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!

Sea Kayaking...on the Adaman Sea

I am just back from 2 days overnight on Hong Island...It's a Thailand National Park, so we were the only ones (other than the park rangers) staying on the island over night.....

I was under the really weird impression before I came to Thailand that those awesome tall limestone islands were few and far between. NOT SO! there are about 1000 of them. And of course, I am taking pictures of every one I see. Eventually, I'll put some pics up...so far, too busy...Yesterday morning, we kayaked again in the mangroves around the island...What is a mangrove you ask? Well. I hate to disapoint but there are no men AT ALL except for those in our group. They are trees who's roots are in the water, and we kayak through them. And...little known fact, mangroves are now a protected plant in Thailand after the tsunami. Because the roots are in the water, and so deep, they saved many people when the tsunami hit, and they needed something to hold on to. I know...depressing. More on the tsunami later....

The monkeys came out to see us while we kayaked by, supposedly they will come onto your boat and bite the head off your water bottle. Ours were a bit more timid. We kayaked again, til the low tide went out, and then had a great lunch (seriously, I haven't eaten this well in my life!) and off to Hong Island. We went in a long tail boat for about a half an hour, then arrived on the idyllic island. The first night we had a front row view of a HUGE thunderstorm with a fire on the beach. Yesterday we kayaked to Paradise Island, where we fed fish. I keep having these interesting experiences, I see fish and plants that I recognize. But at home, they are called 'tropical' fish, and 'tropical' plants..heh heh, here they are just plants :) If you threw bread into the water, the fish went nuts, all quickly going after them...We ran into a ton of jellyfish. Maybe it's my life on fresh water lakes, but this was my first jellyfish experience. They are so beautiful, and scary! Ben, one of my trip mates got a minor sting while we were kayaking...We kayaked for a few hours, then spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the sun. We saw a monitor-lizard, it was HUGE! I made Ben take pictures, I was too much of a wimp...

The sun. Oh the sun taunts me. I have water blisters on my right arm and look bright pink. So much for tanned suave Kim...My suntan lotion seems to suck. While kayaking I seemed to have a trail of suntanlotion coloured water around me. I am taking a break today from the sun, hiding in my guest house, and writing to you in the hottest hours of the day...I'll get the hang of it :)

Anyways, last night we had a barbecue, where we ate squid that was caught while we kayaked (okay, admittedly, I'd rather my calamari deep fried), and all turned in by about 9pm. ANIMALS I tell you! But not before there was a big crisis. Seems..that our tents were accidentally situated near the nests of fire ants. Seriously, there are a lot of dangerous bugs out here. Fireants, are little red ants that bite, and g-damn they hurt! they are about 1/5 cm long, and red...and if they bite, they borrough their heads into your foot and take a big chunk out of your foot. I only got one bite, but man that hurt. Anyways, much chemicals later, and a tent move...alls well ends well.

This morning we left camp, and returned to Ao Nang, where I have been abandoned.. No, not really, my cohorts are off to Sura Thani to catch the overnight to Bangkok, where they are on their way home. A note about the red-shirts protests. Yes, it was getting better, then someone got shot (a big wig in the higher ups of the redshirts)...so it's still dangerous. Just in case anyone was wondering, I am /was staying nowhere near the demonstrations. The thai are very clear about where you should not go...I have seen the army, but have come nowhere near danger, and that is where I expect to stay :)

Tomorrow I am off to Ko Phi Phi for a few days, I am hoping to find a guest house that is a little bungalow on the beach where I can drink Chang, and read books. Then I take another ferry to Phuket, and then off to Ko Samui. All by myself! The plan is definitely coming together, and I am excited to slow down for a little while.

Well, I am off to find some street food...Pad Thai on the street costs 90 cents, and I am HUNGRY!

Off to the islands

When we last left our intrepid traveller, I had just packed up my bag (AGAIN!) to go down south to Krabi. We arrived in Ao Nang (pronounced Ow Nang). Wow. is this town full of tourists (called pharang in thai ;) The south is like that I am told.

