Day 2 is just John and I and Somsak as the others head back to town. As we set out some villagers warn Somsak that a pack of wild elephants have been in the area and to be careful. Apparently they will charge us if they smell us. The hike immediately gets steep and then - is there a trail? We essentially are bushwacking through the jungle. I hope Somsak knows where he is going.
We see signs of elephants - hard to miss the path they took - broken branches and packed down leaves, big footprints and large poop! Somsak takes a closer look and is relieved that it is not fresh - likely from yesterday. We would love to spot the family of elephants - from a distance - apparently there are 8 of them including a baby. We keep our eyes peeled and are listening for any heavy stomping all day, but no luck, no elephant sightings today.
We arrive early to the Shan village. There are only 3 families here and it is much quieter than the village yesterday. At dinner Somsak tells us how the people in this village came illegally from Burma many years ago. One of them just had a baby but was afraid to go to the hospital for fear she would be deported. We talk about the similarities in California with the Mexican immigrants. On many levels governments and countries are all dealing with similar issues.
The hike out is long and tedious - I have never been a fan of the downhill. You can always pace yourself for the uphill journey but there is little you can do to save your joints on the downhill. A villager from the Lahu village has joined us - he carries a rifle in case we come upon the elephants and need to scare them away. All of a sudden we sense that there may have been a little more risk than we thought yesterday as we traveled without a weapon all day. This Lahu villager has his own story - in his 20s while traveling through the jungle without a gun he came across a bear who then attacked him leaving permanent scars on his face and crippling his left hand. Being a refugee from Burma he did not go to the hospital but was treated by the village elders.
We spend the last hour or so crossing back and forth along the river. The cold water is refreshing on all those bug bites on my ankles. Why do bugs like your ankles? There is less flesh there so one would think it is less tasty. Are they too lazy to hit the calf?
Back in Pai its back to the task of finding a place to stay. Its Friday and the streets are packed with weekend visitors - as are the guesthouses. Many of them are full but eventually John secures a room and comes back for me - I have been waiting out on the street, watching our bags, vendors are putting out their handiwork, the food vendors are starting to cook and the number of roaming tourists are increasing by the minute. A bank is playing in an open storefront that by day is an art gallery. Pai is a very different place on the weekends.
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