Doi Luang Chiang Dao

Planning on leaving Pai on January 19th, I was sad to leave friends that I had grown quite close to, but also excited to experience new faces and places. This, I guess, is one common feeling that accompanies any solo traveler during his or her adventures. Planning on enjoying my last day in Pai, I was sidelined by a second food related illness, this time a different beast than the mere upchuck of two weeks earlier. Feeling odd after eating an vast assortment of foods in an attempt to replenish my skinny self after a long absence of food, I soon was plagued with an increasing fever and stomach pains. Throughout the day I lay in bed in a half dazed state, too weak to walk to town to get food, water, and medicine. Eventually after hours of torture, my awesome friend Yo came to my rescue by giving me a lift to town for food, water, and medicine, which almost immediately made my blood settle from bubbling to a more desirable temperature.

While again getting a sickness the day before I intended to travel, it did not stop me from hitchhiking out of Pai for the second time; this time more seamless than the first. Only thirty seconds after flashing the thumb along Route 1095 South, a small Honda stopped, where a Thai gentleman in military fatigues gladly took me in as he was traveling to Chiang Mai. Speaking enough English to have basic conversation, we spent most of the winding drive south listening to indistinguishable Thai radio, which was sprinkled with more common tunes, such as Jason Mraz's "I'm Your's".

Eventually I was dropped off in a town half way between Chiang Mai and my eventual destination of Chiang Dao, where I gave a very thankful, "Khap Khun Khrap!" and was off. Minutes later, I boarded a public bus and was in Chiang Dao, having spent 0 baht, saving myself about $6 in total if I were to have taken a minivan.

Chiang Dao is a town nestled next to Doi Luang Chiang Dao, which is a mountain that rises impressively out of the lower lying areas, towering in the clouds over the landscape with its green craggy peaks and valleys. Already having the intention of climbing the mountain, I immediately became invigorated for the climb I intended to do the next day, now that my sickness seemingly had left my system. Renting a motorbike to transport myself the 16K to the mountain the next day, I settled down in my 100 baht ($3) a night tent and called it an early night.

I awoke before the sunrise, in search for sustenance for my intended enormous calorie burn of a day. After filling my system with cereal (which I hadn't eaten since back home) I took off towards the looming mountain. Since I left so early, I whizzed past the empty NP ranger station, saving myself the typical foreigner entrance fee of 200 baht. Eventually finding the trail, I took off towards the summit carrying my now light as a feather pack, inside it only some warm clothes, camera, food, and water.

In typical Olp male fashion I hiked like a bat out of hell, showing no mercy as I blew past winded Thai men in ancient looking wooden external frame packs. Crushing the ascent in a little over two hours, I was stunned by the sheer beauty of the area. After sitting in the clouds on the cold summit for thirty minutes taking in the scenery, I descended more like a trail runner than a hiker. Having not filled my hiking appetite, and being that it was only 11:00 am when I returned close to the bottom, I took another trail, which meandered over low valleys to a NP ranger station. Though the hike was not saturated in the stunning beauty as the other trail, it was nonetheless a beautiful hike. It was not until the way back from the ranger station, that I started to fatigue--but only slightly. After just under seven hours since I parked my bike at the trailhead, I returned muddied, sweaty, and oh so satisfied with the day's adventure.