Chiang Mai

Hello. All is well in Chiang Mai. We are getting used to the city and have decided to stay for a few more days. We are going to move guesthouses tomorrow to one that is way cheaper and nicer. We got scammed a little bit on this one because we booked through the T.A.T. office as recommended by lonely planet. They were way off. Guest houses are a dime a dozen here and the T.A.T. charges several hundred dollars in commision! We found a new vegetarian resturaunt today. They make their own vegetarian burgers. Yum! We are always excited about good food. We also just got done getting massages. I got a foot massage and Ashley got an oil massage. I was amazed at how much stress I store in my feet. We are all relaxed now so we are going to wander back to the guesthouse for some rest by the pool. We are going to return our motorbike today as we walk most places.

More from Chiang Mai

Scott and I had a pretty fun day yesterday. We managed to find the umbrella factory about 10 km outside of town. The way that they make them is absolutely fascinating, they are very skilled. They also had many painters that did amazingly intricate work. They offer to paint on your shirt or your pants in addition to the umbrellas and fans that they paint. Scott and I each got a hand painted velvet fan for a mere ฿200 or about $3 each. They are beautiful and they help to keep you cool as it is very warm here. We also saw how they make paper which is a quite extensive process. After that we stopped in at a silk factory and saw how the silk was made. It starts with these little eggs that grow into worms that eat mulberry leafs. As the worms gorge on mulberry leaves they get quite large and then make a cocoon which is yellow or white. Then the cocoon is boiled in water and silk thread is made from it. They said they got 500 meters of silk thread from one cocoon. They then filter you into their silk shop which is quite over priced. We skipped buying anything as we saw the same pillows that they wanted ฿1450 for ฿100 at the night bazaar. Then we had the best Indian food I have ever had at a restaurant (of course I prefer home made) for dinner. It was fantastically tasty. Today we are going in search of a bra. The first week we were here we got laundry done and the only bra that I brought went missing. Since then I have been wearing my bathing suit top and looking everywhere for a store that sells bras. I have found a couple stores and even bought one bra for a dollar which I have been cramming into... but none of them have really fit... all of the bras are tiny. Today I was told they sell western bras at the mall so we are going to give that a go. We are also going to look at the Baan Tawai centre where many of the wood carved items and furniture are made. Scott and I love watching the artists at work.

Chiang Mai Has No Street Signs

Chiang Mai seriously has no street signs. This makes navigating quite difficult. We have been walking most everywhere to avoid taking tuk tuks as they get expensive fast (at least if you are white...). We rented a motorbike which is nice for long distances, however, it is still nearly impossible to navigate the city. This is coming from someone who is generally a proficient navigator. I had no problems getting around BKK, Koh Phangon, and a number of other places I have been. This city is just super confusing. There are a ton of back alleys and streets that curve in random directions. We spend several hours every day trying to get to one place. The upside of this is that we get to see a lot of cool little shops and resturaunts that are hidden on cobbled back alleys. The old city is beautiful and quite fun to walk around. There is an infinite amount of stuff to see and do tucked into a small square that is the old city. We are thinking about taking an elephant trek, however, these are really expensive at a few hundred US dollars per person. Today we are going to attempt to find the craft market so we can see how all of the silk items, umbrellas, teak carvings, etc. are made. Yesterday I got a haircut and a shave. It was only $6 US and it looks really nice. Now I can come back and look credible for the families I will be seeing next semester. I am also going to aquire a new suit so that I can have two for the practicum. There is something about walking into a room with a family, taking off a nice jacket, and hanging it over a chair that just screams "I am credible". This makes a big difference as older people can have a hard time working with a young buck such as myself.

Also, Ashley is highly proficient at chop stick use. She is able to tackle difficult foods such as brown rice and vegetables. There is great vegetarian food in Chiang Mai at a cheap price. I do have a hard time as I feel that we haven't been able to do any cooking or other work since we have been here, which miffs me a little.

