One hour has 19 minutes

Chiang Mai

One of the main activities travelers do going to Chiang Mai, in the north of Thailand, is a trek in a forest near the city.

There are tens of them offered in hotels (some of them will require you book the trek with them, otherwise, they will limit the lenght of your stay), all of them being similar.

The prices varie, which doesn't mean the experience is gonna be better. It is recommended to book directly in Chiang Mai because the prices are higher in Bangkok.

I took a chance with the Travel Hub Chiang Mai agency. Professionnal website, convincing pictures, seven years of experience and best price guaranteed.

I chose three days for 1600 bahts. From the moment they picked me up, I understood I didn't get an unbeatable price. My trek partners got a price of 1300 or 1400 for three days and two nights.

According to the schedule, the first day was about stopping at the market to collect food for dinner, than a one hour elephant ride and a difficult three hours walk to get to the village of Lahu, on top of a mountain. 

Each time we would ask how long it would take to get somewhere, our guide would say "19 minutes". But too many activities lasted only 19 minutes instead of one hour like it was listed on the schedule. Like that elephant tour... too short.

In the end though, we all had enough of these elephants, especially since they were not treated well. A man sits on their head to control them and hits them with a big hook. Chains link their leg to their neck...

The meal, a little bit of rice with tofu, looked too little for the two (not three) hours of walking uphill we had to do.

Sleeping in the mountains is charming. Toilets and showers are basic as we expected. Mattresses on the bamboo floor were basic too. But the covers with humidity and mold smell were a surprise. Nobody really slept, but we had a lot of fun.

The second day went according to plan, which was a couple of hours of walking and swimming near some falls. Same type of room, with mosquito nets full of holes.

For the third day, a short walk should have brought us to a mindblowing rafting experience, followed by 15 minutes on a bamboo raft.

I couldn't take part in those activities because of my health situation. I could at least find out the guide didn't have a first aid kit. Surprising when you bring a groupe of newbies in a forest for three days, when the ground is slipplery all the time and when we need to cross rivers in very acrobatic ways. That was the goal of the adventure, I must say. But the risks are real.

In the same order of business, I was told I would have to wait for the end of the third day to see a doctor, which meant to wait for the departure time established for the group. What would happen if someone was to hurt themselves to the point they can't even walk?

And they made me pay for the transport to the hospital, even if the price of the trek included an insurance.

That said, back to the waves, the lucky ones who took part in the rafting experience were not wet at all, floating on top of a very calm water stream... for about 19 minutes.

So, don't believe those who are trying to sell you an expedition. Even if the landscape is wonderful, expect less than what they promised you.