Let me say right off - I can't tell you how much I love this city. Chiang Mai is in the north of Thailand, near the Lao / Burma border (the "Golden Triangle") and is surrounded by jungles, hill tribes, and no doubt all kinds of adventure. Tomorrow Jennifer and I are heading out on a trekking tour - ours includes hiking and visiting 2 different hill tribe villages (the "long necks" and the "big ears" - political correctness not being a big priority with our travel agency, I guess), riding elephants, and ... white water rafting!
For farang (foreigners) Chiang Mai is something of a hippie, outdoorsy enclave. A lot of expats here own bars, restaurants, hostels and travel companies and the city has become a mecca for Thai massage lessons, cooking classes, yoga, vegetarianism, eco tourism, jewelry making, alternative bookstores on every corner, and of course the purchasing of elephant print handbags in all shapes and colors. For those of you from MA, it's like someone airlifted Northampton and plopped it in the middle of Thailand and let it sit for a few years to soak up a distinctive Thai flavor. Jennifer and I actually took a cooking class our first night here with disastrous results. The food was amazing - tom yum soup, pad thai, stir fry, and banana spring rolls ... mmmmm. But about an hour later, I started to feel a little queasy and we headed back to the hostel. I puked every single hour all night, for about 10 hours straight. Have you ever puked out of your nose? I have! :) So we're taking it easy for a couple of days. And later this week we're signed up for massage classes! I think Jennifer's out on the city getting a massage right now ...
So good news, people. Right before we left Bangkok, I found a place that read Sony cards and got my pictures on CD! The Flickr web upload is super slow but here's a sneak preview of what I've been up to lately (with big and I think understandable focus on da beach) ;)
Gorgeous bridge to the Andong Folk Village ... yes. This is what all of Asia looks like. We also have flying swordmasters. ;)
Jennifer tries a forbidden door ...
Me, on a Buddha in Gyeongju. We actually ate lunch up there, on Buddha's head. :)
A man sketches a cliffside Buddha image, across the valley from the peak we're ascending.
Me on the beach in Koh Chang. I usually find it quite hard to do a genuine smile for the camera -- not that day. :)
My hammock on the beach, at sunset. I fell asleep in the late afternoon and woke up with this ...
Our bungalows on Koh Chang. Beyond the trees, monkeys. Turn around to see the sea. :D
I realize this post is painfully out of date. Well, it's now Thursday the 8th of February, and I'll be beginning my flights home tomorrow - and in Jeju by mid-afternoon on Sunday. Much more on my travels next week, I have so much to write about! :) Can't wait to share it ... missing you all !
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