ok, first of all here is a link to my favorite youtube video. totally unrelated to my trip but I want to share it with as many people as possible. It is David after going to the dentist and I think they overdosed him when they put him under. watch it a few times and get ready to laugh really hard: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txqiwrbYGrs
now for the pictures... they are in facebook albums that you should be able to open with these links but if they don't work just copy and paste them into the URL. ENJOY!!
Resort stuff:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2101348&id=7301161&l=ce8ebcd89a
Faces of the Philippines:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2101282&id=7301161&l=5fd345bfdf
The Real Cebu:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2101179&id=7301161&l=3ef6312b25
hopefully those links work, if not then like i said, just copy and paste the link into the URL thing :) and there will be more from Thailand on the way soon!
love you all!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
the end of the blog :(
Alright friends and family... I have officially finished my blog. This is the last entry - at least I'm pretty sure of that :) Who knew I would be able to write so much and keep it that updated while traveling around the Philippines and Thailand?! My mom is grateful I was able to keep her so informed, that's for sure. I hope there are others out there who appreciated the blog... Ideally you can learn something from the experience I have shared with you. There is so much need in these developing countries, particularly the Philippines, and everyone really can make a difference. We need to appreciat that, as a good friend put it, "more people need to realize that poverty and hunger and disease do affect so many and we have a responsibility as human brothers and sisters to do something about it". Ask me if you want ideas, I have lots of little things we could do to help out the clinic and proximal areas.
I think it is also important to appreciate the little luxuries in life: flushing toilet paper, clean drinking water, nutritious food, safety, a good education, a promising future, et cetera et cetera (not necessarily in that order :)... I could go on all day. There are so many little things I took advantage of before that feel like such luxuries now, and I know that my appreciation will fade over time but I plan to savor it and draw it out for as long as possible while I can. We are so fortunate and life will be even sweeter if you take the time to remind yourself of that. It is the little things in life, and a positive attitude, that will make all the difference.
The other day I was talking to stranger and asked him a little about himself. He got talking and before I knew it I had been told a brief, and quite interesting, life history, which ended with him staring me straight in the eye and with a subtle nodding of his head he said "I have a great life", as if he had just realized it in telling me about himself. I took a moment to appreciate his realization, to soak it in that I had found someone who was savoring his good fortune rather than taking it for granted. I was relieved, and I was grateful that he knew how lucky he was. We were both silent for a moment, then a tilted my head and said with a smile "me too." I have a great life too. Shaking my head in disbelief, I agreed with this stranger that I was utterly and undeservingly blessed. How did I get so lucky as to draw the right card? To end up living where I do, being raised as I was, not a legitimate complaint in the world. I start medical school in August, I got in! How can I be that lucky? My parents, my friends, my community, my education, I have everything to be thankful for... and how often in my life do I take it for granted? Less now, that's for sure. When you experience poverty, prostitution, sexism, corruption, and all the things that come along with that, it changes you - I am changed.
Here's why the change is good: you are patient ("like a Filipina", I say now), you try to remember to laugh more (in the Philippines they were always laughing), you don't get annoyed as easily (putting up with roosters crowing all day will do wonders for you ability to ignore just about any nuisance), you are kinder, more generous, helpful, friendly, genuinely sweet... or at least you have seen all of these traits epitomized by the people of the Philippines, even in the midst of the poverty and adversity of their lives, and you want to strive to be as upbeat and good. That is invaluable, priceless, that is good change. Not everyone has that wake up call... and not at such a young age - just another reason I am so lucky. Embrace life for what it is, appreciate what you have, find joy where you can. If the Filipinos can do it we certainly can.
Here's why the change is hard (not bad, just difficult to deal with): because today I was on a bike ride with my dad and sister and we rode through a nice, I mean REALLY nice, neighborhood. The houses were big enough to be apartment complexes, with enough rooms that I'm sure there are several in each house that aren't entered even once a month. It was disgusting... the big houses set me off - It felt like something between a panic attack and a total breakdown. I was riding, glancing left and right as I came upon each new mansion, larger than the last. i didnt know what to do, they were sooo excessive it made me sick, it made me physically hurt, and on top of that, angry, angry at how selfish people can be. It was the first strong reaction I've had since coming home and it was awful. I always said in the Philippines that I didn't experience culture shock so much as I experienced cultural enlightenment. Now that I'm home, and I realized this during my week in San Francisco too, I am experience true and full-blown culture SHOCK. Other than being disgusted by how much people have here and how little they give back, here is another part of culture shock - you feel really helpless. you see all the wealth and you've just personally experienced, lived, all the need, and the disconnect is frustrating like you cannot believe. why cant it balance out more?! one less room on that house, one room they don't even need or use, and the money they would save and could donate to a child in the Philippines would change that child's life forever. And that is all it takes to save a country. Save the children - the children are the future. Feed, educate, empower the women and children and it can make all the difference.
I think there needs to be a mandatory study abroad in a developing country that all people must do. People need to experience the poverty first-hand, they need to make connections with the people there, and they need to see that it is real, not just some discovery channel special or ambiguous commercial about 25 cents a day feeding a child. People should feel guilty buying mansions, they should realize they don't need that fifth Lexus, BMW, whatever... Instead of buying $300 jeans maybe they should buy $100 jeans, still excessive, and send the extra money to feed a kid or buy prenatal vitamins for a pregnant woman. It doesn't take a lot to make a BIG difference in a country like the Philippines. It is important to remember that. It is also important to realize that there is only so much you can do to make a difference, and the rest is pretty much futile: complaining, guilt tripping people, etc. So I'm trying to find the balance. Trying to remember to be grateful, appreciative, generous, happy, and so on, while keeping the people of the Philippines in the back of my mind and in my heart so that one day, hopefully not too far down the road, I'll be able to make a difference for them - they deserve it.
I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to read this blog! It was pretty fun writing it, although I was terrible about proof reading so it will be interesting when I read back over everything one day and realize what I made my readers put up with :) love you all, remember to have patience, give thanks for your blessings, and keep laughing like a Filipino always!!
I think it is also important to appreciate the little luxuries in life: flushing toilet paper, clean drinking water, nutritious food, safety, a good education, a promising future, et cetera et cetera (not necessarily in that order :)... I could go on all day. There are so many little things I took advantage of before that feel like such luxuries now, and I know that my appreciation will fade over time but I plan to savor it and draw it out for as long as possible while I can. We are so fortunate and life will be even sweeter if you take the time to remind yourself of that. It is the little things in life, and a positive attitude, that will make all the difference.
The other day I was talking to stranger and asked him a little about himself. He got talking and before I knew it I had been told a brief, and quite interesting, life history, which ended with him staring me straight in the eye and with a subtle nodding of his head he said "I have a great life", as if he had just realized it in telling me about himself. I took a moment to appreciate his realization, to soak it in that I had found someone who was savoring his good fortune rather than taking it for granted. I was relieved, and I was grateful that he knew how lucky he was. We were both silent for a moment, then a tilted my head and said with a smile "me too." I have a great life too. Shaking my head in disbelief, I agreed with this stranger that I was utterly and undeservingly blessed. How did I get so lucky as to draw the right card? To end up living where I do, being raised as I was, not a legitimate complaint in the world. I start medical school in August, I got in! How can I be that lucky? My parents, my friends, my community, my education, I have everything to be thankful for... and how often in my life do I take it for granted? Less now, that's for sure. When you experience poverty, prostitution, sexism, corruption, and all the things that come along with that, it changes you - I am changed.
