Doi Luang Chiang Dao (Y2019 Mid-Term Trek)
Basic Information
Trek: Y2019 Mid-Term Trek
Date: 23 – 26 February 2019
Location: Doi Luang Chiang Dao, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Elevation: 2225m
Duration: 4D3N
Difficulty: Beginner
Brief Itinerary
Day 1 (23 Feb)
Arrived at Chiang Mai at late afternoon
R&R
Day 2 (24 Feb)
Chiang Dao Cave
Trek to base camp (Ang Salung)
Evening climb to Doi Luang Chiang Dao – Summit
Day 3 (25 Feb)
Early morning climb to Kiew Lom Mountain – Summit
Trek to Lahu Tribe Village
Dinner and Homestay at Lahu Tribe Village
Day 4 (26 Feb)
Pang Tad Waterfall
Departed from Chiang Mai at late afternoon
Our lengthy Trek Log.... ^^
In the words of Leander, one of our excos, the 4D3N Mid-Term Trek to Chiang Mai was one that was “exciting, engaging and electrifying”. ‘Electrifying’ is probably a bit of a stretch. But the trip was indeed one that we were looking forward to, as this location in Chiang Mai was one that the SMUX trekking team has yet to explore. It was also the first trip organized by the new Trekking exco, and thankfully, all seven of us set aside time (and money) for the trip! Together with nine other participants, 16 of us made up a pleasant group size for travelling and trekking in Chiang Mai.
The trip started at a comfortable time – 11am, where most of us gathered in the airport for an early lunch before our 2-hour flight. This also served as a chance for us to get to know one another, through conversing over lunch, for the first time! After that, we boarded our airplane and had a smooth and uneventful flight to Chiang Mai International Airport. Of course, we took our mandatory group picture at the airport before our departure.
When we were all still awkward strangers!
Upon reaching, the first order of business was to settle our SIM cards – and for some of us, our stomachs. Our mode of transportation arrived shortly after, and they were these local taxis called the songthaews. The ones that came to fetch us were more posh-looking than the usual ones the locals used; these songthaews are what many Thai students take from their homes to school, and it can get really chilly as the passengers are sitting in the open air. Nevertheless, each of them can usually fit 8 people, and we climbed onto them excitedly, and enjoyed the refreshing breeze as they took us to our accommodation for the night – a cosy little hostel called Churn@Home.
All excited to dorm together!!
First look @ our hostel :)
All the girls together in one room!
It was a small yet comfortable hostel with some of the most hospitable and warmhearted hosts we have came across. After settling down in our separate rooms (one for the girls, one for the guys), we set off for dinner at a little restaurant nearby, where we had the classic local fare of usual dishes like green curry, tomyum soup, barbequed pork, and of course, Thai milk tea. We then had a relaxed evening at two night markets further down the road, where we had more food, drinks, and just some down time in the street markets which were bustling with activity. We went back to the hostel for an early night’s rest shortly after, in preparation for the three long days ahead.
Our dinner place that serves authentic thai food!
Trip down to the nearby night market
The next morning, we got up before the break of dawn, at 5.30am, in time to meet our guide who was coming to pick us up at 6am. Most of us bought breakfast at the 7-11 next door, which some of us were excited for – for those of us who have been to Thailand, we knew that the assortment of food at 7-11s in Thailand is rather impressive. Unfortunately, that also meant we spent more time choosing our breakfast foods than expected, and we made our guide, Charan, wait for us to be ready. Nonetheless, he swiftly settled us into our songthaews, and we set off for a good 1.5-hour ride – a cold and bumpy one – to our trekking location, Doi Luang Chiang Dao.
Van rides = quality bonding time for us!
Our first stop was Chiang Dao Cave – a fascinating cave with years of history, to do some quick sightseeing. Charan introduced us to various parts of the cave, and it was here where we got to witness his jovial and playful side, as he made some lighthearted comments at some points, and even gave some of us a huge scare when he emerged from the shadows and shouted while our guard was down.
@ the entrance of the cave
The inside of the cave!
Another interesting aspect of the cave
After that, we took another short drive to the Conservation of Wildlife Office, where Charan gave us a quick briefing on the history of Doi Luang Chiang Dao and common practices to abide by. He also gave each of us a ‘pee bag’, which was something that really caught our attention. These pee bags were drawstring bags that contained toilet paper, trash bags and pee bags (small ziplock bags meant to contain our waste), as we were not allowed to leave any wastes on the mountain. The trash bags were also meant to serve as our ‘toilet bowls’ on the mountain, where we would put them over a plastic stool inside the makeshift lavatories, such that we can easily tie them up and throw them at a designated area after we have used them! While some of us laughed at the idea, we knew that this was necessary as not only could our waste attract animals, it is also always a good practice to clean up after ourselves and not leave anything, apart from footprints, behind.
