TravelStream™ news feed for member elementalemma on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/elementalemma en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 06 Dec 2007 07:32:38 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196532240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196532240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196532240/tpod.html Thu, 06 Dec 2007 07:32:38 -0500 Training in Chiang Mai

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Well my last day has arrived. I've got my ticket booked, my bags packed and just got a few things left to do today. I've had my yoga class from Gaura (Dana is still sick, poor thing) which was a tough one but really good.

I'm waiting on vera now to see what time she's getting into town. I plan on getting my hair waxed again and probably have a massage :-) Then I have to pick up one of two more bits and get myself to the train station by 5.30pm (train leaves 5.50).

I've just uploaded pics from my dance class :-) as the computer in Nat house doens't have a CD player that works. They look quite good, shame the camera work wasn't a little better though, but hey I didn't expect masterpieces :-) The videos are too large to upload so I'll have to compress them when I get back, they too have come out ok, bit jumpy here and there but I think I've got tools at home that can clean them up.

Managed to meet up with Vera for a coffee at Wawee (of course) and a bit of cake. I got quite upset, guess I'd been feeling it all day and it just needed to come out. I was very sad to be leaving but as Vera said I can always come back and I have to give Bristol a chance :-)

Anyway I didn't really feel like doing a lot so we sat for a bit and headed back to my guesthouse where I said goodbye to them all and got in a taxi to the train station.

I'd resigned myself to leaving now so I felt ok and when I got the train it felt more like another adventure than the end of one.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196571600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196571600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196571600/tpod.html Mon, 03 Dec 2007 04:51:17 -0500 Training in Chiang Mai

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Bristol, United Kingdom

It's been a long day. The train from Chiang-Mai was interesting; it was pretty much full of guys from a convention who were a little noisy but they did start chatting to me (well the one who knew english did anyway).

Was kind of sweet really as they all had food sorted for them but gave me of their fruit :-) I had really not even thought about food and was actually really hungry so it was a life saver.

Anyway things quietened down a bit so I went to sleep. Not a lot of room is those sleeper bunks but I had a window and it was quite nice to be rocked gently to sleep. I did wake up a lot but generally had an ok sleep.

Got up at about 6am and got ready (change of clothes etc) and watched the train pulling into Bangkok. Quite a few stops before the end station and I certainly saw some interesting sides of the city. The slums looked particularly grim, a lot worse than anything I saw in Chiang-Mai.

Anyway got to the station at about 7.30. Found an airport bus and sat down and waited till 8 when it left. The ride out to the airport took about an hour so by the time I got there I just wanted to have some breakfast and rest a bit.

The prices of course were back onto just about western so I paid 260B for a continental breakfast! This felt like a complete rip-off but I realised it was just getting me used to the western world where 3-4 pounds for a breakfast is acutally ok.

It was nice and I read more of Lord of the Rings. Glad I brought it now as it kept me entertained for the next 24hrs, went I wasn't sleeping.

The plane left on time but my stomach wasn't at all happy with the ascent and I actually felt quite sick. When lunch came I couldn't eat anything. I nibbled a bit of bread but just felt pretty dodgy really. I did some meditation and a little abdominal massage and things eased off a little.

They put some films on which was a blessing, even if there was only 1 screen I could see and people insisted on standing in front of us! I managed to see about 3 films I think, including StarDust, which was great as I had wanted to see that for ages. The film did keep cutting off but actually the first time it did it prompted me to open my window cover and look outside. Amazingly for the first time ever there were no clouds and I had an amazinf view of the Afghan Mountains. So beautiful. The people next to me noticed and had a look as well. Such a blessing to see that, and I wouldn't have if the film hadn't cut off :-)

Anyway there were a couple of other films, one with Samuel L jackson as an aging homeless boxer, which was quite good and another with Cuba Gooding Junior running a summer camp. It passed the time and I read some more.

The descent into london also made me feel quite sick, I guess the food poisoning unsettled my system and made me a little more prone to nausea than I usually am.

Anyway we finally got to Heathrow at 7.15pm (slightly early) and made the trek to the bus station. Felt kind of nice to be back on English soil. Odd in a way though as coming from a place where I felt like an outsider being white, I arrived in London, where I also felt like an outsider being white! It really hit me how asian and black london is. The bus arrived and left on time and I quickly feel asleep, even though it was uncomfortable.

I got into Bristol at 11.15, again slightly earlier than expected and was picked up by Mike and dropped off at home. After a shower I finally crashed into what felt like the softest, most luxurious bed I had ever slept in and had a great nights sleep.

This month has been such an amazing experience for me. Words can't really do it justice. It's a shame it's over now but I know that a piece of that place will always be with me and I will definitely be back if fate allows.

