how a small walk around chaing mai turns into another 2 day trek into the jungle...

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feb 25th ish i believe.


Yet again,just when I thought my head was going to explode with plans and trying to do too much I embraced the fact and have started to make everything better... After getting dropped off in Dow town fang I was given some I correct directions about how to get where I wanted to go. But this is kind of an annoying Story so instead I will just tell you about my latest trek...

After spending the night at mustafas hotel in chaing Mai I spent Friday morning telling you all about my first trek...after leaving the Internet cafe I walked Over to the lonely bird hostel to see what was going on over there and to see if it would be a good place to stay for an extra night...I had heard good things about it and was going to stay there but found other accommodations instead...anyway when I got here the hostel had a tremendous vibe and I could tell it must be a great place...as I was looking around and debating what to do with myself next I noticed a hand made poster looking for additional Trekkers to join someone to a "far less touristy" location...I was intrigued because someone making the effort to make a sign like that must know something and it certainly would have interested me if it had been slightly Lower priced than 1500 Bhat they were asking...as I continued looking around a girl started talking ro me About a trek she had been looking into...the trek she was talking about was of course,the one she had made a sign for ... I started talking to her about it and it seemed like a a really awesome opportunity.requiring a 3hr bus ride to a more northern city,fang. we would stay with a local tribe in a homestay and hike up the 2nd tallest mountain in thailand ...I was extremely Intrigued and when she told me that they were doing a group rate And I could drop the price down to around 900bhat I was sold. I had no plans to go on a trek again but it seemed to good to be true so I decided to roll with it. She wAs meeting 2 guys who were motor Klingon to the city ( where was I 2hrs earlier!) while she was trying to tell me all about it we wet out for a lunch of noodle soup and pad Thai and it was after his conversation with her that I decided I ha nothing to lose and should just take the adventure with her and her other recruits. She was leaving in about an hour but but I wanted to be able to go back and say goodbye to mustafa before leaving so I agreed to meet her at an address in fang at around 9pm.

After heading back to the hotel to pack my bag and get ready to head out I was pretty excited. sitting at the computer it is easy together overwhelmed but the moment I got out and just did something fantastic plans seemed to just come about.

As soon as I was done packing my bag I walked Dow. To the lobby to wait for mustafa and there he was sitting on his iPhone using some wifi.we had a quick conversation and he again told me to come to turkey to visit him an she what a beautiful place it is and can be. While I don't know if those Plans are in my future it is nice to know that they could be and I would have a blast if I did. All throughout our trek he was a great salesman about turkey!!
Asi was leaving the hostel I saw one of the other trekking guides that we net at the elephant center,Tom,a super tattooed,super laid back guy who we heard awesome stories about and whose birthday it aS the night we were with him. I was really glad I to to see him again which was really cool.
Although I was cutting it close with time to get to the bus station I decided to walk anywAy. 50b in my pocket is better than a tuk tuk or a taxi drivers anyday! As I walked Dow. The street I also saw o e of the two British guys we net I. The trek walking back to the hotel! Same one! It's a small world and was really cool to see him. We exchanged last names and there's a good chance we will meet up with each other again seeing how we are on a similar plan and might be together in laos. who knows, thats the way things seem to work here.

Combining a mix of power walking and light jogging win y backpack on I luckily made my bus by about 2 seconds.literally. I jumped into to back door to catch it. I almost learned the extremely hard way that my watch time was 6 minutes slow. Ekk!


(slight pause in between writing these two...this next half was written on my tuck taxi hopping transportation from Than Ton all the way to Chaing Rai)


In agreeing to go on the trek with my newly met friend Charlie, I agreed to take a 3 hr bus ride to meet up with her...upon arriving into city at around 8:30p
it was by no means a happening or a busy city.. A small town with only a few street vendors my roughly sketched map that used a bank and a 7/11 a landmarks weren't much solace.I started to walk but when I came across a few people I tried to ask them where the phu manes hotel might be. From the use of hand signals we and they used they didn't know much more but agreed that I was walking in the -ish right direction. thanking them i carried on my way. About ten minutes late as I was walking down the street a truck passed by me beeping it's horn. Urging Ne to get on it was the people who I had asked directions from. I hopped into the bed And off we went. About ten minutes latr and 3 different turns I was staring at the entrance to the hotel and I could see a group of people starring at me from a table. Some luck on my part, I walked into the place at 9:05, right on time. the people i had asked directions from had googled the address and came to pick me up and drop me off there. arent people just awesome?