For lunch, we had it at the starting point of Doi Luang Chiang Dao, a rest spot called Den Yhaa Khad. There, we had packets of really good Thai fried rice, along with some watermelon that Charan freshly cut for us. We sat around and chatted for a while longer, before embarking on our first trek of the trip – a 4-hour trek up to our base campsite.
Van #1
Van #2
Really delicious fried rice for lunch!
Group picture before we embark on our trek!
All ready to embark!
The terrain was rather smooth, and we were able to steadily make our way up. Nonetheless, we took breaks every once in a while, as the weather was relentlessly hot and humid, and we were all carrying our belongings in our trekking bags as well. As for other things like our tents, sleeping bags and food for our meals, we had sherpas carrying them for us, and it amazed us how they were able to carry more than 20kg of weight on their backs (this weight was made up of the abovementioned items, all stacked on top of one another and secured together with just a few pieces of rope), yet walk faster than many of us. It pained us too, when we saw how it really was difficult for some of them.
Some sights while trekking!
Just one of the many groupshots we've taken on this trek
After a long 4 hours, we finally reached the campsite, Ang Salung, even though the second half of the trek up really tired some of us out. Some of us lay there immobilised with fatigue, while some of us helped Charan and our sherpas to set the tents up. We took a short rest, placed our trekking bags in our tents and got our smaller daypacks ready, before we set out for our evening climb to the summit of Doi Luang Chiang Dao. It took us about an hour, where we moved slower than we did previously due to weariness, but reaching the top was satisfying nonetheless – being rewarded by the views of the sunset and the other mountains below, the evening breeze, as well as the serenity of being at the top.
OooOOH look at everyone suffering
Peak of Doi Luang Chiang Dao!
Promise it looks so so SO much more gorgeous in real life
We spent a good hour here enjoying the bird’s eye view of the sights around us, and more significantly, holding an extended photoshoot with models and artistic directors all, before we headed down with our famished stomachs for dinner. By then, it started to get dark and chilly, as we whipped out our jackets and headlamps for our climb down.
and even more groupshots hehe
Dinner was homely and extremely tasty, prepared for us by the sherpas, where we had fried eggs, chicken soup and some vegetables. Many of us ate more than our usual serving sizes as we were that hungry by then, and also, the food tasted remarkably good. After that, we washed up (with wet tissues and towels), and some of us turned in for an early night, while others sat on a groundsheet in the middle of the tents for a calming session of stargazing.
This was the best picture we managed to take of our meal... :")
Warm fuzzy feeling! Like a 团圆饭
A sky full of stars...
Once again, we got up early – at 5am – in order to embark on our climb up to another summit, Kiew Lom Mountain, in time to catch the sunrise at the peak. While it was fully dark and we had to rely on our headlamps for the climb up, it was more manageable than the previous one, and we reached the peak about 45 minutes later. At this time, there were already many locals who had reached the peak before us, and the peak was more crowded than we had expected it to be. Nonetheless, we had a relaxing time at the top, taking in the fresh morning air, soaking in the view of the clouds and other mountains ahead of us, and enjoying the hot drinks of coffee and tea that Charan (and Yu Jie) had prepared for us.
The view though
Sunkissed faces and a chilly breeze
The view from the peak!
Selfies with warmly brewed tea by Yujie and Charan (at the most right)
Kewl group shot hehe
When we got down, breakfast was, once again, already prepared for us. This time, it was a meal of fish porridge and sausages, as well as some of the sweetest pineapples we have ever had. We devoured our breakfasts, lepak-ed around for a good hour as we ate some tangerines and chatted with Charan and one another, before we packed up everything and left for Den Yhaa Khad again. This time, our destination for tonight was Lahu Tribe Village, where we would stay at one of the residents’ home for the night.
Omnomnom it was so delicious
Look at the smile on our faces!!
We got down a lot faster than we took going up, and the trek down was a lot livelier as well, since we had more energy. As some of us brought some food to share, we learnt that small snacks such as potato chips and gummies went a long way when we needed a quick energy boost. Charan also spent the time to share more with some of us about his family and what he does (and used to do) for a living.
