Posted by Emily
Well, we have successfully made it to New Zealand and so far are having a very nice time. After almost 28 hours of travel (including a flight from the south of Thailand to Bangkok, on which I puked and I'm not even a puker, and almost 8 hours in the Bangkok airport waiting for our next flight to depart), we arrived in Auckland, took a shuttle to our hostel and proceed to sleep for about 25 hours. We were very exciting people that day!
The rest of the time we spent walking around the city and speaking English, because we can here! It's amazing how much easier that makes thing! We visited the Sky Tower, the tallest building in the southern hemisphere I believe (you can even bungee jump off of it!), the Victoria Market, which turned out to be just a bunch of shops (there are flea markets on the weekend) and attempted a walking tour of the city. Although they claimed that the walking tour was easy to follow, I think we proved them wrong! The map was hard to read at places and the roads were supposed to be marked ever kilometer, but weren't. BUT we did get to go up a road called "Emily Place" and take my picture by some signs that said Emily on them. The part of the walking tour that we did do was quite nice. It led us from the harbor downtown into some older neighborhoods and through the university campus (very lovely!). It would have led us across the city through parks and the luck but we were getting crabby after quite a long day and decided to go home.
Yesterday we decided to take a day trip out of Auckland to a suburb across the bay (12 min ferry ride) called Devenport, a very lovely city that from what I can tell, must also be pretty wealthy! Lots of beautiful seaside property. We did another walking tour there but this one was much easier to follow and led us up 2 old volcanoes (just grass-covered hills now) that offered beautiful views of the city and surrounding sea despite the cold wind that was blowing on top. We warmed up with some tea and chai at a cafe and then headed back. The wind was picking up and rain was starting to fall. Not very ideal weather for exploring a little town but it was a nice day none the less.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Friday, June 09, 2006
Swimming With Sharks!
Posted by Nicki
That’s right folks, it’s said you’re supposed to do something everyday that scares you, so for a day in Ko Tao, I did exactly that. Swam with the sharks!
As I said in the previous post, Ko Tao is known for having some of the best diving in all south east asia, and Em and I decided to experience what it had to offer. Since neither of us have our PADI certification, we were only able to snorkle, but it was well worth it. (PS, if you ever want to get certified, and have a few days, I’d recommend Ko Tao. The island has mountains upon moutains of scuba certification schools, apparently dirt cheap compared to what they are in the states. If we had had more time, I might have done it.)
We booked ourselves for a day long snorkle trip through a store around the block from our hostel. It picked us up in the morning and we didn’t get back until late afternoon. In the trip we got to see all around the island, and were dropped off to snorkel in about 6 or 7 different bays, it was awesome. The fish and the coral were absolutely breathtaking. So many millions of colors, shapes and sized. The water was crystal clear, it was almost as if you were floating on top of an aquarium…which I suppose in a way you really are. You could reach out and almost touch them. Bright yellow, electric neon colors, some that one girl described as rainbow sherbert, all sorts of different colors mixed together. Big ones, small ones, thousands of little ones in a school forming all sorts of shapes as they moved, I swear it looked to be right out of a movie like Finding Nemo. Little shiny ones that looked like a downpour of silver confettii. I was endlessly impressed. At the end of the day we also visited a little collection of three islets, now used primarily as a dive resort. Also really stunning.
And, yes, in one of the bays, black tip reef sharks! I was pretty scared to jump in, but once I actually saw one, I found myself wanting to follow it all through the reef. The bay the sharks were in was quite deep, the sharks swimming down on the bottom and snorkelers floating on the top. The sharks didn’t even pay us any notice. Oh, and just so you all don’t think I’m really super brave…they were little ones, of the three I saw, the biggest might have been about 3 feet, but hey, they’re still sharks!
That’s right folks, it’s said you’re supposed to do something everyday that scares you, so for a day in Ko Tao, I did exactly that. Swam with the sharks!
As I said in the previous post, Ko Tao is known for having some of the best diving in all south east asia, and Em and I decided to experience what it had to offer. Since neither of us have our PADI certification, we were only able to snorkle, but it was well worth it. (PS, if you ever want to get certified, and have a few days, I’d recommend Ko Tao. The island has mountains upon moutains of scuba certification schools, apparently dirt cheap compared to what they are in the states. If we had had more time, I might have done it.)
We booked ourselves for a day long snorkle trip through a store around the block from our hostel. It picked us up in the morning and we didn’t get back until late afternoon. In the trip we got to see all around the island, and were dropped off to snorkel in about 6 or 7 different bays, it was awesome. The fish and the coral were absolutely breathtaking. So many millions of colors, shapes and sized. The water was crystal clear, it was almost as if you were floating on top of an aquarium…which I suppose in a way you really are. You could reach out and almost touch them. Bright yellow, electric neon colors, some that one girl described as rainbow sherbert, all sorts of different colors mixed together. Big ones, small ones, thousands of little ones in a school forming all sorts of shapes as they moved, I swear it looked to be right out of a movie like Finding Nemo. Little shiny ones that looked like a downpour of silver confettii. I was endlessly impressed. At the end of the day we also visited a little collection of three islets, now used primarily as a dive resort. Also really stunning.
And, yes, in one of the bays, black tip reef sharks! I was pretty scared to jump in, but once I actually saw one, I found myself wanting to follow it all through the reef. The bay the sharks were in was quite deep, the sharks swimming down on the bottom and snorkelers floating on the top. The sharks didn’t even pay us any notice. Oh, and just so you all don’t think I’m really super brave…they were little ones, of the three I saw, the biggest might have been about 3 feet, but hey, they’re still sharks!
Paradise
Posted by Nicki
Sorry it’s been quite awhile since I’ve checked in to update the blog…but now that internet is free, I’ve got a bit of a chance to catch things up.
