In the jungle of northern Thailand, about 65 kilometers from the Burmese border, my friends and I humbly greeted our hosts in their tribal language with “taa blu, ni bo ni ta,” thanking them and wishing them good health. Our Thailand trip began and ended in Bangkok, but included stops in Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai with overnight trains and buses in between. The two-day trek through the jungle, however, was by far the most incredible experience we had. Before arriving in Chiang Mai, we hired a guide from Pooh Eco-trekking Company to lead us through this unfamiliar land. We drove for about three hours outside of Chiang Mai to a much more remote region to begin our hike. The Karen tribe, named for the woman that discovered them, inhabits this area. Passing through the fields where the villagers grew their crops, our guide Tee and his assistant guide Otee described the various plants and foods to us. We also welcomed Tee’s dog, Dang, on the trek. It was incredible to see such huge fields of rice, cabbage, cucumbers, and varieties of foods I had never seen. We arrived at the village before dinnertime, where we washed our hands and faces with buckets of rainwater. The family we were staying with was made up of eight people and three generations. They all lived in a small house built primarily with wood and bamboo and had no electricity. There was one solar powered light in the home and many candles.

The oldest son, aged twenty-five, made us bamboo mugs and chopsticks with a machete while Tee began to prepare our dinner. We ate our meal seated in a circle with the family. After drinking hot chocolate out of our new mugs, we headed to bed around dusk. We slept on the floor in thin sleeping bags with mosquito nets surrounding us. The roosters woke us up very early in the morning, and after a breakfast of homegrown brown rice, fruit, and eggs, we set off on our second day of hiking.

During the first day we saw much of the farmland, but the second day was filled with a more picturesque jungle setting. Plants and branches scraped my legs as I hiked, and we had to cross many rivers and streams in sandals to get to our destination. The hike was difficult, but the views were of incomparable beauty. Our lunch was noodles that we ate with our handmade chopsticks, and we swam in a nearby waterfall for a short time. Soon after, we entered a bat cave. Three men lit torches and led us through the long and dark cave. The sights of the jungle while exiting the cave were unbelievable. Afterwards, we finally began the last part of our hike: climbing up a mountain back to the village.

After enduring excruciating heat and humidity, countless mosquito bites, and sore muscles, we headed back to the city. For any NYU Shanghai student considering traveling to Thailand in the future, I would highly recommend doing a jungle trek, especially of the kind we experienced. At the risk of sounding cliché, our trek and trip in general was something that none of us will forget. The warmth of the Karen people transcended cultural and linguistic boundaries, while the jungle tested our physical abilities and understanding of a lifestyle very different from our own.

This article was written by Tara Tate. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Tara Tate