Chiang Mai is a beautiful place and we are really excited to be here. Going with the flow can be a struggle, but it is a good learning experience.

here are a few pics. there are some that have been added to prior posts as well.

Chiang Mai

Scott and I finally made it to Chiang Mai yesterday after an eight hour bus ride to Bangkok and a fifteen hour train ride to Chiang Mai... it was so long and I am so happy to not be traveling around again for a while. Chiang Mai is different than I expected I think I thought it would be a lot smaller with a lot less people. It is quite a bit warmer here than it was in Koh Phagnan which really surprised me. I think we must have hit that island at just the perfect time because the weather was awesome the whole time we were there. It was cooler (less humid and hot then Flordia even). Despite the heat Chiang Mai is a really cool place. It has a lot of really good food and shopping that my mom would die for. Mom you would love it here there are so many things to buy and everyone is willing to barter. It is quite a bit cheaper than BKK or Koh Phagnan and there are temples on every street. We rented a motor bike but we have been mostly walking as it is difficult to navigate the streets (most of them are not marked) and there are alleys that branch into other alleys that can be a bit confusing. We are settling in and I think we are finally almost caught up on sleep. It was so funny because we got here on July 5th (July 4th in the US) and there are signs everywhere that say Happy New Year and even a Merry Christmas one at our hotel... they are a little fuzzy on what July 4th is but they know it involves fire works and they put up the New Years banners for the Americans (ha ha). We love and miss you guys!

Made it to BKK

Made it safe to BKK. Will be on the train to Chiang Mai tonight.

Farewell Bottle Beach

Today was our last day on the island. We went to the beach and we are going to have an Indian buffet tonight at the yoga retreat. The beach was perfect because it was overcast and cool. The air temp. was probably around 80 degrees Fahrenheit and the water was probably a bit warmer than that. We are sad to leave the island, however, we are looking forward to seeing Chiang Mai as it is one of the most vegetarian friendly cities on the planet (Dana take note). We are glad that we got to see the island when we did as it seems that they are in the process of potentially becoming a huge tourist hot spot. Mom and dad (Branson) I have not heard from you at all. Are you reading the blog? You all should comment or email me. I miss you.

Second to last day in Koh Phangnan

Today Scott and I got up and did a yoga class. It was nice to open our muscles as they get very tight from the motor bike riding. Then we did a cooking class which was rather fun. My favorite things that we learned to cook were Tom Yum a spicy soup with tofu and vegetables and Pad Thai which are rice noodles with veg and peanuts (we added cashews). We decided to take a break from the motor bike and the beach for the day. Bottle Beach is gorgeous but it is a bit of a rough go getting there... a little bumpy to say the least. Also, no matter how much sun block I put on I still end up a little burnt because the humidity melts the sunblock right off. It has been a little warmer the past two days. I am hoping we get a good hard rain tonight so that it will be cool in the morning. When it rains here it pours. Scott and I were out on the motor bike a few nights ago and we thought that a little rain would feel nice.... we were completely drenched. I have never gotten so soaked in my whole life. It was crazy! We will try to post pictures soon... it has been difficult to find the correct cord to get them from the camera to computer.

Will and Sarah- you guys would love it here. The beaches are sort of like Maui with white sand and blue green water but there are way less people. The Thai people on this island are very friendly (most of them at least) and they live a peaceful slow paced life. Yesterday we saw two monkeys holding on to the back of a truck that was driving through town. You see many tropical birds, monkeys, elephants and water buffalo around the island. This morning I was feeling a little home sick and laying in a hammock when this ginger colored cat came and lied with me. I think he knew I was missing my kitties and he had a cuddle and a knead. I miss you all very much and I wish you were here.

Tomorrow we are going to get up and head to Bottle Beach in the morning and then have a massage in the afternoon. Then the next day (July 3rd) we will get up in the morning and take the ferry then the bus to Bangkok. We are hoping to meet up with our friend Dr. Anne for lunch before heading to Chiang Mai. I am not looking forward to all the traveling as it takes forever but I am looking forward to being in Chiang Mai. I love you all.