Day 34 Sat 31/07 - A Homestay Deep In The Mountain Jungle

Today Spend : 15 baht     Total : 15780 baht

My warmshower host Jew whom I contacted since I arrived in Chiang Mai has confirmed yesterday that she will pick me up today at the Thapae Gate 11 am. Initially I wanted to ride up and meet her somewhere near her house, as we both can communicate thru' our mobile phones, but she insisted that I follow her car since she also wanted to send her brother to the city anyway.So, to my friends back home, don't cry foul on me for not cycling! Jew rang me up at 10.15 am while I still busy packing up in my room, when I am riding on my way, I heard someone calling "MENG", I stop and turn my head, I saw Jew walking towards me, and soon we were on our way for two hours of driving in her Mitsubishi 4x4 pick up. Her house is in Maesae,100km north of Chiang Mai. Route 107 is flat until Mae Taeng and then a left turn into a smaller scenic route 1095, but more winding and hilly. Inside the car, we got to know each other better, Jew and her husband travelled broadly, she was ex-stewardess of Gulf and Thai Airlines, the reason for her good speaking English, which is very lacking in many Thais I met. She also backpacked a lots with her husband like Tibet and India, but unfortunately I did not get the chance to meet her husband in person, due to his engineering work in China. They both love the mountain jungle life style and running away from the city life. In a piece of land with a small stream, they designed and built a few small bamboo clay huts to host guests and tour cyclists that shared the same dream in the quiet jungle life.According to Jew, I had the honour for being the first tour cyclist to share their dream! Jew had prepared personally a fried noodle, a pot of Italy black coffee, a bowl of vegetable salad and bumpkin soup, so kind of her !!!.Jew is a vegetarian and she hired a Myanmar worker Paul who had nothing better to do after dinner, with a puzzle consists of 15 sticks and formed into a buffalo,by moving two of them to form 2 buffaloes. I am still cracking my head on how to do it, can someone smart enough to help me? Hope to see the answer soon.

My recumbent on Jew's Mitsubishi pick up

                          Jew stopping at the road side fruit stall to make some fruit joice

                                    From route 107 , we make a left turn into route 1095

                                   Guest reception Hall in Jew's Jungle resort

                                                   Clay bamboo hut where I stay

                                     Another clay hut still under contruction

                                           The entrance of bamboo bridge over a stream

Cute kid ( chich ?) helps me carry one of my pannier bag

Paul showing me how the clay hut is constructed

Completed clay wall with animal design

The reception hall

The kitchen - Sorry no meat!!

My room well protected

My breakfast on the next day

Jew's friendly dog like my caring touch

 

The buffalo puzzle - Move any 2 sticks to becomes 2 buffaloes,Any takers?