%u0E47hola hola!!

Right guys spanish first as its the hard one then english!

Hola todos! Gracias por los mesajes tan simpaticos, y si tio edu tambien recivi los tuyos asi k aprendiste!

Bueno siguo en Chiang Mai por k mi amiga sigue enferma pero mientras tanto you fue a mi trek por las montanias mas al norte a conocer a la gente indigena k viven en pueblos. Son gente de Burma k vinieron a thailandia havecomo 800 anios y la verdad esque viven como los picapiedras!!

Bueno empizo desde el principio. El dia k me fui mi amiga se fue an un hotel mas bonito con tele , agua caliente y con un banio que tiene cadena! Eso es una novedad aqui! Se llevo mi mochila grande y yo me fuy con la pequena-la de dia!!

Primero fuimos hacer bamboo rafting! El rio se veia bastante sucio, lleno de insectos y rockas, digamos k no te meterias! Bueno porsupuesto k se nos dio vuelta el bamboo y terminamos todos dde bajo del agua! Una chica perdio su chancla hahaha!! Era en la manana asi la verdad esque yo tenia frio asi k no fue muy agradable! Finalmente llegamos a tierra seca y tengo k decire k no fue tan interesante como yo pensaba!

Despues seguimos a los elefantes! Me tcoco un elefante mujer y mediano en tamano. Eran como caminos de ariva a bajo como por cerros, pero cuando el elefante baja te sientes como k te vas a caer de cabeza! Tu te sientas arriva en un asiento protegida por una barra de metal (como en un parque de attracciones) y un thailandes esta en la cabeza del elfante dirijiendo.

Bueno todo hiba bien, yo hiba sacando fotos por k hay muchos mas elefantes por el alrededor. Estabamos suviendo por un cerro y se nos acerco un tremendo elefante por el lado, el estaba mas arriba y se empezo acercar demasiado. El k iba dirijiendo empezo a gritarle y pegarle para k se fuera, pero se enfurezio y empezo a empujar al mio. Mi elefante gritaba, el thailandes gritaba socorro, mi barra de seguridad salio volando y yo termine colgada del thailandes. Mi elfante se resbalaba mas y mas.

Finalmente vino ayuda y controlanron al otro elefante y ayudaron al mio, yo volvi a mi asiento pero ya con mucho miedo-si me hubiera caido hubiera dolido un guevo pero creo k aa lo peor me quiebro un hueso pero mi temor era k el elafante me pisara o k se callera encima mio pero bueno no paso y mejor no pensar en eso!!

Poco despues empezo el trek. Te prometo k no te preparan para no k es. Era una caminata de 3 horas por cerro grueso, mucho tiempo ibas escalando por k no hay caminos. Con la mochila y los 35 grados fue espantoso. Tuvimos k crucar rios, trepar por arboles pequenos, yo la verdad pense k me iba a morir! La temporada de la lluvia acaba de terminar asi k habia mucho barro y estaba todo muy resbaloso-HORROR!

Finalmente sudando como nunca, ya sin poder respirar llegamos al la poblacion de la gente 'Karen' Viven en casuchas de bamboo, con aujeros para ventanas con trapos colgando y porsupuesto no hay crystal! Son gentes muy amables, nos invitaron a sus casas, vimos una ceremonia religiosa y nos sentamos con ellos alrededor de la fogata.

Ellos viven del arroz k colectan de las plantaciones y pescado del rio, teinen, cerdos, y pollos que les daran huevos y carne supongo!El frio cuando se fue el sol era espantoso, mas con el olor de la fogata y los millones de gatos (k me dan asthma!) yo estaba segura k iba amanecer enferma y eso no hubiera sido divertido por k no hay otra manera de salir de hay k escalando y escalar con asthama?! Creo k no!

Bueno el la noche me meti bajo mi malla de los mosquitos, con 5 mantas, 2 jerseys, calzetines y pantalon como chandal, el aire era tan frio que me puse una camiseta asquerosa del sudor en mi cara para no respirar aire tan frio! Dormi mal! Mas encima super preocupada de lo k me esperaba el proximo dia en la caminata, ya tenia los pies llenos de ampoas!Pero bueno me levante, lave los dientes en un banio k mejor no voy a describir ( tenfo foto as k hay pondran ver) desayunamos y nos fuimos.

