Chiang Kong, Thailand

CHIANG KONG, Thailand

The next day, after breakfast and some shopping in Burma, I picked up my passport no problem and walked back to Thailand.  Grabbed a bus to Chiang Rai and then another to Chiang Kong.  Made it there around 4pm and read poolside at my hotel before settling in for what I hoped would be an early night.  Turns out I got NO sleep instead since it was cold and the “man” next to me snored SO loud.  He would have given my dad a run for his money and that’s saying A LOT!

Some Brits and Canadians : )

Not all was lost though since I met some nice British fellows and 2 Canadian girls (there I go collecting Canadians again!) who were all heading off on the slow boat to Laos with me.  This brings me to Laos….

Wow! I can’t believe I’m going to be caught up! Okay, I still have a lot to tell you about Laos, but at least I’m blogging about my current country now! I’ve been so behind that this darn blog thing has seemed completely insurmountable.  I can do it, I can do it, I did it!!!!  Toot toot, I can toot my own horn here! J

Burma/Myanmar

BURMA/MYANMAR

After all the animal fun, I spent the next day “catching up on life” in Chiang Mai before heading up north to Burma the next day.  Turns out bills, taxes, and such don’t just go away just because you have. Darn.  I had been told that you could only enter Burma for a few hours if entering by land and 30 days if by plane.  I was happy to discover that this was not true and was issued a 15 day pass upon crossing the border by foot.  This being the case, decided to spend a night in Burma.

It was a pretty uneventful border crossing--much less so than Tijuana.  After arriving at the bus station in Mae Sai (the border town in Thailand), I boarded a tuk-tuk (they are there waiting for you) to the border. Walked to the counter, handed over my passport, paid my money, and walked across.  You have to leave your passport and pick it up upon leaving the country.  I had been warned about this, otherwise I would have thought this was a bit shady.  

see the patch on her cheek?

30 min time difference

Turns out “border runs” are quite common for people who need to renew their visa.  Simply walk into Burma, buy a beer, and then head on back to Thailand with a new visa. Simple enough.

Since several of my students last year were refugees were from Burma/Myanmar, I felt a pulling to visit their homeland.  Although it was a quick visit and superficial, I feel honored to have seen even a glimpse of a country so recently opened up to foreigners.  I spent the first hour driven around town to see a few temples and sites before finding a hotel and exploring the markets some.  The markets have similar stuff as Thailand (bought some $1 “Ray Ban” glasses) but virtually NO street food--couldn’t even find a café or restaurant.  Eventually found ONE cart that had fried onion and noodle things and a place next door with fried eggs.  Ate those and later found a local place with fruit shakes and food.  They do, however, have several duty free shops with REAL wine!!! I bought a bottle and it turned out to be a good thing because the ENTIRE city shut down around 5pm.  So, it was a fun night of wine a movies back at the hotel.    

It was hard to get a true feel for Burma in such a short visit and in a border town since all border towns are unique from their countries.  That said, my overall impression was that it’s not much different from Thailand, the people are very friendly and like to smile, and I’d love to visit it more in depth soon.  One thing of note was that several women had yellow circles on their cheeks that looked almost as if they had applied sunblock but made no effort to rub it in.  I tried asking the tuk-tuk driver what this was.  There was a language barrier, but from what I understood, this was the women from Myanmar who do this and they do so to show their pride.  If anyone knows more about this, I’d be interested to know.

"And I don't eat meat 'cuz I'm a veterinarian"

 Tiger Kingdom, Chiang Mai

If it were up to me, I would have stayed in Pai as long as I could.  Okay, technically it was up to me, but you know what I mean.  But, my time was cut short because there was much of the world to still see.  After about 5 days, I set off back to Chiang Mai.  It happened to be Chinese New year which meant two things.  One, it was tough to find a room.  Two, there was an awesome dragon festival show in China town! I was able to meander my way through the crowd and get a spot right in the front and center of it all.  A decision I regretted only when they set off the grand finale of fireworks LITERALLY right above my head.  Some decided not to go up but more towards the crowds and I was a bit terrified (see the video on FB).  All was well though and I had a blast!

Chinese New Year--Good luck to give money to this guy

The next day, I set off to Tiger Kingdom.  I had heard conflicting things about the place and wasn’t sure if I would go or not.  People said things like the tigers were drugged or abused.  I did my research and am happy to report that neither of these misperceptions is true.  People mistakenly believe that the cats are drugged because they lay around sleeping.  In reality, cats are nocturnal so they spent most of their days sleeping (what house cat doesn’t?) and they were raised by humans so they are used to human contact.  If you would like to read more about it, please feel free to visit: http://www.tigerkingdom.com/Drug/Don't_%20Need_%20Drug.pdf

On the way to the park, our driver asked if we would like to stop anywhere.  There are several places along the way, monkey parks, adventure sports parks, snake farms, etc.  Chad wanted to see the monkeys so we stopped there.  I left with conflicting opinions on this place.  It was established by a man who had trained the monkeys to collect fruit on his farm.  The monkeys were extremely intelligent and performed lots of impressive tricks.  They seemed taken care of, but I still left a little saddened. 

