-On our last full-day in Chiang Mai Marco and I decided to sleep in and be super lazy. We had already seen some of the major temples in the city so didn't have too much else to see. When we finally ventured out we went to see the 3 Kings Monument, which turned out to be tiny and at that time we were already templed out so we decided to go treat ourselves.
-We had heard from multiple people about the Thai massages, so we headed to the spa. I had a mani-pedi and Marco had a Thai massage. It was so nice and relaxing after two days of trekking through the jungle.
-Once we were done the street was full of people setting up for the famous Sunday Night Market, where they close off two of the major streets in old Chiang Mai. We went to get a drink while it rained and everyone did some last minute set-ups.
-The street was lots of fun and was jam packed with people. The coolest part was when the Thai national anthem came on and all the street vendors, even the tourists, all stopped and waited until it was done. Once it stopped everyone immediately went back to what they were doing. Such a surreal two minutes. Another highlight was eating bugs. We found a stall where a woman was selling all types of roasted bugs. Marco of course had to try them. I even tried a mealworm. It was not good. Anyway, we continued to walk and shop around. Our dinner consisted of other delicious street foods before heading back for the night.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Day 23: Hill Tribes -> Chiang Mai
-Woke up after the worst night sleep ever. I think I may have slept for 1 hour, and that was after the sun had come up around 5am. Animals were trying to get into the room all night and then they were growling and cuckooing. Anyway, I didn't think I could put up with another sleepless night, so we changed from a 2 night trip to a 1 night trip like everyone else (we lost $3 each).
View in the morning:
-Once we had some breakfast we set off again, this time down the mountain. This was almost harder than climbing up since everything was slippery from the day before. Our guide- Moonshine- cut us some bamboo walking sticks. A little bit about our guide- he was from a village across the mountain from us and received his nickname due to all the liquor he used to drink. He had approximately two teeth and walked barefoot the whole time. He does the hike everyday and is 51-years-old. He gets 3 days off a month.
-Back to walking... Moonshine told us about the burial rituals of the Lahu tribe. Something about throwing an egg in the air and seeing if it cracked when it lands. I couldn't really understand him. We kept walking until we got to a waterfall. Once there we stopped and swam for a little before continuing on our way. Moonshine kept telling the people passing us that they were an hour away from the waterfall, when they were actually 10 minutes away.
The waterfall:
-Next up was whitewater rafting. It was a lot of fun, despite the rain. I was just sad there weren't more rapids. The people in the front (Marco) definitely got the worst of the water. We passed some elephants bathing. Working at elephant rehabilitation centers is a popular thing for tourists to do for a week or a few days.
-We stopped mid river to climb over to a bamboo raft for some traditional rafting experiences. Our raft started sinking a little so our butts were all wet. Plus there was this massive bug by me. Otherwise, it was quite the experience boating down a river on a bamboo raft.
-That was the end of the adventure. We had one last lunch with the gang then all squished in to the tuk tuk for a ride back to our hostels. Once back we figured out our room (the hostess was surprised to see us back a day early) and took a nice warm shower. We were disgusting mix of dirt, rain, mud, and sweat from trekking. For dinner we went to a place by the river and had some nice western food.
-After dinner Marco and I met up with Daniel and Sean, friends we made on our trekking trip, to go to a Thai boxing match. Thai boxing, or Muay Thai, is a very popular tourist attraction throughout Thailand. I had no idea what to expect at I had never been to a boxing match before, nevertheless one in Thailand. I was shocked when the first round was between two skinny little 10-year-old boys! Luckily the fighting wasn’t vicious at all, but still! There were 5 different rounds, each getting more intense. The guys were interested in betting but we soon guessed that the matches were rigged. The matches were pretty even and the guys judging the fights weren’t even looking half the time. We had a suspicion that the matches were judged according to the bets on each person. The last match was quite hilarious as it ended with a completely fake knock out. Needless to say, it was quite the experience, although I think we could have done without the ring-side seats.
10-year-old boxer:
View in the morning:
-Once we had some breakfast we set off again, this time down the mountain. This was almost harder than climbing up since everything was slippery from the day before. Our guide- Moonshine- cut us some bamboo walking sticks. A little bit about our guide- he was from a village across the mountain from us and received his nickname due to all the liquor he used to drink. He had approximately two teeth and walked barefoot the whole time. He does the hike everyday and is 51-years-old. He gets 3 days off a month.
