, and bird soup for breakfast. We went looking for frogs in the rice fields and along the river. I could not help but be a little nervous about stepping on a cobra. Living in Hawaii you never have to think about snakes or any poisonous animal, insect, or reptile. It gives an extra sense of safety in the woods. You never have to think about what you are going to step on.
I do remember many close encounters with fur-de-lance (terciopelo) snakes (Central and South America’s most deadly snake). Living in the rainforest of Costa Rica it would be a rare sight if my clothing was anything more than a pair of board shorts and sunglasses. Walking barefoot in the rainforest I came within inches of stepping on the fur-de-lance while hiking along the water. This is an experience that puts your heart into your throat.
As I hunted frogs I hoped we would not come along any snakes. Snakes however love frogs as much as the Carway people. They also know where to find them.
Other than my toothpaste and brush I have not seen any other type of cleaning product. At meals they grab food with their and hands and serve it. When we are done we dump our plates on the floor (inside their home) and the dogs come to eat the scraps. Before coming on this trek I wanted to experience something as different from what I am used to as possible. Doing this gives me a better perspective on everything. I wanted to really challenge myself. Having no idea what to expect I open myself up to whatever comes. Also I have an uncanny ability to shut things out of my thoughts. It comes in handy when I find myself thinking about things I can do nothing about. When holding a bird brain in my fingers getting ready to bite I can either think about how mushy and slimy it looks or I can just shut my mind off and enjoy it. I’ve been good at the latter on this trip.
One of the guides has brought his 10 year old son along on the hike. It is nice having him along. He has a constant smile on his face and his laughter is filled with absolute joy. Even though we do not have any verbal communication we are having a lot of fun together.
I think we can learn a lot from little kids. They don’t worry about the future, they don’t have regret, they don’t have past heartache. They have not been let down so they allow themselves to soar. Everything is new to them and their brains are sponges soaking it all in. They live in the present moment and try to fit as much fun, joy and laughter in to each minute of each day. As far as I can tell there is nothing more important than that.
It’s nice being on this trek alone. I feel I can experience much more this way. If I could talk with someone, share this experience with them it would make it different; somehow less foreign. Combined my guides speak less than 50 words of English. Those fifty words they use sparingly. Having someone else there would give me an escape option and take me away from where I am.
Last night for dessert we ate BBQ’d cow skin. It was strange. No real flavor and about as tough as a thick piece of leather.
I can think much better as I walk. When I am just sitting my brain jumps around a lot. When I am hiking it is much easier for me to stay on one topic. It is the same when I go running. It gives my restless energy an outlet.
One of my favorite things to do is make plans for the future. When I am on one adventure I like to scheme about the next. All of these plans don’t need to come to fruition, in fact most do not. I just like to play with many different adventures in my head. What I’ve found happens is when the time comes for me to go on a new adventure the idea I had been playing with the most recently is the one I do.
Day 3
7:30 AM
Last night we stayed in another village of the Carway people (no idea at all if I am spelling that correctly. I found out that the government gives all the hill tribe people solar panels for free. During the hot season they have electricity all day long. During the rainy season they only have it for an hour or so per day. This makes it easy for the government to control what the people see/hear. They also control much of the television channels.
The houses are normally 2 different buildings with 1 room each. The first building is for the kitchen: where the stove is. The second is for everything else. There is no furniture what so ever. You sit, eat, and sleep on the floor.
My guides told me I was the first tourist to go to the village where we slept last night. If that is true it’s pretty wild!!
I found out today that the leaf roofs on all the houses last only two years. That means that ever two years they need to completely change their roofs… interesting.
The people all seem to be very allusive. I never get a clear answer on anything. Sometimes they tell me things which I later find out were not true at all. It’s like they told me something because they did not want me to be upset even though I would find out the truth eventually.
-I love learning about different cultures. This is one of the reasons I love traveling so much!!!
1:30 PM
Today we went hunting early in the morning. We got 4 birds, two frogs, a chipmunk and a crab. It was a tasty lunch.