I hope you've found this blog interesting and enjoyed virtually accompanying me around Chiang Mai. I must admit it's been great to have a place to put down everything otherwise I think I would have missed a lot of memories. This way I can look back and be reminded of all the little joys and blessings that have been bestowed on me.

Love and peace to you all.
Emma
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196464680/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196464680/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196464680/tpod.html Fri, 30 Nov 2007 23:57:55 -0500 Training in Chiang Mai

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Chiang Mai, Thailand

This morning I started out early. After breakfast I headed over to the shopping arcade where I found out about the dance classes. They had only just opened so weren't quite ready for a class, but they were very sweet and welcomed me. I popped around the corner to Wawee and had a coffee and a cake.

About 9.45 I headed back and started my lesson. I had gone for the 2 hour one on one lesson so first they dressed me in the traditional thai dance training trousers, kind of baggy and stopped at the knee :-) I looked a bit silly but was comfortable.

The teacher, Jen (not sure of the spelling) was very nice and she walked me through the first dance. It was fairly simple but the timing and refinement of hand and body positions took a fair bit of concentration. Anyway she was impressed with the way I picked it up and we ran through it with music. My wrists and fingers are way short of the flexibility needed to really pull this dancing off, but she said with daily practise I could get there. Lukily the hand excericses she showed me are the same as the ones for Thai massage so I'l be doing those anyway :-)

I then started the second dance. I little more movement in this one but again wasn't too hard to pick up. Still very impressed she showed me 2 more and another lady arrived to help. Feeling happy with what I had learned and practised it was time for the real fun to be begin. Making me up in costume :-)

They started with my hair (which they loved). They then did my makeup. It felt nice to have someone going to such care over my look and they did make me look fantastic. They smiled and laughed a lot as they went, really enjoying themselves which made me enjoy it all the more. After the make up it was time for the outfit. I had picked out a nice pinky, purply, gold skirt and top so they spent a while getting it to hang just right and tarting it up with gold accessories. I ended up with almost as much gold on me as B A Baracas! Anyway I felt great.

After lots of pictures in various poses it was time for my big performance. They videoed me doing all 4 dances. I was pretty pleased with how I did, as were they. I did make a bit of a mistake on the last one, as I lost the timing at one point and couldn't quite get it back for a few beats. Anyway for a first time I can't be too hard on myself and they had nothing but praise for me.

I went and had lunch (having changed first :-) ) while they burnt me a CD of photos and videos. I watched the CD's with them, which was nice and after a few photos with them I headed off.

It was such a special experience, and was well worth the 1200 baht (20 pounds) it cost.

I headed to the hospital to see if my insurance was sorted. It wasn;t! I was annoyed so headed off to call them. They finally managed to sort it out and I got my passport back. I did have to pay a 60 pound excess which was a bit annoying but thats just the way it goes. If I end up being charged for getting money out to cover me while I was without T-cheques I may look at billing them, but we'll see.

Anyway tonight being my last night in Chiang Mai I want to party. Unfortunately Vera can't make it in to town so I'm going to try and meet up with Clair, Kat and Dana for some Reggae (man) :-) We'll see if the divine wants me to party or not. I hope so.

Dana was sick so couldn't make it, but Clair, Kat and some of their friends turned up so we had a nice time. I did a lot of dancing (again) and really enjoyed myself. This little kid (daughter of one of the hill tribe ladies I think) turned up and managed to get everyone up dancing :-) We were swinging her around and picking her up, which was very sweet. Everyone left about 11.30 but I stayed to dance till the end :-) I just love the music there and once I'm away theres no stopping me. Anyway the music stopped at Midnight so I hoped on the bike and went for my last razz around the town.

I went around the moat a few times enjoying the feeling of the empty road at night. Nothing quite like it. I really felt so free it was beautiful. And felt like a nice way to say goodbye to the city that has been my home for the last 28 days.

I had to pack a bit tonight, which was fun as I have a lot of stuff. I'm a little worried that I'll be over weight (20kg isn't much afterall) but I might be ok. We'll see.

Tomorrow I've got yoga, hair and whatever else Vera wants to do before I leave for the train at about 5.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196371920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196371920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196371920/tpod.html Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:58:50 -0500 Training in Chiang Mai

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Today has been pretty amazing. To start I had ruled out going on a long bike ride, planning instead to just sort things out in the city; get my train ticket, get my passport, do some shopping etc.

I headed to the train station and got my ticket ok, 880 baht (12 pounds) which isn't bad really for a sleeper train with air con/fan. I then headed over to Blue Diamond for a lovely breakfast.