Here's why the change is good: you are patient ("like a Filipina", I say now), you try to remember to laugh more (in the Philippines they were always laughing), you don't get annoyed as easily (putting up with roosters crowing all day will do wonders for you ability to ignore just about any nuisance), you are kinder, more generous, helpful, friendly, genuinely sweet... or at least you have seen all of these traits epitomized by the people of the Philippines, even in the midst of the poverty and adversity of their lives, and you want to strive to be as upbeat and good. That is invaluable, priceless, that is good change. Not everyone has that wake up call... and not at such a young age - just another reason I am so lucky. Embrace life for what it is, appreciate what you have, find joy where you can. If the Filipinos can do it we certainly can.
Here's why the change is hard (not bad, just difficult to deal with): because today I was on a bike ride with my dad and sister and we rode through a nice, I mean REALLY nice, neighborhood. The houses were big enough to be apartment complexes, with enough rooms that I'm sure there are several in each house that aren't entered even once a month. It was disgusting... the big houses set me off - It felt like something between a panic attack and a total breakdown. I was riding, glancing left and right as I came upon each new mansion, larger than the last. i didnt know what to do, they were sooo excessive it made me sick, it made me physically hurt, and on top of that, angry, angry at how selfish people can be. It was the first strong reaction I've had since coming home and it was awful. I always said in the Philippines that I didn't experience culture shock so much as I experienced cultural enlightenment. Now that I'm home, and I realized this during my week in San Francisco too, I am experience true and full-blown culture SHOCK. Other than being disgusted by how much people have here and how little they give back, here is another part of culture shock - you feel really helpless. you see all the wealth and you've just personally experienced, lived, all the need, and the disconnect is frustrating like you cannot believe. why cant it balance out more?! one less room on that house, one room they don't even need or use, and the money they would save and could donate to a child in the Philippines would change that child's life forever. And that is all it takes to save a country. Save the children - the children are the future. Feed, educate, empower the women and children and it can make all the difference.
I think there needs to be a mandatory study abroad in a developing country that all people must do. People need to experience the poverty first-hand, they need to make connections with the people there, and they need to see that it is real, not just some discovery channel special or ambiguous commercial about 25 cents a day feeding a child. People should feel guilty buying mansions, they should realize they don't need that fifth Lexus, BMW, whatever... Instead of buying $300 jeans maybe they should buy $100 jeans, still excessive, and send the extra money to feed a kid or buy prenatal vitamins for a pregnant woman. It doesn't take a lot to make a BIG difference in a country like the Philippines. It is important to remember that. It is also important to realize that there is only so much you can do to make a difference, and the rest is pretty much futile: complaining, guilt tripping people, etc. So I'm trying to find the balance. Trying to remember to be grateful, appreciative, generous, happy, and so on, while keeping the people of the Philippines in the back of my mind and in my heart so that one day, hopefully not too far down the road, I'll be able to make a difference for them - they deserve it.
I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to read this blog! It was pretty fun writing it, although I was terrible about proof reading so it will be interesting when I read back over everything one day and realize what I made my readers put up with :) love you all, remember to have patience, give thanks for your blessings, and keep laughing like a Filipino always!!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
things I learned in Thailand
*Always have toilet paper and hand sanitizer with you - the bathrooms are not well equipped.
*Pass on the ice - it is best to drink only bottled water.
*Heat makes you move in slow motion.
*You will sweat 15 out of the 16 hours you are awake.
*the french do not all smoke. that said, the one french girl we camped with smoked enough for all of France.
*if you can't speed eat your ice cream don't buy any, thailand takes the melting factor to a whole new level.
*Stray dogs like to hang out at the temples because the monks won't harm them.
*If you like to pick at your feet, don't also pick at the bug bites on your legs - they will get infected!
*Beware when eating with Kor's dad - you will get more stuffed than with any buffet (that man knows how to order a lot of food!!)
*Remove your shoes before going in a temple, someone's home, or many businesses.
*Do not step on the bottom frame of the doorway when entering a Buddhist temple, step OVER it.
*The card game Hearts always makes you feel better - it can resolve anything from minor disagreements to serious disputes.
*Beware playing cards in public places, you don't want to set bad examples for the local children.
*It is possible to shoot the moon multiple times in a row... but only if you are on a haunted island.
*If you want roti look for a Muslim owned roti stand - they always make it the best.
*Sticky rice and mango is delicious for any and every meal, including breakfast.
*It is best to sneak your third friend into the two-person hotel room rather than declare them - this is a serious $$ saver.
*Tigerbalm can cure almost any wound... note: the only exception is huge brown ant death bites.
*Stay away from big brown ants and be careful about what trees you stand under, they might drop down on you.
*jelly fish are harmless minus the temporary sting.
*if you aren't sweating it means you are severely dehydrated and probably going into heat stroke - sweat is good.
*spf 30 + is a necessity whenever stepping outside.
*hotel bug nets are not effective.
*you cannot always bargain a little lower - although in a lot of places you can.
*keep your purse in sight at all times - safety first!
*Philippine airlines: liquids ok... Thai airlines: same policy as the U.S., and they mean business.
*taxi's often don't have meters, make sure you work out a deal before getting in.
*the ability to say "hi" can qualify you as an english speaker - see the blog on our guide in Phang-nga.
*toast and non-descript marmalade can be advertised as continental breakfast.
*lonely planet > rough guide.
*after May 1st it is officially low season and much cheaper to travel in Thailand.
*getting adjusted to driving on the other side of the road is not as easy as you might think.
*fried fish and rice soup are perfectly normal breakfast foods.
*bottled water is usually the only complimentary item in hotel rooms
*it is possible to have a chance encounter with someone you know, even if you're 7,000 miles from home.
*bouldering over the ocean is a great way to bond with strangers.
*if Kor's house catches on fire when you're sleeping upstairs, he will abandon you without translating "fire" from Thai to english.
*elephants believe there is no such thing as too many bananas.
ok, i could probably think of more but i'm tired after to Bay to Breakers and in need of a nap. despite trying to fight jet lag I am finally realizing that jet lag always wins and fighting it does no good. All for now! Look for the final Thailand survey in a few days :)
*Pass on the ice - it is best to drink only bottled water.
*Heat makes you move in slow motion.
*You will sweat 15 out of the 16 hours you are awake.
*the french do not all smoke. that said, the one french girl we camped with smoked enough for all of France.
*if you can't speed eat your ice cream don't buy any, thailand takes the melting factor to a whole new level.
*Stray dogs like to hang out at the temples because the monks won't harm them.
*If you like to pick at your feet, don't also pick at the bug bites on your legs - they will get infected!
*Beware when eating with Kor's dad - you will get more stuffed than with any buffet (that man knows how to order a lot of food!!)
*Remove your shoes before going in a temple, someone's home, or many businesses.
*Do not step on the bottom frame of the doorway when entering a Buddhist temple, step OVER it.
*The card game Hearts always makes you feel better - it can resolve anything from minor disagreements to serious disputes.
*Beware playing cards in public places, you don't want to set bad examples for the local children.
*It is possible to shoot the moon multiple times in a row... but only if you are on a haunted island.
*If you want roti look for a Muslim owned roti stand - they always make it the best.
*Sticky rice and mango is delicious for any and every meal, including breakfast.
*It is best to sneak your third friend into the two-person hotel room rather than declare them - this is a serious $$ saver.
*Tigerbalm can cure almost any wound... note: the only exception is huge brown ant death bites.
*Stay away from big brown ants and be careful about what trees you stand under, they might drop down on you.
*jelly fish are harmless minus the temporary sting.
*if you aren't sweating it means you are severely dehydrated and probably going into heat stroke - sweat is good.
*spf 30 + is a necessity whenever stepping outside.
*hotel bug nets are not effective.
*you cannot always bargain a little lower - although in a lot of places you can.
*keep your purse in sight at all times - safety first!