Luckily, the Tiger Kingdom lifted my spirits since I discovered what I had read was true. I had a great time interacting with the cats and seeing how much their trainers love and respect them.  I LOVE animals and it is an experience I will never forget!

 

ELEPHANTS

As if playing with Tigers wasn’t enough, I was able to become a Mahout Elephant trainer the following day!  Although I had ridden an elephant during my 3 day jungle trek, I wanted a much more personal and educative experience.  The elephants at this camp were all rescued and are now protected and well loved. 

We set off for the elephant camp, stopping at a butterfly farm and market on the way.  After about an hour, we arrived at the camp and saw the amazing elephants.  We learned the commands and had a chance to practice them before setting off on our first jungle trek.  We rode the elephants bare-back and near the neck since this is where they prefer to carry their weight.  Please consider this before deciding to ride on a 200 lb. + seat strapped to their back, where it is harder for them to carry weight. Plus, it is much more intimate and better bonding with your elephant!

The elephants we met were very smart, playful, and loved eating and bathing! After riding them for an hour or so (that was plenty since it is a great inner thigh and butt workout), we had lunch next to them, fed them some more, and then set off to bathe them in the river and waterfall. My elephant was the only one who didn’t stop to let me off before entering the water so I was walked right in! The elephants loved the water, loved splashing us, kissing us with slobbery sucks, and showing off. I truly fell in love with mine and did not want the day to end!

The Life and Times of Pai

Pai

Chad, the Canadian guys and I set off for Pai the next day.  The road to Pai is VERY curvy.  The t-shirts around town state that there are 976 curves from Chiang Mai to Pai...and that may be an underestimate!  Luckily, the “bus” system here is mainly private minivans so it was a bit less scary than being in a big bus.  Also, it allows the freedom to ask for bathroom stops and only your friends and a few passengers can get mad, instead of an entire bus.

I had been told from several travelers that I would love it, and they were right.  It’s a quiet little hippie town that doesn’t have much to do except eat and hang out by the river---my kind of place! As we were walking around looking for a hotel, we bumped into Georgina and Fredi (our new Argentinian friends from the trek) so we all stayed together at a place called Pai Park. 

Pai Park was LOVELY.  The owners were as sweet as could be and gave us a deal on rooms since we had a big group and free sticky rice cooked in bamboo shoots.  We divided up, two to a bungalow and each had a private cabin with beds, private bathroom, porch, and spectacular views of the river.  All this came at the ridiculous price of around $4 a night and laundry for about a $1. Can’t beat that!

Bungalow views

The SCARY bamboo bridge to Pai Park

We spent the next few days in Pai laying by the river and enjoying their wifi in the hammocks by day and fire pits at night.  The boys rented motorbikes and I let them get out all their crashes (it happened) before joining them to explore some canyons and waterfalls outside of town.  It was quite the adventure to find the falls.  We must have passed back and forth on the same stretch of 50 meters looking for the darn thing, each time being told it was right around the corner.  Finally, we saw a map and tried to memorize the first three letters of the Thai writing to look for the sign along the road.  That helped, sort of…until we finally realized the sign was so rubbed off you couldn’t see it anyway.

Sampling food in Pai

Every night in Pai, the streets turn into a night market that is pedestrian(ish) only (bikes and cars still try to come through and usually succeed).  Food here was like non other in Thailand.  For under a $1 you could try sushi, fudge, waffles with your choice of fillings and toppings, ice-cream, grilled mushrooms and corn, pancakes of all sorts, fried oysters, eggs, etc.  it was AMAZING! 

Not setting the town on fire

One night, I happened to spot people setting off paper lanterns in a lot just off the market and decided to join in on the fun.  There was no guidance or manual so I let the guy light my lantern and then stood there, trying to watch the others and see what I was supposed to do.  I thought I had it all figured out so I made my wish and let go.  I watched it go up…and then hit a power cord and get stuck.  All the bystanders let out a loud gasp until the vendor came over.  He was just as powerless as anybody so we all stood and watched until it decided to dislodge itself, hit another cord, and then finally rise up in the air.  During the time it was stuck, I quickly changed my wish to hoping I wouldn’t burn down the entire town and take out the electricity with it. Guess those wishes really do come true because that one did! Whew!