Next, the hospital. This is where the "damn" comes in. Ther Ram had still not received anything back from the insurance people so I rang them again and found out that the emergency people are waiting on the underwriters to confirm that everything is ok. I let them know in no uncertain terms that I was not happy with the length of time this had taken and would need them to get it sorted by friday otherwise I would have real problems (not really that big a deal just means I have to pay out 200 quid and claim it back) which will hopefully get them moving a bit more, we'll see.

Anyway after that dissapointment I felt like getting out of town for a bit so decided to go for a drive and have a go at the Mae Sa-Samoeng loop, which is about 100km through gorgeous scenery. I topped up the bike and headed off.

First stage of the run was fairly boring, well it was just highway so not much to see. Once I reached Mae Rim and turned off the main road things started to get pretty. It wasn't long before I was climbing pretty steeply and enjoying the view. There weren't many people on the roads, and certainly no tourists on bikes that I saw.

Anyway first stop was a lovely little Wawee coffee, set next to a gallery. Just a fab little place, the kind that I would hang out in on a Sunday morning (Denise you would have loved it). Anyway I had a strawberry tea and some Blueberry cheesecake (lovely).

After a quick check of the map and the time I was off again. The roads got slightly narrower but still wider than a typical B road back home. The surface however wasn't as good as a B road, and it was a bit of a challenge avoiding the potholes at times. They are not fun on a bike with very little suspension (I do have a rather sore bum now :-( )

I passed several tourist sites including Mae Sa waterfall. I was going to go in but they wanted 400Baht (6.50) entry and 20B for parking my bike. That seemed a lot for what was a natural feature and I wouldn't pay that back home, let alone here. I carried on up the road and found my own waterfall! There was a fantastic little restaurant (basically just wooden shacks propped between trees and boulders, right next to the falls (and I mean right next to!!). The food was great, which was a bit of a surprise. I had stir fried vegetables in oyster sauce and it was "a-roi".

I carried on my journey and passed snake farms, orchid farms, elephant camps and the like all of which seemed to have there share of farangs but not too many. I did see a very funny sign which said "Agro Tourism: 7km" I'm not sure if that means the same to them as it does to us but it made me smile :-)

I bit further on I started to notice that the bike wasn't behaving the same, it seemed to be bouncing a lot and I was getting bumped all over the shop. I stopped a few times and everything seemed ok but I was not familiar enough with bikes to know. I prayed for a garage and over the next rise there came one (got to love the divine :-) ). They spoke no english but through pointing and miming they understood the problem and took a look. Turns out it had a puncture in the back tire. They removed the old inner tube, found the little pin that had got through, removed it, patched everything up and put in a new tube. All for the exorbatant price of 90B!! (1.20). I gave them 100 as it felt wrong getting change when they had done me such a huge favour. As I left the garage I saw I lage buddha on the hill looking down on me. Amazing how I feel so protected and looked after. Anyway I popped up to the temple to show my appreciation.

Carrying on (without the bumps) the ride started to get really pretty. The hills were higher and the valleys that opened up just stunning. It was hard to capture the feeling but it was such joy to be riding free on that road. No one around, the sun shining and the amazing visa unfolding around every bend. All this with the incredible feeling of being safe and watched over. Truly this was one of the best experiences of the trip and probably one of the most memorable of my life. If anyone comes to Chiang Mai in the future I seriously recommend hiring a bike and doing this loop. It would cost about 200B for the bike and 100B for petrol and the rest if just a pleasure. If you wanted to there are buses that do this tour and I stopped by a particularly stunning view point where about 4 bus loads of Germans were standing looking out. They all seemed amazed to see a western women turn up on a bike :-). The thai driver seemed impressed when I said I was alone and gave me a thumbs up, which was nice.

Anyway I stopped at a few places to take pictures but I was just enjoying the ride so much I didn't really want to get into "photo-mode". Another little example of divine assistance came in the form of a toilet in the middle of no-where. I was needing to go and round the next bend there was a police hut which was empty but had a loo. So I used it, gave my thanks and carried on.

This leg of the trip seemed a lot longer than it looked on the map maybe it was the state of mind I was in but It was just so beautiful I wanted it to carry on indefinitely. My petrol was doing ok, down to about half, but I wasn't sure exactly how many kms were left and I felt a little nervous as I hadn't seen a gas station out here at all. Anyway, another prayer later and up popped a little petrol station with a kindly lady who topped my tank up for 60b (seems the same everywhere).

The road started to improve (surface wise) so I had a bit more of a blast (still on 80Km/h) which was nice. The vista slowly returned to a more flat, agricultural look as I neared the main Chiang Mai road. I fired back into Chiang Mai and got back to my guesthouse at about 4.30pm. All in all the loop took about 5hrs which was pretty good. If I had stopped at all the tourist sites I would have needed a whole day, as again I wouldn't want to be out there when it's dark as those potholes and things would be very hard to see coming.