For the 1st few days I would always have left over bones, heads, intestines, etc on the side of my bowl when I finished my meal. Everyone else would have clean plates. I thought I was missing seeing them throw them on the ground. I realized at lunch today that was not the case at all. They eat everything. I was a little embarrassed at first because they must have seen me throw away good food.
As if Nook, my guide, could read my mind he puts a bird head, beak and all, onto my plate; “aroy mak” which means ‘very good’. He was right after I got past being stared at by my food. My first time eating bird brain… “I wonder what’s next.”
Growing up my father used to always tease my brother and I about frog legs. If we were miss-behaving he would threaten to feed us frog legs and nothing else. Twenty years later in the jungle of northern Thailand I have eaten frog for the first time. Surprisingly it is pretty tasty. The meat is the consistency of fish and has a similar taste. The brain is similar to a bird’s brain just smaller.
While eating the frog my mind drifted to the hallucinogenic frogs they had in Costa Rica. “I wonder if the poison is killed when it’s cooked?” I guess there is only one way to find out. Normally I would say that if I started seeing elephants something is funny with what I ate. Being where I am I think it would be more appropriate to say that if I start seeing skyscrapers I should stay away from the frogs next time.
As I write this entry I am sitting in the woods and we are hunting birds for dinner. The guns we are using are from a different world. Except for the barrel, trigger, and spring everything comes from the forest. They are bamboo muzzle loaders. Guns more primitive than we had during the American Revolutionary War. The gun powder is ignited by a cap. The same exact type of cap I had in my cap guns as a kid. These guns however are much more powerful than my old cap guns. I have not hit anything yet but Chai and Nook have gotten a hand full of birds each.
I’ve noticed a similar tattoo on many of the men above 40 years old. I thought it was a religious tattoo. Apparently it is much more than that. The Carway people believe these tattoos, given in special ways with bamboo, give them great powers. Some keep you safe from tigers Nook explains to me, “and this one here, if a cobra bites me I will be OK. It cannot hurt me.”
Fifteen years ago bandits from Laos or Cambodia (I’m not sure which one) came into the area we are now trekking through. The Carway people got tattoos to protect them from knives and guns:
“See Zak, I’ll show you” Nook says making the farmer, whose land we are passing over, lift up his shirt.
“This scar is from knife and this is from gun. Because he had tattoo they did not hurt him. Good tattoos better than bad bandit.”
I am getting an amazing view into the life of these people. It is absolutely fascinating. They have shown or taught me how to make many things. Most tools and food comes from the jungle. One interesting thing was the making of rice whisky or ‘special water’ as they like to call it. Whiskey made from rice in a big barrel. They bottle it in left over water bottles. It is the same color as water but the taste is much different. In Spain it would be called agua adiente de arroz. Here in the jungle of Thailand it is called a good time.
7:30 AM
Last night we stayed in another village of the Carway people (no idea at all if I am spelling that correctly. I found out that the government gives all the hill tribe people solar panels for free. During the hot season they have electricity all day long. During the rainy season they only have it for an hour or so per day. This makes it easy for the government to control what the people see/hear. They also control much of the television channels.
The houses are normally 2 different buildings with 1 room each. The first building is for the kitchen: where the stove is. The second is for everything else. There is no furniture what so ever. You sit, eat, and sleep on the floor.
My guides told me I was the first tourist to go to the village where we slept last night. If that is true it’s pretty wild!!
I found out today that the leaf roofs on all the houses last only two years. That means that ever two years they need to completely change their roofs… interesting.
The people all seem to be very allusive. I never get a clear answer on anything. Sometimes they tell me things which I later find out were not true at all. It’s like they told me something because they did not want me to be upset even though I would find out the truth eventually.
-I love learning about different cultures. This is one of the reasons I love traveling so much!!!
1:30 PM
Today we went hunting early in the morning. We got 4 birds, two frogs, a chipmunk and a crab. It was a tasty lunch.
For the 1st few days I would always have left over bones, heads, intestines, etc on the side of my bowl when I finished my meal. Everyone else would have clean plates. I thought I was missing seeing them throw them on the ground. I realized at lunch today that was not the case at all. They eat everything. I was a little embarrassed at first because they must have seen me throw away good food.