*Philippine airlines: liquids ok... Thai airlines: same policy as the U.S., and they mean business.
*taxi's often don't have meters, make sure you work out a deal before getting in.
*the ability to say "hi" can qualify you as an english speaker - see the blog on our guide in Phang-nga.
*toast and non-descript marmalade can be advertised as continental breakfast.
*lonely planet > rough guide.
*after May 1st it is officially low season and much cheaper to travel in Thailand.
*getting adjusted to driving on the other side of the road is not as easy as you might think.
*fried fish and rice soup are perfectly normal breakfast foods.
*bottled water is usually the only complimentary item in hotel rooms
*it is possible to have a chance encounter with someone you know, even if you're 7,000 miles from home.
*bouldering over the ocean is a great way to bond with strangers.
*if Kor's house catches on fire when you're sleeping upstairs, he will abandon you without translating "fire" from Thai to english.
*elephants believe there is no such thing as too many bananas.
ok, i could probably think of more but i'm tired after to Bay to Breakers and in need of a nap. despite trying to fight jet lag I am finally realizing that jet lag always wins and fighting it does no good. All for now! Look for the final Thailand survey in a few days :)
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
same same... but different
i don't really know what we did today... oh wait, I remember!! we took all of the food that Kor's mom had prepared and we brought it to the temple and offered it to the monks. She went all out, not only did we bring them like 1000 baht cash and a bunch of incense and flowers, but we also brought them a huge platter of apple-celery fruit (well, that's what Lo and I call it because that is what it tastes like), and a fruit from the lychee family, so delicious. and four containers of cooked food like soup and rice and curry, etc. and finally, a huge bucket with tons of random things from bottled water to toilet paper to snack food. Monks have it good. Kor talks about his good eats during his time as a monk, and there is no shortage of plump monks in Thailand. After we offered our things and Kor repeated prayers and we prayed for good things and happiness in life, we drove to a communist camp. I know, kind of contrasting activities, but it's what we did.
Here's the deal with Communist Camp... When the Communist party was in Thailand, not that long ago, it is where their home-base was, in the jungle area outside of Phitlo. What I learned from Kor (and Lo's bible - the lonely planet tour book), is that they were there all the way until 1981. They couldn't be successfully taken by the Thai government because they had superior strategic terrain in the jungle (Kor thought that was really cool). We visited a plaque with the names of those who had fought in the hills, the soldiers that had died trying to take down the communist party. We even saw a heli-pad that reminded from when their camp was there... The communists had recruited tons of students and they were powerful in their numbers, but the government told the students if they returned to society they would be forgiven and not punished, and all the students responded by abandoning the Communists and that is how they lost their power. Kor even said one of his teachers was once almost killed because the Communists, believing in "equality", sought to kill anyone who was educated. There is your kind of random, probably only somewhat accurate, history of the Communist Party in Thailand.
We went on an adventure to see a view of the jungle that our tour book suggested, but all we ended up finding was a bunch of random graves marked by log fences, where some of the communists were buried. It was getting late and the locals seemed to feel that it was impossible to drive the curvy roads in the dark (I don't know about them, but our car has headlights so...), therefore we decided to head back to Kor's house just to be on the safe side. Part of the reason we opted to play it safe is because they drive on the other side of the road in Thailand. It has been quite an adjustment for Kor to remember that he needs to go to the right side of the car to get to the driver's seat, and he needs to stay on the left side of the road when driving. No joke, countless times on our trip Kor will turn onto a new street and start driving on the wrong side of the road, heading into oncoming traffic, and Lo and I have to yell at him to remind him to swerve left and get on the correct side of the street - Terrible!
When we got home is when the real event of the day/night occurred. So we had just turned off the computer and we were all drifting off into a peaceful sleep when we hear kor's dad yell something from downstairs. Lo and I don't understand the Thai of course, as we can only say/understand greetings, "thank you", and "delicious" in Thai, so we aren't phased (yet), but Kor responds by jumping out of bed and taking off for the door. just as he is about to run out in silence we say "kor, what is it?" and he yells - as a side note: I don't understand why we had to ask for this piece of information and he didn't just volunteer it the minute he heard his dad say it - "the house is on fire!!" then runs away. Lo and I jumped from the bed frantically, our hearts instantly pounding, and ran down the stairs after him, expecting smoke and flames and the kitchen to be on fire or something. but we got downstairs and there was nothing, no fire, no smoke, nothing. but kor's dad was still yelling fy-my! fy-my! and his mom and dad are running around as Lo and I stand there totally confused... and then they run into the driveway and we all follow, still baffled by the situation, and we're standing there in the humid darkness and that is when we realize, it is the neighbor's telephone pole that is on fire! Like the fuse box had exploded and now there were huge flames lapping up the wooden pole next to the house. At this point Kor's mom was calling 911, we were trying to wake the neighbors by yelling, Kor's dad was still running around wildly, and Lo and I were wondering if, with the tree so close to the telephone pole, and the house touching the tree, everything might go up in flames in a matter of minutes! soon the neighbors were awake and Kor was helping one of the neighbors throw dirt on the fire (it was funny because the neighbor would chuck some dirt and the flames would go down a little, then Kor would chuck some dirt and the fuse box would explode... it went on like that for several minutes - oh Kor, always fanning the fire, even when he's trying to put it out).
side note to this story, I saw a fire fly. it was the first one i have ever seen in my entire life, with a blue glowing butt, and I thought it was soo cool! i guess it came to check out the action. The fire dept eventually came, at this point lo and i were back in bed, happily falling asleep in the air conditioned room, knowing that our house was not on fire. until the fire dept decided to turn off the electricity in the neighborhood while they fixed the malfunctioning fuse box. you'd be amazed how fast a cold room can turn unbearably hot. until the power came back on we had a lot of trouble sleeping (how did we do it in the Philippines with no AC for a month??!) Although, in defense of our inability to handle the heat here, Kor's parents keep on commenting on how it is unseasonably hot right now.
Our last full day in Phitsanoluk and we kept with our usual morning routine. Wake up, big breakfast, went to coffee at Kor's friend's coffee shop, updated our blogs a little, went to lunch with Kor's friend, played hearts with the pilot friend of Kor's who used to pick on him when they were kids, then we went to get two hour aroma oil massages. This was a perfect activity for our final day in Phitlo. We were told to shower, then got our oil massages, then sat in the steam room, and then showered again... It was the cleanest I felt on the entire trip.
We drove to Bangkok the next day and made it there in time to do some final shopping for souvenirs. Then we met Kor's dad for dinner and a show, the best in Thailand according to the advertisement, performed on the highest stage in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The show was really cool, there were tons of performers and they acted out the history of Thailand. The stage even had a river with boats and elephants, goats and chickens were in a few of the acts. The performers also "flew" which was very entertaining. It was an elaborate show and a great end to our trip.
Here's a side note about parking in Thailand... if the nose-in spots are all full, the Thai people will parallel park behind those cars. it looks like they are blocking in the cars parked in legal spaces but in fact the parallel parked cars are in neutral with the e-brake off so it is easy to roll the car that is blocking you forward or backward so that you can get out of your spot! easy way to make more parking spots, although Lo and I were very confused when we first saw this and didn't understand how it worked.
Here's the deal with Communist Camp... When the Communist party was in Thailand, not that long ago, it is where their home-base was, in the jungle area outside of Phitlo. What I learned from Kor (and Lo's bible - the lonely planet tour book), is that they were there all the way until 1981. They couldn't be successfully taken by the Thai government because they had superior strategic terrain in the jungle (Kor thought that was really cool). We visited a plaque with the names of those who had fought in the hills, the soldiers that had died trying to take down the communist party. We even saw a heli-pad that reminded from when their camp was there... The communists had recruited tons of students and they were powerful in their numbers, but the government told the students if they returned to society they would be forgiven and not punished, and all the students responded by abandoning the Communists and that is how they lost their power. Kor even said one of his teachers was once almost killed because the Communists, believing in "equality", sought to kill anyone who was educated. There is your kind of random, probably only somewhat accurate, history of the Communist Party in Thailand.
