"You feet", the Guide said. He was our trekking guide today up this Thailand mountain. We stopped for a water break and he turned to me and said, "You feet". I looked at my feet but didn't see what he was talking about.

I was looking at this hike at the hostel, when the guy that worked there said everybody that did it came back saying it was too hard . He didn't think I would enjoy it. But, I thought,  "I'm not a 20 something that stayed up drinking all night the night before, and probably never gets much exercise." I didn't say it though. I just said, "It sounds good, sign me up."

I was picked up at the hostel around 8 this morning. The truck was loaded with about 10 people. They were from Germany and France. We talked as we rode along about our bikes. I told them about mine and how mostly I do the touring rather than mountain biking.

Arriving at the bike place, we saw several other trucks loaded with bikers for today. This seems like it's going to be a large group.

We are told to select our gear, which is included in the price of the trip today. We get helmets, knee pads, elbow pads and gloves. They pass out bottles of water and offer backpacks to anyone that did not bring one.

The video we watch shows the course we will follow . Everyone, and the bikes, will be taken to the top of the mountain and then we  will ride down. The other option is to hike the 3-4 hours up the mountain and then ride the mountain bikes down. Out of about 30 people only 4 want to hike up the mountain. So, I'm going trekking (hiking) and mountain biking today with Yan, Ahon (England), and Jes (Holland). The others will ride the truck up and bike down. Our trip will end up being from now until about 5:30 because of the time it takes to do the hike. The others will be back by noon, but the price is the same.

The four of us are separated from our bikes and gear. We get into our separate truck and drive away from the other bikers that we never see again. It's an hours drive into the mountains to the trailhead where we meet our guide.

The trail is 14k long. That is 8.7  miles, but is straight up the mountain, no switchbacks like we had hiking Pikes Peak. We will hike to an elevation of 1400 meters or 4600 feet .

It's a steep climb all the way. It's the kind of hike that causes the legs to burn and the lungs to gasp for air. But, of course, this means great views. We hike through the highland jungle with huge trees called "Mai YAi".

About a third of the way up, we stop for water and that is when the guide looks at me and says, "You feet". I am wearing my hiking shoes that I wore over here just for the trekking. What is he talking about? I look at my feet and he shakes his head. Does he mean "You fight?" Why would he ask that? Then, he pats his stomach and says it again, "You feet". Now, I get it. He means, "You're fit". He thinks I'm in good shape. We laugh at our failure to communicate.

His name is Yom. He guides this hike and bike trip twice a week. Other times he does just the mountain biking trips. He is Thai, but is Catholic. Only 5%25 of the population here is Catholic. Most are Buddhist, of course . I imagine he must have had a lot of issues with his family by becoming Christian.

We hike and stop to get our breaths when we can't go any further. They told us the hike was "extreme" when we signed on for it. But, none of us are complaining. The scenery is nice and we all like hiking. They mostly call it trekking here.
 
Yom tells us he came upon a cobra on this trail once. He measured with his hands. It looked like about 6 inches in diameter.

By noon we have reached the top of the mountain. It is a small village right at the top of this mountain. It is the Hmong Hill Tribe Village. It has a population of 500. There is a school house here, too. It is an elementary school for the village kids. There are 70 kids enrolled. I read where Thailand has a very youthful population. Much more so than the U.S.

At the village we stop for lunch. The others have already taken their bikes down the mountain . There is a paved road to the top and they all rode the van with the bikes up.

We are all pretty exhausted, but are served a thai lunch that is noodle based with whatever drinks we want. After a nice rest and lunch, we get our bikes and gear and are ready to head out. This time down the mountain.
 
I have not done much mountain biking and as it turns out, neither have the others. The road down the mountain is steeper and rougher than any of us thought it would be. The dirt road is washed out with big ruts that will easily throw you if not careful. It is fun, though, and I end up riding with the guide most of the time. Yan follows a little behind and the two girls take it slow and we wait for them to catch up every little bit.

As we ride we are rewarded with views of the Mae Ping valley below. It's beautiful up here on this mountain. Our guide points out shrubs and trees of interest. We see coffee plants and fruit trees. At one point we stop to take pictures . In one picture I am holding out my hands. Behind me are sticky rice fields. The rice is not sticky while it is growing or being harvested. It becomes sticky when it is cooked. The heat releases a chemical that makes it stick together. They use a lot of it in the dishes here.

About halfway down the mountain, Yom asks us two guys if we would like to do some side trips that are a little more challenging. He says the girls can keep riding the trail and wait for us at the junction. The side trails are certainly a lot for Yan and I to handle, but we manage. This happens 4 times all together, with the girls riding slowly on the trail and the guys taking these side trips, each one rougher than the other. He compliments us for riding so well. I really think he just wanted to encourage us to ride with him on these things. They were extreme for Yan and I but for my nephew, Darren, they would have been a piece of cake.

A couple of hours later and we down the mountain where we end up at Lake Huay Tung Thao .

We sit in grass huts floating on the lake. There are little tables like I have seen in movies about Japan, where you don't sit on chairs but on the floor. 

We sit on bamboo mats and are served a delicious dinner of papaya salad. It is served on a large platter and we each get bowls to dish out what we want of it. Is is noodle based with papaya and spices and I just love it. Each day it seems I find a new favorite Thai dish. 

 They give us chopsticks, which are useless to me. They give chopsticks with most foods here. We all look lost and then they bring spoons and forks. Here, if you use spoon and fork, the proper way to eat is to take the fork and rake the food onto the spoon to eat it.

They serve soft drinks and water, as much as we want. What a way to end a grueling day, sitting on the lake eating papaya salad in a bamboo hut floating on the water! Did I mention how good this papaya salad is?

I brought a swim suit as we are allowed to swim now, but we are all to exhausted from the trek and biking to swim. We talk and eat and enjoy the lake before the hour long ride back to Chiang Mai.