Wow. this place is beautiful. I thought the north was beautiful with all the hills, and bamboo forests. But it's got NOTHING on the south! The limestone rocks/mountains, you know the ones, that you see in every tourist pic of Thailand, they are like that, and there are hundreds of them. Over 20 stories high, and made of limestone. Today we did a 3 hour sea kayak trip through the channels around some of these islands. We were kayaking through the trees, who's roots are in the water. it was breathtaking. Thank god for Camp. I have been assigned the sternsmen job for our kayak, and it's like riding a bike, how to do it comes back!. We haven't run into anything yet, but we did kayak through caves where we had to practically limbo to get under the stalagmites...or is that stalagtites??

We had to finish our trip by about 1pm, because the tide was going out and we were running out of water! So we landed at our destination where they presented us with the most amazing lunch. Pad Thai, Massaman Curry (yes ANOTHER type of curry!- which I will definitely learn how to make next week), coconut soup, vegies, and corn/chicken thingys (yes, that is it's name..shush). It was a veritable feast...

This afternoon we got back to the hotel early, so a few of us took a long boat to Rai Lay beach. This is a pretty famous one. Man. the water here is light light blue, the sand is white, and islands are phenomenal. Long boats are basically Thai versions of fishing boats, and they have really long motors off the back and are hideously loud. AND COOL!! In typical thai fashion, you rent a long boat, but if you want the cheap price you have to wait til more people come to fill up the boat (that means 8 passengers), that can be 5 minutes, or...an hour. We waited about 10 minutes. all good.

The beach was georgeous...I could get used to this...
Tomorrow, we're going to Hong Island by kayak...and camping in a national park for a couple of nights. That should be entertaining. My time with the Gap tour is done on Friday, where I am going to Ko Phi Phi for a few days, then Phuket, then Ko Samui. Finally after much planning I have all of my tickets booked. We'll see how I handle my own company :)

Oh yes. I have a new uniform. long fishermans pants, long sleeved shirt, big floppy hat and big sunglasses..the sun is hot and mean :) I have gotten very strange sunburns so far, where I've missed spots. right now, I have bright red shins...will I ever learn???


xo. send aloe vera

Thailand's version of a house boat...

It's been a few days since I've blogged, I've been out in the wilderness...again! We had a free day in Chiang Mai, where Anne (my roomie) and I wandered around, did some shopping, and got a great Thai Massage. I could get addicted to this :)...At one point the woman was underneath me, I was doing an arch backwards, all the while cracking my back. it was insane!

A word about the food. I LOVE THE FOOD!! I have Pad Thai every day from a street vendor (and it costs about .90) and they all taste a bit different, because really, it literally translates to Thai noodles :)...I've learned to love mango & sticky rice (which has a dollop of coconut milk on top)...Deep fried bananas. Yummmm. Tom Yum soup also good, and the currys! Wow! There is a third curry called Panang Curry which is hotter than the red or green. Thank god Toronto has so many thai restaurants, I recognize alot of the dishes. A word about the beer. I've worked my way through the different types, and so far my favourite is Chang. I'd love to tell you that I am drinking a ton, and really partying it up, but that'd be a lie. We're so tired at the end of a day, it's to bed by 830-9...Truth be told, that's pretty typical for us. We're up and at em by 8 am, and by 830pm we're exhausted.

So Friday, we took an overnight train to Ayutthaya (pronounce Aye-you-tay-ya)...there we biked around the town, and checked out the ruins of old temples. Ayutthaya was the capital of Thailand before they moved it to Bangkok...The highlight was the head of a buddha inside a tree.

From there, we got in a van and drove for 4 hours west to Kanchanaburi Town, and beyond...There we got on a rafthouse. This is thailand's version of a houseboat. But there are a few differences...it doesn't have a motor. Instead a tug boat dragged us out to the lake and tied us to the mainland in a non populated area. That was amazing. There we were, watching the sunset between the mountains, and taking swims off the side of the raft house. Our driver & guide made us an amazing meal, and we were in bed by 9pm.

We pack alot into one day...We left the raft house this morning, and drove to the Erawan Waterfall where we hiked up the 7 levels of waterfalls. Thai families go there for sunday picnics, and at each pool you can dive in and have a swim. They were truly georgeous. There are fish in each pool and they love to nip at your heels. I didn't love that but Ben & Anne thought it was amazing. Then this afternoon we drove to Kanchanaburi (yes, pronounced how it's spelt), and biked for 3 hours around the town, which included a visit to the Japanese Railroad Museum, and to the Bridge of the River Kwai. Holy depressing batman!! But we learned a ton, and it was really moving...

