Deliverance- Thai Style

Last night we got back from a wild adventure into the jungle in northern Thailand, northwest of Chiang Mai. It began in with a stop at a great little market, then onto an incredible waterfall. We walked right up to the falls and stood behind the water. The water was incredibly refreshing in the hot weather.

After the waterfall we went to hot springs- it's not exactly the place you want to be in Thai weather but it was fun to poke around. We tried to get in to the water but it was so incredibly hot I could only stand to put in my lower legs. Nuri braved the scalding pool and got in eventually.

After the hot springs we started a long hike into the forest. We were accompanied by two couples- one French and one Kiwi/Irish. The hike was lovely and only mildly challenging. We sweat more than we ever have before and downed a ton of water. I was actually dripping all over- something you only get in that kind of jungle heat.

We passed through a few villages and ended up in a Karen village for the night. We were told by our guide that the camp was full and we had to either hike another hour or take a bamboo raft. Bamboo rafting was part of the trip anyway so we decided it would be fun. We watched them build the raft and got on. It started sinking. They added some bamboo to the side and went down the river. It was getting darker and darker and we were a little spooked by the jungle and the raft but we got to the camp in time.

The next day we were scheduled to ride elephants and go bamboo rafting again. Now, I've done some stupid sh-- while traveling like jumping off bridges, paragliding and biking on highways but nothing prepared me for the elephant ride. Holy moly I thought we were going to die. We were the only couple on an elephant without a guide on it and we were in front. The saddle thing seemed to be slipping to one side the entire time and our elephant was extremely distracted by some cattle we met along the muddy, hilly way. I would also like to add that the "chair" we sad in was just some wood and rope. The elephant kept on veering off the path toward the water to chase the cattle and we were beyond nervous. I jumped off a cliff to paraglide- that was scary. This elephant ride was terrifying. Later, the person on the elephant behind us admitted that our elephant had been slipping the entire way. Great.

Yet, that was nothing compared the the bamboo raft ride that awaited us...