3 terribles horas despues paramos a comer y empezamos a camino la punta mas alta de thailandia, una montania donde en el pico hay un templo para el rey y otro para la reina. Esto menosmal k lo hicimos en coche. Llegamos arriba y obviamente me enferme de la altura, asi k no lo difrute, tambien un frio horrible. Con los cambios de calor a frio yo segura k me enfermaba pero de momento todo bien! Bueno pase el tiempo mareada y con ganas de vomitar pero la verdad k las vistas increibles, la nuves estaban mas abajo k nosotros!!Finalmente regrasamos a la civilacion donde me comi un gran plato de pescado con patatas fritas de un sitio ingles!!

Mi am,iga estaba en un super hotel tratanmdo de recuperarse asi k disfrute de una ducha caliente, uhn banio con cadena y lo mejor... television!! Fue como un sueno!!

En fin estoy super agradecida a mis circumstancias k me dejan hacer cosas asi pero la verda esque creo k aparte de Machu Pichu (k seguro me matara!) y dos o tres partes ,as por N.zelanda y por asia fue demasiado! Aunque seguro se me olvida y hago otra locura perecida por k me entanta estar lejos de lo k conozco y de las comodidades del primer mundo. Esta experincia fue muy autentica y es increible k por casi todo el mundo hay gente k tienen estas vidas!

Bueno mi amiga sigue enferma. Acabamos de regresar del hospital donde le han dado un monton de medicinas para el pecho y la tripa asi k ojala se recupere pronto y de ahi a camino a Laos, Cambodia y Vietnam! Despues segiramos al sur de thailandia a las playas, la fiesta de luna llena, sol, playa y scuba diving, la verdad es k soy mucho mas de playa k de montanas!!

Bueno este sitio de internet es una mierda asi k no voy a tratar a poner las fotos, eso la proxima vez. En todo caso las fotos no son tan interesantes por k estaba tan concentrada en escalar y vivir y respirar k apenas sace y en el pueblo0bueno no me gusta tratar a esta gente como sitios turisticos asi k tampoco tengo mucho, ademas ellos piensan k el flash havedanio al alma!En fin hasta la proxima vez!

chao xxx

Alright guys, back to what has deffo become the mother language (oh dear!)

Well my trek! I was sooo excited about it, aboiut the rafting, the elephants, meeting the village people (not as in ymca) they're actually refugees from Burma-well the ones I visired where anyway! That have been there for 800 or so years and their way of life has really not changed much in that time.

Julie was sick & she was never going to do the trek anyway well or sick so she checked intoa nicer hotel where she could get well in peace! She took my backpack with her as well & i took my day pack thing (god I sound soooooooo stupid!!) so it kinda worked out well!

Anyway headed off early in the morning, we started with the bamboo rafting. It was a really hideous looking river full of rocks & weird looking insects floating around & sewage coloured water, it was early in the morning so the water was freezing. O f course we tipped & ended up completely under the raft! No life jackets obviously as we're in Thailand! One of the girls lost her flip flop haha!! Managed to get back on and safely back to land! Not half as exciting as you may think or what I expected plus I was on a raft with some right dullards!

We then moved onto the elephants which ive been looking forward to since England!! I got a medium sized girl elephant & she was a bit naughty as she kept going in the wrong direction but that suits me just fine-she was like me!!! The paths they take you on are in a dense forest type environment and its all uphill & downhill, when they go downhill you feel as though you're going to fall head first-its freaky!!

You're sat at the top on a seat with a barrier (like on fairground rides) and the thai guy sits on the head of the elephant. Anyway its at an elephant park so theres elephants all around & we had a baby one following us the whole time, he kept trying to eat my flip flop so kept hitting my foot with his trunk-soooooo sweet! We were going up this hill and there was a massive elephant above us to one side & a sort of drop to the other side, anyway this elephant kept coming closer to us, the thai guy eventually started shouting at it and hitting it to get away. The elephant went mental and atrted to push my lephant, mine started screaming (you know that noise elephnats make? Like in Dumbo? That one)

The thai guy started calling for help, i was completely freaking out. My barrier went flying, I came off my seat as it was too steep,ended up with my arms round the thai guy, literally clinging on to him. I just thought do whatever the thai guy does, if he jumps you jump. Eventually all these other guys came & got the attacking elephant away & helped my elephant back on track. I got back on my seat, they put the barrier back on and on we went. I wasn't that bothered about falling off, I mean I would have bloody hurt myself but i was more worried about getting stepped on or worse if the elephant fell on top of me-that would have been bye bye caz!