Tonight we have free time in Kanchanaburi, and we are staying in a georgeous guest house. We'll probably hit the night market, and do some shopping. The night market in Chiang Mai was great too, this one is more about second hand things...which should be interesting. The night market is a bunch of stalls selling great stuff, and blocks and blocks of it. And EVERYTHING is negotiable. They're asking 200 Baht?, you offer 150...(which is less than $5), it's alot of fun. My roomie likes to shop too...we're dangerous!

Tomorrow we're flying to Krabi, where we start our sea kayaking. I am told that the south is much hotter. Jeez...it was 45 degrees today. We're showering 2-3 times per day, it's phenomenally hot!

So in a week, I am off on my own, and a plan is coming together....I am going to stay in the south for about 3 days, trekking around the different islands, then fly to Ko Samui (Ko means island) which is on the other side of thailand, but still in the south- I hear they have detox meditation retreats which I am keen to try for a few days. Then I'll fly up to Chiang Mai again where I want to do a cooking course, go out to the zoo, and other wandering. Then I'll return to Bangkok for a few days.

Believe it or not, this trip doesn't take us to alot of tourist places, so I feel like I need to go back and do the touristy stuff. Surely, today, I was biking through the countryside of thailand, lotus flowers everywhere...but I have yet to see the Grand Palace in Bangkok...

Anyways, off to do some research. It's pouring rain outside for the first time in days, so hopefully the weather will break to a balmy 35...oh yeah...

xo
K

Up into the hills...

So wat tee ka! (hello!)

We're back from our 3 day trek into the hills of Northern Thailand. Wow. What an experience...(I know! I keep saying that, but seriously the hits keep on coming on this tour). Let me start from the top...

Drove from Chiang Mai for a couple of hours up into the hills of Northern Thailand. For this trek, we only brought our day packs (THANK GOD), and a couple of days of clothing. We had a guide (named KoKo), and a porter named Gan (along with our regular guide Neung)...yes, I have totally butchered the spelling, but I am thinking phonetically these days :) The first day we walked about 3.5 hours, and about 7km. It felt like straight up...but maybe that's me :)

We were dropped off at 1000 meters (above sea level), and trekked to 1400 that day. What amazing views, we were heading up the sides of these hills, which by Ontario standards are very close to mountains :)...the views were stunning. The biggest mountain, which I can't remember it's name but is translated to mean "Big Mountain" seriously, this language slays me! It is a limestone mountain, and stands at 2500 meters above sea level. We arrived in the village at about 6...we were greeted by about 20 kids, all yelling "FOOOOOTBAAAALLLLL". I guess that's what we tourists are good for :) So we made Ben (the 19 year old limey on our trek) do it...He was very entertaining, and the kids were hilarious. So shy, but over time they were very friendly, and wanted to know about everything. My thermarest got much attention :)

We stayed in a bamboo hut. In one corner was the cooking pot where our guides made us dinner. Pretty much the best thai food I've ever had :) We slept on mats on the floor. Oh yes. A word about the toilets. Yeah.I can't say I am a fan of the asian toilet. you stand with your legs about a foot apart and pee downward. They call these "happy rooms" ...and when I pee on myself. I tell you I AM NOT HAPPY!

Anyways...that was too much information...Day 2...was CRAZY. We walked 13 km, KoKo said it was 60% up, and 40%down. and I say, He's a big liar. We were meandering up and down hills. We stopped at a georgeous waterfall, and took a swim (if I can figure out how to put pictures up I'll post one), and we walked through alot of bamboo forests.
**Useless Fact alert: there are 60 different types of Bamboo in Thailand.
so, little known fact, I am moderately afraid of heights. This made yesterday especially challenging. Some of the paths were about a foot wide, with a very steep drop (at least 3 stories) to my right. I was having a hard time with that. But I am here to write this note, so obviously alls well ends well.

So finally, at about 4pm, we arrive at the second village. they have electricity, they have a brand new guesthouse, which is beyond beautiful. oh yes, wait for it. AN ARMY of women waiting to give us Thai massages. BOOYA! That was the best!!! We all were pretty much comotose thereafter. This place was so beautiful, in a valley, and the buildings were built into the trees (they've called it Tree House Chiang Dao)...very amazing.