Anyway I'm planning to meet Dana tonight and maybe hit the night bazaar for some last minute shopping. I only have 2 nights left here :-( so I need to start thinking about what I need to get. My train for bangkok leaves at 6pm saturday and gets in at about 7am. I realised today that I will have my rucksack and everything with me when I get there so firing around doing the tourist thing is going to be a bit of a pain. I don't know if I can leave my bags somewhere at the airport and then head back out. Check in will open at about 10.50 so it might not be worth it. I can always do bangkok on the next trip :-)

The night bazaar was like it normally is, busy and a bit hassly but not too bad. I managed to pick-up just about everything I wanted and a few things I hadn't planned on :-) I did spend a lot but not compared to what I would spend back home, and as these are xmas pressies I am saving myself a lot.

Met Dana and Gora for some food at Tianzi, which is an organic place specialising in bio-diversity and macrobiology (sounds great, not sure what it is exactly though). The food was nice, although Dana and Gora did try this Vegan 'cheese' which was basically fermented tofu, it smelled like a spicy gorgonzola and I tried a bit. If my stomach had been stronger I might have tasted more but I wasn't going to risk it. Dana seemed to enjoy it, but she did say her stomach felt strange later (maybe not such a good bet afterall) so I hope it passes quickly for her.

Anyway the evening was lovely and we chatted a lot. It's amazing just how much we have in common and I was surprised to here her say that when she first met me she thought I was a girl after her own heart (Exactly what I thought about her!). Funny how we never see ourselves the way others do but see in others that which we want to see in ourselves... The irony is, that is exactly what we see in them....ourselves, reflected :-)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196286240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196286240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196286240/tpod.html Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:52:21 -0500 Training in Chiang Mai

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Chiang Mai, Thailand

I started off a little late today but I wanted to check a few things online before I headed off.

I set off to go to the train station and book my ticket to bangkok however I missed the turn off the main road so carried on to my destination which was San Kampaeng. This was supposed to be THE place for silk so I wanted to check it out. It was a fun drive out and the road was pretty straight and not too busy.

I got there but saw no sign of silk anywhere, just a small village with shops and very little western writing anywhere. I stopped off at a garage, partly to get fuel but also to ask directions. They seemed to amused to see me, again, tall white women on a moped was a sight they probably didn't see much. Anyway they weren't sure but said I was best to head back to chiang mai about 1-2km. So I headed that way.

I stopped off at a coffee shop for some lunch. They were very friendly and said how beautiful and tall I was :-) I had a salad and a coffee which were both very nice and the lady had a tourist map so I could see where the silk place was.

I headed off to the silk place and stopped off at a little umbrella factory and shop which was quite cute. You could have an umbrella and just about anything else painted by hand. They were incredibly fast and pretty good at painting, I saw someone having a flower painted of their mobile phone which looked pretty nice. The paint didn't look that water resistant though so I'm not sure how long it would last.

Anyway I brought a very little things and headed off to the silk place. I found it ok and was welcomed and given a little tour. Quite interesting but the silk itself, although lovely was highly priced. About 3000B (45pounds) for a blouse. It felt gorgeous and back home that would be a good deal but I'm not that set on having 100% to pay that much. I'll check out the night bazaar and get some cheaper stuff.

It was still early and I was really enjoying the freedom of the open road so decided to head out across country to some other craft villages. I followed the signs and everything was easy until the english ran out and the signs became solely thai. I was still pretty sure I was on the right road but with no signs to help I felt a little uneasy. I quick pray for assistance yeilded a westerner on a bike who went past and stopped at a garage. I stopped as well and he was able to confirm I was on the right road :-)

I carried on and eventually got to the craft village. There were LOTS of shops and not that many tourists which was nice. I had a good wander around eating my spicy seafood crisps and drinking water. I bought a few things before I thought it was time to head back. I didn't feel like being out in the country when it got dark and wasn't sure how long it would take to get back. As it happens it was quite quick as I got on a main highway after a few kilometers and it was plain sailing after that.

Back at the guesthouse now and planning my evening. I might take a run down to this little restaurant by the river and then maybe play some mini-golf :-) Whenever I'm away I want to play that but never seem to be with the right people. Now it's just me I can do what I like :-)

Anyway I might try and meet Clair and Kat if they are around, otherwise it's food and golf.

Clair and Kat both busy so I headed off on my own. The restaurant was lovely. It was so nice it could almost have been done by disney (some of you will know what I mean by that). The food was nice, but a little hot for me :-0 I did have some lovely coconut juice (bascially just a whole coconut cut open with a straw in it :-) ) and listened to the traditional thai music.

