PADI Certified Divers!

We arrived on the beautiful island of Ko Tao after a long overnight bus ride from Bangkok and a two hour boat ride from the main land. Once we arrived we were just looking to get checked in and get a quick nap, because there wasn't much sleeping on the bus. The island is hot, beautiful and packed with tourists here for the holidays.

We decided on Ko Tao because it is one of the premier diving training centers in South East Asia, and and the price was right. So after 3 days training and 4 dives we are both certified open water divers! We liked it so much that we are going to stay and do our Advanced Diving course which is an extra 2 days and 5 dives to 30 meters. It also includes a night dive! Should be fun!

We are planing on staying here, or at least in the area for a little longer so we can also party on the beach for New Years.

We wish you were all here!

Scuba in Koh Tao

At Christmas dinner I ate at least 3 lbs of food, I know this because I weighed myself before and after. I pat myself on the back for this conquest. It far exceeded my Canadian appetite during the holidays. We spent Christmas dinner at a friend of Gary's, where 30 people attended eating a combination of Thai and Canadian cuisine. The Thai ladies sat at their own tables and seemed to have their own fun at hand. I decided to investigate and learned (with some minor misunderstandings) that these gossip queens talk about everything! Yes, if you can imagine it...I'm sure you don't want to.

Dave and I took off on a flight for bangkok on Boxing Day morning, which was just Wednesday for the Thais. We learned the true meaning of congestion when we tried to get a train, any train at any time out of Bangkok to Chumphon (the ferry location to Koh Tao). Every train was booked solid, so we made due with an all night bus and morning ferry. We arrived this morning groggy and confused, so it was a blessing that Ban's Diving Resort had everything arranged for us. Including a beautiful upscale room with our most cherished shower to date. We've already had 3 hours in scuba diving theory and tomorrow will be our first pool dive. We like it hear already, but have noticed that everything is much more expensive.

Temples at Sukhothai

Dave and I took leave of Chiang Mai once more before Christmas and headed to Sukhothai. The town itself isn't much to look at, but the surrounding croplands are lush and beautiful. We enjoyed the landscape in a cycling tour run by a Belgian-Thai couple. They introduced us to Cobra-Scorpion whisky...it smells and tastes like dead cobra.

Sukhothai is also home to the Sukhothai historic ruins and the nearby Si Satchanalai ruins. The Sukhothai Dynasty was at its height in the 13-14th centuries and the kingdom was extensive. Without a proper guide Dave and I had some trouble figuring our way around the ruins, but perhaps there really wasn't much to tell about the temples. But if anything it was a beautiful place to bicycle around near sunset and many Thais were out with a picnic. I think more reading is needed into the history of the Sukhothai Dynasty.

Dave and I also took a motorbike trip up to Si Satchanalai. I don't travel well on motorbikes and Dave was new at maneuvering Thai traffic. He did well and we made it to these 11-15th century ruins in one piece. The most interesting were the kilns were pottery was made. There are ruins of about 200 kilns and pottery rejects can be dug up all over the area from as far back as the 10th century. Another interesting site were the excavation of 3rd-4th century human skeletons. Excavations are still going on around, so we got to have a quick look.

The last place we saw near Sukhothai freaked me right out. Wat Thawet must be the work of a bored monk. Statues created from a combination a dream the monk had and buddhist religious stories seemed a little bit too creepy for my liking.

White Temple

We spent our last day in Chiang Rai visiting a few of the local sites. One of the newer more modern (1997) additions is the "white temple". On the outside the temple looks like something from the Chronicles of Narnia and on the inside the murals are a mix of old and new with everything from classic Buddha images to Star wars characters...very strange and different.




Our other adventure for the day was to find a limestone cave where there was monk and his collection of dogs living at the base of the steep cliff leading up to the cave. After a quick salutation we were pointed up the steep flight of stairs to the main cave chamber. It was getting late and the sun was setting, so things were pretty dark, we only had time for a quick look around the cave which had been converted to a creepy Buddha temple complete with the sound of bats coming from the shadows. After a quick visit we made our way back to the guest house before heading back to Chiang Mai in the morning.

Golden Triangle

We haven't blogged in a little while for a good reason. We left Chiang Mai for a hippie town called Pai. It is a tourist playground and Dave and I took the opportunity to go on a 2 day trek through the jungle to visit hill-tribe villages and to see the beautiful landscape near the border of Thailand and Myanmar. We had a good group with two Canadians from Red Lake(Cassandra and Chad), Anja from Germany, Pablo from Spain and Steve from Australia. Along the well-trodden path between villages we picked up travellers, including a monk.