After reaching Den Yhaa Khad, we hopped onto our vans which took us to a spot in the forest, where we stopped for our lunch – a simple meal of packet chicken rice, and some much needed watermelon and honeydew that Charan cut for us once again.
(Why does it seem like we're always eating in this trek log...)
Looks are deceiving! Tastes as good as the chicken rice found in SG
ft Charan busy chopping away again...
We thought that the walk to the village, following lunch, would be a short and straightforward one, and we cut through the forest in high spirits initially. Little did we know that this ‘walk’ would last almost two hours, and a relatively treacherous one at that – with slippery slopes, steep inclines and barely nothing to clutch onto especially in the deepest parts of the forest. It was exciting for the seasoned trekkers among us, but certainly daunting for the ones who are new to trekking, and the more experienced ones lent a helping hand to others at various parts of the forest. At last, the road began to ease up as we neared the village, and it was most definitely heartening when we finally saw some signs of civilization.
A section of the path that we had to bash through...
Journey to the village
FINALLY!!!! THE END IS NEAR!!!
As we reached the village, Charan assigned us to our homes – one for the girls and one for the guys, once again – for our homestay for the night. It was a quiet and remote village, with little signs of activity among the villagers, and the villagers housing us were people of little words as well. Nonetheless, they whipped up a delicious feast for us, while we rushed to shower before the sky got dark (and before the icy water got even colder). The guys, unfortunately, got the shorter end of the stick, as they allowed the girls to shower first and ended up showering later (thank you, guys!!). Dinner was a tantalizing spread of green curry, vegetables, and omelette – an all-time favourite, and following dinner, we sat around in a big circle and got to know one another better through sharing one another’s stories till late into the night.
Clean and comfortable at last :~)
We had a chance to sleep in on the morning of the last day, as Charan informed us that the villagers needed time to prepare our meals. However, most of us got tragically awoken by the chickens’ incessant clucking beneath our houses (which were supported by stilts). Doubtlessly, that experience of being awoken by nature is one that we can only get outside of Singapore. Some of us spent some time playing with, or rather, getting bullied by, the villagers’ son, who turned out to be really mischievous. Even though no one could get him to play along with them, it was still a sight to behold that made our mornings. As for breakfast, we had yet another delicious meal at a bench outside one of our homes, as we chatted once again about whether we liked parsley and celery, whether we cried for ‘More Than Blue’, and anything and everything else under the sun.
Charan and the owner preparing our breakfast for us!
Our second last meal together... :(
After breakfast, we took a short drive and hiked for ten minutes down a rocky slope before arriving at our last destination, the Pang Tad Waterfall. It was bigger and more majestic than it appeared on pictures online, and the water was also a lot colder than we had imagined it to be. A few of us then jumped into the water without hesitation, and also without forgetting to drag a few others down with them. It was painfully cold, and even colder when out of the water for those who got fully drenched, but we certainly still shared lots of fun and laughter, and the short afternoon at Pang Tad Waterfall served as one of the more memorable parts of the trip.
Took all of us a lot of convincing and courage to enter the waterfall and play around
Our refreshing "shower" for the day
Lunch was exciting too, as we had seafood tom yum served in a huge bamboo container. We gobbled up our food, before we trudged our way back to the songthaews which would lead us back to the airport.
It was yet another long and bumpy two-and-a-half-hour ride back to the city – some of us slept, others continued chatting. As some of us still had much Thai baht to clear, we stopped by one of the rest stops nearing the airport and filled up on snacks and coffee, and these definitely perked us up.
Our first time seeing tomyum served this way!
Basically just eating for the whole journey back...
It was a bit of a rush on the rest of the journey back to the airport, but we looked out for one another, kept one another’s spirits up, and boarded our flight back to Singapore safely and on time. After arriving back at Singapore, we took one last group shot, before we bid our goodbyes and went our separate ways, after a long but eventful four-day trip.
A group of strangers turned good friends
This mid-term trek was the first trek for some of us, and just one of many for others; some of us were new to SMUX as well. Regardless of these differences, the time spent camping, trekking and homestay-ing together was enjoyable and fulfilling. These experiences served to bring us closer together, leaving us with forged bonds to keep, shared memories to fondly look back on, and perhaps, anticipation for another trek that surely awaits. But for now, appreciating the luxury of rest and comfort that we get to have sounds pretty appealing.
