A Village on Top of the Mountain

In a beautiful northern city of Thailand, Mae Hong Son, my boyfriend and I decided to go trekking. We booked a 2 day tour at Sunflower Cafe Tour, by the big pond in the middle of the city. Our guide named Pordy, who has been trekking more than 30 years. Turned out it was 10 hour trek in total, but we decided to give it a go.

When I first imagine trekking, there is a little path on the way and we walk listening to wind or birds singing, as I’ve done a couple of times in Thailand. But for this time, it wasn’t that easy, and not just hard either.

There was absolutely no path at all on our way. Pordy handed a stick so he can slap weed down and make a path for us as he walks. We walked along the river, inside the river, climbing slippery rocks blocking our way, walking up and down on a steep mountain, hiking on the edge of the cliff, looking right beside us far away down, and fighting with our fears to fall… after 6 hours of crossing many mountains, we finally arrived and we are all in drenching sweat and exhausted.

We took a quick shower after we arrived, and it was time for dinner. There were only three people living in the village and all of them cooked dinner for us. We had some stir-fried pumpkins, chicken and vegetables, and lizard soup, which Pordy got from his friend on the way.

With subtle fish sauce taste and the combination of the ingredients, the food was so good. I didn’t have any idea how they get some spices and sources since they always live in the village, but they managed to cook deliciously. I think it was worth the tough trekking. Northern Thailand is famous for delicious food generally, but now I’m assured that it’s true.

Trekking Tour: 1500B-/person

We trekked with: Sunflower Cafe Tour (Google Maps)