We went on an adventure to see a view of the jungle that our tour book suggested, but all we ended up finding was a bunch of random graves marked by log fences, where some of the communists were buried. It was getting late and the locals seemed to feel that it was impossible to drive the curvy roads in the dark (I don't know about them, but our car has headlights so...), therefore we decided to head back to Kor's house just to be on the safe side. Part of the reason we opted to play it safe is because they drive on the other side of the road in Thailand. It has been quite an adjustment for Kor to remember that he needs to go to the right side of the car to get to the driver's seat, and he needs to stay on the left side of the road when driving. No joke, countless times on our trip Kor will turn onto a new street and start driving on the wrong side of the road, heading into oncoming traffic, and Lo and I have to yell at him to remind him to swerve left and get on the correct side of the street - Terrible!
When we got home is when the real event of the day/night occurred. So we had just turned off the computer and we were all drifting off into a peaceful sleep when we hear kor's dad yell something from downstairs. Lo and I don't understand the Thai of course, as we can only say/understand greetings, "thank you", and "delicious" in Thai, so we aren't phased (yet), but Kor responds by jumping out of bed and taking off for the door. just as he is about to run out in silence we say "kor, what is it?" and he yells - as a side note: I don't understand why we had to ask for this piece of information and he didn't just volunteer it the minute he heard his dad say it - "the house is on fire!!" then runs away. Lo and I jumped from the bed frantically, our hearts instantly pounding, and ran down the stairs after him, expecting smoke and flames and the kitchen to be on fire or something. but we got downstairs and there was nothing, no fire, no smoke, nothing. but kor's dad was still yelling fy-my! fy-my! and his mom and dad are running around as Lo and I stand there totally confused... and then they run into the driveway and we all follow, still baffled by the situation, and we're standing there in the humid darkness and that is when we realize, it is the neighbor's telephone pole that is on fire! Like the fuse box had exploded and now there were huge flames lapping up the wooden pole next to the house. At this point Kor's mom was calling 911, we were trying to wake the neighbors by yelling, Kor's dad was still running around wildly, and Lo and I were wondering if, with the tree so close to the telephone pole, and the house touching the tree, everything might go up in flames in a matter of minutes! soon the neighbors were awake and Kor was helping one of the neighbors throw dirt on the fire (it was funny because the neighbor would chuck some dirt and the flames would go down a little, then Kor would chuck some dirt and the fuse box would explode... it went on like that for several minutes - oh Kor, always fanning the fire, even when he's trying to put it out).
side note to this story, I saw a fire fly. it was the first one i have ever seen in my entire life, with a blue glowing butt, and I thought it was soo cool! i guess it came to check out the action. The fire dept eventually came, at this point lo and i were back in bed, happily falling asleep in the air conditioned room, knowing that our house was not on fire. until the fire dept decided to turn off the electricity in the neighborhood while they fixed the malfunctioning fuse box. you'd be amazed how fast a cold room can turn unbearably hot. until the power came back on we had a lot of trouble sleeping (how did we do it in the Philippines with no AC for a month??!) Although, in defense of our inability to handle the heat here, Kor's parents keep on commenting on how it is unseasonably hot right now.
Our last full day in Phitsanoluk and we kept with our usual morning routine. Wake up, big breakfast, went to coffee at Kor's friend's coffee shop, updated our blogs a little, went to lunch with Kor's friend, played hearts with the pilot friend of Kor's who used to pick on him when they were kids, then we went to get two hour aroma oil massages. This was a perfect activity for our final day in Phitlo. We were told to shower, then got our oil massages, then sat in the steam room, and then showered again... It was the cleanest I felt on the entire trip.
We drove to Bangkok the next day and made it there in time to do some final shopping for souvenirs. Then we met Kor's dad for dinner and a show, the best in Thailand according to the advertisement, performed on the highest stage in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The show was really cool, there were tons of performers and they acted out the history of Thailand. The stage even had a river with boats and elephants, goats and chickens were in a few of the acts. The performers also "flew" which was very entertaining. It was an elaborate show and a great end to our trip.
Here's a side note about parking in Thailand... if the nose-in spots are all full, the Thai people will parallel park behind those cars. it looks like they are blocking in the cars parked in legal spaces but in fact the parallel parked cars are in neutral with the e-brake off so it is easy to roll the car that is blocking you forward or backward so that you can get out of your spot! easy way to make more parking spots, although Lo and I were very confused when we first saw this and didn't understand how it worked.
travelers not tourists
Late on the 7th we caught to train from Chiang-mai to Phitsanoluk. This had been our plan from the beginning of the trip, to go stay the last few days with Kor's parents in his home town. There had been a complication however, because his mom had been in Mexico during our first week in Thailand, until the Thai government demanded she come home - you guessed it, swine flu. So she flies home early and finds herself quarantined in the hospital with the other teachers and students she had been on the trip with. We got word of this and went straight to the US consulate in Chaing-mai to figure out if we should still go visit her. apparently she is under house arrest and is being carefully monitored by the government (has to report her temperature frequently throughout the day, etc.) We got the clear for the visit, and she spoke to her doctor and he said it was fine if we visited, so hopefully we don't run into issues with customs anywhere because of our stay with kor's mom :) ugh swine flu!
we tried to sleep on the train but we were in the very back and it was so bumpy and jerky because it was a speed train, none of us got any rest. it was the most uncomfortable ride of my life and i was freezing despite the thick blankets they provide... seriously, you are either sweating profusely or unbearably cold here, there is no happy in between. We arrived around 4am in Phitlo, were picked up by Kor's dad, went to his house, showered, and promptly went back to sleep.
the three of us woke up late the next day. Breakfast was wayy too much traditional Thai food (aka lots of fish, and pork and bbq meat). luckily there was also sweet sticky rice and mango! i could live off of that stuff :) Lo and I hung out a little in our room, savoring the air conditioning before we set off on the day's adventures. i know i always talk about the heat here, but northern Thailand has taken it to a whole new level... the heat/humidity is more extreme than anything we have experienced thus far. i have found that my thirst is an accurate indicator of how extreme the heat is. in the Philippines i was constantly parched during our first week or so there, despite chugging water, then as we acclimated we found ourselves sweating less and feeling less thirsty. in southern Thailand the sea breeze is cool and refreshing, and you can always cool down in the water or at night. i was rarely thirsty in the south and in fact, complained about being cold several times (makes me worry about going home, I'll be needing a parka for 70 degree weather). now that we're in the north, i am back to feeling constantly thirsty, and Kor rarely stops dripping with sweat - humidity sucks!
We went out to get coffee to ease Lo's headache and found a cute little shop that served amazing Thai treats along with their iced coffees. We got taro bread, which was delicious, and these bean curd pastries that were also really good. As we drank our coffee we did what we always do while passing time - play hearts!! seriously, we never get sick of it. after Lo lost (we usually play to 100) in an interesting display of idiocy (she would agree... Kor threw down the queen without thinking, and Lo was so caught up with laughing at him for the stupid mistake that she threw down the Ace of spades... if you know anything about hearts, those are both very stupid moves), we were about to start up a new game when an old lady sitting near our table started to speak to Kor in Thai. apparently we aren't allowed to play hearts in a coffee shop because it is "a bad example for the children", and according to this woman the coffee shop could get in trouble with the police if they caught us playing cards. we were a little appalled that a non-betting card game could be so taboo, it's not like we were throwing down baht as we drank our iced coffee. i guess technically we do bet on the games, dependent entirely on Kor's performance: if kor wins he earns an hour free of nagging (during this hour we must also say "please" or "ka" after every sentence we speak to him to show respect. He thinks I am too sarcastic with this rule... i suppose using please at inappropriate/illogical times could seem sarcastic :) but I do it in the most genuine tone). If kor loses at hearts (which happens the most frequently), he treats us to Roti (the Thai pancake that Lo and I beg for daily)... but this betting is beside the point! Hearts should not be banned in coffee shops! either way we were given the boot....