The Mini golf was non-existant (foiled again!) so I headed back to the guesthouse. I wasn't tired so checked out the cinema listing for the airport plaza's big cineplex. The only film I could see was Beowulf but it sounded interesting so I headed off.

The cinema only cost 100B (1.20) and there was only me and about 4 thais in there :-) Before the film there was a little song of praise to the king and everyone (all 5 of us) stood up, which was nice. They really do love their king.

The film itself was really quite good. Completely motion-captured (real actors on a stage, digitised and put into an animated world) and was quite amazing for that. The detail was really stunning. At the beginning the movement of the people looked a little off but it improved as the film went on, and by the end (with some incredible action scenes) the characters were just like real people. This is definitely the way more films are going to go I think because it gives the director so much control over every little detail of the scene and certainly for fantasy/sci-fi stuff the effects and worlds that can be created are amazing.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196212200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196212200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196212200/tpod.html Tue, 27 Nov 2007 22:00:26 -0500 Training in Chiang Mai

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Chiang Mai, Thailand

I woke up this morning not sure of what I wanted to do. I looked at the map and saw the Zoo so thought I'd take a run over there and see what it was like.

I got some money out (without my passport I can't cash T-Cheques) and took the bike for a spin. I got to the zoo at about 10am and it was pretty empty. I paid for the one of the "hop-on, Hop-off" buses as the Zoo is set on a mountain side and it would be a lot of walking up steep hills.

Anyway I got off at the first stop. There were giraffes (which I got to feed :-0 ), Giant Pandas, Tigers Tapirs and Camels. It was nice and I had some fresh fruit and crisps as I walked around. I got to go through a walk through Aviary which was interesting, until I saw my first Thailand spider (my good those things are big, and scary) from which point on I was on a hightened state of alert (carefully examining each branch I walked under etc) :-{. The birds were quite stunning but I saw more information boards about birds, than birds themselves. Guess they were sleeping (classic Zoo experience that).

Anyway I waited for the bus to come back up and had an Ice Cream, it came by but for some reason it didn't stop, which was a little annoying. I had to walk up the next bit which was pretty steep and in 30 degree heat was a bit of a killer. Lukily there was a cool spot at the top where I could rest a bit and watch goats and stuff at the childrens zoo.

I got to see some Koala and lots of cute animals. before walking the next bit (just missed the bus again!). I had my umbrella up by this stage which did make it a little easier. Next were monkeys including an Orang-utan who was amazing. He wandered over to near where I was watching and just sat looking at me. He really was beautiful and such amazing eyes. Stirred some ancient memory of being an ape which I can't really explain :-) Anyway it was a nice to just sit there and look at him. The gibbons were just noisy, but that;s gibbons for you.

I timed it just right to be at the seal show which was quite fun. It did fill up with school kids who seemed to find me fascinating, I guess they don't see a lot of tall red-headed white women around :-) The show was fun, although I have no idea what the announcer was saying as it was all thai. The seals put on a good show and I caught some good stuff on video (pics were a bit hard).

Next I did manage to catch the bus, only because it stopped for all the kids (think they enjoy leaving farangs standing there :-0. I got off at the little temple and chedi that is on the site and had a quick pray (the place was rather full of ants so didn't fancy sitting there too long otherwise I'd have been eaten alive). I managed to catch the elephant, although he did look a little sad and was going through a bit of a routine which makes me think he's been worked hard in shows and now goes through the routines even when not in the show. Hopefully this hasn't happened at the zoo itself though.

A few more animals and I was just about done. I had a lovely coconut Frappe and a piece of cheesecake in the Zoo cafe (wish I'd found that earlier) and then headed a little further up the mountain to the HuayKeaw Waterfall. I parked and walked a little bit up to get some pics. I then found a nice little spot to sit on (warm) rocks and rest a bit. It seems like this is where lots of Thais come to have picnics and stuff. I had a nice time there and even had some slightly powerful out of body stuff. Can't really describe it, but it was one of those things where when you come back you feel a little disorientated, as if your body isn't familiar. This only lasted a few seconds but it was quite interesting.

I headed back home now as it was getting a little cold. I enjoyed the ride back and it was good fun to skip past queuing traffic for once (now I know how it feels I want a bike back home!). I headed over to Blue Dimond for food. I went for sweet and sour veggies as I thought that would be safe. It was however rather full of chillie and was a bit hot for me really. I ate most of it but it was a bit of a challenge and took me a while :-). I had some ice cream for dessert which was lush.