And today...just a quick 2.5 hour hike up into the meeting point...seemed like a cake walk compared to Day 2. After we were done, we headed to the Elephant Park where I rode an elephant. HOW COOL IS THAT? the highlight was going across the river, and having the elephants suck in water through their trunks, and spray it all over us...

So tonight, free time, finally, we're heading to the night bazaar. Tomorrow, just hanging around Chiang Mai. My roomie is amazing btw. Anne, from Denmark. She celebrated her 60th birthday on Tuesday night in a hut..that was pretty cool. She has a house in Peru, and loves to run. We're already planning a Toronto/Copenhagen marathon exchange...(TRP, Kim, prepare yourselves :))

So wat tee kaa (also means good bye :)

Kim, the spaz, on the back roads of Bangkok

So yesterday was an amazing experience. Our tour took us on mountainbikes around the back streets of Bangkok. This is so hard to explain. In the innner city of Bangkok, all of the houses are attached together, and there are little paths, maybe a meter wide (at most) inbetween the "streets" ...we were doing this on our mountain bikes.

We biked for about 3 or 4 hours, and saw great homes (which by Canadian standards are slums), but just homes here...We saw some small temples that were sweet, and very off the tourist beaten track. All the young children would yell "helllllooo" as we tourists biked past. I realize that I am not a very good at biking in confined spaces. I started using my elbows as bumping pads on the concrete walls...needless to say, I am using my polysporin. And I fell once. Yes. I was the only one...the judges are in...I am a spaz...

We went back to Khoah San Road for some "retail therapy"...it is SO cheap here. I bought a purse ($2)...pants $3.50...more pants $3.50. and yes, they are georgeous. The good thing about backpacking is that my inherent laziness to carry a bunch of crap is the only thing that is keeping me from not rebuilding my entire wardrobe :)

Last night we took a sleeper train to Chiang Mai, which was a very pleasant experience. We've just arrived in our guest house, and we're off on a 2 day trek to the hilltribes, where we'll stay with a traditional village on a hut floor. We'll also see waterfalls, and general jungle goodness. On our way back we're stopping at a Elephant Camp, where I'll get to ride an elephant! woohoo!

xo
K

PS. it's only 35 today :) feels nice...

TukTuk Bangkok

After 21 hours in the air, 10 hours on layovers, and 3 airports, I made it to Bangkok with my luggage all in one piece YAY! I met a couple of girls from the other tour leaving today as well, they were very sweet, and about 19...we decided to go on an adventure and get food and a walk, and we got into a tuktuk where he proceeded to take us to different places around Bangkok...no, nothing dangerous :)

But, i forgot what my trusty guide books told me. they tend to be happy to drive you for very cheap, as long as you go to different stores, where they get coupons for gas if they take you there...after our 3rd silk shop (with very pushy salesmen) we had had enough...We did get to see the Golden Mount which is a beautiful temple on top of the hill with the best views of Bangkok.

Met my group tonight and there are only 5 of us, and I am the second youngest believe it or not...I had fears of being very out of my league. All is well. We went to Koh San Road, the home of all of the tourists, and it was shopping MECCA which I love...am going back tomorrow. it is about 39 degrees here, and I feel VERY overdressed...tomorrow we bike around the back streets of Bangkok, then to a sleeper train to Chiang Mai...big week ahead.

Hope all is well with you xoxo

K

Phuket!

Well, my last day at ILR was last week, so I am free as a bird! And I decided, that not very often does life offer you a break. Usually I leave one job for another, and this time I don't have to.

So I've decided to go traveling. Seriously. I am going to Thailand! I leave April 30th, for a month. I am doing a gap adventures tour for the first 2 weeks, then the second two weeks I am wandering on my own. Everyone is wondering, "why not with Brian? or with a friend? are you nuts?". Well, don't answer that. I am probably nuts, but that has nothing to do with the traveling :P.

And as for by myself, at Brian's encouragement (he's seen me without a job for a week now, he probably just wants me out of the house :)) I am going to give it a try. I have never traveled on my own before, and it will be a learning experience.

I have a few goals for this trip...because I am a loser, and I always must have goals...

1- Have the trip of my life.
2- Figure out what I want to do with my career
3- Learn how to cook thai food
4- Get thai massages
5- Take good pictures...

I am sure I'll think of more. It has been about 10 years since I did a blog with my travel adventures, so here it goes. I'll be updating and I'll figure out how to make it so you can signup for email updates...