Our next stop was the national parks about an hour away from Phitsanoluk. We were in search of waterfall but somewhat disappointed with what we found. Because it is May we are about as far away from the rainy season as possible (because it is about to start but hasn't yet), so the waterfalls were more of trickles than waterfalls and the water was a muddy brown that discouraged us from wanting to swim. Lo and I did make an attempt to walk across one of the first rivers, and we were doing fine in about ankle-deep water, until Lo took her next step and was suddenly up to her hip in the murky water - a drop off obscured by the brown water. we were laughing so hard I think we got a bigger kick out of it than all the locals watching from the bank of the river. maybe. (we make the locals laugh a lot... a couple having a picnic thought it was pretty funny when i stopped near them, looked down and realized i was standing in the middle of tons of little ants, yelped, and then jumped to an ant free rock nearby. great, get a kick out of the poor travelers).
Another waterfall, also somewhat disappointing. we bought some mystery fruit Kor couldn't identify from a lady with no teeth on the side of the road, delicious!! (the fruit, not the lack of teeth). then we went to another spot where we found the coolest plant in the world!! I am serious. this plant looks like a tiny fern, well, imagine those type of leaves (many leaves growing off of a stem), but very small, maybe only an inch or two long for the whole thing, and then three to five of these grow out from a central point (are you confused yet? :) and if you pet the plant - like run your finger down the stem - the little leaves on either side respond by immediately closing up. it is remarkable!! while Lo and I were intently touching the leaves and watching them respond while filming the whole thing, Kor decided it would be funny to yell "snake!", at which point Lo and I, totally convinced we were about to be attacked, screamed and basically flew away from where we had been standing, while the video is still being taken, only to realized Kor was joking.... made for a pretty hilarious video. Then i got stung by something on my foot that sent shooting pain through the area (I am so tired of being bitten/stung by jungle creatures - fortunately this wasn't as bad as the huge ant)
We got back to Kor's house in time to change and leave for the Buddhist ceremony that happens only three times a year (good timing on our part!). Kor's dad handed us each a candle, a lotus plant, and three sticks of incense (one for Buddha, one for his teachings, and one for his followers). The cool thing about Buddhism is that you can practice it even if you aren't Buddhist.... and that's just what we did. We went with Kor's dad to the temple where Kor lived when he was a monk (yes, kor wore the robe and shaved his head, and says the food was really good.... we've seen photo evidence of his time as a monk). We lit our candles and incense, Lo and I burned ourselves about four times each in the process of the ceremony. Walked around the temple three times and placed our candles and incense at the front of the temple while we prayed for good luck... we went inside and were blessed by a monk, and we did the prayer to Buddha that Kor's dad taught us. It was pretty cool... dinner, Roti, back to the house to watch THE BEACH. This is the movie with Leonardo Dicaprio that is filmed on the beach where we camped the night. If you want to see where I watched the sunset, swam, and spent the night, watch these movie. there are so many great shots of Maya Bay, it is just like when we were there!! (minus the village of people in the movie). The three of us really enjoyed seeing in play out, and we were joking about similarities between characters in the movie and people we had met here... particularly those characters staying at Tongsai (the hippie beach I talked about a few blogs back).
we tried to sleep on the train but we were in the very back and it was so bumpy and jerky because it was a speed train, none of us got any rest. it was the most uncomfortable ride of my life and i was freezing despite the thick blankets they provide... seriously, you are either sweating profusely or unbearably cold here, there is no happy in between. We arrived around 4am in Phitlo, were picked up by Kor's dad, went to his house, showered, and promptly went back to sleep.
the three of us woke up late the next day. Breakfast was wayy too much traditional Thai food (aka lots of fish, and pork and bbq meat). luckily there was also sweet sticky rice and mango! i could live off of that stuff :) Lo and I hung out a little in our room, savoring the air conditioning before we set off on the day's adventures. i know i always talk about the heat here, but northern Thailand has taken it to a whole new level... the heat/humidity is more extreme than anything we have experienced thus far. i have found that my thirst is an accurate indicator of how extreme the heat is. in the Philippines i was constantly parched during our first week or so there, despite chugging water, then as we acclimated we found ourselves sweating less and feeling less thirsty. in southern Thailand the sea breeze is cool and refreshing, and you can always cool down in the water or at night. i was rarely thirsty in the south and in fact, complained about being cold several times (makes me worry about going home, I'll be needing a parka for 70 degree weather). now that we're in the north, i am back to feeling constantly thirsty, and Kor rarely stops dripping with sweat - humidity sucks!
We went out to get coffee to ease Lo's headache and found a cute little shop that served amazing Thai treats along with their iced coffees. We got taro bread, which was delicious, and these bean curd pastries that were also really good. As we drank our coffee we did what we always do while passing time - play hearts!! seriously, we never get sick of it. after Lo lost (we usually play to 100) in an interesting display of idiocy (she would agree... Kor threw down the queen without thinking, and Lo was so caught up with laughing at him for the stupid mistake that she threw down the Ace of spades... if you know anything about hearts, those are both very stupid moves), we were about to start up a new game when an old lady sitting near our table started to speak to Kor in Thai. apparently we aren't allowed to play hearts in a coffee shop because it is "a bad example for the children", and according to this woman the coffee shop could get in trouble with the police if they caught us playing cards. we were a little appalled that a non-betting card game could be so taboo, it's not like we were throwing down baht as we drank our iced coffee. i guess technically we do bet on the games, dependent entirely on Kor's performance: if kor wins he earns an hour free of nagging (during this hour we must also say "please" or "ka" after every sentence we speak to him to show respect. He thinks I am too sarcastic with this rule... i suppose using please at inappropriate/illogical times could seem sarcastic :) but I do it in the most genuine tone). If kor loses at hearts (which happens the most frequently), he treats us to Roti (the Thai pancake that Lo and I beg for daily)... but this betting is beside the point! Hearts should not be banned in coffee shops! either way we were given the boot....
Our next stop was the national parks about an hour away from Phitsanoluk. We were in search of waterfall but somewhat disappointed with what we found. Because it is May we are about as far away from the rainy season as possible (because it is about to start but hasn't yet), so the waterfalls were more of trickles than waterfalls and the water was a muddy brown that discouraged us from wanting to swim. Lo and I did make an attempt to walk across one of the first rivers, and we were doing fine in about ankle-deep water, until Lo took her next step and was suddenly up to her hip in the murky water - a drop off obscured by the brown water. we were laughing so hard I think we got a bigger kick out of it than all the locals watching from the bank of the river. maybe. (we make the locals laugh a lot... a couple having a picnic thought it was pretty funny when i stopped near them, looked down and realized i was standing in the middle of tons of little ants, yelped, and then jumped to an ant free rock nearby. great, get a kick out of the poor travelers).