Moonshine cutting some sticks:
-Back to walking... Moonshine told us about the burial rituals of the Lahu tribe. Something about throwing an egg in the air and seeing if it cracked when it lands. I couldn't really understand him. We kept walking until we got to a waterfall. Once there we stopped and swam for a little before continuing on our way. Moonshine kept telling the people passing us that they were an hour away from the waterfall, when they were actually 10 minutes away.
The waterfall:
-Next up was whitewater rafting. It was a lot of fun, despite the rain. I was just sad there weren't more rapids. The people in the front (Marco) definitely got the worst of the water. We passed some elephants bathing. Working at elephant rehabilitation centers is a popular thing for tourists to do for a week or a few days.
-We stopped mid river to climb over to a bamboo raft for some traditional rafting experiences. Our raft started sinking a little so our butts were all wet. Plus there was this massive bug by me. Otherwise, it was quite the experience boating down a river on a bamboo raft.
-That was the end of the adventure. We had one last lunch with the gang then all squished in to the tuk tuk for a ride back to our hostels. Once back we figured out our room (the hostess was surprised to see us back a day early) and took a nice warm shower. We were disgusting mix of dirt, rain, mud, and sweat from trekking. For dinner we went to a place by the river and had some nice western food.
-After dinner Marco and I met up with Daniel and Sean, friends we made on our trekking trip, to go to a Thai boxing match. Thai boxing, or Muay Thai, is a very popular tourist attraction throughout Thailand. I had no idea what to expect at I had never been to a boxing match before, nevertheless one in Thailand. I was shocked when the first round was between two skinny little 10-year-old boys! Luckily the fighting wasn’t vicious at all, but still! There were 5 different rounds, each getting more intense. The guys were interested in betting but we soon guessed that the matches were rigged. The matches were pretty even and the guys judging the fights weren’t even looking half the time. We had a suspicion that the matches were judged according to the bets on each person. The last match was quite hilarious as it ended with a completely fake knock out. Needless to say, it was quite the experience, although I think we could have done without the ring-side seats.
10-year-old boxer:
Friday, July 6, 2012
Day 22: Chiang Mai -> Hill Tribes
-We woke up early and had a delicious meal provided by the hostel. We were picked up in a tuk tuk to go off on our jungle trip, picking up several more people on the way. After driving for 30 minutes we stopped at an Orchid Farm and a Butterfly Farm (with one butterfly in it). The worst was seeing a snake swimming in the water. Disgusting. The orchids were beautiful though.
Some pictures from the orchard farm:
-We drove a little further and stopped to buy some supplies for the trip. Ie. tissues, ponchos, snacks, water, and gum for me.
Rice for sale:
-Our first big stop on the trip was to go elephant riding. On our elephant we were also joined by Daniel, a guy from Kings Landing in Britain (no, he doesn't watch Game of Thrones). It was a lot of fun riding around the jungle. Our elephant was super stubborn and kept stopping to eat grass. The guy had to keep threatening to shoot him with a slingshot so our elephant would keep moving. After elephant riding was lunch. Some yummy fried rice with tofu, apparently it was a little too "starchy" for the Belgian guy.
The stubborn elephant we rode:
-Next up was hiking for 3-4 hours (I never had an accurate time frame on how long it took) through the jungle. It was beautiful but definitely hard work! Plus it started pouring with rain so the path was all muddy and slippery. Two of the girls were having quite a lot of trouble so we all slowed down (which I was quite grateful for).
Marco in the jungle:
-We finally made it up to camp for the night- the Lahu village. The Lahu are one of the six main hill tribes in Thailand, numbering around 100,000. However, they are also found in China, Burma, Laos, and Vietnam. They speak their own 'Lahu' dialect. Of course, when we got up there we were pressured to buy with jewelry or massages. A bought an outrageously expensive anklet for Thailand, but had to remind myself how much it would provide for them.
Lahu village:
The view from the village:
-Our sleeping quarters were basic and there were animals everywhere! Two foreigners were living in the village to help rebuild the school. One of them had been traveling for 12 years, and, excuse me for saying so, but he was a weirdo.
Our beds:
-We spent the afternoon relaxing before dinner- a yummy Thai dish. They made a fire and played some guitar. We played some cards with our British friends. There was no electricity so candles were the main light source for those of us who didn't bring a flashlight. Walking down to the bathroom with a candle was more difficult than I thought. We finally went to bed around 10pm.