Over a few drinks we were introduced to the tour guide named dome and were told all about the trip, everything we would be doing and what it would be like. After learning about it and meeting the other people in our group, Phil and Matt, who had biked to the hotel, charlie (Charlotte), and Steven. All were traveling from the uk and all but Phil had been at it for at least 3 months. I don't know how people do it but it's amazing. Over the course of dinner the only upsetting thing was that we came to find out that the price was much greater than we had expected. While I was told it could be as little as 900b the guide, who also happened to be the hotel manager,informed us that it would actually be 2000b. While I was extremely extremely disheartened by this, no one else in the group thought it was a big deal even when I compared it to the last trek I did. I seriously considered jumping ship but I would have had nowhere to stay and it would have been kind of a lame excuse. I went with it anyway, already being the 5th wheel and not wanting to outlast myself over something relatively petty. I'll chalk this one up to the next time I go and spend 20 bucks on something pointless. For the 2nd time and again the night before a trek i decided that a liquid dinner would be a great idea. We had fun and it was a nice surprise to find out I could stay in the hotel mangers room an not have to pay any extra for accommodations since it was already more than I thought.




^market^


The next morning we were up by 8 and eventually were all ready to leave by around 10. We stopped at a temple on the way in that was dedicated to one the most regarded Buddhist monks whose picture we had seen all over the place. Apparently he was the guy who had built the road all the way at the top of the hill. Chang Mai, DUI suthep,the one I went to on my first day with shavanee and the 2 canadians on gap year. We also stopped at a market where we picked up some water and snacks. Finally after getting gas we were off for he one hour drive it would take to get to the waterfall next to the village. riding in the back of a pick up bed for that long takes a to o. Your rear but when we finally got to the falls they were totally worth it and had a really unique drop to then. Hitting a rock and spraying g upwards it formed a water bubble you could stand undress and it was pretty cool. We got some great pictures and it was a pretty cool spot. While we were there our guides porters ( who spoke no English but wanted to come along to see what it was all like and eventually learn) made us cups made out of bamboo by which we drank some magic water sake out of. Pretty cool drinking out of a cup that was a tree five minutes earlier and hadnt existed 5 weeks earlier!






We had another almost hour drive to the lAhu village but the back roads we were now on were just that. Unpaved hilly ,not wide and quite treacherous. A great adventure standing In the back of a pick up truck holding on for dear life driving over 2ft potholes and sliding by inches between the oncoming trucks. When we got to the village it was a pretty cool place. The villages main source of income is coffee and tea so that is what they grow the most if although they have everything on their land. We had lunch at the highest hut o. The mountain and it was a beautiful spread cooked in bamboo over an open fire. Potentially one of the best meals I have had so far for sure but thats a common trend after I eat. After lunch we were taught how to play a Thai card game that is the equivalent to Blackjack. The goal is to get to nine. face cards are worth zero and you only use the number in the ones place ( i.e. an 8 and a 7 is 5 points, as well as an 3 and and a 2) you get 3 cards and there are a bunch of other rules about doubling up and betting your money. we played for awhile and it was pretty fun but I wasnt going to lose any actual money to a bunch of thai villagers in there own game. sorry guys. While some of the people in our group enjoyed a massage after cards I decided that I was going to find a perfect spot for my hammock. After a few failures i was successful and it felt great. I think I only took one picture but it was pretty much the perfect spot to relax. it was a great place to unwind and do some journaling as well.




^view from ze hammock^


After a relaxing break we went into the village to harvest some tea. In the village we were in although narcotics had been there money maker for the last forever number of years in the last 20 years there had been a major push for sustainable and healthy trade. (as is the case of most mountain villages...this place did a great job of never mentioning it or keeping it out of sight if it was the case. Zero mention or signs of it, as opposed to the last place where it was subtly present)

Starting with picking the leaves from the small trees, we then had to dry them out over an open fire pot. We then had to roll them out and get hte last of the moisture out on a bamboo mat. Lastly they had to dry and the stems picked out.