Anyhow, our time in the south of Thailand is fantastic. We had contemplated not even heading to the islands as we had it heard the weather would be bad, but we were blessed with sunshine and blue skies for our entire week, it was awesome. The only day it was semi cloudy we were snorkeling, so it was probably for the best that we didn’t get completely baked.
After our week on two different islands, I’ve one piece of advice for anyone planning a trip to Hawaii, spend the extra few hundred on airfare and book your trip to thailand! What you spend extra on the plane you will make up in amazing beaches that you will have almost entirely to yourself and beachside private bungalows for around 4-8 dollars a night. Your toilet may not be of the flushing variety and your bungalow might come with mosquito net and there likely won’t be a hot shower…but do you need one when it’s a million degrees outside and you’re sunburned?
Em and I first made our way to Ko Phan-Ngan, the middle of the three islands on the Gulf Coast. Yes, it is the infamous island that hosts full moon parties, but we were far, far on the opposite side of the island from Hat Rin, where those parties are. (And there was no full moon when we were there.) Our beach, on of a couple of twin beaches, was called Thong Nai Pan Yai. It was gorgeous. It required an hour long bumpy ride through dirt roads in the back of a pickup to get there, but it was well worth it. Very secluded and undeveloped…no high rise concrete here, (in fact there was no high rise beach resorts anywhere on either island we were on, thank goodness), it was just beachside bungalows, a few hamocs, and white sand beach. We were probably about two out of 20-30 or so that were staying there. During the afternoon just a handful of people were out. The beaches go back into green hillsides covered in palm trees. Rocky outcropping jut into the sea. It was beautiful. The only downfall was our beach faced neither sunrise or sunset.
Thong Nai Pan beaches (Yai and Noi) are both located in little bays, so the water was completely still, just a small tide rolling in. It was wonderful for swimming, but lacked the sound of crashing sea that I love about the ocean. It was also great to run along in the evening once the heat broke.
The second part of our beach trip brought us to the island of Ko Tao, the smallest island of the trio, farthest north. Again, the weather held out and was great. Ko Tao has a few better roads then Phan-Ngan, so it made it easier for Em and I to walk around. We stayed on a beach that was a bit busier, but a 10 minute walk up the road led to a beautiful secluded beach called Ao Thian. A little odd to get to as the sign in front says private property (we first got there by mistake going up the road to far then climbing over a bunch of rocks to get back), but then as you turn the corner there is another sign that says private, directly behind which is a sign that says vistors welcome! this way to the beach. Hmm, ok. So we went, as we didn’t discover it was private until we had climbed over the rocks anyhow. The beach was full of gorgeous white sand, lots of swaying palm trees, bushes for shade, and crystal clear blue water. Still in a bay, so calm like the other beach, but coral formations fairly close to the shore kept us from doing much swimming. Ko Tao is known as one of South East Asia’s best dive sites, so in the next entry, I’ll tell you all about our experiences with that. But when we weren’t diving, lots of relaxing, reading, and just enjoying the amazing scenary were our agenda for the day.
Sorry it’s been quite awhile since I’ve checked in to update the blog…but now that internet is free, I’ve got a bit of a chance to catch things up.
Anyhow, our time in the south of Thailand is fantastic. We had contemplated not even heading to the islands as we had it heard the weather would be bad, but we were blessed with sunshine and blue skies for our entire week, it was awesome. The only day it was semi cloudy we were snorkeling, so it was probably for the best that we didn’t get completely baked.
After our week on two different islands, I’ve one piece of advice for anyone planning a trip to Hawaii, spend the extra few hundred on airfare and book your trip to thailand! What you spend extra on the plane you will make up in amazing beaches that you will have almost entirely to yourself and beachside private bungalows for around 4-8 dollars a night. Your toilet may not be of the flushing variety and your bungalow might come with mosquito net and there likely won’t be a hot shower…but do you need one when it’s a million degrees outside and you’re sunburned?
Em and I first made our way to Ko Phan-Ngan, the middle of the three islands on the Gulf Coast. Yes, it is the infamous island that hosts full moon parties, but we were far, far on the opposite side of the island from Hat Rin, where those parties are. (And there was no full moon when we were there.) Our beach, on of a couple of twin beaches, was called Thong Nai Pan Yai. It was gorgeous. It required an hour long bumpy ride through dirt roads in the back of a pickup to get there, but it was well worth it. Very secluded and undeveloped…no high rise concrete here, (in fact there was no high rise beach resorts anywhere on either island we were on, thank goodness), it was just beachside bungalows, a few hamocs, and white sand beach. We were probably about two out of 20-30 or so that were staying there. During the afternoon just a handful of people were out. The beaches go back into green hillsides covered in palm trees. Rocky outcropping jut into the sea. It was beautiful. The only downfall was our beach faced neither sunrise or sunset.
Thong Nai Pan beaches (Yai and Noi) are both located in little bays, so the water was completely still, just a small tide rolling in. It was wonderful for swimming, but lacked the sound of crashing sea that I love about the ocean. It was also great to run along in the evening once the heat broke.
The second part of our beach trip brought us to the island of Ko Tao, the smallest island of the trio, farthest north. Again, the weather held out and was great. Ko Tao has a few better roads then Phan-Ngan, so it made it easier for Em and I to walk around. We stayed on a beach that was a bit busier, but a 10 minute walk up the road led to a beautiful secluded beach called Ao Thian. A little odd to get to as the sign in front says private property (we first got there by mistake going up the road to far then climbing over a bunch of rocks to get back), but then as you turn the corner there is another sign that says private, directly behind which is a sign that says vistors welcome! this way to the beach. Hmm, ok. So we went, as we didn’t discover it was private until we had climbed over the rocks anyhow. The beach was full of gorgeous white sand, lots of swaying palm trees, bushes for shade, and crystal clear blue water. Still in a bay, so calm like the other beach, but coral formations fairly close to the shore kept us from doing much swimming. Ko Tao is known as one of South East Asia’s best dive sites, so in the next entry, I’ll tell you all about our experiences with that. But when we weren’t diving, lots of relaxing, reading, and just enjoying the amazing scenary were our agenda for the day.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Just Another Day For You And Me In Paradise
Posted by Emily
Hello from the lovely islands of Thailand! We have been greatly enjoying ourselves here and now to back track to the beginning....