Another waterfall, also somewhat disappointing. we bought some mystery fruit Kor couldn't identify from a lady with no teeth on the side of the road, delicious!! (the fruit, not the lack of teeth). then we went to another spot where we found the coolest plant in the world!! I am serious. this plant looks like a tiny fern, well, imagine those type of leaves (many leaves growing off of a stem), but very small, maybe only an inch or two long for the whole thing, and then three to five of these grow out from a central point (are you confused yet? :) and if you pet the plant - like run your finger down the stem - the little leaves on either side respond by immediately closing up. it is remarkable!! while Lo and I were intently touching the leaves and watching them respond while filming the whole thing, Kor decided it would be funny to yell "snake!", at which point Lo and I, totally convinced we were about to be attacked, screamed and basically flew away from where we had been standing, while the video is still being taken, only to realized Kor was joking.... made for a pretty hilarious video. Then i got stung by something on my foot that sent shooting pain through the area (I am so tired of being bitten/stung by jungle creatures - fortunately this wasn't as bad as the huge ant)
We got back to Kor's house in time to change and leave for the Buddhist ceremony that happens only three times a year (good timing on our part!). Kor's dad handed us each a candle, a lotus plant, and three sticks of incense (one for Buddha, one for his teachings, and one for his followers). The cool thing about Buddhism is that you can practice it even if you aren't Buddhist.... and that's just what we did. We went with Kor's dad to the temple where Kor lived when he was a monk (yes, kor wore the robe and shaved his head, and says the food was really good.... we've seen photo evidence of his time as a monk). We lit our candles and incense, Lo and I burned ourselves about four times each in the process of the ceremony. Walked around the temple three times and placed our candles and incense at the front of the temple while we prayed for good luck... we went inside and were blessed by a monk, and we did the prayer to Buddha that Kor's dad taught us. It was pretty cool... dinner, Roti, back to the house to watch THE BEACH. This is the movie with Leonardo Dicaprio that is filmed on the beach where we camped the night. If you want to see where I watched the sunset, swam, and spent the night, watch these movie. there are so many great shots of Maya Bay, it is just like when we were there!! (minus the village of people in the movie). The three of us really enjoyed seeing in play out, and we were joking about similarities between characters in the movie and people we had met here... particularly those characters staying at Tongsai (the hippie beach I talked about a few blogs back).
chaing-mai cooking class
Our last day in Chaing-mai we signed up to take an all day cooking class, the first and best in Chiang-Mai :)
We started off at the local market. We had each selected an item we were responsible for finding at the market. Kor got bananas, Lo - limes, and me, I got eggs. We found our ingredients, learned a little about Thai plants and foods, then headed to the cooking class.
These are the meals we prepared:
-Rice noodles... wide noodles with some veggies and tofu, my favorite!!
-fish in a red curry paste with some veggies/spices and wrapped in banana leaves to be steamed for 15 minutes
-yellow curry and potatoes and tofu - mmm!
-soy bean meat substitute (actually really good) with cashew nuts and veggies (this was the overall favorite)
-banana in coconut milk dessert with sugar and palm sugar
-spicy shrimp salad - SPICY!
almost everything called for clam sauce and this fish liquid that is made by taking fish, sugar and salt and sticking it in a barrel for 9 months and then the juice that is produced is used for cooking! sick! and delicious :) all at once. The class worked like this... We would watch a demonstration performed by one of three people (the cooking teachers, all of whom were very funny, our group was laughing constantly throughout the day), then we would be sent to our outside cooking stations where our carefully portioned ingredients sat ready for us to prepare the dish. actually, it was so well organized that it was difficult to mess up anything (although Kor did manage to burn his fish). the chefs were walking around yelling instruction at us the whole time, so everything turned out quite well because if you started to mess it up they'd quickly made a save and turn down your heat or add some coconut milk or something.
we would make one of the dishes, go eat it, make a few more things, eat them together for lunch, make some more... dessert... that was how the day went. I was stuffed by the end of the class, and very pleased with my cooking skills :) if only I always had someone to prepare every ingredient for me and give me instruction along the way. the biggest challenge with replicating our meals in the US is probably simply finding the ingredients. But I do believe the cook books we were given offer ideas for substitutes when you cannot find pea eggplant or other obscure Thai ingredients at Safeway. I took the leftovers from four of my six meals with me, and gave them to a little girl begging on the side of the street... I didn't stick around to get her review however.
I definitely recommend the cooking class experience. It was a total blast and a great way to experience authentic Thai food that you know is prepared in a safe way :)
We started off at the local market. We had each selected an item we were responsible for finding at the market. Kor got bananas, Lo - limes, and me, I got eggs. We found our ingredients, learned a little about Thai plants and foods, then headed to the cooking class.
These are the meals we prepared:
-Rice noodles... wide noodles with some veggies and tofu, my favorite!!
-fish in a red curry paste with some veggies/spices and wrapped in banana leaves to be steamed for 15 minutes
-yellow curry and potatoes and tofu - mmm!
-soy bean meat substitute (actually really good) with cashew nuts and veggies (this was the overall favorite)
-banana in coconut milk dessert with sugar and palm sugar
-spicy shrimp salad - SPICY!
almost everything called for clam sauce and this fish liquid that is made by taking fish, sugar and salt and sticking it in a barrel for 9 months and then the juice that is produced is used for cooking! sick! and delicious :) all at once. The class worked like this... We would watch a demonstration performed by one of three people (the cooking teachers, all of whom were very funny, our group was laughing constantly throughout the day), then we would be sent to our outside cooking stations where our carefully portioned ingredients sat ready for us to prepare the dish. actually, it was so well organized that it was difficult to mess up anything (although Kor did manage to burn his fish). the chefs were walking around yelling instruction at us the whole time, so everything turned out quite well because if you started to mess it up they'd quickly made a save and turn down your heat or add some coconut milk or something.
we would make one of the dishes, go eat it, make a few more things, eat them together for lunch, make some more... dessert... that was how the day went. I was stuffed by the end of the class, and very pleased with my cooking skills :) if only I always had someone to prepare every ingredient for me and give me instruction along the way. the biggest challenge with replicating our meals in the US is probably simply finding the ingredients. But I do believe the cook books we were given offer ideas for substitutes when you cannot find pea eggplant or other obscure Thai ingredients at Safeway. I took the leftovers from four of my six meals with me, and gave them to a little girl begging on the side of the street... I didn't stick around to get her review however.
I definitely recommend the cooking class experience. It was a total blast and a great way to experience authentic Thai food that you know is prepared in a safe way :)
driving elephants
We arrive in Chiang-mai by plane. Our first day consisted of visiting temples, getting massages at the Thai massage school (heaven!), finding the best roti stand in Thailand, and booking a trek for the next day. We also found out why it is called shave ice... we walked past a stand with kids lined up, holding out baht coins in their hands, and watching a food stand intently. Turns out the stand was selling shave ice. The man who owned it had a huge block of ice that he was running back and fourth over a metal blade, which shaved off ice into a bowl below. A few strokes of the ice block and the bowl would be full, at which point a girl would take it and add the flavored syrup before handing it over to an eager little kid in exchange for 5 baht. Obvi Lo and I needed some too... literally shaved ice! too good to pass up!
