Chiang Mai

  Chiang Mai, Thailand
Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Wow what a trip so far. I will try and briefly describe the last few days as my time is limited before I need to jump on a train back to Bangkok.

First i will say that I have met a lot of really great people and made some new friends. The first day in Bangkok I went and saw some of the temples and have a great time seeing some of the amazing sites and studying the origins of Buddism and what the lifestyle represents. It is a very different culture to see people live as they do without much but always with a smile on their face. It is also very cool to walk through the streets and see the monks in their clothes and at peace.

The next day I went with my new friends to see some other sites of the city and then boarded a 13 hour over night train to Chiang Mai to go to the hill tribes.

Chiang Mai is a very interesting city.

cooking 1

Upon arrival I took a day long cooking class with some of my friends. We learned the proper way to make Pad Tai (Meghan we are going to cook when I get back)

cooking 3

cooking 1

We also learned how to make Curry Chicken and some soups and sticky rice and mango desert.

cooking 4

The food here is wonderful and so healthy. I have enjoyed the dinners and lunches where I have been able to eat the tasty food and also enjoy the company of friends from all over the world. We went shopping at the Night Bazzar that night and then a few of us went for a drink to get ready for our jungle days ahead.

chiang mai 2

chiang mai1

On the next day we left to Trek through the Hill Tribes in Northern Thailand. The Hill tribes are very interesting. It is like stepping back in time 1,000 years. They live off the land and live very differently than we do in the States. One the first day after a 2 hour drive in the back of a truck that I thought would break down or kill us all we arrived at our destination for a 3 hour trek through the jungle. The jungle trekking there is nothing like hiking in the States. One of the major differences is the lack of a trail and the amount of bugs and leeches that want to eat you. (literally) It was mostly an uphill and downhill trek through very wet and slippery terrain from the Monsoons that have hit the area. It would rain on and off but the scenery was amazing!

Once we arrived at the villiage it was a very different experiance entirely. The village we stayed at was composed of about 20 families that have lived together for centuries. About 60 years ago a missionary came through the village and converted the tribe into Christians. They only recieve a minister about once every fe months because of the difficult terrain to get to the village. I will have to expand on this at another time when I have more time.

That night the villagers cooked for us an amazing Thai dinner and then we slept under misquito nets on a bamboo floor. It was not the best smell in the world but it was an awesome experiance.

The next day we took a 4 hour trek uphill through the jungle. It was one of the most difficult trekks I have ever done and with a 35 pound rucksack on your back it was not an easy task. But we survived and arrived at an elephant camp where we took an elephant through the jungle for about an hour before arriving at our next village. That afternoon we bathed in the river and told stories at night. I will expand more on the awesome experiance with the elephants later! But I got to bathe an elephant and ride one as well which those things are huge!!!! And I loved every minute of it. I LOVE THAILAND!!

The next morning we awoke and took a 3 hour bamboo raft ride down the river. Some of it was like white water rafting and in a bamboo raft that can be quite a scary experiance! But so much fun and an unforgetable adventure! Upon arriving back in Chiang Mai we went out last night for some dinner and dancing which was a fun way to relax after a hard week of travel and trekking. My legs are sore from the hiking but I would do it all over again!

I am running short on time so I will leave you with this! It is not about where we go in life, or what we see for we can go everywhere and see so many things but the best memories are those that we hold onto because we do everything with an open mind and heart and always see the best in every moment for life is to short to live safe and tucked away in a home far away from a world of adventure!