Had a good chat with people on skype and updated the blog (as you can see :-) ) and will be heading off to bed soon, I really feel like watching a film but nothing is in english and I'm not sure where I could go for anything else. The cinema maybe, but it's a bit late to think about that now.

The guesthouse family were watching a thai drama so I thought I'd give it a go. It was actualy quite good because it was either really well-acted or over-acted (making it easy to tell what they were saying/thinking) and the music they used was very simple and emotion driven, so it switched dramatically from cute and funny to shocking etc etc so it was actually quite enjoyable, in a strange foreign way :-)

Anyway I was bit tired so didn't catch the end. To be honest I don;t know if I would have known it was the end anyway.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196114580/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196114580/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196114580/tpod.html Mon, 26 Nov 2007 07:07:43 -0500 Training in Chiang Mai

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Chiang Mai, Thailand

My first day of holiday started quite gently. I was feeling a bit tired after the night before so rested in bed for a while planning my week before getting up. I rented my bike (got the same one I had before which was nice) and headed off to the hospital to get my passport.

Turns out my insurance company isn't responding to the hospital so they still need payment. I will try and call them this evening and find out what the problem is. If they don't get the payment through by sunday I'm going to have to pay out 12000Baht (about 200 pounds) to settle my bill and get my passport back. I'd then have to claim it back later (which could be fun). Anyway we'll see what they say today.

I took the bike for a spin out to Wat Jed Yod, which is quite a Large temple complex with several old Chedi and a nice big temple. I had a nice quiet meditiation there and I was the only westerner there and enjoyed a walk around taking photos. The sun was quite hot today so I stuck to the shade.

I headed off to get a drink in the nearby shopping area. Again Wawee coffee was there and I had a nice tea and some cookies :-) The shops around there were lovely and a bit more stylish than some of the market stuff. I could some nice comfortable sandels (mine have no cushioning and my feet have been suffering a bit) for 100B and picked up some gifts for people back home (hope you like them :-) ).

I had brought far too much stuff with me so decided to shoot home and drop some stuff off. Once there I fancied a juice and sandwich so headed to Juicy4u again. Once again it was lovely and afterward I felt like resting some more so went for a herbal steam.

It took a while to understand how it worked but once I got in there it was really quite nice. The steam was really quite strong and I felt really cleansed afterwards. They give you a scrub to apply as well which was quite strange but nice and after a shower I headed back home for a sleep.

I was feeling a bit short of salt so grabbed some crisps and picked up something from the chemist around the corner.

I spoke to my insurance people and they just received the fax (or just looked for it) and they seem happy that everything should go through ok. If there are any problems they will me know but hopefully I will be able to get my passport back tomorrow or wednesday which will be nice.

Anyway I'm still feeling a bit sleepy but don't really want to go to bed yet. I might take a spin over to Blue Dimond and get some bananas in coconut milk which is lush :-) Either way it's going to be an early night for me.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1195954920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1195954920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1195954920/tpod.html Mon, 26 Nov 2007 06:52:23 -0500 Training in Chiang Mai

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Today was a strange day. It started well with a lovely yoga workshop with Dana. I was the only one there so got a 1:1 which was great. I've really loosened since being here as one of the positions I just couldn't get near to back in Bristol but was able to get to and hold (a little) today. So that was nice to see.

We then went out for lunch to this great veggie buffet place. 80B for all you can eat. The choice was great, lots of lovely food, soup and dessert :-) Needless to say we were all a bit stuffed when we left. We wandered around a little market that was near by. Really nice stuff and completely empty of people. The things were a bit more up market but there were some great wholesale type places selling pottery and things so I will go back and get some bits from there later.

I then got a text from vera saying to meet at her guesthouse. Turns out she got locked out of her guesthouse friday night so ended up walking the streets till 7am! Therefore she was a bit tired when we met at 1.30pm. We went out for a coffee and decided to get our hair done again. Just a wash and dry, 80B (<2 pounds) and it's worth it just for the head massage :-) She styled my hair slightly differently, with quite a heavy fringe (not cut again, just styled) but I didn't really like it, so swept it to the side once I had the chance :-)

As vera wanted to get a bit more sleep before the evening and the festival we decided to meet up again at about 7pm at the ThaPae gate (a main pedestrian area and centre for the festival). Dana had already mentioned meeting there so it worked out well. At least that was the plan...