A couple of days later we traveled to Tha Ton with Anja and Pablo and a group of Swiss university students who decided to follow us. Tha Ton is much nicer than Pai, cheaper and bigger hotel rooms right on the river. We took a river boat to Chiang Rai, stopping at hot springs, an Akha village and an elephant camp. Anja and Pablo also took the opportunity to hold the largest python I've ever seen. We fed the elephants, but opted out of taking them for a ride.

Chiang Rai is a medium sized city with a small night bazaar and lots of great cafes and restaurants. It's proximity to the Golden Triangle (the place where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet) makes it popular with tourists. Another night in Chiang Ria before we head back to Chiang Mai for a Christmas party.

Long Neck Tuesday

(Long neck villager weaving and little boy copying his grandfather)

Today was golf tournament day for Gary, which led to Dave and I going on a little trip to Mae Rim (just north of Chiang Mai) with a woman named JJ. She took us to a village where long neck women live, you really have to see this for it to be explained. This particular village is really a tourist attraction, we called it "the people zoo". It was interesting and we learned some things, but it came at the cost of a large "donation" to support these people. Afterwards we went to the snake farm, where multiple cobras and reticulated pythons were out of their cage for all to see. I held some of the snakes and kept my distance from one python which continously bit at its cage.

In the afternoon we headed to the animal zoo, Chiang Mai Zoo. It was quite a lovely place where all the animal exhibits were scattered up Doi Suthep mountain. We realized quickly that we were the only people walking around the zoo, where others rented motorbikes at the entrance or drove. Lots of gardens, beautiful views of Chiang Mai and a large Aquarium currently in construction which looks incredible. On the way home I slipped in a $2/30minute foot massage on the street before we went out for dinner with Gary, Somsee and Gary's friend.

A blessing, a possession and a resort...

It has been a few days since we last blogged so, lots to write about. On Saturday we headed over to Ban Tawai (the wood carving village), just south of Chiang Mai. If you aren't already sick of shopping it's a great place to check out. Dave and I were making a mental checklist of the things we'd love to buy and bring to a future home. It doesn't get much mention in the Lonely Planet, so accordingly there weren't too many tourists. We refuelled at a little restaurant in the middle of the village. The food was great. Later on, Dave received a haircut from Somsee before we took a trip over to the Saturday Walking Market. Similar to the larger Sunday Walking Market, less crowded and located in the hub of silversmith's shops.

Sunday was bamboo hut day in the Mae Taeng area. We settled in and took a walk down to the white water rafting river that all the tourists use. I don't think anyone in the cars driving by really understood why the white people didn't have a tour group. Back in Somsee's village we polished off lots of drinks with Gary's friend Ian (a Scottish fellow) and his girlfriend. Dave and I then grabbed our flashlights and headed up the hill to the bamboo hut. We were lucky enough to be the first people to sleep there.

Today was the hut blessing day. Dave and I were woken up by Somsee's family dropping off props and food for the ceremony. Apparently, they'd all been up since 3am cooking and preparing. The monk turned up on time to perform an hour long ceremony blessing the hut. As I'm told, a man and his wife had owned the land, but she died and the man decided to sell the land. It was bought by a store owner in the village and Gary bought it from him. During the ceremony, Somsee's sister became possessed by the spirit of the woman that had died. She suddenly went into a trance and began coughing and burping. Very strange! Our first possession. In the afternoon, I went for a bike ride, while Dave nursed a headache. Ian, his girlfriend, Dave, Somsee, Gary and I visited a resort down the road with extravagant prices, but beautiful scenery. We just got back to the city earlier this evening.

Thai Cooking School

Cooking school was a good chance to learn about Thai cooking ingredients. Anyone can follow a recipe, but we learned how to handle the chilies and how to use those weird looking vegetables at the market. We met a few new people from England, France and Korea (I never did get from where). We have a new appreciation for curry pastes now, as we each had to use the pestle and mortar to mash up chilies, garlic, tumeric etc.. Everything we made was amazing, but none of us could finish eating our hard work.

After learning to cook Dave and I made a quick trip to another massive mall and tried to navigate our way back to the beauty salon. Since Somsee was quite busy at the salon, we headed over to the Night Bazaar where thousands of booths of fake goods were strewn as far as you could see. Dave and I settled for a foot massage in the main market area. Such a good idea.

In the near future check out www.baanthaicookery.com for better photos.