On the 31st, we boarded a plane headed to Bangkok and then one headed to Surat Thani, the city where all the ferries to the islands leave. The flights took us about 2 hours total and we were very happy that we had purchased the tickets, even though they weren't as cheap as we would have liked, because it greatly reduced what would have been a traveling time of over 24 hours (we were pretty far north).
We arrived at the Surat Thani airport around noon and while waiting in line to get bus tickets into the city, we ran into 2 other guys going to the same island as us. We ended up splitting a taxi and catching a ferry together, getting there much earlier than we had expected. We thought we'd have to wait until the next morning for a ferry. I guess I'm not surprised that they had an earlier ferry that coincided with the arrival of the flight from Bangkok. Things here are set up very nicely for tourists.
The ferry ride was uneventful. Just a big long and way too hot. We arrived at the port, found a taxi going to the beach we wanted and hopped in. Well, I should say hopped ON. Taking a taxi on the islands involves sitting on a bench seat in the back of a pickup truck. You really have to hold over the bumps! They're not so bad once you get used to them and they're really not that scary because there's not that much traffic.
There's not that much to report for the next few days because pretty much what we did was lay on the beach, swim and kayak a little. There was also a lot of reading and lying in hammocks. It's pretty much too hot to wear any clothes during the day so we would get up at about 8:30 am and just put our suits on. Lovely. The sun is super brutal if there are no clouds out and the first 2 days Nicki and I both got burned, I while wearing SPF 25 and reapplying. I have been in some pretty hot places, but nothing like this. The second it was even too hot to lay on the each so we borrowed some rafts and floated around (there is very little surf here it seems and I am enjoying the swimming without the waves!).
The beach we stayed in Ko Phangan was beautiful. Quite short, maybe about half a mile long, with perfect white sand, bath water warm turquoise water. We were surrounded by palm trees and green hills. Very very beautiful. I've been to a lot of beautiful beaches but I was still impressed with this one.
Hello from the lovely islands of Thailand! We have been greatly enjoying ourselves here and now to back track to the beginning....
On the 31st, we boarded a plane headed to Bangkok and then one headed to Surat Thani, the city where all the ferries to the islands leave. The flights took us about 2 hours total and we were very happy that we had purchased the tickets, even though they weren't as cheap as we would have liked, because it greatly reduced what would have been a traveling time of over 24 hours (we were pretty far north).
We arrived at the Surat Thani airport around noon and while waiting in line to get bus tickets into the city, we ran into 2 other guys going to the same island as us. We ended up splitting a taxi and catching a ferry together, getting there much earlier than we had expected. We thought we'd have to wait until the next morning for a ferry. I guess I'm not surprised that they had an earlier ferry that coincided with the arrival of the flight from Bangkok. Things here are set up very nicely for tourists.
The ferry ride was uneventful. Just a big long and way too hot. We arrived at the port, found a taxi going to the beach we wanted and hopped in. Well, I should say hopped ON. Taking a taxi on the islands involves sitting on a bench seat in the back of a pickup truck. You really have to hold over the bumps! They're not so bad once you get used to them and they're really not that scary because there's not that much traffic.
There's not that much to report for the next few days because pretty much what we did was lay on the beach, swim and kayak a little. There was also a lot of reading and lying in hammocks. It's pretty much too hot to wear any clothes during the day so we would get up at about 8:30 am and just put our suits on. Lovely. The sun is super brutal if there are no clouds out and the first 2 days Nicki and I both got burned, I while wearing SPF 25 and reapplying. I have been in some pretty hot places, but nothing like this. The second it was even too hot to lay on the each so we borrowed some rafts and floated around (there is very little surf here it seems and I am enjoying the swimming without the waves!).
The beach we stayed in Ko Phangan was beautiful. Quite short, maybe about half a mile long, with perfect white sand, bath water warm turquoise water. We were surrounded by palm trees and green hills. Very very beautiful. I've been to a lot of beautiful beaches but I was still impressed with this one.
Pai In The Sky
Posted by Nicki
Yes, I know. Cheezy title. Just back from a little ways north we are getting excited to head south tomorrow.
But for now…
Our last day in Chang Mai before Pai went well. It was a recovery day for us involving lots of stress …taking our laundry to get done at the super cute laundry lady ($3 for 4 kilos), getting the most wonderful Aromatherapy Oil Massage ($7) and then laying in hamocs reading, and then shopping at the sunday market. A good day. We actually even ventured out in the bar scene later that evening with the two kids we met trekking.
Off to Pai the next morning, a little too early perhaps. But we made it. The ride to Pai was absolutely awful as it was in a packed minibus and involved the most curvy moutain roads possible. Barf.
Once we recovered from the bus ride though, Pai was a great town. I can see how people get stuck there for awhile. It’s almost like a beach town in the mountains if that makes any sense. Extremely laid back, almost a hippy atmosphere in places. The surrounding scenery is gorgous, lots of green everywhere and a nice little river running around the back. We basically spent our time walking around and relaxing, very much needed. We also hiked up to a temple overlooking Pai that was very pleasant. On the first night we went to this really cool little movie house. You pick out a dvd from a big selection and then they’ve got these little living room things with couches and everything set up for movie watching, it was great.
Anyhow, the ride back to Chang Mai was much better. Only a few of us on it, plus we took some dramamene. Tomorrow we are off to the south, hopefully we’ll find some great sun and surf.
Yes, I know. Cheezy title. Just back from a little ways north we are getting excited to head south tomorrow.