As if Nook, my guide, could read my mind he puts a bird head, beak and all, onto my plate; “aroy mak” which means ‘very good’. He was right after I got past being stared at by my food. My first time eating bird brain… “I wonder what’s next.”
Growing up my father used to always tease my brother and I about frog legs. If we were miss-behaving he would threaten to feed us frog legs and nothing else. Twenty years later in the jungle of northern Thailand I have eaten frog for the first time. Surprisingly it is pretty tasty. The meat is the consistency of fish and has a similar taste. The brain is similar to a bird’s brain just smaller.
While eating the frog my mind drifted to the hallucinogenic frogs they had in Costa Rica. “I wonder if the poison is killed when it’s cooked?” I guess there is only one way to find out. Normally I would say that if I started seeing elephants something is funny with what I ate. Being where I am I think it would be more appropriate to say that if I start seeing skyscrapers I should stay away from the frogs next time.
As I write this entry I am sitting in the woods and we are hunting birds for dinner. The guns we are using are from a different world. Except for the barrel, trigger, and spring everything comes from the forest. They are bamboo muzzle loaders. Guns more primitive than we had during the American Revolutionary War. The gun powder is ignited by a cap. The same exact type of cap I had in my cap guns as a kid. These guns however are much more powerful than my old cap guns. I have not hit anything yet but Chai and Nook have gotten a hand full of birds each.
I’ve noticed a similar tattoo on many of the men above 40 years old. I thought it was a religious tattoo. Apparently it is much more than that. The Carway people believe these tattoos, given in special ways with bamboo, give them great powers. Some keep you safe from tigers Nook explains to me, “and this one here, if a cobra bites me I will be OK. It cannot hurt me.”
Fifteen years ago bandits from Laos or Cambodia (I’m not sure which one) came into the area we are now trekking through. The Carway people got tattoos to protect them from knives and guns:
“See Zak, I’ll show you” Nook says making the farmer, whose land we are passing over, lift up his shirt.
“This scar is from knife and this is from gun. Because he had tattoo they did not hurt him. Good tattoos better than bad bandit.”
I am getting an amazing view into the life of these people. It is absolutely fascinating. They have shown or taught me how to make many things. Most tools and food comes from the jungle. One interesting thing was the making of rice whisky or ‘special water’ as they like to call it. Whiskey made from rice in a big barrel. They bottle it in left over water bottles. It is the same color as water but the taste is much different. In Spain it would be called agua adiente de arroz. Here in the jungle of Thailand it is called a good time.
Day 2 of trek
Date: Still unknown
7:00 AM
Great day yesterday. We hiked only about 4 hours but we passed by some amazing waterfalls. Hiking in 100 degree heat you sweat a little bit. The cool mountain water feels amazing when you bathe underneath its falls.
We hiked through rice fields, by buffalo & cows. We camped at a small village with about 8 guys living there. There was a river running by the village with a small waterfall that we swam in at sunset. When we arrived the men were building a tin roof on one of the shelters. All the other roofs were made out of leaves and bamboo.
I napped by the river while my 2 guides went off to get dinner. It is funny here in Thailand, I never know what is going on. It has a big part to do with the language (that I don’t speak yet) but it is more than just that. I never get a straight answer on anything. Also they will say one thing and then another thing happens. For instance today before I napped here is what happened:
“stay here we’ll be back in 30 minutes” and then 1 minute later “stay here we will be back in 10 minutes.” The guides disappeared for 1.5 hours and showed back up with chickens in hand.
I played a sort of volleyball with the men who lived in the village and it was a lot of fun. The ball was made of bamboo and it was the size of a softball. Unlike volleyball you could not use your hands or arms, only your head and legs. I did pretty well for my first time.
At night time I walked down the rice fields with one of my guides and then we hiked back up the river in the dark. We were hunting for frogs. You can see the frog’s reflection with the flashlight at night time. We caught a few and BBQ'd them up. My first time eating frog but they were tasty.