It was a relatively simple but arduous process but seeing how they make hundreds of kilos of the tea a day, and sell it for a tremendous price to bangkok and other foreign markets, its well worth their time. I include a few pictures of the process below. you should be able to figure out what I am doing based on the brief description i have above.









After the tea process we also got to check out a parrot and some really wild turtles with long tails and non retractable heads. Alex would have been interested in this for sure. pretty cool little creatures.





For dinner that night as we were walking over to our homestay we saw a massive gathering of men and women all preparing a ton of food. When we asked what they were doing we were shocked and excited to learn that there had been a wedding earlier that day and they were preparing the nightly feast. the entire village would come to the father of the grooms house and he had bought food for the entire village, to which everyone helped prepare the meal. legit the entire village. This was ultra intriging so when we had to leave to have our dinner somewhere else we were pretty bummed. i thought we were part of the village for the day!

After we had our dinner a few young thai-Lahu girls came over to our house and asked us where we were. apparently we had been invited and everyone was wondering where the farangs (gringos, foreigners) were for the great meal. We excitedly walked over and and it was just as awesome as you could imagine. an amazing spread with the entire village at hands, all enjoying themselves and sharing these crazy concoctions. Everyone using there hands to eat off of the bamboo leaves as plates they were quick to offer up the serving dishes to us and the serving spoons to use, as clearly we didnt know how to eat rice meat soup and salad with only our hands. we did our best to learn though ill tell you that. we enjoyed lots of food and some crazy fanta i have never had before but was delicious. i dare say i am enjoying my few treats of soda more than any alcohol. after dinner we met the bride and groom (who were even helping clean up) and got a great picture with them. Pretty casual attire for the newlyweds huh. jay and alex...niles and maggie...not quite similar wedding situations!







That night after dinner, we were also able to partake in a Lahu village dance. Although reserved for special holidays or occasions, apparently our arrival was special and w were treated to a performance and allowed (encouraged) to participate. Wait till you see some of the moves i learned when i burn up the dance floor in beantown when i get back. im sick wit it. we got a great picture with all the dancers and ourselves and fittingly my camera was the only one with battery and space left after a day of more pictures than i ever thought possible.




awesome.


that night after the dancing Steve, Charlie, Phil and I spent a few hours under the beautiful start and fire and told each other some awesome travel stories. Charlie trumped all of us with her tales of S. America rioting in La Paz Bolivia that I cant even recount on here because someday I want to travel south America with my friend who used to live there and speaks rough spanish, and i dont want people to worry. ask me in person sometime though because without hyping it up to much its one of the most ridiculous situations i have ever heard.


the next morning we started our trek up the mountain. It was a long and tough hike but we rocked it pretty well. It was about 12 kilometers the entire way so not extreme but still, it was uphill the entire way so it kept rewarding us with awesome views. I havent mentioned this yet but one of the guys on the trek with us, Matt, took more pictures than i ever though possible. I mean i dont think this guy took a pee without evidencing the toilet or the sink he washed his hands on. Everything. literally 2 minutes didnt go by without his camera. He was a great dude dont get me wrong but he brought his camera with him everywhere and was obsessed with his electronics. my bag had some clothes and a toothbrush. his had his macbook pro, his iphone, his camera and all his chargers. he probably drained the village huts battery (all solar powered) at night charging them all, and insisted on facebook chatting throughout the days and updating his facebook while climbing the mountain, and watching a movie while the rest of us were looking at the stars. Like I said, hes a good dude and i enjoyed hanging out with him but he needs a little priority check. (in my opinion)




When we got near the top of the mountain we stopped for lunch that a few of the villagers had been carrying (a few men had traveled with us...the reason is unknown but maybe they enjoyed the hike....in their flip flops, smoking cigarettes, and eating random leaves) It was a great temperature on top of the mountain and while we were stopped we ended up seated next to a flying squirrel type thing. i think they said it was called a sugar glider. pretty cool little creature.



Looking out over burma was pretty cool and the view from the top was as expected. we were at the highest point around and could see countless other mountains and villages. it was awesome.


After trekking down to the car we dropped off the village locals, Charlie, Steve, and the dogs that had followed us all the way up the hill, and matt, phil and i made our way to the city to catch our bus and head off to our next locations.