But for now…
Our last day in Chang Mai before Pai went well. It was a recovery day for us involving lots of stress …taking our laundry to get done at the super cute laundry lady ($3 for 4 kilos), getting the most wonderful Aromatherapy Oil Massage ($7) and then laying in hamocs reading, and then shopping at the sunday market. A good day. We actually even ventured out in the bar scene later that evening with the two kids we met trekking.
Off to Pai the next morning, a little too early perhaps. But we made it. The ride to Pai was absolutely awful as it was in a packed minibus and involved the most curvy moutain roads possible. Barf.
Once we recovered from the bus ride though, Pai was a great town. I can see how people get stuck there for awhile. It’s almost like a beach town in the mountains if that makes any sense. Extremely laid back, almost a hippy atmosphere in places. The surrounding scenery is gorgous, lots of green everywhere and a nice little river running around the back. We basically spent our time walking around and relaxing, very much needed. We also hiked up to a temple overlooking Pai that was very pleasant. On the first night we went to this really cool little movie house. You pick out a dvd from a big selection and then they’ve got these little living room things with couches and everything set up for movie watching, it was great.
Anyhow, the ride back to Chang Mai was much better. Only a few of us on it, plus we took some dramamene. Tomorrow we are off to the south, hopefully we’ll find some great sun and surf.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Pai-ridise
Posted by Emily
Back in Chiang Mai after a short trip 3 hours north of here to a small town called Pai (pronounced "pie"). It's sad that we couldn't spend more time there but we have a flight to catch tomorrow morning down to the south of Thailand.
We left for Pai at about 9 am yesterday morning in a minibus and I must say, I think those were the curviest roads I have ever been on! It was tight curve after tight curve and I had to hang on to the seat in front of me in order to avoid smashing into the girl sitting next to me. I think Nicki and I are both lucky that we didn't get sick (we are both very prone to motion sickness, especially when it involves curvy mountain roads).
Get to Pai in the early afternoon and basically just explored the city, even though it is really tiny. It's a very relaxed place with a beach town feel. Dogs plop down right in the middle of the road to take a nap because there is so little traffic. There also seems to be a lot of art going on, with little art shops all over the place and many people making jewelry to sell. We tried to walk out of town into the countryside a bit but it was way too hot yesterday. Instead we sat down near the river and admired the scenery and were jealous of the girls floating a long in inner tubes.
This morning we got up semi-early to check out the temple on the hill before it got too hot to move. However, it was very cloudy and rainy today so that wasn't a problem. It was a nice walk to the temple, I think about 2 km. The temple itself was nothing spectacular but it gave a very nice view of the town. We spent the afternoon reading, hopped on another minibus back to Chiang Mai and here I sit now.
Tomorrow morning we fly to Bangkok and then to Surat Thani, which is basically just a transit hub city. We will stay there for the night and then catch a morning ferry to Ko Phagnan, an island known for its huge party scene. We, however, will be heading to the quieter side of the island and hoping to find a beachside bungalow to spend a few days in. After that we hope to spent a few days on Ko Tao, an island known for its spectacular snorkeling and diving. After that, we fly back to Bangkok and then on to New Zealand. Don't know if we'll have internet access on the islands, so that's your update for the moment!
Back in Chiang Mai after a short trip 3 hours north of here to a small town called Pai (pronounced "pie"). It's sad that we couldn't spend more time there but we have a flight to catch tomorrow morning down to the south of Thailand.
We left for Pai at about 9 am yesterday morning in a minibus and I must say, I think those were the curviest roads I have ever been on! It was tight curve after tight curve and I had to hang on to the seat in front of me in order to avoid smashing into the girl sitting next to me. I think Nicki and I are both lucky that we didn't get sick (we are both very prone to motion sickness, especially when it involves curvy mountain roads).
Get to Pai in the early afternoon and basically just explored the city, even though it is really tiny. It's a very relaxed place with a beach town feel. Dogs plop down right in the middle of the road to take a nap because there is so little traffic. There also seems to be a lot of art going on, with little art shops all over the place and many people making jewelry to sell. We tried to walk out of town into the countryside a bit but it was way too hot yesterday. Instead we sat down near the river and admired the scenery and were jealous of the girls floating a long in inner tubes.
This morning we got up semi-early to check out the temple on the hill before it got too hot to move. However, it was very cloudy and rainy today so that wasn't a problem. It was a nice walk to the temple, I think about 2 km. The temple itself was nothing spectacular but it gave a very nice view of the town. We spent the afternoon reading, hopped on another minibus back to Chiang Mai and here I sit now.
Tomorrow morning we fly to Bangkok and then to Surat Thani, which is basically just a transit hub city. We will stay there for the night and then catch a morning ferry to Ko Phagnan, an island known for its huge party scene. We, however, will be heading to the quieter side of the island and hoping to find a beachside bungalow to spend a few days in. After that we hope to spent a few days on Ko Tao, an island known for its spectacular snorkeling and diving. After that, we fly back to Bangkok and then on to New Zealand. Don't know if we'll have internet access on the islands, so that's your update for the moment!
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Over the River and Through the Woods
Posted By Nicki
Back from a trek in the Thai jungle…and all in one piece! Just one very, very achy piece.
We just got back today from our 3 day 2 night adventure into the wilderness of northern thailand, and it was quite an experience. But a good time overall.
The first day we set out, 13 of us in all, all crammed in the back of a songthaew (large pickup truck with benches on both sides of the back part). Please note: there is not really room for 13 people in the back of a songthaew, especially 13 people with 13 packs. But, it worked, I suppose. In any case, all excited to be in the middle of nowhere in some peaceful jungle, after a brief stop at a market for food, we end up at this little hut and what do we hear…? Loud, pulsating KAROKE! In the middle of the jungle! What? Yes, I’m not really sure about that one either. This kind of put me off at first, what did I get myself into? However, after that, we luckily were not forced to endure anymore thai pop.
