Trekking in Doi Chiang Dao

Today we did an organised tour that included an elephant ride and rafting as well as walking and visits to local hill tribes. We paid a bit more to avoid the coachloads that descend on certain tourist tribes and were also glad of this when we went past the huge elephant camp which looked like it probably had elephant 'shows'. Our ride was at a small private camp which had just a few animals that appeared well treated and we enjoyed watching them tuck into their lunch after our ride. I'd already been on elephants in Nepal, but it was a first for Szilvia and she was concerned about whether we were too heavy, though once one had seen the working elephants with tree trunks on their backs, it's clear a few humans isn't much bother. This time I was invited to ride on the elephants bareback, which was a strange experience feeling its huge shoulders moving beneath me. My stomach muscles got real workout as I clung on when going downhill.

The trekking itself was relatively short, but pleasant as we walked on a mainly gentle downward path through, bizarrely, fields of cabbages on the mountainside.

One of the villages was already set up for selling its wares, but the other was a simple affair perched on the hilltop with various squealing children and piglets.

I was slightly concerned about the white-water rafting as though I knew it wouldn't be too fast, knew about certain guides tendency to enjoying deliberately flipping boats and that this wouldn't sit too well with Szilvia who's only learnt to swim a week or so ago. Having received assurances that this wouldn't be the case by the English speaking guide, our non-English speaking helmsman (or whatever you call them) decided that he's ensure we hit virtually every rock possible. The other guys were frustrated with this by the end, but I was happy as Szilvia seemed to enjoy every minute of it, despite our near capsizing and being stranded on rocks on two occasions.