Spa Day

Today Dave and I got dropped off in the morning at a coffee shop in order for us to begin a day fending for ourselves in Chiang Mai. It was an hour later that Gary called us to say that his plans for the day were cancelled. However, our plans for a spa day were set in stone. Thai massage made up the first half of the day. There is no relaxing in Thai massage, you are a full participant. I had a facial and a body scrub, horrified to learn that they scrub...just about everywhere. In the afternoon the boys started a pub crawl with some expats. Nothing really happened after that...as you can imagine. Check out downtown Chiang Mai.

http://www.chiangmai3dmap.com/html/downtown5.html

Monks Trick or Treat-ing

Dave was out for the count this morning when Gary, Somsee and I headed off to feed the monks. Today is the King's birthday here in Thailand and it is a big day. Over here people are immensely proud of their King and expect visitors to be respectful as well. Monks beg everyday for the food they eat and the rest goes to the poor. Today is a big begging day. It's the monks' equivalent of trick or treating.

At 6am we arrived at the foot of Doi Suithep (the mountain) where many monks beg for food. We handed out drinking boxes and instant noodles, bowed our heads in prayer and the monks chanted (I'm hoping) of good tidings. Afterwards we visited another waterfull and headed over to a live market. The markets are amazing in every way; the smell, the sound, the heat from grills filled with myriad fish. Gary and I also headed to a Costco style market to pick up ingredients for soup for sick Dave.

In the afternoon we headed for some good ol' Wednesday night expats bowling...I hate bowling. I remembered why today...Gary had a fantastic game and Dave played well too. Later on we dined with a view of fireworks and numerous karaoke singers. Need I say more.

Sick Day...

Dave and I decided to stay in today and fend off the cold that has taken effect. We rested until about 3pm, spending time with the dogs. Pepsi (male black and white dog) and Soda (female black lab) were somehow stuck together. Apparently Dave and I live sheltered lives, as we have never seen two dogs stuck together via their genitalia. We had to google it to discover that this is infact a natural part of dogs mating habits.

Gary took us into town to pick up Somsee and to go for dinner by the river. Somsee had a big day at the salon, " Money come, money come!" she exclaimed with a big grin. The restaurant was called The Riverside and was quite a charming, American oriented spot on the water. The lanterns by the river were beautiful and it was a relaxing way to spend the evening.

Doi Inthanon

Well the picture pretty much says it all. Today we took a drive about 1.5 hours north of Chiang Mai to the Doi Inthanon National Park. This is the home of Thailand's highest peak at 2565m above sea level. Lucky for us the crafty Thais have a paved road all the way to the top, which makes for a pretty interesting ride. Basically it involves 47 kilometers of steep inclines and relentless switchbacks, which end at a parking lot with a small trail leading to the highest point. The peak was actually very chilly at around 5 degrees, so we briefly got a reminder of all the great weather we left behind back home!

On the way down but still near the peak of the mountain is a chedi built by the Royal Thai Air force to commemorate the king's 60th birthday. So not wanting to miss anything, we spend a little while exploring the grounds of these impressive monuments.

Before heading home we stop at three impressive waterfalls which cascade down the slop of Doi Inthanon and which are accessible to tourists. We followed it up with an impromptu picnic lunch at the side of a stream before heading back to the city and ending another beautiful day in Thailand.

Sunday Market

Well we managed to find one activity that has absolutely no mention in our Lonely Planet guide, so I guess most people wouldn't normally come all this way to go golfing...but we did! Today's agenda was all about the Sunday Market, but before that we managed to squeeze in a nice relaxing 18 holes on a beautiful par 3 course not too far away. The golf course is everything you would expect back home, but instead of ducks or geese on the field you have stray dogs!! They are basically just laying around in the shade and they keep their distance from people. All you need to know about the round is we didn't keep score, for good reason, and we headed home for a little siesta before hitting the market.

The Sunday walking market is an impressive shopping spectacle with several kilometers of downtown streets shutdown and lined, left, right, and center with merchants. We spent 3 hours walking up and down the streets trying not to buy all the really cool things that we have no place to put! They have everything you can imagine from hill tribe crafts to clothes and lots of food! We also saw fried crickets, worms and all sorts of other insects you can't imagine. They mustn't taste too bad because people eat it like it's popcorn...no popcorn for us!

In the end we didn't buy much but we have a big list for next time.

Chateau Lyon

Dec 1st

Today we took a trip to Somsee's village which is about 50km north of Chiang Mai to see their second home and not too far away, the newly constructed bamboo hut (Dave & Jen's according to Somsee). The hut was constructed by Somsee's older brother and he did a wonderful job, it turned out beautifully. It is also fully equipped with running hot & cold water and full ensuite facilities...not exactly roughing it. Off the back is a large bamboo deck over looking a little ravine.

The day was spent lazing around and exploring the property a little...we didn't get too adventurous. We did manage to find time for a ox cart ride, up the road a little ways, which was very neat and just short enough! At lunch time some of the family showed up to help cook an incredible Thai lunch before we headed back to the city a few hours later.