On to the trekking. When Em and I signed up for the trek we figured ourselves decently inshape girls. I realize now I, at least, am not in that category. It was HARD! Although we started on decent road, our guide suddenly turned up some crazy hill, and didn’t stop going uphill for the next three hours. Now, for those of you who know me, you know how much I love hills…or really how much they are the bane of my existence. I seriously thought I was going to fall over and cry. Add to this the fact that it began to pour down rain, and now we are soaked and climbed through little tiny sort of paths that aren’t really paths that are straight up and now completely mud. Awesome. Im going to cry some more. Plus, I’m slow, and in the back…they wait for me to catch up, and then go again, I don’t get a break! Oh man.
But, eventually we made it to camp, I was needless to say, extremely excited about this. At the end of the day though, it was worth it. Once I managed to catch my breath, I could see the view, and it was fantastic. Lush green hillsides towering up the clouds, beautiful valleys, the trees along the top of the hills made for amazing sillouettes at dusk. And luckily, no more karoke.
The second day was probably my favorite of the three. Although I was frustrated at first at the pace our guide took, we only hiked with the group for about an hour…then those of us staying on for three days split off, making only four of us. I have found I MUCH prefer small groups. It ended up being em and I plus a girl from australia and a guy from ireland. Very fun people who were really enjoyable to hang out with, and were willing to go slower and enjoy the views. We had a good time talking, and the hike the second day was much less strenuous. We got to stop at some waterfalls and swim, and the falls felt fantastic on a sore back. After the falls we made it to our second camp, much smaller then the first, but pleasant with a river rushing below. We had dinner and enjoyed playing cards and a version of scattegories well into the night. The night of our second day almost deserves an entry on its own, as it was one of the most beautiful I have seen in some time. Unlike the first night, there were absolutely no clouds, and being in the middle of the jungle made for incredible stars. It seemed as though the whole sky was lit up. Add to that the fire flies. Thousands of them. It was almost as if there was some sort of fireworks show going on for us in our little jungle hut. If you can picture a darkened stadium when some great superstar walks in and all the flashbulbs that go off at once, you would have about what it seemed to be.
Our third day involves all the tourist gimics of the trek, but it was still a good time. We rode elephants, which I was hesistant about at first, but was ok with after I saw they seemed to be treated well. They were much nicer then camels in morocco, and we got to feed them bananas as we rode, which was really entertaining as the animals reach behind with their trunk to nab the fruit out of your hand. After the elephants we did a bit of white water rafting, although there really wasn’t any white water, maybe one rapid total. Then they put us on bamboo rafts for a bit in some really grungy river water, and then we were done. Lunch was had, and then back to chang mai.
I’m very glad to be back, and very excited to spend the next couple days letting my body recover. We will be off to Pai, further north, on monday, and then hopefully catching a flight south after that to have fun on some beaches. I hope you all are doing well!
Back from a trek in the Thai jungle…and all in one piece! Just one very, very achy piece.
We just got back today from our 3 day 2 night adventure into the wilderness of northern thailand, and it was quite an experience. But a good time overall.
The first day we set out, 13 of us in all, all crammed in the back of a songthaew (large pickup truck with benches on both sides of the back part). Please note: there is not really room for 13 people in the back of a songthaew, especially 13 people with 13 packs. But, it worked, I suppose. In any case, all excited to be in the middle of nowhere in some peaceful jungle, after a brief stop at a market for food, we end up at this little hut and what do we hear…? Loud, pulsating KAROKE! In the middle of the jungle! What? Yes, I’m not really sure about that one either. This kind of put me off at first, what did I get myself into? However, after that, we luckily were not forced to endure anymore thai pop.
On to the trekking. When Em and I signed up for the trek we figured ourselves decently inshape girls. I realize now I, at least, am not in that category. It was HARD! Although we started on decent road, our guide suddenly turned up some crazy hill, and didn’t stop going uphill for the next three hours. Now, for those of you who know me, you know how much I love hills…or really how much they are the bane of my existence. I seriously thought I was going to fall over and cry. Add to this the fact that it began to pour down rain, and now we are soaked and climbed through little tiny sort of paths that aren’t really paths that are straight up and now completely mud. Awesome. Im going to cry some more. Plus, I’m slow, and in the back…they wait for me to catch up, and then go again, I don’t get a break! Oh man.
But, eventually we made it to camp, I was needless to say, extremely excited about this. At the end of the day though, it was worth it. Once I managed to catch my breath, I could see the view, and it was fantastic. Lush green hillsides towering up the clouds, beautiful valleys, the trees along the top of the hills made for amazing sillouettes at dusk. And luckily, no more karoke.
The second day was probably my favorite of the three. Although I was frustrated at first at the pace our guide took, we only hiked with the group for about an hour…then those of us staying on for three days split off, making only four of us. I have found I MUCH prefer small groups. It ended up being em and I plus a girl from australia and a guy from ireland. Very fun people who were really enjoyable to hang out with, and were willing to go slower and enjoy the views. We had a good time talking, and the hike the second day was much less strenuous. We got to stop at some waterfalls and swim, and the falls felt fantastic on a sore back. After the falls we made it to our second camp, much smaller then the first, but pleasant with a river rushing below. We had dinner and enjoyed playing cards and a version of scattegories well into the night. The night of our second day almost deserves an entry on its own, as it was one of the most beautiful I have seen in some time. Unlike the first night, there were absolutely no clouds, and being in the middle of the jungle made for incredible stars. It seemed as though the whole sky was lit up. Add to that the fire flies. Thousands of them. It was almost as if there was some sort of fireworks show going on for us in our little jungle hut. If you can picture a darkened stadium when some great superstar walks in and all the flashbulbs that go off at once, you would have about what it seemed to be.
Our third day involves all the tourist gimics of the trek, but it was still a good time. We rode elephants, which I was hesistant about at first, but was ok with after I saw they seemed to be treated well. They were much nicer then camels in morocco, and we got to feed them bananas as we rode, which was really entertaining as the animals reach behind with their trunk to nab the fruit out of your hand. After the elephants we did a bit of white water rafting, although there really wasn’t any white water, maybe one rapid total. Then they put us on bamboo rafts for a bit in some really grungy river water, and then we were done. Lunch was had, and then back to chang mai.
