1/18 - Chiang Mai
After a 17 hour train ride, we arrived in Chiang Mai from Bangkok. It was a sleeper train and the bed was not all that bad. For breakfast, the beds folded up and made a table. The views were really great as we got into the mountains. It is so lush and green here. The bathroom was very interesting. The squatty potty was just a hole over the railroad tracks. Yep, I could see straight to the tracks!
We stayed at a hostel called Thailand Wow and the staff was super nice. They did mess up our reservation but Jordan said she would just sleep on a mat on the floor for a discounted price. It all worked out! We walked to the local food stalls for dinner and had a great local dinner.
1/19 - Chiang Mai
We had booked a taxi driver to take us to a few places right outside of town. We first went to the Tiger Kingdom. We got to go into the cages with the big and small tigers. It was pretty amazing feeling. I have been through a wave of emotions so being scared or worried never really crossed my mind. I just did it! The big tigers were massive and were laying down. I got to lift their tail and it weighted so much more than you would think. Then I compared my foot to his...not sure it was even half his foot size. We got to lay on them but were told not to touch the front of them. The trainers in the cage only had a little stick with them so glad we made it out alive! Here is an interesting fact: The big tigers eat 12 chickens a day. We then visited the small tiger cage. There was one tiger that was super active. He was just running around and I remember thinking that I hope the trainers are watching my back! I say small but they were about the size of Bear and Cal (my childhood dogs!). We got to walk around to see the medium tigers and the smallest tigers. The smallest were so adorable and still has their blue eyes. The tourist who paid to see them got to bottle feed them...so cute!
After the tigers, we drove up the mountain to the Doisathep Temple. Before the hike to the top, we got hot dogs wrapped in waffles on a stick. OMG amazing!! The temple was very nice but the view was foggy due to the locals burning the crops for the next season. On the way down, we had sweet corn (corn, sugar, milk, butter). Yum! The next stop was at an underground temple called Oumong Temple. It was okay. It was different as the Buddha was under the mountain.
That evening, we headed out to meet one of Jordan's high school friends. It was good to get out and mingle. We meet a lot of people with crazy life stories and far from home. We ended up dancing at the local club and having a good night! When I was going to bed, there was a guy doing a perfect yoga pose right next to my bed. I was laughing so hard when I rolled over and spotted him! Not too funny for you but I was a little teary eyed so I can only imagine he was thinking that I need to do some yoga moves!
1/20 - Chiang Mai
We walked around town in the morning. It is such an adorable little town with a moat around the main part of town. We stopped and got pedicures. Very nice and I have not had my toe nails painted in four months so it is nice! Whenever you get a massage, you get this crazy, spicy, hot tea. I think I am starting to like it so I might have to figure out what it is. It was Sunday and around 4 pm everyone and all the shops have a huge market on the Main Street in town. There were crafts, food and people everywhere. It was so great to see everyone shopping and eating. We had a great dinner of street food that included a chocolate with honey pancake. There were so many people that it was like going to the galleria at Christmas time. and dad look Bella has expanded her business to Thailand! I got a cute case for my iPad and two necklaces (not sure where they ended up in my ever growing back pack..I should be easy to stop when I come home as the big blob of green back pack and a smile!).
1/21 - Chiang Mai
In the morning, we left on a two day, one night trekking tour of the mountains. We started with a drive that stopped at an orchid farm. The flowers were blooming and the roots were just hanging down. It was pretty. We stopped at a local market but we have been to quite a few so nothing to crazy. I think Jordan has a noodle obsession...she always just wants noodles to eat! We then hiked about two hours to a little village. We stopped on the hike for a pad thai lunch. The view was very nice but our guide seemed a little out of it. We arrived at Jumbo Elephant Camp in the afternoon. The hut we were sleeping in was open air and set above the camp on a hill. The view of the valley and mountains was awesome. The fresh air was also amazing! The campsite included 5 elephants, a cooking area, a bar, a campfire, and a lot of new construction. We got to go on an elephant ride. It was a little strange getting on the elephant from a platform and sitting on his neck. It was like riding a horse but to a different degree. I could feel his muscles move on my bum with every step. Jordan and I were on the same elephant. She had to sit on his backbone which did not seem nice at all. On the way back, we stopped at a watering hole. The elephants bent down and we jumped off into the water. We got buckets and got to wash the elephants. I was most worried they were going to step on my toes or they were going to hit me with their trunk. It was fun and an experience to remember forever! That evening, there were only six tourist staying at the camp. We played the Vegetable Game (we are playing it at the next family holiday!) and sat by the campfire. It was also cool to hear the elephants as we sat around the fire. They are quit loud! The night got cold in the open air sleeping hut but luckily I had brought my sleeping sheet.
1/22 - Chiang Mai
We woke up to a very relaxing morning. We cooked toast with bamboo sticks over the camp fire. Pretty neat experience! Then waited around until a little before noon and took a truck up the mountain. We went on an hour hike up the mountain along the river to a beautiful waterfall. The hike was beautiful and we walked over some pretty hilarious bridges on the way up. We jumped in for a cold swim right under the falls. It was so cold but I think I went numb after a few minutes so we got a few cool pictures. We had lunch right at the waterfall and relaxed for a bit. I love the part of hikes when the air changes. You can smell and feel the change and I just think it is so amazing. We hiked down and headed to white water rafting. Compared to the Zambezi River, it was more like floating. The river was beautiful and banana trees were all over the mountains. We transferred from a proper raft to a bamboo raft. It was more like a submarine and we were sitting in cold water up to our hips. It was an experience to say the least! We headed back to Chiang Mai after the trip. I had a hot shower which is a luxury that I have always taken for granted back home!
1/23 - Chiang Mai
We booked a tour to Laos too late and had to stay an extra night in Chiang Mai. It worked out luckily because our Thailand visas expire on Jan. 27th. We did a little planning for the rest of the trip as my baby sister is coming for 10 days to the Philippines!! So excited! And the best part is she cannot break up with me!! We bought train tickets and two plane tickets. Pretty excited for the last two months of my adventure! I got my eyelashes highlighted and had street food for dinner. I talked to my mom for a while in the morning as I was having a hard day. I made it through the day and got my first night of good sleep since Vietnam. Thank The Lord!
1/24 - Chiang Khong
We got picked up at about 10 am for a 6 hour van ride to Chiang Khong, Thailand. It was a a good bus ride and I had plenty of leg room. We stopped at an all white temple outside of Chiang Rai, Thailand. It was pretty impressive and very different than the other temples we had visited. Chiang Khong is right on the Mekong River and a border crossing into Laos. It was a cute little town and cool to sit by the river. We had dinner provided from the hotel. It was an upgrade for us as we had a private bathroom and our own bedroom with two twin beds.
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