Riding in the back of the truck down the mountain and then on the highway Phil and I stood right behind the window in the bed of the truck and had one helluva ride back. certainly not safe but one of the best roller coasters Ive ever experienced. (its ok mom it was kind of safe)

Getting back to the hotel i realized I had missed the last bus to Chaing Rai but was told by Dome that I could take a bus somewhere else and make a good connection the next day. Although that later turned out to be completely false information it led me on my next adventure so such is life. Not sure if ill get to that story but ask me sometime.











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The most random thing to date...

For safety sake I will let you know that this Actrnoon I took a bus from chaing mai to fang In Northern Thailand.after meeting A new friend at a hostel I was told I could do another trek fir a cheap price and to a much much more remote location n...as of Friday the 25th I will be heading out witm them to some luhau villages and climbing the 2nd tAllest mtn in Thvailand. When I comze back I will most likely head to Laos but an updat should come first. I type this update from a nice hotel thAt the new tour guide recome ded calledthe phu mated hotel in fang. I got here via a very cheap bus from chaibg Mai that I just barely made. Talk tou you soon. If your read this

shoot me some commets!!!
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a (canadIan)Iranian, a Turk, an American and some Dutch meet in the back of a pickup truck...

this post is from when I started a trek from Chaing Mai. There are a few more cool things to write about from the days earlier that i have handwritten but its difficult to force myself to sit at a computer and get it all down. i will eventually try but for now this is a pretty massive post.





3 day trek. Where in the world to start. After deciding to sign up for a 2 night 3 day trek into the jungle with a homestay in a hilltop village, a visit to an elephant training center and a white water rafting trip I was none the less excited as could be to start my trip. Seeing as how the people you are with help dictate the type of trip that you are going to have I got a great feeling when I left my hostel that the two people sitting in the back of the pick up truck would be great partners for the next few days. Leaving the hostel for 3 days I was able to leave my bag in a corner of the room and keep my fingers crossed that nothing would happen to it and it would still be sitting there when I got back. I said goodbye to Meow, ___, and her boyfriend Andrew and left the hostel feeling a little bit rusty after my first night drinking in a few weeks but rejuvenated with a ham and cheese toastie before hopping in the back fo the truck. Now I have some hindsight so its not that fair but from the get go I had a good feeling about the people sitting in the back of the truck with me. Mustafa was from Turkey and had been traveling around the world for the last month and a half. Elisa had fairly recently started her travels but had grand aspirations and was planning on doing a medical school internship at a hospital working as a surgeons assistant. Not bad for not even taking a med class yet. I am sure my step brother would be jealous of her (and surely attracted to her) had he been sitting next to me. Anyway, After picking me up from the hostel we rode slightly out of town to pick up the rest of the crew members. Having a hunch that we might be picking up some retired ex pats I was excited to have some peppered travelers along for the ride with us and to hear some of their stories and see what they had to offer and bring to the table. Sure enough after getting slightly lost picking them up (a little nerve racking before heading into the jungle) it was 2 retired Dutch people who had moved to Chiang Mai for their retirement and had two friends visiting them. Jaap and Mika, and Ellen and Albert would turn out to be great company and a great addition to our family for the weekend. We were led by Dui, a small thai man full of positive energy who learned his English working in a hostel and used the words words “uh-huh” and “no problem” as often as one could possibly fit into conversation.

Our first stop we went to was a orchid farm and a butterfly exhibit. The orchids on display and growing were incredible. Hanging from a tree and requiring no soil but excessive water the colors were beautiful and it was a neat place to visit. The butterfly farm was less than stellar but after seeing the butterfly's in Callaway it is hard to compare. After wandering around the area for a bit it became relevant that this was a massive tourist spot. Hundreds of seats around tables and a large buffet in back made it seem like this place could get crowded in an instant. With that being said as we began walking out, no lie about 200 people from multiple vans, trucks, and buses hailed upon the entrance. We had gotten their just in time but hadnt quite left soon enough.





Our stop for lunch was at the beginning of the hike that would take us about 3 hours to later complete. Right from the get go it was superb. We were in the middle of no where, surrounded by green and large plants I had never seen. Our guide quickly began spewing out facts and I don't think that a half mile went by for the rest of our time that he wasnt sharing something neat or interesting with us. Making walking sticks and shade hats with his machete he did a pretty good job or wowing us right from the start.