I’m very glad to be back, and very excited to spend the next couple days letting my body recover. We will be off to Pai, further north, on monday, and then hopefully catching a flight south after that to have fun on some beaches. I hope you all are doing well!
Jungle Adventures
Posted by Emily
Back from our trek! It was so much fun but I'm glad to be back in a city where we can take showers and do laundry. Trekking in Thailand involves lots of rain, sweat and mud, none of which combine to make a very good smell. As much as I would have liked to continue hiking for more than 3 days, I think it might have gotten pretty disgusting!
We started out from Chiang Mai at about 9:30 am on Thursday morning. We were picked up in a truck and taken to the company's main office to meet up with the rest of our group. They originally told us that there were going to be a total of 6 people in the group but there turned out to be 13. I guess some people changed groups at the last minute. We drove for about an hour to a market, which I think might exist mainly to cater to foreigners going on treks. Then drove about 40 minutes to a little hut in the woods where we had lunch while listening to people sing karaoke. Yes, there was a karaoke machine in the middle of nowhere. So strange.
We set off for the trek after having lunch. It started to rain soon after we started, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing because at least it kept us cool. The day was very grueling because it involved A LOT of uphill walking, and we're talking steep uphill. Plus it was muddy and therefore slippery. We also had some steep downhills, one of which I slipped on, ripping my pants and allowing me to add to my collections of scratches and bruises on my legs. The hiking was a mixture of paths through the woods and gravel roads.
All the time we were surrounded by beautiful greenery - all types of trees, lots of bamboo. When we came to a clearing we could see far off into the distance across the valleys to the other mountains. I think the forests (or jungle?) we were hiking in could have been considered cloud forests because clouds descended onto the tops of most of the mountains. It kind of makes the entire place look mystical. After about 3.5 hours of huffing and puffing, we came to the village where we would spend the night. The village visit wasn't as intrusive as I thought it might be, which made me very glad. We pretty much just stayed in a large bamboo hut on the edge of the village and didn't disturb the everyday life.
The second day made up for the difficulty of first day. We started out with the large group, but since most of them had signed up for only 2 days of trekking, we slit off after about an hour into a group of four. Two others who had signed up for a 4 day trek joined us - Katie from Australia and Camilus from Ireland. The hiking was a lot easier so we could actually enjoy the scenery, and the group was a lot smaller and more enjoyable to be around. We saw more beautiful forests and swam in 2 waterfalls (at the bottom so no chance of falling off!), one before lunch and one just before arriving at our second camp. It was quite hot and sunny so this was perfect. Also helped to wash our clothes out a little bit!!
We stayed at another small village last night and had a lot of time to relax. We were really enjoying the laid back nature of the day and the beautiful beautiful weather. The night was also lovely as the clouds cleared and we could see the stars for once. There were also hundreds of lightening bugs in the forest around us giving us a light show that looked like many camera flashes.
This morning we slept in and only had a short hike to where we went elephant riding. I was a little unsure about this at first because I know many animals used for these things are abused. I felt better when I saw that they were treated nicely. Nicki and I sat together on the back of one elephant but unfortunately Katie has those photos on her camera. I really hope she sends them like she said she would! Being the marketing geniuses as they are, there was a place where you could buy bananas to feed to the elephants. They knew it was coming and kept putting their trunks back to be fed. We of course bought some bananas and had a very good time feeding our elephant. Nicki has those pictures.
Next was whitewater rafter, which was actually quite tame since the water isn't very strong at the moment. There were a few good rapids though and we had fun going down those. Otherwise it was just fun to float along and see the pretty scenery go by. Last, we went on a bamboo raft, which is a bunch of bamboo tied together. We all sat down and were pushed along by our leader using a long bamboo pole (looks like the same way gondolas are rowed). Sadly, the river seemed pretty dirty so I wasn't too sad to get out.
It was a lovely time! I'm a little sad to be back in the city but as I said, we are happy to be clean again!
Back from our trek! It was so much fun but I'm glad to be back in a city where we can take showers and do laundry. Trekking in Thailand involves lots of rain, sweat and mud, none of which combine to make a very good smell. As much as I would have liked to continue hiking for more than 3 days, I think it might have gotten pretty disgusting!
We started out from Chiang Mai at about 9:30 am on Thursday morning. We were picked up in a truck and taken to the company's main office to meet up with the rest of our group. They originally told us that there were going to be a total of 6 people in the group but there turned out to be 13. I guess some people changed groups at the last minute. We drove for about an hour to a market, which I think might exist mainly to cater to foreigners going on treks. Then drove about 40 minutes to a little hut in the woods where we had lunch while listening to people sing karaoke. Yes, there was a karaoke machine in the middle of nowhere. So strange.
We set off for the trek after having lunch. It started to rain soon after we started, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing because at least it kept us cool. The day was very grueling because it involved A LOT of uphill walking, and we're talking steep uphill. Plus it was muddy and therefore slippery. We also had some steep downhills, one of which I slipped on, ripping my pants and allowing me to add to my collections of scratches and bruises on my legs. The hiking was a mixture of paths through the woods and gravel roads.
All the time we were surrounded by beautiful greenery - all types of trees, lots of bamboo. When we came to a clearing we could see far off into the distance across the valleys to the other mountains. I think the forests (or jungle?) we were hiking in could have been considered cloud forests because clouds descended onto the tops of most of the mountains. It kind of makes the entire place look mystical. After about 3.5 hours of huffing and puffing, we came to the village where we would spend the night. The village visit wasn't as intrusive as I thought it might be, which made me very glad. We pretty much just stayed in a large bamboo hut on the edge of the village and didn't disturb the everyday life.
