Same country, different Worlds (part 2)

Same country, different Worlds, continued...

Following the village visit, we took off trekking towards the jungle, walking through the village's agricultural land, where they grow rice, soy and a variety of other crops. They don't use mechanical equipment and I was imagining, in my own mind, how labour intensive it must be, when it comes to harvesting these crops. Apparently, the whole village helps out. This kind of socialism seems to work very well for these indigenous people. No such thing as greed; just all for one and one for all. It truly was a privilege to get a glimpse into this way of life, and those people touched my heart, more than they could possibly know.

Marching on through the jungle, there was very little our tour guide, Lan, didn't know about the various leaves and fruits that you could eat. Some tasty, others the polar opposite! If you were stuck out there, you'd never go hungry - the variety of edibles seemed to be endless.

Not being used to the heat (never mind long distance walking in it!), some of the group were eager to take a break after a while. Lan encouraged us to walk a little further, promising a very nice surprise a few minutes further up the trek. Reluctantly, we pushed on and the reward was worth the slog, when we came to a natural spring that we all splashed around in for a while. It was beyond refreshing, and I think the group would back me up in saying that all of our faces were sore from smiling, at the whole experience.

When we finally got to our resting place, I felt like I was dreaming. Just below the hut that we would be sleeping in, was a huge waterfall with a pond that we could swim in. You could hear the water crashing off the rocks from where you laid your head, which I found very soothing. There were trees towering 100s of feet above our heads, housing all sorts of tropical birds and butterflies. As clichéd as it may sound, I was at one with nature and I had never felt as chilled out, as I did out there.

The beauty of our surroundings contributed to the groups chemistry and we all got to know each other, talking about everything, and nothing at the same time. My words are only vaguely descriptive, at best. It was just one of those things that you'd need to be there for, to really appreciate how enhancing it was, for everyone  present.

The second day of the trek saw us trek to a Buddhist temple, in the middle of nowhere. In my heart of hearts, I was disappointed to be going to another temple, as I had seen quite a few already, in Chiang Mai. The guide told us, that this temple was like no other. He said no more and I took him at face value. I can assertively say, that this temple was like no other. Stuck, in the heart of the jungle, lays this magnificent temple, with trees and shrubs of every conceivable colour surrounding it. The only way to get to it is by a dirt road through the wilderness of the jungle. The general ambience of the place was one of complete serenity. I don't know how to describe the beauty of this place any better, so it is probably best to leave it at that, as words are failing me - a common occurance of this trip, it would seem!!

Waking up on the third day, I was disappointed to be leaving the jungle. The trekking part was finished with and we were heading back to Chiang Mai, via an elephant centre to go elephant back riding. Long before that, I had decided that I wouldn't take part in this activity. I had read somewhere previously, that the process of taming elephants is called 'the crush'. This literally means that, from birth, the elephant's spirit is completely crushed, until they become submissive to humans. The others on the tour were taking part, so I had to stop by with them. I just waited at a nearby coffee shop. From my seat in the coffee shop, I could clearly see what was happening in the elephant centre below.

When I saw how the elephants were treated, I felt so bad for them; I wanted to do something to help them, but the only thing I could realistically do at that time, was to stay away from them. I became very pensive, and found myself wondering, how their human handlers could live with themselves for treating an animal this way. I'm glad that I stuck to my guns, and didn't go near the elephants that day, as I would carry the guilt forever more. This was an upsetting end to my 3 days in the jungle. On reflection, sadness is one of the only emotions I didn't feel while I was out there, so maybe it was good to get it out of my system before getting back to Chiang Mai.