[Schmitty 87]

[ QUOTE ]
cool thanks. ya would definitely be interested in more info. do you just kill animals and walk through the jungle? or what is it that you do? from people who pmed me a while back if i remember correctly they seemed to really recommend it, so trying to get an idea if i'd like it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oops lol no it's pure coincidence that two of the pictures involve dead animals. I suppose I just found those photos cooler than the others. The top picture was a sacrifice for an animist ritual, and the bottom was when the guy in the photo nailed a bird with his slingshot.

The guide (3rd picture down, on the left) spoke English, Thai, and Karen (the tribal languague). He also happens to be a really good cook. He cooks all of your meals with the help of a village family and other guides he brings along (who he brings along presumably in case he gets injured somehow and to pay them).

The hiking is very variable. Sometimes you're on a jungle path, other times you're out in the open.

The place I went is called Pooh's Eco Trekking, which is located on Ratchpakinai road close to the south moat. I did three treks with them, all with Tee (3rd picture on the left) as guide. What distinguishes his treks from the common touristy ones are:

1. Tourist treks always include elephant riding and bamboo rafting. If you want to ride an elephant, I'd go to the elephant conservation center so you know the animals aren't being horribly mistreated and exploited for tourists to ride on them. I didn't go bamboo rafting, but I hear it is quite the sleeper. You just coast up the river standing there. Whitewater rafting is the way to go in my opinion.
2. His language skills and knowledge. Tee spoke the best english in terms of vocabulary of any Thai person I met. Speaking Karen and being Karen himself is also an awesome characteristic. He knows how they live and how they do things. He is their friend, and not simply a business acquaintance.
3. The villages. Villages close to Chiang Mai have a lot of tourists. Tee drives you far as [censored], close to the Burmese border. In the touristy villages the villagers have coca-cola, try to sell you stuff, and many can even speak a bit of english. No pepsi where we went. A selling point for a lot of treks is the interaction with the villagers (an overnight stay with a tribal family!). On touristy treks, that interaction is likely to be limited. You might drink with them a bit, but then they go back home and you go to bed in what is essentially a village guesthouse. I stayed with a family, in a sleeping bag on hard bamboo two feet from the fire.
4. Group size. The treks I went on had 3 people including myself. Expect 8+ for touristy treks.
5. Additional guides. On every trek I went on, Tee brought along other people for certain legs of the trip. It's cool seeing them interact with their home environment (like jumping rock to rock with sandals while you're slooowwwly making your way in shoes). If something were to happen to Tee or a trekker, it also has to be a huge benefit to have people who know the area ready to help.
6. Cost. You can probably find a 3 day/2 night touristy trek for like 1500 baht or less. The 3 day/2 night eco trek will cost around 4k baht.

Ask away if you have any questions.