And we're done...

Well, this is it, my final post. I have been in Bangkok for about 3 days, taking in the sites. I went to the Grand Palace (which isn't a palace anymore, they moved...but whatever), then Wat Pho...which houses the HUGEST reclining buddha I have ever seen, I hear it's 97 meters in length--I say length, cause he's lying down--lazy buddha...

From there, I went across the river, to see Wat Arun, which is loosely translated to "Temple of the Dawn"...beautiful. Yesterday I went to Jim Thompson's house, he is the man who revived the thai silk industry, and built an amazing house in Bangkok using 6 older thai homes from all over the country...very nice. Small glitch though, he disapeared while on a trek in Cambodia in 1967, noone has seen him since (dum dada dum).

Then I went to MBK. I have no idea how to explain MBK..it's a shopping mall, but it's full of really small stores selling crap clothing and jewellery, and there is 6 levels of it. It's insane...I had to go just to see what it was all about, but it wasn't for me...(I know? shopping, no? what has happened to me???)

So all in all a fantastic trip...I'll post pictures once I am home and not paying for internet (by the minute) and have a good connection...Back to life and reality!
See you soon xo

Muay Thai Boxing is muy good...

Well, I am almost out of here on my way back to Bangkok, where the clean up from the protests has begun. I hear that they've even lifted the curfews, and the red-shirts have gone home (for now...)

Last night was definitely a highlight of my trip, four of us from our thai cooking course went to see a Muay Thai Boxing match. It wasn't in a huge stadium, instead, it felt like it was a back alley, with a roof and a ring...so we had "cheap seats" and we were only 5 rows away from the action. There was 5 different fights. A fight is classified by the weight range of the two boxers. They started at 100 pounds on up to 187 pounds. The boys at the 100 pound mark were 13 and 14 years old. They got older from there...Man was that cool. They do alot of roundhouses, and front kicks, not a ton of punching. Each fight has 5 rounds, and each round is about 3 minutes long. After each "round" they return to their corner (red or blue) and their coaches give them mini thai massages...seriously! I have to admit after my 4th thai massage, I am starting recognize the "moves"...

So it was a blast, and it all culminated on fight number 5 with the australian against the thai. Truth be told, most of the guys were in VERY good shape, but the guy in the last round had some pudge...so we were skeptical. The Aussie on the otherhand was built like a brick shit house. They had one round. The Aussie knocked him out in 1 minute 30 seconds flat. Amazing.

Today, I had day 2 of cooking classes (where I was chopping, and peeling stuff like an old pro I tell ya!) today I made:

1- Thick rice noodles with chicken
2- Green curry and chicken
3- Sweet and Sour Vegetable stirfry
4- Papaya Salad
5- Tom Yum Soup (hot & sour prawn soup)
6- Black rice pudding

Still, all amazing and totally going to make them when I get home, if I can ever eat again...so off I go to Bangkok, where I intend to do some touristy stuff, believe it or not, I haven't seen the big stuff yet! No Grand Palace or Wat Pho, must go! (poet didn't know it)

tataaaa, back in Canada in 3 days xo

Cooking with Gas...

Oh yeah, look out! I am in my first day of 2 days of cooking class. Today, we're cooking 6 different dishes, so here's what's on the menu...

1- Noodles Thai style (aka, pad thai)
2- Massaman curry with chicken, potatoes, and peanuts
3- Cashew Chicken
4- Spring Rolls
5- Coconut milk soup with chicken
6- Mango with sticky rice.

Tomorrow, I am going to try a few other things like green curry, or panang...The group is quite small, only 5 of us, and 3 of us are travelling alone. Looks like I am going to hang out with one of the girls tonight, yes, she's in software, just left working at myspace. Small world :)

Yesterday was fun, I went to the Chiang Mai Zoo. Note to self. They aren't going to put THAI animals in there, it'd be like the toronto zoo having chipmunks and squirrels...so I saw stuff that I could see at home, but it was a georgeous zoo, and I really liked it. Although, the deer exhibit was a bit boring :)

Then in the afternoon I shopped MY BRAINS out! The weekend market was on, and it went from one gate to the big wat (temple), about 5 blocks of stuff. I think I may be done shopping.

Ha! Joking. I'll never be done shopping....

The one impact that the protests has had up here is that until yesterday there was a curfew...so you had to be home by 9, although that's no big deal for me...I am asleep by 930 these days :)
Home on Saturday, tomorrow I catch an overnight train to Bangkok...

Back in Chiang Mai Again...

Back in what I think is my favourite city in Thailand, Chiang Mai. I get this town. I have figured out how it's laid out, it makes sense, and it's mostly thai's...all good :)Today I went to Doi Suthep, it was really nice although under construction...

For lunch I had the local Delicacy called Khao Soy (curry with noodles and chicken...have I mentioned how much I love the food?), tonight off to the Weekend Market for more shopping :) Tomorrow I am going to the zoo...I have signed up for a 2 day cooking course starting Monday, this should be really good. Prepare to be wow'd!

About those Red Shirts...

I have gotten a few emails hoping I am okay in Thailand, and wanted to assure you that I am fine! The protests (which are awful, and racking up a death toll for sure), are in central downtown Bangkok. They are in a distinct part of the city where no taxi drivers will take you, and where I will be staying next week is well away from there.

Yes, it is awful, but it's not dangerous outside of that particular area...

Please don't worry! I am fine!!

