A walk in the woods, etc

After visiting Wat Prathart Doi Sutep I wanted to get further up the mountain to get away from the crowds and do a bit of hiking if possible.  I was directed to where the songthaews left to go up and asked for one to go to the summit.  As I mentioned earlier, you have the option of a cheap ride if you wait for the truck to fill up or you can go by yourself but pay much more.  There were no other people waiting to go up and I figured it would be a long wait before we had a full truck so resigned myself to a more expensive ride.  And the driver did his best to sell me on adding on some other sights: a visit to any number of Hmong Hill Tribe villages, or the royal palace or a camping site, or coffee plantations - ka-ching, ka-ching (not the Thai language, the cash register).  I stuck with the summit hike, thanks.  My driver, Sam, was a local, grew up in one of the villages and, though communication was difficult (his very little English, my not a all Thai) he was a nice man.  

We drove a long way further up the mountain, passed the Royal Palace (swarming with tourists) and finally parked at the trailhead from where we walked through the forest, just Sam and I.  Not another soul.  And it was lovely and cool up there.  As we walked, I kept hearing a sound like some sort of high speed electric motor starting and stopping and accompanying us all the way.  When I asked Sam, he said it was the sound that some very small birds make.  Have a listen:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnijk1ctnhs  The walk took about 45min and though there really wasn't a lot to see, it was lovely to be up there in the cool and quiet.  We sat for a bit among some wild flowers until it was time to head back.  

Arriving at the truck, Sam wasn't going to let me go that easily and again made a pitch for some other sights.  This time I caved and agreed to visit the Kung Chang Kien Village with a stop for coffee at a plantation.  The coffee stop was a bamboo hut perched above the coffee groves.  The barista was an elderly hill tribe woman who made a pretty good cup with her little fully automated espresso machine.  

Not much further was the village, very small, very quiet, virtually no tourists other than yours truly. 

Sam let me have a while on my own to wander around.  While there wasn't a lot to see, I think this village was pretty unspoiled.  I understand that many of these hill tribes are on the tourist map and have been invaded to the point that they are becoming resentful.  It was quiet and sleepy, a few elderly women in tradition garb, 

wonderful flowering trees, 

beautiful butterflies 

solar panels,

coffee drying,

and, of course, a wat.

Then back down the mountain to Doi Suthep, a stop at a view point, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5-PzxtB5ik

a wait until the songthaew filled up and back to the city we went, descending into the hot murk of Chiang Mai and a sweaty bike ride back to my guesthouse.