Our first night in Chiang-mai we went to the night market - a great local experience. it is huge and overwhelming, but very fun to bargain with the locals who bring their goods to sell. they start off with a high price, you pick a low price and basically say "no" until they agree to your price (a lot of times the bargaining is done silently - you take turns entering numbers into a calculator back and fourth, it's fun!!). Usually you begin walking away, at which point they will grab your arm (sometimes quite violently), and agree to sell the item to you at the price you had been insisting upon. Occasionally they refuse your price, so you go to the next stand, and they will sell you the same item for the cheaper price. I had a good time buying Thai silk and elephant souvenirs :)
They have everything from funny t-shirts that say things like "same same" on the front and "but different" on the back (we saw that one a lot and though we didn't really get the joke, we over-used the saying on our trip anyway :) There was also a shirt that said "youtube myspace and I'll google your yahoo" - that one made us laugh. You can also get pretty much any item of clothing made out of silk, including silk boxers with elephants on them that I really wanted Kor to buy... he didn't. There are Buddhas and elephants, wooden frogs that make a funny noise when you run their back with a wooden stick, bright lights, fake watches, purses, Tiffany's necklaces, and pretty much anything else you might want. The selection is incredible! and the prices are too good to pass up. I think most of my souvenirs were under $5 US.
the next day was the real adventure in Chaing-mai - the trek!! it was the day we were most looking forward to during our stay in Chiang-mai. we were picked up early along with 6 other travelers: two girls from Sweden who were just out of high school and had been traveling for 4 months (and had the bug bites covering their legs to prove it), an older woman from Spain who was sooo excited to be able to speak Spanish to Lo, and three people from the UK who knew each other from school and had met up to Travel through Chiang-mai together. the 9 of us, along with our driver and our tour guide Mano, took off for the hills/jungle outside of Chiang-Mai where the trek would begin. We started in a village where we were able to watch the women weaving traditional dresses and scarves, one of which I bought after watching the woman who made the scarf at work (it is really incredible what they do, such skill! I didn't bargain with her, just handed over what she asked for the scarf, judging by the living conditions in their village, she needs every baht she can get).
as we hiked out of the village our guide stopped us at a tree. nothing too special, just your average green leaf tree near the outskirts of the village. he picked a leaf, stem and all, from the tree, as we watched with curiosity. he broke the stem, split it just so (to create a triangle shape) and then used the sap the filled the broken area to blow bubbles!! true bubbles! everyone quickly grabbed their own leaves and began trying to coax bubbles from their broken leaf, a few leaves later and our group was ready to see a newly married couple off to their limo :) so many bubbles!! we all got a kick out of that one. next we hiked down to a muddy river (seems to be a trend with the rivers around here in the summer), where there was a dried log serving as a bridge. i wasn't too keen on crossing over the wide rushing rapids on this log, but there was no other choice. fortunately, there was a railing... unfortunately the railing was detached at one side and wiggled around so much it did more to throw off your balance than help it. another bridge later in the hike was equally as precarious and substantially longer. this one was made out of bamboo but it was a suspension bridge of sorts and was being held up by thin scrap wire coiled around the trees at either side, and for support in the middle, the bridge builder had used a downed limb caught in the mud of the stream to brace the center for the bridge... not exactly well-engineered. and the railing of this bridge was crawling with those damn ants that had attacked me on the island, so i was reluctant to use my hand to steady myself as I crossed... we all survived.
our guide showed us another cool plant on our trek, this was a piece of a thick green leaf he took in his hand, wet it with a little water from his water bottle, and mashed the leaf, which quickly turned a vibrant red. Lo and I grabbed some of the same leaves and smashed until they were red, then Lo decided it would be a good idea to use the red as war paint on her and Kor's face. For some reason, Lo's war paint washed off no problem, Kor's was still on his face two days later :) haha! and since we're on the topic of cool plants, I have one more to share about that Kor showed us when we were in Bangkok. This is a plant with a small narrow seed that you pick, and then spit on it and watch it in the palm of your hand once it is wet.... a few seconds will pass and then suddenly it will explode! sending seed shrapnel everywhere!! pretty fun. Thai plants are cool!!
we finally made it to a long and narrow path (man-made, there were irrigation ditches on either side), that had periodical divots usually camouflaged by plants, so as you walk you have to be careful not to step hip-deep into a hole. we looked out over the fields and could see our destination, a small village, in the distance. this village was where the Hmong people live, which was very interesting because I had learned a lot about their culture when i read the book "the spirit catches you and you fall down" for my ethics internship senior year of college. bringing travelers to this village is a great source of revenue for the people living there, and many of our group members bought jewelry and other gifts.
on to the cool part, that was just the warm-up. elephants!! we arrived at the elephants, bought bananas from the locals (they know just how to get you), and climbed onto our elephants (they are sooo huge, I can't believe how big they are! you climb at least 15 stairs onto a platform in order to get onto the elephant's back). feeding the elephants is really fun :) they lift their trunks up over their heads and exhale in your face until you place a banana in their dexterous trunk - my elephant was particularly greedy and would gesture for banana after banana... if I didn't give her one quickly enough she would stretch her trunk out to Lo and Kor in front of us and beg from them! Our group was split up on 4 elephants, I was sitting with our Spanish friend and our elephant was being "driven" by a young girl who looked to be about 8 years old, at best. we started off into the jungle, and once we made it up a steep and muddy path, the view was incredible!! LOST all the way :) when the path flattened out our "drivers" hopped down and Kor took over sitting on the neck of his elephant, while I moved down to drive mine, although I don't know that I was doing much to steer my elephant. I was mostly laughing, petting the rough, cracked skin of her head, and feeding her bananas. It was such an experience!! and being the animal lover that I am, I felt surprisingly ok with how they treated the elephants. The elephant is such a huge part of the Thai culture, and they care for the elephants very well. I still can't get over how intelligent these animals are, they responded promptly to many Thai commands that sounded like nonsense to me. An unforgettable experience no doubt!
After riding elephants we were all convinced it couldn't get any better... that is, until we were driven to a river and told to climb onto one of the bamboo rafts. The rafts were long and thin, and Lo, Kor and I sat down in the center of one while our guide steered us down the river. I decided after a minute to stand in the back and use the other bamboo pole to help steer. The trip down the river was over an hour and I was in the back most of the way, balancing and helping keep us on course (obvi all my experience rafting on the Tual and Clack prepared me to be an excellent river guide in Thialand :). We would go through rapids on occasion, which was the best part of float, and we saw the cutest baby elephant ever with a bunch of adults, it was sooo tiny and adorable!! toward the end of our river rafting I was getting tired of standing, so I asked Kor if he wanted to stand in the back for a bit and try guiding the raft... we switched places quickly, I sat down and scooted in front of him, and he walked to the back to take my place standing with the bamboo pole. Mere seconds later I heard a loud splash from behind me. We had just started a small stretch of rapids so I was focused on the river ahead, but still, the splash got my attention enough that I turned my head. Kor was no longer on the raft, but bobbing up and down in the water, his dry bag keeping him afloat, as he got slammed into rocks and flushed downstream behind us.
Lo and I had a moment of disbelief that Kor had pole-vaulted himself into the water, then a moment of panic wondering if he was ok... but once we saw he had survived the fall, we broke into uncontrollable laughter. Seriously, I haven't laughed that hard in I don't know how long... tears were streaming down my face and my abs were aching, I could hardly breath as I tried to gain enough composure to hang on through the rapids (I didn't feel like joining Kor in the murky water). I think our wild laughter scared our guide, who misinterpreted the tears running down my face and thought I was crying in fear for my friend. Quite the opposite, I was thoroughly enjoying the misfortune of his tumble. Kor finally made it down the rapids and climbed onto the raft. Lo and were still in a fit of giggles but we made sure Kor was ok - he was - and then asked him what had happened. He said he hand bent over to pick up the bamboo pole and lost his balance, at which point he fell, head first, into the water, dry pack, bamboo pole and all. He was a little beat up from floating the rapids, but we all agreed it was the worth the story, and so appropriate that he would be the one to fall in :) oh Kor!