I was horrified so that was pretty much the end of my elephant ride dream!!We later got to feed them & stuff so it wasn't too bad but still plus everyone who saw it was like oh my god!!That however was the good part of the trek!

The horror started when we started treking! they really don't explain how its going to be at all. It was like hiking & climbing up steep mountains for like 40 mins at a time cos obviously you have to make it before sunset. The rainy season has just finished do it was so muddy slippery in places plus 35 degrees and with the carrying your pack its was truly horrific. The other girl was knee deep in mud, I was more careful so avoided that plus i knew there were leeches. In the end the guide carried my bag & another guy had to carry another girls bag.We had to climb over high trees that had fallen, branches & jump over rivers-err hello im short!!I have never sweat soo much, i licked my lip at one point & it was like i had swallowed a teaspoon of salt, my legs were like jelly & i couldn't breathe!

After 3 torturous hrs we reached the 'Karen Village' Its unbelievable how capitalism & globalisation doesn't get to these communities. They live in bamboo shacks, with holes for windows with cloths over them. They live off rice from the rice fields & fish that they fish from the river. They have chickens for eggs (meat i guess), pigs :( & have millions of cats (my favourite-NOT!) for company.At dusk the temperature drops & by night it was freezing. I had a hoodie & tracksuit bottoms on but it wasn't enough.

The karen people invited us into their homes after dinner, we sat around the campfire (which they have in their bamboo homes!!) and we saw a religious ceremony. Of course I put my foot through the bamboo, broke their house & ended up flat on my arse-lucky they're nice people eh?!ALthough it was amazing i was frustrated that we couldn't understand more, at times I was so lost, I didn't know what we were being offered or asked, they're as curious about us as we are about them.

The tiolet was a hut with an asian style tiolet ie. squatting with a barrel next to it to flush & wash yourself with, theres no drainage in shower terms so the water just kinda dries into the concrete, not comfortable by any means but all part of the experience.

I went to sleep in my hut, on the floor, under my mossie net, with about 5 blankets, 2 hoodies on & i was still so cold, eventually i put my disgusting sweaty t shirt on my face to not breathe in the cold air. I had a s*** nights sleep what with the damn cats roaming around, the cold, the strange noises plus the worry of the hideous trekking that was ahead of me. I just wanted to call Julie to get me a helicopter or a rescue team to come & get me. Plus I was worried about waking up ill, theres not really any other way round & we were completely as they say 'off the beaten track so it really was not a time to get sick.

Luckily I woke up fine, by then it was boiling again!We had breakfast, I found a fish bone in my eggs but i tried not to think about it as i was starving and the previous night I had eaten fish bits that a villager had picked for me with his filthy hands- I really dont mean that in a derogatory way but us westerners arent used to these germs so that could be lethal for us, luckily not for me!!

We began trekking again & the nightmare continued for about 3 hrs where we finally reached a road & got picked up by a van! (sheer joy!!) I got so sunburnt, I have horrible tan likes from my vest, my feet are all blistered and I was completely filthy! We drove to the highest point in thailand, up a mountain to see 2 temples one for the king & one for the queen. I went got altitude sickness so spent the entire time looking for somewhere to puke! I was dizzy & generally felt s***. The sights were amazing though, you could actually see clouds below us!!

Anyway finally got back to civilization, I was so happy to see Julie & tell her all about my nightmare! I had a massive plate of fish & chips, went to her lovely hotel room had a hot shower, washed the sweat & bonfire smell out of my hair, put my clothes to be washed my a nice thai lady went to bed & watched telly!!! It was like a total dream.

Im massively pleased with myself at having done it & it was an amazing experience but i wouldn'tdo it again! Mind you i'll prob forget in time & do something equally crazy somewhere else. The people were amazing & Im dead lucky to have experienced their life even if it was for 1 night!

Anyway guys, this Internet place is crap so im not even going to bother puttingt he pics, they're not that good as i was more concerned about breathing & living rather than taking pics but I'll deffo do it next time.Anyway bye for now from a very sore Caz xx