Flight of the Gibbon and Homestay

12/12/09

DAY 3

We got to sleep in today until 8:20, which was much needed after our first two action packed days. We woke up after a short but lovely stay at Lai Thai Guesthouse. Our room was comfortable and the management was extremely accommodating to all of our needs. We were whisked away by the Flight of the Gibbon (http://www.treetopasia.com/) van and taken to Mae Kapong village (population 500 people) where we suited up in our harnesses and helmets and met our guides, Tiger and Make. Tiger was very informative during the drive to the zip line course and told us about how the inhabitants of Mae Kapong have built a reputation as excellent harvesters of very strong coffee and meang tea. We met our fellow adventurers, friendly honeymooners hailing from Melbourne, Australia and a young couple from Bangkok. We were all a bit freaked out when we first clipped into the harness and looked over the ledge at the vast jungle canopy below. Right on cue, we heard the howling of gibbons in the distance, which made the experience even more surreal. The zip lining was a huge adrenaline rush and a neat way to gain a gibbon’s perspective of swinging from branch to branch. Those afraid of heights might be apprehensive at first, but this experience is a must for anyone visiting Chiang Mai.

After our zip lining and repelling, we were transported to the nearby Mae Kapong waterfall. We climbed all the way to the top of the beautifully cascading falls, which took about fifteen minutes of strenuous stair climbing. We got some breathtaking pictures of the famous waterfall, which is only accessible during the dry season. From there, we were returned to the Mae Kapong village, where we bid farewell to our fellow Gibbon fliers and met the family we would be lodging with in the village. The Mae Kapong Village homestay (http://www.treetopasia.com/thailand-holiday/thailand-village-homestay) family were so wonderful to open their lovely home and lives up to us. They could only speak Thai, but their smiles spoke more than words could say. Pam was able to translate some of the information they had for us about the house and we went into town to explore a bit. The main thing that hit me immediately was how nice everyone was and how young and old smiled at us.

A man named Anon was our guide and took us through the town and we rode in the back of a flatbed truck to the Jea Song National Park. We climbed a mountain and took some spectacular photographs of the lush and mountainous terrain that surrounded us. On our way down the mountain, we met two monks who traveled to the park to climb the same peak we climbed. One of the monks spoke very good English and spoke to us for about fifteen minutes, asking about what we were doing in such a remote village and inquiring about our background. He invited us to climb the mountain again with him but we politely declined because of our tight schedule. Anon showed us coffee and tea trees and had the answer to hundreds of obscure questions I had about our surroundings. On our way down the mountain, the truck carrying the two monks stopped and invited us for a ride. We thought, “why not, how many chances will you have to ride in a truck with monks?” and we hopped aboard. We joked and laughed with these two, who were the friendliest monks I have ever met! When they dropped us off, they gave us each a small Buddha made of dried and hardened mud, which they had blessed. The Buddha offerings, according to them, would protect us and leave us under the cover of angels as long as we keep them safe and in a high place (in Buddhism, height is the equivalent of respect). We returned to our home stay family and Aubrey volunteered to put her new Thai cooking skills to the test in the kitchen to make our dinner. Pam and I were smart and opted to get Thai massages in our host family’s house for only 150 baht! After our massage, we sat down to a lovely Thai dinner in the family room of our Thai hosts. They were so gracious and welcoming; they were so intent on making sure we were enjoying our food! As I type this, it is about 11:30 PM and it is FREEZING here, as we are in the mountains and it is 8 degrees Celsius- a big change from the heat of Bangkok we have become accustomed to! We are so worn out from our busy day and we need to bungle up under our mosquito netted mattress on the floor, but we wouldn’t rather be anywhere else in the world. Mae Kapong village is truly a remarkable place unchanged by time and we will be sad to leave it tomorrow morning.

Fun dee, (goodnight),

Aubrey and Parker -AubParkThailand

P.S. We didn't have Internet access in the village obviously, so this post will be put up a day late.