We had lunch at a small hut by a creek where an older man kept everything tidy for hikers and trekkers coming through and the area had a truly rustic and independent vibe to it that made it a great place to start. Fried rice in bamboo sheets and fresh cocnut for desert started us off right for the day.





After departing our hike took us though fields and fields of rice patties where we learned how they all grew and what it took to harvest them etc etc. The first half of our hike was awe inspiring and seemed to realistic and amazing to actually be true but hence we were in the jungle and it was pretty darn awesome. Hot buggy and moist.

The hiking on the first day was somewhat difficult as it was mainly uphill but wasn't awful by any means. As much as I want to say that it was the most challenging this I have ever done and tested my fortitude and blah blah the fact of the matter is that the 4 dutch people hiked up it with us and they were about 65 years old. Extremely active, but none the less not your typical trekkers. When we finally arrived to where we needed to be it was nearly perfect. no. perfect. Slowly walking into our campsite for the night we were greeted by elephants grazing all around us, a large homemade swimming pool, impromptu cooler bar, endless fields, and a hillside view that words cant do justice. That would be our home for the night and we made no haste in jumping right on the elephants and going for a ride. While getting ready to ride the elephants we met two British guys who would be staying at the elephant camp with us that night too. From london they had great stories and more to share. Sitting on a seat on their back with a “mahout” balancing on their forehead we traversed a major uphill and went all around the facilities with the massive creatures leading the way. Elephants are awesome. I mean sitting on top of one you feel so small its unreal. Their gritty, rough, and tough skin makes leather look like silk and its just a beautiful thing to watch and feel move. After riding the elephants Mustafa and I were anxious to jump into the mane made lake. When I say man made I literally mean a 30 meter by 15 meter hole filled up with river water and slowly circulated by a single small pipe at one end. Hardly the archetype for cleanliness but nonetheless an awesome place to dive into and cool off before taking a cold shower and cleaning up for dinner. Dinner that night was served by our guide dui and a few of the elephant trainers. They cooked a massive amount of green curry, rice, and mixed vegetables.



^thats the view right at dusk from the top of our hut that night.

After dinner we were able to all go and sit and relax by the firepit. Is there anything more universally awesome than a firpit? Really. Great. That night we all hung out and had a great time with each other , especially listening to our guide Dui tell us some awful cheesy jokes in broken english after a few beers. See it even sounds funny to read on screen. The British guys were great and generous company and between the two of them, mustafa, Elisa, myself, and dui we had a great time. Our rest that night was atop a massive hill with one of the most epic views you can imagine when waking up in the morning. Simply stunning. It got a little bit cold but wasnt too bad.

The next morning we had a few hours to kill as the 3 of the 4 dutch people on our trek decided that the hike would be too difficult for them and that they would meet us at the hilltop camp by dinnertime. That gave us extra time to play with the elephants, give them a bath, and ride them bare back. Riding an elephant with nothing on him except a bell and no guide is a pretty intimidating thing. If you havent seen one in person keep in mind the massiveness of it. I could kick and elephant as hard as I possibly can ( just an example...i didnt do that) and he might still barely register that I want him to do something. Sitting on top of one of those while he huffs and nays and sprays dirt everywhere takes awesome to a whole other level.

The hike for the day wasn't the most awful thing by any means and I think the first or the third day might even have been a little bit more difficult. We stopped for lunch at an awesome waterfall that although didn't look like we should be able to jump into was in fact more than deep enough to jump into (or if your are mustafa dive into) and even more fun, slide down and into.
Everybody in the group did it and it was great fun. The hiking was pretty challenging if for nothing else but that the weather seemed to be much hotter. Our camp for the night was a hilltop village with about 25 homes and about 200 people. Our hut was at the top of the hill and provided us with the most optimal opputunity to watch the sun rise. The sunset was best viewed behind our house where we all sat on a hill and watched it go down as one big group. the group picture i have here is a result of a homemade tripod with hay, 3 pieces of bamboo and a used juice box.