Hearts:
Some pictures from the orchard farm:
-We drove a little further and stopped to buy some supplies for the trip. Ie. tissues, ponchos, snacks, water, and gum for me.
Rice for sale:
-Our first big stop on the trip was to go elephant riding. On our elephant we were also joined by Daniel, a guy from Kings Landing in Britain (no, he doesn't watch Game of Thrones). It was a lot of fun riding around the jungle. Our elephant was super stubborn and kept stopping to eat grass. The guy had to keep threatening to shoot him with a slingshot so our elephant would keep moving. After elephant riding was lunch. Some yummy fried rice with tofu, apparently it was a little too "starchy" for the Belgian guy.
The stubborn elephant we rode:
-Next up was hiking for 3-4 hours (I never had an accurate time frame on how long it took) through the jungle. It was beautiful but definitely hard work! Plus it started pouring with rain so the path was all muddy and slippery. Two of the girls were having quite a lot of trouble so we all slowed down (which I was quite grateful for).
Marco in the jungle:
Struggling down the slippery slope:
A baby elephant and her mother that we saw when walking:
-We finally made it up to camp for the night- the Lahu village. The Lahu are one of the six main hill tribes in Thailand, numbering around 100,000. However, they are also found in China, Burma, Laos, and Vietnam. They speak their own 'Lahu' dialect. Of course, when we got up there we were pressured to buy with jewelry or massages. A bought an outrageously expensive anklet for Thailand, but had to remind myself how much it would provide for them.
Lahu village:
The view from the village:
-Our sleeping quarters were basic and there were animals everywhere! Two foreigners were living in the village to help rebuild the school. One of them had been traveling for 12 years, and, excuse me for saying so, but he was a weirdo.
Our beds:
-We spent the afternoon relaxing before dinner- a yummy Thai dish. They made a fire and played some guitar. We played some cards with our British friends. There was no electricity so candles were the main light source for those of us who didn't bring a flashlight. Walking down to the bathroom with a candle was more difficult than I thought. We finally went to bed around 10pm.
Hearts:
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Day 21: Ko Samui -> Bangkok -> Chiang Mai
-After one last breakfast we left the hotel at 8:30am for our 9:45 flight (you need no time at all to check in for domestic flights in Thailand). Bangkok Airways is great because you can each check a bag for free and you get food. We flew cheap Jetstar once, but you pay so much to check a bag its almost worth the extra money for the ticket.
-We had to switch planes at the Bangkok airport, which reminded me of the time Katie and I slept there. Anyway, after our second uneventful plane ride we landed in Chiang Mai.
-A little bit on Chiang Mai: 1. It is the largest northern Thai city. 2. The old part of the city is surrounded by old crumbling walls. 3. There are over 300 different Wats, Buddhist temples, throughout the city. The oldest one is Wat Chiang Man, which dates from the 13th century.
-We arrived at our hostel via tuk tuk. We are staying at the Tanita House, which doubles as both a guesthouse and a workshop/furniture store. The lady running the house is super nice, and was so easy with our change in plans. We have decided to skip Lampang since we read there isn't much to see there, and instead to do a hiking trip in the mountains north of Chiang Mai. So we booked our hill tribe trip then went to explore the city!
-We had to switch planes at the Bangkok airport, which reminded me of the time Katie and I slept there. Anyway, after our second uneventful plane ride we landed in Chiang Mai.
-A little bit on Chiang Mai: 1. It is the largest northern Thai city. 2. The old part of the city is surrounded by old crumbling walls. 3. There are over 300 different Wats, Buddhist temples, throughout the city. The oldest one is Wat Chiang Man, which dates from the 13th century.
-We arrived at our hostel via tuk tuk. We are staying at the Tanita House, which doubles as both a guesthouse and a workshop/furniture store. The lady running the house is super nice, and was so easy with our change in plans. We have decided to skip Lampang since we read there isn't much to see there, and instead to do a hiking trip in the mountains north of Chiang Mai. So we booked our hill tribe trip then went to explore the city!
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Day 20: Post Full Moon at Ko Samui
After waking up at 12pm we ate some breakfast at the place across the road. Then we figured out our ride to the airport for the next morning. Then we just lounged on the beach.