We stopped at a few bars over the days, including Edible Jazz which is owned by a local guy, Tom.  He’s super nice and outgoing and has a wonderful place with outside seating, live music, and fire pits.  Great ambiance.  The first night there, a woman, Maria was singing and I met her and her wonderful family. I enjoyed getting to know them over the next several days.  Her husband is Chilean and a tattoo artist and they have two precious children who speak 3 languages already.  They travel the world and enjoy life. This has always been my dream and it was inspiring to meet a family who makes it work and has fun doing so!

Jungle Trekking-Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai, Jungle Trekking

The next day, Chad and I set off for Chiang Mai and met back up with the Canadian boys there.  We hung out a few days in Chiang Mai, tasting all of the international foods there.  Our hotel was quite nice and had a fabulous “Nice Kitchen” restaurant next door with delicious organic foods.  Best green curry I’ve ever had, fresh fruit salad with mueseli and yogurt, fruit shakes, and free wifi.  We also found a local market with the best and cheapest fruit shakes around.  Explored some temples and parks in the town and had a nice run along the river and old temple gates that run around the town. 

The next day we all set off for a 3 day Jungle Trek that was more like “fat camp” as my new British friends put it.  Not only is the trek quite difficult, but it’s done in the heat of day, with a pack, no water, and you survive on rice and no sleep for 3 days---it was awesome! The no sleep part comes into play because it was SO cold at night (and the roosters didn’t help) that NOONE got any sleep.  Even our guide, Kupti, said it was the coldest he had ever experienced it.  Regardless, it was one of the best experiences I’ve had.

We were picked up from our hotel in one of Chiang Mai taxis--a red pickup truck with two benches along the sides and a rooftop.  We set off for the jungle, stopping at a Butterfly farm and market on the way.  Once out of town, we hiked a short walk to the elephant camp where we ate lunch (noodles wrapped in banana leafs) next to some elephants and then rode them in the jungle for about an hour.  There were 3 people to an elephant, 2 on a seat and one on its neck.  It was not easy to hold on as they made their way up and down the hills and dirt paths.  What a great way to start out our jungle adventure!

After the ride, we hiked to our camp for the night which took a few hours.  The camp was absolutely stunning. Completely remote and isolated from all sights and sounds of human life.  Just a few bare bamboo-stilt huts alongside a river with the sound of rushing water as our only sound backdrop. We all “slept” in one long room with nothing more than a few blankets  with mosquito nets around them. As I mentioned, it was so cold, no one actually slept.  In the morning, we all shared stories of how cold we were our bones hurt and huddled around a fire for our breakfast of hard-boiled eggs and toast to cook. 

After eating, we were driven to another section of jungle where we had a short hike to a waterfall.  People took turns sliding down the natural rock slide and then ate lunch alongside the falls.  At this point, we lost some members of our group and gained some more.  I was happy to see some girls join our group since I had been the only one up to this point.  Met some great new friends from all around the world—one of the best parts of traveling I think. 

We all hiked to the TOP of the mountain…It was HIGH up there and took a few hours.  We stayed in a village there, all of us in one room again.  Only this time we had mattresses and warmer blankets.  Helped a lot! Two local women came right into our room and offered massages when we arrived---talk about service! While the women were massaging, I played with their little girls and had a blast giggling, playing hide and seek, and twirling around.  They were adorable.  In the eve, we hiked to a schoolyard and watched the sun set over the hills of Burma/Myanmar.  Dinner could not have arrived soon enough—we were all ravished after that hike and we had a nice local meal.  For those who chose, there was beer and smoking of all kinds available (tobacco, pot, or opium).  I chose water and chatting with new friends around a warm fire instead but still had a blast!

On day 3 of the hike, we hiked back down the mountain and did some white water “rapids.”  The water level was pretty low so the rapids were only about class 2, which worked to in my favor to allow me to actually partake (I was concerned about my tailbone injury).  My raft had a comedian for a guide --  That, and poor Georgina falling in the water made for an entertaining ride! We ended the day on a bamboo raft.  Word to the wise, they look quite romantic but there’s not much “floating” going on on those things, it’s more like sinking halfway in the water and trying not to sink as you go down the river.

That night, everyone from the trek, the Canadian girls, and one more Canadian boy (Kai who flew in to meet the other boys), went out for one last night before all parting ways.  

My Great Canadian Thai Adventure

Okay, that brings me to……………………THAILAND!!!!