We had also picked up two koreans that joined us midway thoggh the day and they were great additions to our little mini family. For dinner Dui and his friend ___ numnok?___ made some potato and leech, some rice, and some mixed vegetables. The night was spent with people getting thai massages all around our awesome abode on top of the hill and getting a really nice experience hanging out with some locals all around the area. I really go to hang out with Elisa and Dui most of the night and we had a great time. Seeing how there was a small fire pit on our bamboo porch we made right in front of it our place to hang out for most of the night after hanging out with the locals. Minutes seemed to melt into hours and before we knew it it was the middle of the night. Mustafa had came and left but Elisa and I made it the entire night. The stars were unreal. Some of the brightest and most visible that I have ever seen by far and they seemed to move all over the night sky. Amidst stray dogs barking, roosters clucking, crickets chirping, pigs grunting, insects flying, water pipes chugging along, people snoring,and elderly gentlemen waking up to use the restroom every few hours the night was full of distractions and additions and will undoubtedly be one that I dont soon forget. Sitting outside with a friend I have just met I couldnt help but smile the entire time. IT was just one of the moments you dont even really think is real because it is just so overwhelmingly perfect in every way that its easier to just smile and think how lucky you are than to fathom every awesome detail going on around you. Staying awake for the sunrise that rose right over our porch, Elisa and I felt the pain of zero sleep almost immediately once the sun peaked. while some people had joined us around before the sun rose and a few people hung out with us we were the only nes to have stayed awake the entire time. We dove back into our hut for a quick extra two hours which were probably the best two hours of sleep I have gotten in the last two weeks. I only remember waking up to Dui's breakfast and plans for the day. Sadly or luckilly my camera wouldn't take pictures of the stars and it died after one picture of the sunrise. Although I am sure my imagination is and will be a much better memory.





When we left the camp that morning we left as one large group. Our day consisted of hiking to another, much larger waterfall and climbing down the massive hill that we had slept on top the night before. The hiking was slow going but was completed none the less and enjoyed by everyone. When we got to the end we were able to whitewater raft down the mai tang river. The river wasnt too high due to it in the dry season but was fun and relatively fast none the less. TI was crazy to think about and bear witness to what it must be like during the rainy season from I think September to december? Maybe that's wrong. Anyway our boat with the two koreans, mustafa and elisa and I was definitely the best guide and we had a pretty good time. We got to relax on a bamboo raft afterwords which was pretty fantastic because its essentially a bunch of bamboo tied together with some tire tubes and you just float really slowly down the slow parts of the river. Very huck finn-esque.

I kind of went through the last day fast but when we dropped everyone off back into the city at the end of the day there was a certain sadness amongst everyone. The koreans were heading to bangkok and the dutch were going home. The two people I was closest with though, mustafa, and elisa had other plans. While mustafa had 2 more days in Chaing Mai, Elisa was pretty certain she was going to be getting on a bus that night to go to Laos with one of her girlfriends. She and I had gotten pretty close in our three days and when we talked about our travels we had a lot of similarities and things in common that we wanted to do but she was just leaving a little bit too soon for me to tag along with. I was not and am not ready to leave thailand yet and as difficult as it was for me to watch a great partner bid goodbye for a a undetermined, potentially ever amount of time, was pretty tough. I usually don't have that hard of a time saying goodbyes because deep down I believe that I will see that person again and it is always more of a see you later. But for some reason this one was more difficult than most and I wonder if we will meet up in our travels in the future. She was a pretty awesome person and I hope she reappears in my story someday.



While I said goodbye to Elisa, I was welcomed into Mustafas hotel, where he had an extra bed I could crash on. Saving on a hostel is always awesome and continuing with a new friend was a great way to end the trek. the entire trek Mustafa was always a breath of fresh air doing wacky things and being the designated "snack man" always buying treats at the market and busting them out halfway up a mountain or as dinners desert. Mustafa is a great person and I look forward to spending a relatively laid back day in Chaing Mai with him tomorrow. For dinner he took me to a Thai-cook-it-yourself-buffet when we got back to the city. Yup. Everything's raw, they give you a big fryer and charcoal pit at your table. sou you cook your food and eat to much because is a buffet. My aunt Reen would love it. (not) We had a massive meal and ate far to much before our tour guide Dui met us outside the buffet place. He and Mustafa were going to get some kind of massage (mustafa is actually a certified masseuse in Turkey, where he works in a spa) so he was interested in getting some kind of one that I wasnt interested in. Instead the idea of hanging out in a internet cafe and trying to get down as many stories as I can was a better option. I am loving listening to music on 22tracks.ne and the new dada life february mix. Interestingly enough the song that I am feeling most is by a group called TAI and is called big bass drum.

