Monday, September 12, 2011

Thailand so far

It's a rainy day in Chaing Mai so what better time to update everyone at home about what's been going on here in Thailand.

I can't say enough good things about the people, the food and the overall atmosphere of this country. We spent a few days in Bangkok and had a wonderful time then took an overnight train to where we are currently staying, in Chaing Mai. It was supposed to be about a 14 hour ride, but we got delayed and ended up being on the train for 16+ hours. It sounds terrible, which it kind of was, but overall not bad.



We were taken to our hostel and met up with our group that we would be trekking with. And I'll start off by saying that I had no idea I would be so brave in the jungle.

We started the day off by hiking and hiking and hiking some more. We stopped to cool off in a waterfall then hiked some more to the village we would be staying at. No electricity, no running water, nothing. But it really was nice to disconnect from all the modern conveniences we have which, in some ways make life easier, but in some ways make them more complicated. We were with about 8 other people so we talked together, ate together and drank together. The food on this trip has been wonderful thus far, but the food we ate that night was the best by far.





We woke up the next morning from the sound of a rooster and washed in the river. Then we set out to hike some more, this time wa a bit more challenging than the last. After a while, we finally found the village where we would bamboo raft and ride elephants. I honestly never thought I would be doing either of those things, but I'm so happy to be able to say I did.

Now we're back in our hostel and wishing the rain would stop. We spent the day walking around the city and exploring a bit. We signed up for a cooking class tomorrow and we're hoping to do a few more things before we go to our next destination, Chaing Rai, and then ultimately Laos.

I thought this vacation would be comparable to last summer's tour of Europe. We had to get up and pack every few days to leave for a new city, lots of travel time between destinations, etc. But it's a far cry from (what now seems a luxurious) getaway. But I like it. It's nice to travel and live like this for a short time. Where I'm thankful to get a hot shower and I don't even care when a spider crosses my path. They may be small things, but I appreciate them a lot more.

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