The second day made up for the difficulty of first day. We started out with the large group, but since most of them had signed up for only 2 days of trekking, we slit off after about an hour into a group of four. Two others who had signed up for a 4 day trek joined us - Katie from Australia and Camilus from Ireland. The hiking was a lot easier so we could actually enjoy the scenery, and the group was a lot smaller and more enjoyable to be around. We saw more beautiful forests and swam in 2 waterfalls (at the bottom so no chance of falling off!), one before lunch and one just before arriving at our second camp. It was quite hot and sunny so this was perfect. Also helped to wash our clothes out a little bit!!
We stayed at another small village last night and had a lot of time to relax. We were really enjoying the laid back nature of the day and the beautiful beautiful weather. The night was also lovely as the clouds cleared and we could see the stars for once. There were also hundreds of lightening bugs in the forest around us giving us a light show that looked like many camera flashes.
This morning we slept in and only had a short hike to where we went elephant riding. I was a little unsure about this at first because I know many animals used for these things are abused. I felt better when I saw that they were treated nicely. Nicki and I sat together on the back of one elephant but unfortunately Katie has those photos on her camera. I really hope she sends them like she said she would! Being the marketing geniuses as they are, there was a place where you could buy bananas to feed to the elephants. They knew it was coming and kept putting their trunks back to be fed. We of course bought some bananas and had a very good time feeding our elephant. Nicki has those pictures.
Next was whitewater rafter, which was actually quite tame since the water isn't very strong at the moment. There were a few good rapids though and we had fun going down those. Otherwise it was just fun to float along and see the pretty scenery go by. Last, we went on a bamboo raft, which is a bunch of bamboo tied together. We all sat down and were pushed along by our leader using a long bamboo pole (looks like the same way gondolas are rowed). Sadly, the river seemed pretty dirty so I wasn't too sad to get out.
It was a lovely time! I'm a little sad to be back in the city but as I said, we are happy to be clean again!
Some Photos
Cabbages and Condoms
Alex and Nicki at Cabbages and Condoms
A not very exciting picture of the Grand Palace....Nicki has most of the good ones
Reclining Buddha
Trekking!
View while trekking
View from first night's accomodations
Second night's accomodations
We were the coolest people on the trip!!
We went elephant riding....this is Katie and Cam on their elephant
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Emily and the Motor Bike: Together At Last
Posted by Emily
Well, yesterday was quite the exciting day as it involved renting motor bikes and finally finding a use for my gauze and bandage scissors! Just kidding Mom! Well, at least partially. See story below....
Near Chiang Mai, there is a lovely temple on a mountain with very little public transit that goes there. Both our guide book and the hostel where we are staying suggested that the best way to get there was to rent motor bikes. That way you can take your time and pull off the road whenever you want to check out waterfalls or other sites. I was very apprehensive about this at first, for very obvious safety reasons, but also because motor bikes just really scare me a lot because they are crazy, all over the road and seem to narrowly miss hitting me quite frequently. Nicki was also apprehensive at first, but since Alex was SO excited about the idea, we both agreed to try it. I with the least enthusiasm.
We rented the bikes through our hostel in the morning and the guys drove them right over for us and gave Alex a quick lesson on how to work them, which he then gave to us. We had automatic bikes so it was pretty simple. After getting all of our stuff together, we put on our helmets (there was no way I was getting one without a helmet!) and set off. It was pretty simple, but oops, after not too long we were in traffic. Pretty exciting. I think we did very well for having only 2 minutes of experience. We were somehow able to maneuver between lanes and find our way to the main road that we needed to be on.
Then it was a climb up the mountain, but luckily it wasn't too steep or too curvy, just a little. Once we got out of town there was much less traffic, which made the driving a lot easier. Our first stop was by a rocky, foresty river that turned into a small waterfall. There was also a nice view of the city. Very beautiful. Next stop was a little more troublesome as it involved driving down a large curb to get off the road and then driving over gravel that sloped down and then up. Nicki almost had a little trouble when she gunned it over the curve and went flying much too fast onto the gravel. This spot was further up the river and had a flatter rock area that Alex decided to climb onto. I walked onto it a little ways but not as far as him. He took quite a fall, not too surprisingly, because he was wearing flip flops and walking on slippery rock. (Interjection - a monk just sat down at the computer next to me. That seems quite strange!) I, on the other hand, was wearing shoes and still managed to slip, giving myself quite the scrape up the front of my shin (hence the gauze that I used to cover it for a little while last night. It was not a motor bike injury!)
The really fun part was trying to get the bikes back over the sloping gravel and the large curve. Nicki and I both managed to drop our bikes on their sides, but I won the grand prize for genius motor bike moves when I accidentally gunned the engine and the bike went flying forward, without me on it, and landing in the road on its side. It also managed to give me a nasty bruise on the back of my leg. I almost turned around at this point because I was quite shaken up but I decided to keep going.
We stopped to see another waterfall. Quite pretty and the stop was uneventful. Continued up the mountain to the temple. Saw the temple and got more lovely views of the city. Continued up the mountain to see a place but discovered that it closed at 3:30 pm so we couldn't visit. Took funny pictures on our bikes and then headed down the mountain. Also very uneventful except for the fact that EVERYONE was passing us because we were quite slow. Oh well.
The real fun began when we got back into the city and entered into rush hour traffic. Now, this wasn't just any rush hour traffic, this was crazy traffic as many of you would have experienced in the larger cities of developing countries. Lanes are kind of arbitrary and motor bikes zig back and forth between cars. Also, I didn't really know where we were going and Nicki and Alex were quite a ways in front of me. This resulted in me missing a turn and getting lost. Not the end of the world. I decided that I would pull over, park the bike and take a taxi back to the hostel. However, I was right on the edge of the old city where we were staying and this part of the city is surrounded by a canal, hence there was nowhere to pull over because there was water. I finally found a curved in lane, stopping and thinking that I would be able to drive across the road to park when the traffic thinned. Wrong. It was rush hour and traffic never thinned. I ended up having to restart my bike, merge back into traffic and take the next right turn that I could. I saw another bike parked on the sidewalk over there. I successfully merged and turned the corner, but still need to get my bike up onto the curb to park it. I guess I thought I had turned the bike off because I used to handle bars to try to life the bike over the curve, resulting in me gunning the gas again worse than the first time I did this on the mountain. This caused the bike to shoot forward again, knocking over a huge potted plant, spraying dirt everywhere and missing falling into the canal by about 3 feet. Woah. This pretty much did me in. I was about to start crying right there. I locked the bike up, took a taxi back to the hostel and forced Alex to go get the bike for me later because there was no way I was getting back on it!