Anyway although I typed this up at night I am going to try and jazz it up with some pictures tomorrow. Im meeting up with Dui and Mustafa for drinks in about a half hour. Tonight I stay in the Plaza inn and hotel in chaing mai. No sort of backpacker atmosphere but a cool place none the less. I am sure I will have a funny story about this unique hole in the wall place by tomorrow.

Until then.

:)

I'm sitting in a hammock and it's about 70 degrees.
Cool breeze And not to much humidity...thailand.


Nike.


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Arriving for the first time into Thailand I was able to get off the plane and through immigration with no problems. Planning on taking the bus to the hostel I failed to realize that the bus would stop running at ten pm. A taxi would have to do. A 15 minute ride for 3 dollars. Not the worst thing I guess. (although the 50 cent bus sounded a little bit better) When I arrived at the hostel there was another girl waiting outside trying her best to pear into the window or make her way into the hostel. Unlike myself, she had booked a room in the hostel and had her reservation printed out which made me feel much better about just showing up and not having to wake any one up. We tried calling the place (she had a phone) (we could hear and see the phone ringing in the window…along with the security cameras for the entire building…no one was around) After a few minutes we were actually able to open up one of the side doors, and essentially break into the hostel. While walking around exploring I noticed that there was a muy thai boxing event going on that night and wondered If that was where everyone was. Sure enough when the girl I was with dialed a number she had in an email we could hear the manager, Pong yelling into the phone and telling us that he was in fact at the boxing event. Himself and about 30 other people! Apparently it was a big deal fight and everyone from the hostel had gone. Asking if we felt comfortable staying by ourselves for an hour he assured us he would come back after the fight. No problem we said and here I sit. The hostel looks pretty sweet from walking around it and checking everything out. I am definitely excited to meet a lot of new and fresh faces. While sitting at the table I was skimming though a magazine about s.e. asia backpacking and it was a pretty wild epiphany like moment. I can do anything I want. I’m as far away as I can possibly be from “home” but I feel strangely comfortable. This should be pretty pretty awesome. Although I am pretty tired I have a feeling I will get a pretty big burst of energy once this place fills up.

they dont sell sandals larger than si>e 11 here. shouldnt have left the tevas at home:

ever tried typing on q french,qns co,puter§ oh you hqvent§ zell this sentence is spelled right if i zqs using q nor,ql keyboqrd: but i, not: so its ridiculous looking qnd you probqbly cqnt reqd it:

singqpore is qzeso,e: qzeso,e: (awesome.)


all the keys are in weird places and i dont want to sit inside for a long time and type anything.

maybe ill rock the ipod touch.

Stay Alert, always keep your eyes open and your mind positive.

Today I left on the train from new haven to get to newark. On my way I found 2 pennies on the train, 1 on the tram to newark, one penny in the airport terminal, and a dime on the bathroom floor. I picked them all up and put them in my pocket. In heathrow I found a single cent (in whatever the currency here is). 6 very small, individual, yet beautiful coins.

When I got off the train I found an oyster card lying on the ground. An oyster card is similar to a charlie card, basically a stored value way of paying for public transportation. I had just bought one and loaded some money on my own but a second one couldn have been bad.

When I finally got to see my friend Christina, who as you may know was a large part of the reason to make a pit stop through london, she regrettably informed me that she was actually going to Paris for the weekend, her first weekend outside of London sides holidays, in 2 years. Certainly not the best of luck but certainly not the worst either. Things always work out for people who have an open mind and dont let such a simple thing get them off track. I will simply stay with her roomate at their beautiful apartment in Southwest London and take forays into Camden, Shoreditch, and Brick Road, all the places with the best music and art I can think about for my four days in this great place. I'll also be able to meet up with Alijah any time to join me in these awesome adventures. because thats what its about. out of your element. enjoy the ride.

The above picture has nothing to do with anything. do you know who it is? you should. They are planning a big party on April 2nd and were all invited. Anyway. I am going to take a little nap now seeing how I didnt sleep on the plane and hopefully be able to wake up and go out later. That is the goal.(also a common pitfall of travellers) I shouldnt have to worry about transportation because the oyster card I found on the ground had 75 pounds of credit on it so london is entirely at my fingertips.