Water Buffalo and Rice Fields

Trekking Day 1 - Cont.

So here I am in the mountains of Northern Thailand (closer, but not too close for comfort to Burma), aside from our group of 3, along for the trip are a Dutch couple and an Israeli guy. In addition leading us is the guide, Sonny and a young boy (approx 12 y/o) Jovi, who is from the area and is helping out. Our short hike for the day consists of walking through a few vilages, past many rice paddys (the pic on this page is from Vietnam, but you get the idea), and by a dozen very curious water buffalo. One of the villages we walk past is part of a Royal Thai project. The King pumped money into the village and started new flower and fish cultivation projects in an effort to get the villages away from cultivating poppies for opium production. We walk past a hut where a man is intently smoking from a long (approx 2 feet) wooden pipe. We are told he is just smoking tobacco, but I have my doubts. I have read however that the Kings efforts have caused the opium production in Thailand to plummet 80 percent.

It's quite a bit colder up here, but still hot during the day. For a bathroom there is an outhouse, but instead of a standard outhouse, it's an asian style toilet inside, so that's ok.

During the night we go to sleep in a semi open bamboo hut. Like I said before, we are sleeping on the wooden floor. A flat woven straw mat is all that separates us from wood. For covers, we sleep with approx 4 or 5 blankets (it's cold remember) that look like they were made a hundred years ago, and likely washed at about the same time. I am fairly certain however, aside from some mosquito bites, nothing else bit me while I was sleeping. That would change the next night however ...