We are leaving around 9am and hiking for 3 hours. We will have lunch and hike for 3 more hours. They said it is going to be a tough hike… we will see
LUNCH TIME
This is pretty cool. We are hiking along paths that have been used for centuries by the Thai people for trading and traveling between villages. We are in the middle of the jungle yet there are villages and small farms all over the place. I have done a fair amount of hiking all over the world and this is far different that anything I have ever done before.
At one point during the morning we stopped to take a break. I had a splinter in my foot from the night before so I sat to dig it out with my pocket knife and one of the guides walked off into the woods (I have given up asking what is going on. I either do not understand or get told something that is not true. More fun this way anyhow). Ten minutes later he calls for us. He has a thin bamboo stick and is jamming it into the crack of a tree talking frantically. The other guide gets excited and grabs a stick himself. I think to myself, “oh boy they are digging out some kind of insect for us to eat.” A couple minutes later, after seeing many many different insects run out of the crack I realize that it is not insects they are after. “Flying Rat” my guide tells me as he pulls a rodent out of the tree by its hind legs. We caught two ‘flying rats’ from the tree in total (after looking at the creatures I was grateful to realize they were flying squirrel not rats).
At lunch time we passed a small village of maybe 15 people. They cooked the squirrels up for us with noodles and rice. They tasted quite good.
Life is much different here (obviously) than I am used to. In the villages people are always napping. At first I thought this was weird: “Shouldn’t they be working??? Doing chores??? Etc???” I realize however that there probably is not too much to do. They have the things that must get done and other than that they can fill their day how they like.
It seems like they put more emphasis on just being in the moment. There is no rushing around, no deadlines, no real rules or laws at all.
********************************
I wonder how people see me as I walk through their villages, what their thoughts are. We live in two entirely different worlds. I can go to theirs or any other place in this world I want to whenever I want. Less than 99.9% of the people I encounter on this trek will never be able to come to my world. It doesn’t seem fair. I’m not assuming they would want to come to my world but I’m sure they would like the option. I know I don’t like it when someone tells me I cannot do something.
The houses are made out of bamboo walls and the floors are elevated 3-7 feet. So the wind cools the inside. The roofs are made out of dried leafs lashed to bamboo rods. One village we passed through had a large satellite and solar panel outside. It was funny to see: they have the same exact house their ancestors lived in thousands of years ago and then they had a slice of technology out of the 21st century.
Date: Still unknown
7:00 AM
Great day yesterday. We hiked only about 4 hours but we passed by some amazing waterfalls. Hiking in 100 degree heat you sweat a little bit. The cool mountain water feels amazing when you bathe underneath its falls.
We hiked through rice fields, by buffalo & cows. We camped at a small village with about 8 guys living there. There was a river running by the village with a small waterfall that we swam in at sunset. When we arrived the men were building a tin roof on one of the shelters. All the other roofs were made out of leaves and bamboo.
I napped by the river while my 2 guides went off to get dinner. It is funny here in Thailand, I never know what is going on. It has a big part to do with the language (that I don’t speak yet) but it is more than just that. I never get a straight answer on anything. Also they will say one thing and then another thing happens. For instance today before I napped here is what happened:
“stay here we’ll be back in 30 minutes” and then 1 minute later “stay here we will be back in 10 minutes.” The guides disappeared for 1.5 hours and showed back up with chickens in hand.
I played a sort of volleyball with the men who lived in the village and it was a lot of fun. The ball was made of bamboo and it was the size of a softball. Unlike volleyball you could not use your hands or arms, only your head and legs. I did pretty well for my first time.
At night time I walked down the rice fields with one of my guides and then we hiked back up the river in the dark. We were hunting for frogs. You can see the frog’s reflection with the flashlight at night time. We caught a few and BBQ'd them up. My first time eating frog but they were tasty.
We are leaving around 9am and hiking for 3 hours. We will have lunch and hike for 3 more hours. They said it is going to be a tough hike… we will see
LUNCH TIME
This is pretty cool. We are hiking along paths that have been used for centuries by the Thai people for trading and traveling between villages. We are in the middle of the jungle yet there are villages and small farms all over the place. I have done a fair amount of hiking all over the world and this is far different that anything I have ever done before.