So friends and family, there is no need to worry, I will not be getting on another one of those stupid things again. In fact, this experience has only served to reinforce my hatred of the little machines. I passed a very lovely day today thinking about how I wasn't on a motor bike! Also, I think that I was very lucky to only get a few bruises!
Alex just left on a bus headed for Bangkok to catch his flight tomorrow morning. Tomorrow Nicki and I head out for a 3 day trek through the jungle. Not quite sure what to expect but I'll give a full report when we return.
Well, yesterday was quite the exciting day as it involved renting motor bikes and finally finding a use for my gauze and bandage scissors! Just kidding Mom! Well, at least partially. See story below....
Near Chiang Mai, there is a lovely temple on a mountain with very little public transit that goes there. Both our guide book and the hostel where we are staying suggested that the best way to get there was to rent motor bikes. That way you can take your time and pull off the road whenever you want to check out waterfalls or other sites. I was very apprehensive about this at first, for very obvious safety reasons, but also because motor bikes just really scare me a lot because they are crazy, all over the road and seem to narrowly miss hitting me quite frequently. Nicki was also apprehensive at first, but since Alex was SO excited about the idea, we both agreed to try it. I with the least enthusiasm.
We rented the bikes through our hostel in the morning and the guys drove them right over for us and gave Alex a quick lesson on how to work them, which he then gave to us. We had automatic bikes so it was pretty simple. After getting all of our stuff together, we put on our helmets (there was no way I was getting one without a helmet!) and set off. It was pretty simple, but oops, after not too long we were in traffic. Pretty exciting. I think we did very well for having only 2 minutes of experience. We were somehow able to maneuver between lanes and find our way to the main road that we needed to be on.
Then it was a climb up the mountain, but luckily it wasn't too steep or too curvy, just a little. Once we got out of town there was much less traffic, which made the driving a lot easier. Our first stop was by a rocky, foresty river that turned into a small waterfall. There was also a nice view of the city. Very beautiful. Next stop was a little more troublesome as it involved driving down a large curb to get off the road and then driving over gravel that sloped down and then up. Nicki almost had a little trouble when she gunned it over the curve and went flying much too fast onto the gravel. This spot was further up the river and had a flatter rock area that Alex decided to climb onto. I walked onto it a little ways but not as far as him. He took quite a fall, not too surprisingly, because he was wearing flip flops and walking on slippery rock. (Interjection - a monk just sat down at the computer next to me. That seems quite strange!) I, on the other hand, was wearing shoes and still managed to slip, giving myself quite the scrape up the front of my shin (hence the gauze that I used to cover it for a little while last night. It was not a motor bike injury!)
The really fun part was trying to get the bikes back over the sloping gravel and the large curve. Nicki and I both managed to drop our bikes on their sides, but I won the grand prize for genius motor bike moves when I accidentally gunned the engine and the bike went flying forward, without me on it, and landing in the road on its side. It also managed to give me a nasty bruise on the back of my leg. I almost turned around at this point because I was quite shaken up but I decided to keep going.
We stopped to see another waterfall. Quite pretty and the stop was uneventful. Continued up the mountain to the temple. Saw the temple and got more lovely views of the city. Continued up the mountain to see a place but discovered that it closed at 3:30 pm so we couldn't visit. Took funny pictures on our bikes and then headed down the mountain. Also very uneventful except for the fact that EVERYONE was passing us because we were quite slow. Oh well.
The real fun began when we got back into the city and entered into rush hour traffic. Now, this wasn't just any rush hour traffic, this was crazy traffic as many of you would have experienced in the larger cities of developing countries. Lanes are kind of arbitrary and motor bikes zig back and forth between cars. Also, I didn't really know where we were going and Nicki and Alex were quite a ways in front of me. This resulted in me missing a turn and getting lost. Not the end of the world. I decided that I would pull over, park the bike and take a taxi back to the hostel. However, I was right on the edge of the old city where we were staying and this part of the city is surrounded by a canal, hence there was nowhere to pull over because there was water. I finally found a curved in lane, stopping and thinking that I would be able to drive across the road to park when the traffic thinned. Wrong. It was rush hour and traffic never thinned. I ended up having to restart my bike, merge back into traffic and take the next right turn that I could. I saw another bike parked on the sidewalk over there. I successfully merged and turned the corner, but still need to get my bike up onto the curb to park it. I guess I thought I had turned the bike off because I used to handle bars to try to life the bike over the curve, resulting in me gunning the gas again worse than the first time I did this on the mountain. This caused the bike to shoot forward again, knocking over a huge potted plant, spraying dirt everywhere and missing falling into the canal by about 3 feet. Woah. This pretty much did me in. I was about to start crying right there. I locked the bike up, took a taxi back to the hostel and forced Alex to go get the bike for me later because there was no way I was getting back on it!
So friends and family, there is no need to worry, I will not be getting on another one of those stupid things again. In fact, this experience has only served to reinforce my hatred of the little machines. I passed a very lovely day today thinking about how I wasn't on a motor bike! Also, I think that I was very lucky to only get a few bruises!
Alex just left on a bus headed for Bangkok to catch his flight tomorrow morning. Tomorrow Nicki and I head out for a 3 day trek through the jungle. Not quite sure what to expect but I'll give a full report when we return.
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