“Hey Canada!” in Thailand

Bangkok

So, today is day 19 in Thailand and I am loving it!  I’ve had a great time meeting new people, starting with my first night in Bangkok.  The plan was to land around 9 pm and make my way to a hostel previously booked.  Only, my flight was delayed in China (bought a $7 bottle of water there because I had no idea what the conversion was—yikes!) so I didn’t land until after midnight in Bangkok.  Problem was, I was staying at a hostel, not a hotel, so the place was already closed.  I wasn’t about to take a cab at 1 am in Bangkok to a closed hostel but didn’t want to go wandering the streets by myself looking for a new hotel either.  I was trying to formulate a plan B in my head when I looked up and saw a guy walking by with a giant Canadian flag on his backpack.  (Almost all Canadians have these, and it’s not so much that they are so patriotic, rather that they don’t want to be mistaken as Americans.  Can’t blame them, really).  So, I did what anyone in my situation would do and yelled out, “Hey Canada!” until the poor guy turned around.  I explained my predicament to him, Simon, and he kindly agreed that I could join him and his two buddies, Brett and Brandon, who were arriving in an hour.  Thus began my great Canadian Thai adventure!

Simon and Brett getting a fish foot bath

The boys and I had no other plan than to arrive at Khao San Road which is the busiest part of downtown Bangkok and search for a hotel.  Turned out to be a great plan.  After dropping our bags off around 2am, we set out to see the sights and sounds of Bangkok, of which there were plenty.  I had been told that grocery stores in Thailand were almost non-existant but not to worry because the street food was fabulous.  Let me tell you, as a Pescetarian with a gluten intolerance, I was worried.  But alas, turns out the raves about Thai street food were 100% accurate---I LOVE the food here! And the best part is, it’s fresh, healthy, and SUPER cheap! I’m talking $1 for Pad Thai, $1 for a grilled fish (head and all), $.60 fresh fruit shake cheap!

Day 1 in Bangkok with the boys was a blast.  We set out for breakfast in the morning and ended up taking a tuk-tuk ride around to various temples, a custom-made suit shop where they tried to sweet talk us with liquor and closed-door pressure to purchasing some clothes, spent too much money on some package travel deals in Thailand, and ended at the Grand Palace that we decided was quite Grand, but not enough to pay the entry fee for since we were promised it was “free Buddhist holiday.”

Upon returning from our inpromtu tour, we explored the city by foot and wandered into a local area by the river and tried out some more street food. After a long day of walking, we tried out the famous fish foot bath I had been anxious to try. You sit with your feet inside a giant tank with loads of tiny fish that eat the dead skin off your feet.  It’s quite an experience that everyone should try. Only took us about 10 minutes to finally get used to the sensation.  We followed this by hour-long Thai massages and a mani/pedicure for me.  All of which cost a grand total of around $15! That night, we met up with my other Canadian friends, Marielle, Lisa, and Lia who I had met in New Zealand.  Turns out my friend Phil was right, “I am quite good at collecting Canadians!” After making some home-made buckets from 711 (they are everywhere!), we had a blast at a rooftop bar, Gazeebos. It is decorated in a Bedhouin style-theme and has pool, plenty of lady-boys, and a pretty decent live band.

Day 2 in Bangkok

Met up with my friend, Chad who I also met in New Zealand and we all hung around Kao San Road for some shopping and eating.  Took that afternoon and the next day easy and unloaded about 50 pounds of winter clothes and gear I no longer needed.  It’s amazing how priorities change when you have to lug everything around on your back all day.  Some things are just not worth the extra 1 pound. 

Summing up Korea

January 28, 2012

I’m sitting in my hotel room in Chiang Kong, Thailand, and I’m forcing myself to write this blog.  I don’t know why I haven’t written for so long.  It’s definitely not for a lack of interesting stories because there have been plenty of them.  I think it’s more like the dirty dishes that just keeps piling and piling to the point where it seems insurmountable to clean.  It’s been so long since I’ve blogged that every time I’ve thought about doing it, it’s seemed such a daunting task that I’ve given up. That, and I’m lazy.

Summing up Korea:

I last left you while I was in Korea and a lot has happened since then.  I realize I never wrote about the last half of my time in Korea, which was just as amazing as the first.  It would be near impossible to try to remember or write about all so I’ll try to highlight some things for you.

*Christmas eve (Busan)--day hike with Marisa followed by an evening at the Spa.

*Christmas day (Daegu)- Food, family, and fun with the Hatch/Lawry family.

*New Years (Pohang)- beachside bike riding, homemade facials, and a Polar Bear Plunge with Alyssa and

                                          her crew.

*Jeju Island—hiking Mt. Hallasan and getting in a car accident with Alex, sledding and playing dress-up

                          with the Yang family.

*Last days in Seoul area—Dmz (North Korea) tour, Penis Park, and American food on base with Alex.