More islands, totally different story

Meanwhile, Kim has been sitting in Ko Phi Phi with a bunch of 25 year olds. Finally on Monday, I caught a ferry to Phuket. Admittedly I was not looking forward to this at all. Ko Phi Phi was crawling with tourists, and Phuket is known for it being the tourists playground. But, clutching my moon guide book I decided to book in to a hotel in Surin beach, claiming to be a less touristy, more upscale location. Small...insignificant...detail...noone drives there. You can't get a minibus from the ferry docks. Oops.

So, I get a minibus to some location in Patong beach --this is the hot spot supposedely(you can quote me it's a hell hole!!), then I got in a tuk-tuk and got him to drive me the rest of the way. What's a tuk tuk? it's a tiny car, with an open sitting berth on the back, with a roof. They are very cute...(you may remember them from such events as Kim getting hosed on her first day in Thailand)...anyways, I got there. What a treasure!! No tourists....the beach was stunning. I had a lovely dinner on the beach watching the sunset, and 5 kids surfing...it was phenomenal. I was only there for 1 night, the whole point was to get on a flight the next day to Ko Samui.

For those checking the map, So far, my southern exposure has been on the Andaman sea (the west side of thailand), and Ko Samui is in the Gulf of Thailand (the east side) so I took a quick flight over. I arrived, and my guest house is adorable!! It's totally a backpacker hangout, but it's cute, and clean, and has DVD players in the rooms with girl movies. I AM IN HEAVEN! The whole reason that I went to yet another island down here was www.absoluteyogasamui.com Oh it was beautiful. One small problem. it was not close to my guesthouse AT ALL. about a 1/2 hour drive, and doing that a few times was not in the cards for me with a taxi. So I rented a car.

Oh yes, brace yourselves. Kim, driving in Thailand. They drive on the left hand side of the road here, which is fine. They have the highest mortality rate of scooters in all of Asia...cause there are about a million scooters weaving in and out of traffic. And tourists are on them. That can't end well. Long story short. After embarrassing myself to high heaven by my in ability to park this stupid rav 4 like jeep, I got the hang of it. I didn't even get lost!! I feel like a pro!

Today, I did 4 classes and arrived back at the hotel DIEING for beer at about 630...
The yoga spot was georgeous...tucked in the woods, yoga studio in amongst the trees, and a restaurant to die for, and an amazing pool. Yeah, I was in heaven. Oh yeah. I did hot yoga. WHY DO PEOPLE DO HOT YOGA???? Seriously. I don't get it. I know it's supposed to be good for you, but all I kept saying to myself the whole time was "god I am hot"...

Anyways, tomorrow more slobbing about, then Friday I fly to Chiang Mai, where I am going to check out some temples, markets, and maybe a Muy Thai match.

Home in 9 days!

Tourist Haven, or hell...

Well I have spent the last couple of days in Ko Phi Phi...although the scenery is beautiful, the tourists are about 5 to 1, and considering the experience I've had so far on the trip it's a bit disconcerting. I have been (uneccessarily) worried about finding good places to stay...So, like a good stalker I followed a couple of girls off my ferry, and got a room where they did, far off the beaten path, and at 60% off what they were paying! (they had a double room, with A/C)...So I am staying in a bungalow, freshly built, just outside of the hub-bub of Ko Phi Phi (pronounced pee pee by the way) It's nothing fancy, but for 500 baht a night (about $17) I am doing well.

My first day was just relaxing...reading books on the beach and doing a little bit of shopping. Yesterday I went on a boat tour of the islands, which included snorkelling. We saw Maya Bay, which is the beach where they filmed "The Beach"...if you haven't seen the movie...well, it's nothing to write home about, and the beach. I am not sure what I was expecting, but it's ...a beach... Our boat dropped us off in the next bay over, which was interesting. Using our fins and snorkelling masks we swam over to the stairwell, to climb into the next bay. Problem was that the waves were so strong you kept getting slammed into the ropes surrounding the stairs. Then we went over, and had to walk over sharp rocks to get to the otherside...Yes, I know it sounds like a joke... but about 15 minutes after we returned, they took the boat to Maya Bay, so we could take photos facing it.. All of us are looking at each other and saying..."okay, so why did we risk our lives to get over, when you could have dropped us off out front???" But that was all good.

The tour was about 9 hours long, so by the end I was hiding in the alcove from that DAMN sun! But, it was alot of fun. I met some canadians from winnipeg, and one of them worked at Hugh's room..weird coincidence. Also hung out with some brits, who were very nice. We all went over to the last stop, Monkey Bay, where there was,...you guessed it, Monkeys. Viscious Monkeys. After navigating more crazy coral reef to get on shore we took lots of shots, but if you got close to the monkeys, they ran after you, scratched and bit you! I didn't get that close but one of our boat mates did. He spent last night in emerg getting rabies shots I think.

After that day I just relaxed.I was invited out with the group, but didn't end up meeting them. Today, I am on my way to Phuket for a quick overnight, to fly to Ko Samui on Tuesday morning. In Ko Samui, I am going to do some yoga at a yoga retreat, a bit of a change of pace.

There are a ton of cats on these islands, and they make me miss home (amongst other things :). Although, the cats are MUCH skinnier than mine...but according to my vet, many cats are... :)

I have to say though that I am getting a little "island-ed" out. Yes, the beaches are beautiful, and Yes, the limestone cliffs are stunning, but I am looking forward to going back north...and I will...come Friday.

and a note on the temperature, it's about 35 degrees,but not as much humidity, so it's easy to sleep at night. Every night there is storm...lots of rain to break the heat and make the already green area, greener. It only lasts an hour.

Hope all is well, onto the next island!