Follow the Journey

Hi all! Rachel here. Since you last heard from us we have left our home stays on gone on a three day trek. On the last night of our home stays we had a closing ceremony with our families where we gave speeches in Thai and said good bye to our hosts. The evening ended with us floating lotus flowers we made from banana stalks and leaves in a pond and sending paper lanterns into the sky. It was sad to leave our new families we grew so close to but exciting to move onto our next adventure! After a rest day in Chang Mai we set off for a three day trek. Our guides Susin and Daro lead us though the mountains to visit the Karen Hill tribes. On the first day we started by taking a two hour song tow (a truck with seating in the bed and a roof) to beautiful hot springs where we soaked and relaxed before venturing on our five hour hike. The fist hike was long and difficult but the views we saw were priceless and made the trip worth it. That night we stayed in a large room on mats in a Karen home that was primarily made of bamboo and on stilts. That next morning we ventured out to an elephant sanctuary where we rode, fed and bathed five huge and beautiful (or as they say in Thai suai) elephants. Then we headed back to our house to eat lunch and head to our next village. Some of us chose to walk another hour and half trail while others choose to ride the river down on bamboo rafts. That night we sat around a camp fire and Topher played the guitar for us. It was lovely to sit around and sing together. Finally the next day we all took a hour and forty five minute rafting ride down the river. It was relaxing and exciting especially when we went down small rapids. Now we are back in Chang Mai for another rest day and to celebrate Dillon’s birthday! Tomorrow we are off to Pun Pun Organic farm for about a week to help out and learn more about Thailand’s efforts to be organic. I’m so excited to see what tomorrow brings!