Mountain and Streams

After five days of urban Thailand we were ready for a different experience. We arranged for a car and guide to take us through the country north of Chiang Mai so that we could see ethnic minority villages--specifically the Karen, natural areas and agricultural practices.

First stop was a light shower at this thundering waterfall.



We left tourist sights behind for a while as we disembarked at a Karen village to begin our hike.



We immediately stopped to check out the local coffee culture and to pick up the Karen guide who ground some coffee beans



freshly roasted in this wood-fired hand-turned roaster.



Combine hot water



with coffee grounds in an old sock



for a fine brew.

The Karen have been growing coffee for about ten years. The Thai queen mother encouraged them to switch from growing poppies for opium, an illegal addicting substance, to coffee, a legal one. We thought it was a fine plan.



After getting charged up on coffee, we headed out through the countryside. The rice fields were almost ready for harvesting.





We saw some wildlife along the way.



The guides mentioned after we walked along next to the snake and took photos of it, that it was very poisonous!

As we hiked through the hills, we were also following a stream.



Fortunately it was a dry day. The ground wasn't muddy and the bridge across the stream wasn't slippery.



We stopped for lunch



and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the stream and the cicadas and crickets in the forest as we ate and rested.



At the end of the hike we made our way to the top of the mountain, the source of all the water rolling downhill beside us throughout the day.