Our first night in Chiang-mai we went to the night market - a great local experience. it is huge and overwhelming, but very fun to bargain with the locals who bring their goods to sell. they start off with a high price, you pick a low price and basically say "no" until they agree to your price (a lot of times the bargaining is done silently - you take turns entering numbers into a calculator back and fourth, it's fun!!). Usually you begin walking away, at which point they will grab your arm (sometimes quite violently), and agree to sell the item to you at the price you had been insisting upon. Occasionally they refuse your price, so you go to the next stand, and they will sell you the same item for the cheaper price. I had a good time buying Thai silk and elephant souvenirs :)
They have everything from funny t-shirts that say things like "same same" on the front and "but different" on the back (we saw that one a lot and though we didn't really get the joke, we over-used the saying on our trip anyway :) There was also a shirt that said "youtube myspace and I'll google your yahoo" - that one made us laugh. You can also get pretty much any item of clothing made out of silk, including silk boxers with elephants on them that I really wanted Kor to buy... he didn't. There are Buddhas and elephants, wooden frogs that make a funny noise when you run their back with a wooden stick, bright lights, fake watches, purses, Tiffany's necklaces, and pretty much anything else you might want. The selection is incredible! and the prices are too good to pass up. I think most of my souvenirs were under $5 US.
the next day was the real adventure in Chaing-mai - the trek!! it was the day we were most looking forward to during our stay in Chiang-mai. we were picked up early along with 6 other travelers: two girls from Sweden who were just out of high school and had been traveling for 4 months (and had the bug bites covering their legs to prove it), an older woman from Spain who was sooo excited to be able to speak Spanish to Lo, and three people from the UK who knew each other from school and had met up to Travel through Chiang-mai together. the 9 of us, along with our driver and our tour guide Mano, took off for the hills/jungle outside of Chiang-Mai where the trek would begin. We started in a village where we were able to watch the women weaving traditional dresses and scarves, one of which I bought after watching the woman who made the scarf at work (it is really incredible what they do, such skill! I didn't bargain with her, just handed over what she asked for the scarf, judging by the living conditions in their village, she needs every baht she can get).
as we hiked out of the village our guide stopped us at a tree. nothing too special, just your average green leaf tree near the outskirts of the village. he picked a leaf, stem and all, from the tree, as we watched with curiosity. he broke the stem, split it just so (to create a triangle shape) and then used the sap the filled the broken area to blow bubbles!! true bubbles! everyone quickly grabbed their own leaves and began trying to coax bubbles from their broken leaf, a few leaves later and our group was ready to see a newly married couple off to their limo :) so many bubbles!! we all got a kick out of that one. next we hiked down to a muddy river (seems to be a trend with the rivers around here in the summer), where there was a dried log serving as a bridge. i wasn't too keen on crossing over the wide rushing rapids on this log, but there was no other choice. fortunately, there was a railing... unfortunately the railing was detached at one side and wiggled around so much it did more to throw off your balance than help it. another bridge later in the hike was equally as precarious and substantially longer. this one was made out of bamboo but it was a suspension bridge of sorts and was being held up by thin scrap wire coiled around the trees at either side, and for support in the middle, the bridge builder had used a downed limb caught in the mud of the stream to brace the center for the bridge... not exactly well-engineered. and the railing of this bridge was crawling with those damn ants that had attacked me on the island, so i was reluctant to use my hand to steady myself as I crossed... we all survived.
our guide showed us another cool plant on our trek, this was a piece of a thick green leaf he took in his hand, wet it with a little water from his water bottle, and mashed the leaf, which quickly turned a vibrant red. Lo and I grabbed some of the same leaves and smashed until they were red, then Lo decided it would be a good idea to use the red as war paint on her and Kor's face. For some reason, Lo's war paint washed off no problem, Kor's was still on his face two days later :) haha! and since we're on the topic of cool plants, I have one more to share about that Kor showed us when we were in Bangkok. This is a plant with a small narrow seed that you pick, and then spit on it and watch it in the palm of your hand once it is wet.... a few seconds will pass and then suddenly it will explode! sending seed shrapnel everywhere!! pretty fun. Thai plants are cool!!
we finally made it to a long and narrow path (man-made, there were irrigation ditches on either side), that had periodical divots usually camouflaged by plants, so as you walk you have to be careful not to step hip-deep into a hole. we looked out over the fields and could see our destination, a small village, in the distance. this village was where the Hmong people live, which was very interesting because I had learned a lot about their culture when i read the book "the spirit catches you and you fall down" for my ethics internship senior year of college. bringing travelers to this village is a great source of revenue for the people living there, and many of our group members bought jewelry and other gifts.
on to the cool part, that was just the warm-up. elephants!! we arrived at the elephants, bought bananas from the locals (they know just how to get you), and climbed onto our elephants (they are sooo huge, I can't believe how big they are! you climb at least 15 stairs onto a platform in order to get onto the elephant's back). feeding the elephants is really fun :) they lift their trunks up over their heads and exhale in your face until you place a banana in their dexterous trunk - my elephant was particularly greedy and would gesture for banana after banana... if I didn't give her one quickly enough she would stretch her trunk out to Lo and Kor in front of us and beg from them! Our group was split up on 4 elephants, I was sitting with our Spanish friend and our elephant was being "driven" by a young girl who looked to be about 8 years old, at best. we started off into the jungle, and once we made it up a steep and muddy path, the view was incredible!! LOST all the way :) when the path flattened out our "drivers" hopped down and Kor took over sitting on the neck of his elephant, while I moved down to drive mine, although I don't know that I was doing much to steer my elephant. I was mostly laughing, petting the rough, cracked skin of her head, and feeding her bananas. It was such an experience!! and being the animal lover that I am, I felt surprisingly ok with how they treated the elephants. The elephant is such a huge part of the Thai culture, and they care for the elephants very well. I still can't get over how intelligent these animals are, they responded promptly to many Thai commands that sounded like nonsense to me. An unforgettable experience no doubt!
After riding elephants we were all convinced it couldn't get any better... that is, until we were driven to a river and told to climb onto one of the bamboo rafts. The rafts were long and thin, and Lo, Kor and I sat down in the center of one while our guide steered us down the river. I decided after a minute to stand in the back and use the other bamboo pole to help steer. The trip down the river was over an hour and I was in the back most of the way, balancing and helping keep us on course (obvi all my experience rafting on the Tual and Clack prepared me to be an excellent river guide in Thialand :). We would go through rapids on occasion, which was the best part of float, and we saw the cutest baby elephant ever with a bunch of adults, it was sooo tiny and adorable!! toward the end of our river rafting I was getting tired of standing, so I asked Kor if he wanted to stand in the back for a bit and try guiding the raft... we switched places quickly, I sat down and scooted in front of him, and he walked to the back to take my place standing with the bamboo pole. Mere seconds later I heard a loud splash from behind me. We had just started a small stretch of rapids so I was focused on the river ahead, but still, the splash got my attention enough that I turned my head. Kor was no longer on the raft, but bobbing up and down in the water, his dry bag keeping him afloat, as he got slammed into rocks and flushed downstream behind us.
Lo and I had a moment of disbelief that Kor had pole-vaulted himself into the water, then a moment of panic wondering if he was ok... but once we saw he had survived the fall, we broke into uncontrollable laughter. Seriously, I haven't laughed that hard in I don't know how long... tears were streaming down my face and my abs were aching, I could hardly breath as I tried to gain enough composure to hang on through the rapids (I didn't feel like joining Kor in the murky water). I think our wild laughter scared our guide, who misinterpreted the tears running down my face and thought I was crying in fear for my friend. Quite the opposite, I was thoroughly enjoying the misfortune of his tumble. Kor finally made it down the rapids and climbed onto the raft. Lo and were still in a fit of giggles but we made sure Kor was ok - he was - and then asked him what had happened. He said he hand bent over to pick up the bamboo pole and lost his balance, at which point he fell, head first, into the water, dry pack, bamboo pole and all. He was a little beat up from floating the rapids, but we all agreed it was the worth the story, and so appropriate that he would be the one to fall in :) oh Kor!
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