I wanted something nice to wear so I went shopping for a nice dress. I found one in the nice little shop, off the main streets. The lady there was lovely and as soon as I tried on this peach/yellow dress she was very excited. Apparantly (unless it was just shpeel) I was the first person who had tried it on who could actually pull off wearing that dress. It's quite a slim fit, but not clingy, and it quite long on me (not Long tall sally long though). I really liked it and the lady started picking out jewellery to match. By the end of it I had on a necklace, anklet (yes I know you hate them Dad), bracelet, earrings and a bag, all matching beautifully. It was a lot of money (for Thailand) but actually not for what I got. I paid 1000B (about 16 pounds) for the lot. It should have been about 1200 but I haggled a little, afterall I had bought just about everything I could (if she sold shoes I would have bought some) so I had some bargaining power. She agreed and I felt happy I had a good deal. Afterall each accessory would have cost about 150B in the markets so the dress actually only cost me 400B which isn't bad. It's got a nice feel to it and it's 2 layers so doesn't feel cheap.

Anyway I was feeling quite good about this. I got changed and felt gorgeous. Now maybe it's just coincidence but I decided to take off the piece of string that had been given to me as a blessing by the monk at Doi Suthiep (I did say a prayer of thankyou as I removed it though). However soon after I received a rather blunt text from Vera saying "Can't make it. Have Fun. See you tomorrow". I rang her to find out what had changed, turns out she went down the river with some of her friend Belle and decided she'd rather stay there. Fair enough I guess, but I did feel a bit hurt, afterall she knew Belle was coming to town and had even told me about her, but didn't feel she could invite me down with them.

Anyway I tried not to get too involved in the emotions I was feeling and decided to go and meet Dana and have a nice evening. Again that was the plan. I walked to ThaPae gate and it was really beautiful. Lanteens everywhere, ballons going up, firecrackers and fireworks going off all over the place. I got there and started to watch the parade. I rang Dana and she said they were just finishing a Reiki session but would be over soon. I waited and watched, taking lots of video. About an hour later still no sign or call. I tried to ring her again but the phone was constantly busy. I was feeling a bit pissed off now as my fun evening with friends had turned to crap. At that moment I did meet Nola and Tae, from my course. They were about to go off to this new Arty Lounge place with some of their friends and they said I could come along. I slightly regret my decision now but I felt a bit bad in case Dana turned up and I wasn't there. Plus Vera was at the riverside so I thought I could wander down there and join them (if I felt like it). So I thanked them for the offer and said goodbye.
I sent Dana a text saying that I was going to walk to the river and maybe catch up with her later. During the walk I calmed down a bit about Vera and everything and started to enjoy the parade a bit more. It really was very pretty and the people were all enjoying themselves.

I got to the bridge and it was completely mad. Fireworks going off everywhere, firecrackers exploding my your feet (a few were a bit too close for comfort) so it got my adrenaline up a bit, which maybe wasn't the best thing.

I got to the riverside and no sign of Vera anywhere. I rang her and found out that they had already left. I guess her night on the street got the better of her. I did feel pretty pissed though. I walked back down the parade route and back to ThaPae gate, with every intention of just going home to sleep. However peace had gradually returned to me and the gate area was just so beautiful I sat down and just watched and listened. They were playing some really nice music (bit swing, bit classical) and it was lovely. I watched little kids playing with firecrackers, couple taking pictures, families and tourists. It was blissful and a nice rest for my feet, which were hurting quite a bit by now.

I drifted off at some point and headed back to my guesthouse. My outfit had gone down very well and several people had said how beautiful I looked, including the guy who owns the guesthouse :-) I think he fancied me and he gave me a beer and we chatted a little. He didn't seem to understand when I said that I didn't want a boyfriend :-) I said goodnight and went to bed. I felt reasonably good but still a bit frustrated that 2 nights running my party plans had fallen flat.

Just in case I put the piece of string back on as soon as I got back in the room :-) We'll see.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196033220/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196033220/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1196033220/tpod.html Mon, 26 Nov 2007 04:49:39 -0500 Training in Chiang Mai

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Chiang Mai, Thailand

After the previous nights frustrations I needed to clear my head. So when I got up I headed off to Wat Chediluang which I had seen severaly times but never been to. A Chedi is an ancient temple which looks like a pyramid, bit more aztec or incan than egyptian. It's quite impressive and I found a nice place to sit and meditate.

The monks were doing a service outside and there were lots of people around the place and even a childrens band playing music. I had a very powerful experience at the shrine and really felt cleansed of the strong emotions I had felt the previous evening.

I headed off after a while to get some food and see what was happening with Vera. It was strange but I sat down at Wawee coffee and had an Ice Latte and a piece of cake (very nice) and sent a text to Vera. She was just waking up and suggested meeting at Wawee coffee :-) Then Clair cycled by. It was as if everyone wanted to be at Wawee coffee that morning. Anyway Clair and I had a nice chat about things and she suggested a yoga teacher in Bristol who teaches Satyananda Yoga (slightly ironic considering that's my Guru's name). I will definitely check that out when I'm back as it sounds really nice.