At one point during the morning we stopped to take a break. I had a splinter in my foot from the night before so I sat to dig it out with my pocket knife and one of the guides walked off into the woods (I have given up asking what is going on. I either do not understand or get told something that is not true. More fun this way anyhow). Ten minutes later he calls for us. He has a thin bamboo stick and is jamming it into the crack of a tree talking frantically. The other guide gets excited and grabs a stick himself. I think to myself, “oh boy they are digging out some kind of insect for us to eat.” A couple minutes later, after seeing many many different insects run out of the crack I realize that it is not insects they are after. “Flying Rat” my guide tells me as he pulls a rodent out of the tree by its hind legs. We caught two ‘flying rats’ from the tree in total (after looking at the creatures I was grateful to realize they were flying squirrel not rats).
At lunch time we passed a small village of maybe 15 people. They cooked the squirrels up for us with noodles and rice. They tasted quite good.
Life is much different here (obviously) than I am used to. In the villages people are always napping. At first I thought this was weird: “Shouldn’t they be working??? Doing chores??? Etc???” I realize however that there probably is not too much to do. They have the things that must get done and other than that they can fill their day how they like.
It seems like they put more emphasis on just being in the moment. There is no rushing around, no deadlines, no real rules or laws at all.
********************************
I wonder how people see me as I walk through their villages, what their thoughts are. We live in two entirely different worlds. I can go to theirs or any other place in this world I want to whenever I want. Less than 99.9% of the people I encounter on this trek will never be able to come to my world. It doesn’t seem fair. I’m not assuming they would want to come to my world but I’m sure they would like the option. I know I don’t like it when someone tells me I cannot do something.
The houses are made out of bamboo walls and the floors are elevated 3-7 feet. So the wind cools the inside. The roofs are made out of dried leafs lashed to bamboo rods. One village we passed through had a large satellite and solar panel outside. It was funny to see: they have the same exact house their ancestors lived in thousands of years ago and then they had a slice of technology out of the 21st century.
So, I went to Chiang Mai, which is in northern Thailand, with my brother for a wedding. A friend of ours was getting married up there. I have been in Thailand now for about a month and am spending most of my time in Bangkok. I was ready to get out of the big city and go see some different parts of the country. The girl’s dad who was getting married owns a tour company. I decided one night when we were at dinner that I wanted to go treking with a guide from his company. I did not want to do the normal treking that most people do but rather something completely out there. I told her dad I wanted to go on an intense trek for 5 days through the jungle. One thing led to another and the next day he told me he had arranged a special trek for me that had never been done before. He asked me such questions as “are you OK eating only rice for breakfast? Are you OK with eating snakes? Are you OK with only taking clothes, rice, and a gun into the jungle for 5 days?” The answer to all of those questions was obviously a big YES!! I wanted to experience the jungle of Thailand and in my mind you can’t do that with western comforts such as running water and clean clothes.
I kept a journal for the 5 day trek and I am going to transcribe it here in the blog. I would spend more time on editing it but I need to get on a plane for Nepal in 24 hours. If it is too ‘rough’ for you or if it jumps around too much feel free to stop reading at anytime. If you make it through it I hope you enjoy it.
Here are my unedited thoughts and experiences (some of them) of five days in the south east Asian jungle:
Day 1 of Trek
Location: somewhere in the Northern Thailand Jungle
Date: Unknown
1:30 pm
I’m headed out to an unknown adventure. I just had my last meal in civilization for about 5 days. I am way up in the mountains a few hours outside of Chiang Mai. I am heading into the jungle with 2 guides and one of their sons age 10.
I am sitting at a small café outside at a bench. There is a gas station of sorts across the way. Just 2 50 gallon drums with a hand pump in a cylinder block shed. Pretty wild indeed (see pic).
All we are taking on the trip is clothes, a sleeping bag, and a gun made out of bamboo.
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