The first Thai homestay I visited was in Chiang Rai, in the far north of the country. This homestay had a lovely owner named Dada, a self-claimed amazing cook. She definitely lived up to that title by serving a variety of delicious Thai dishes and she wouldn’t back off until the other guests and I said “Dada, No! Stop! We’re too full.” Dada was even more persistent than my Nonna! I know, impossible to believe but it's true.
I came to Chiang Rai to get close to Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park, a well-preserved park tucked in the northernmost part of the country, right next to the Myanmar border. I quickly realized that there was no easy way to get there but Dada had arranged a local bus to take me to a nearby town where I then paid a motorcycle taxi and then a 4x4 driver to take me to the campground. My plan was to catch the morning sunrise up on the summit by getting an early start the next day for the last stretch by foot. All the forest rangers abandoned the campground for the afternoon because I was the only one there so I decided to hike up with my camping gear and I set up my tent right on the summit.
I continued hiking when I the rangers weren’t around because camping on the summit isn’t allowed during the rainy season. In hindsight, it kinda makes sense why.
I was expecting a bit of rain but, midway through the evening, an intense thunderstorm rolled in and I realized I probably should have camped a bit lower down on the mountain so I wasn’t a lightning rod on the top of the second-highest mountain in country. The heavy rain made the ground soggy and a tent peg came out, collapsing one entrance and bringing a bit of rain inside the tent. Fortunately, the storm only lasted about an hour so I slept comfortably the rest of the night.
During the rainy season, Thailand closes many parts of the national parks and marine sanctuaries either as a precautionary measure due to the frequent and unpredictable weather or to give nature a chance to recover from the effects of tourism. This year there are 66 national park closures from May up to October or December so I had to spend an afternoon researching them to figure out what parts were closed so I could adjust my plans accordingly.
After leaving Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park, I caught a van down to Chiang Mai and then immediately caught another bus up to my next stop in a little town called Pai.