Beach time:
Our bungalow- 207:
Where we ate breakfast at the resort:
Beach time:
Engrossed in The Subtle Knife:
Our bungalow- 207:
Where we ate breakfast at the resort:
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Day 19: Full Moon Party at Ko Phangan
-Marco and I spent the day relaxing in order to be fully prepared for our Full Moon Party experience. A little bit about the Full Moon Party: I've heard it's numbers range from 8,000 to 30,000 depending on the month. It supposedly started as a birthday party that was so much fun the friends came back every year and it just grew and grew. Supposedly. It takes place on Haad Rin beach on Ko Phanang, which isn't very big.
-After a big dinner a pick-up truck/taxi came to pick us up around 7pm for our 8pm speedboat over to Ko Phangan. We didn't end up leaving Ko Samui island until around 8:30pm but we talked with some British people we met. The speedboat was so much fun. It was just so ridiculous. We were all sitting with beers and lifejackets propelling over huge ocean waves. We were lucky enough to get a seat in the front.
Pre Full Moon:
On the speedboat:
-Once on the island the madness began. There were people everywhere along with food stalls, tattoo painting stations, and the infamous bucket stalls. We bought a bucket and a US flag tattoo (for July 4th) then wandered around just taking in the madness.
Tattoos for sale:
Food, everywhere:
-We walked down to the beach, which was even crazier. There were stalls upon stalls of buckets. We walked down to one end of the beach with fire jump rope. Exactly what it sounds like with no safety measures at all. Imagine drunk people trying to jump rope over fire. Of course Marco had to try, but he only came away with a slight burn on the arm.
Fire jump rope:
Marco mid-jump:
-Since I was too scared I decided to go down a slide further down. You had to climb up a rope ladder to get up there and then went down this steep, wet slide, through two sticks of fire, only to end up on the ground covered in sand. Of course I was all sandy after so braved the ocean. I hoped it was early enough that it hadn't turned into a public urinal yet.
The slide:
-We spent the rest of our time wandering around the beach and dancing at a couple places. We bought some food and just people watched mainly- highly amusing. I hit a wall of exhaustion around 2am so we tried to get the 3am speedboat back, only that took forever. We also saw about three people bleeding from their heads, one from their foot, and one girl just being carried. Casualties of the night.
Where the party originally started almost 30 years ago:
Marco paying attention:
-The speedboat ride back wasn't nearly as fun but we got back safely, wandering into the hotel around 4:30am.
-After a big dinner a pick-up truck/taxi came to pick us up around 7pm for our 8pm speedboat over to Ko Phangan. We didn't end up leaving Ko Samui island until around 8:30pm but we talked with some British people we met. The speedboat was so much fun. It was just so ridiculous. We were all sitting with beers and lifejackets propelling over huge ocean waves. We were lucky enough to get a seat in the front.
Pre Full Moon:
On the pick-up truck/taxi:
On the speedboat:
-Once on the island the madness began. There were people everywhere along with food stalls, tattoo painting stations, and the infamous bucket stalls. We bought a bucket and a US flag tattoo (for July 4th) then wandered around just taking in the madness.
Tattoos for sale:
Our US flag tats for July 4th:
Laughing gas for sale:
The infamous buckets:
Food, everywhere:
Fire jump rope:
Marco mid-jump:
-Since I was too scared I decided to go down a slide further down. You had to climb up a rope ladder to get up there and then went down this steep, wet slide, through two sticks of fire, only to end up on the ground covered in sand. Of course I was all sandy after so braved the ocean. I hoped it was early enough that it hadn't turned into a public urinal yet.
The slide:
-We spent the rest of our time wandering around the beach and dancing at a couple places. We bought some food and just people watched mainly- highly amusing. I hit a wall of exhaustion around 2am so we tried to get the 3am speedboat back, only that took forever. We also saw about three people bleeding from their heads, one from their foot, and one girl just being carried. Casualties of the night.
Where the party originally started almost 30 years ago:
Marco paying attention:
-The speedboat ride back wasn't nearly as fun but we got back safely, wandering into the hotel around 4:30am.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Day 17 - 18: Koh Samui
More lazy beach days in Koh Samui!
Highlights:
-free buffet breakfast
-finding a delicious Indian restaurant
-finishing Lord of the Flies
-Marco loving Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials
-playing lots of card games
Highlights:
-free buffet breakfast
-finding a delicious Indian restaurant
-finishing Lord of the Flies
-Marco loving Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials
-playing lots of card games
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)