Vera arrived and we all chatted a bit more. Then Clair had to head off. Vera appologised about the night and explained how she had been feeling really tired and misunderstood the call we had about meeting up later and thought I wasn't coming. Funny how things always seem so rational after the fact and when you take emotion out of the picture. We decided to try and get a boat cruise up the river and maybe a spot of lunch somewhere. We got a songteow which took us all over the place, round past the airport and over to the river from the otherside. Was a nice ride and only cost 40B.

We found a nice place to eat called the Gallery. Lots of Krishna going on again, pinks and purples, flowers and stuff. We had some lovely food right by the river and relaxed. Afterward we took a walk to find a boat. Ended up walking a fair way down the river to this amazing temple, Wat ChaiMongkol. Had another very powerful experience there which was lovely. The boat ride turned out to be a bit too pricey for what you actually got, 420B each. So we decided not to bother.

We caught a Songteow back to ThaPae gate and walked down through the night market. We split at about 5pm and arranged to meet up again at 7pm at Starbucks to do the festival again :-) but this time it worked out. I got dressed up again (I wanted to share it with someone) and we met up on time. The parade was even more ellaborate that night as it was the last night. We watched it for a bit before heading up to the THC rooftop bar, which had a nice view down on the gate area, and also an amazing view of the moon and sky.

We had a drink there, only coke, (which was a bit of a mistake as it turned out) and chatted for quite a while. We got a bit hungry so set off on a mission for food. Turned out that a lot of places were closing early so they could enjoy the festival so we struggled for a while to find anywhere. We did manage to find a place but by that time I wasn;t actually feeling great. Not sick this time just bloated and a bit gassy. I think my stomach hadn't taken too well to the fizzy coke. I really felt like spring rolls but I just missed the last ones (they were actually eaten by the table next to me, just to rub it in) so I just had french fries. They were nice and I felt ok eating them.

My gas didn't really ease up much and we couldn't find any decent music to listen to. The Rasta bar was playing pretty bad ska (the singer just wasn't good) so we headed off to another one. This one was ok but neither of us was really in a party mood so we only had one drink (mine being water) then we headed home. It was about midnight now so we had a good nights worth and Vera had work in the morning.

Again it just felt that I wasn't meant to party this weekend. Maybe that's a good thing, as I do have the tendancy to party harder than my body really likes so considering the week I've had I think the divine was probably looking out for me. Anyway, I now have a week of sightseeing ahead of me and then my flight home. Amazing how quickly it has come around.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1195858440/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1195858440/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/elementalemma/thailand2007/1195858440/tpod.html Sat, 24 Nov 2007 20:42:22 -0500 Training in Chiang Mai

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Chiang Mai, Thailand

I can't believe the course has come to an end so soon. Seems like I only just got here.

Today was a fun day though as we were making herbal balls which they use in therapeutic massage. This involved chopping and pestalling lots of different herbs and then wrapping them in muslin. In the afternoon we got to use them :-)

They are heated up in a steamer (or microwave) and are really hot. The smell and juice they exude though is fab and the feeling is great. Really good on tight muscles. Those of you in Bristol might be in for a treat when I get back :-)

We made our Kratongs over lunchtime which was fun. I nearly lost my flowers though and they thought they were the school so gave them all out! I did get enough though to make my kratong nice and pretty. I'm putting it on the river tonight so will upload pics (if they come out).

Then it was time for graduation. This was quite beautiful as several people made lovely speaches and some even sang. We got our certificates and everything and then had cake.

It was really quite sad leaving there as the teachers are so lovely, several came up and said nice things and I will miss being there. I'm sure I will back though.

The evening didn't quite go as planned. Everyone was to meet at a coffee place at 6.30 so we could decide what to do. However by 7pm there were only 3 of us there. A few turned up but said they had things to do but would meet us later by the river (easier said than done). So we were left with 3 from our class, a girl from a different class who we hadn't met before and 2 friends of Nola's from Canada. We had a walk to the river and put our Kratongs in the water, which was nice. Then we went for some food and had a really nice indian near the night bazaar.

Afterwards we decided to head for the rasta bar area to have a drink and stuff. I think they were all a bit tired because we only had one drink before they headed off home. I stayed on with Kim for a bit longer and we then had a walk back to our guesthouses. We said our goodbyes as she was off to Laos the next day.

It was a nice evening but not the party I had expected and I didn't get to say goodbye to many of the people from my course which was a real shame.

I found out later from Dana that they had all met up somewhere and had a great time, doing fire dancing and letting of balloons. Felt a bit miffed really but that's just the way it goes I guess.
]]>