Doi Suthep Temple

We set off mid morning for Doi Suthep Temple, which is about a 20 minute drive from Chiang Mai. Doi Suthep is the most famous temple in Chiang Mai and it is quite enchanting. There is a real community feel about this place. We were fortunate enough to witness a family ceremony which saw a young male being ordained into Monk-hood. I only wish I had discovered this place earlier in my travels as you are able to freely chat with the monks and they offer daily meditation talks. Never mind, I'm sure there will be a "next time". To reach the temple you can either take cable car from the foot of the hill or climb the 309 steps. We climbed the steps as we had to get in our daily exercise.....actually it wasn't too bad for us, especially after our trekking expedition!! I found a little quiet area where there was a monk sitting and blessing people as they prayed to Budda. I took my place amongst the small group of people and showed my respect to Budda and received a blessing from the monk. I then received a white rope which they tie around your arm for good luck. The temple is such a serene place and I didn't want to leave, but we had too as our time was up and our driver was waiting patiently for us. On returning back to Chiang Mai we freshened up and went for our daily Yoga class which I found really tough going as my muscles were sore from the day before. After that we came back to the guest house and were recommended a place for dinner called the Riverside Bar......so glad we went there as it was really nice. They had a live rock band which was just classic - Thai guys singing western songs in very western accents, the place was certainly rocking!

Yoga Chiang Mai

I had to ask myself today - "Am I NOT destined to do Yoga or Meditation or Both??????"

I went back to the little place I found yesterday, NAMO, raring to go with my Yoga pants on, only to be told it was a full class and they could not take any more. After pounding the pavement in Chiang Mai over the last few days looking for a place to either meditate or do yoga, I was so disappointed to find the class full. Tracy and our new friend Konjit, whom we met at the cooking school, asked the girl at reception if they could just squeeze me in as I was becoming a little disillusioned. They allowed me to join, thank goodness. As for Tracy and Konjit who very kindly pushed for me to have the Yoga experience - they ended up at Chiang Mai Hospital.....The Yoga Center had posted a notice asking for volunteers of the A- blood type to donate blood for a German girl who had been in a really bad accident and was in hospital. Tracy was that blood type and said she would donate blood, so she and Konjit took off for the hospital. Tracy rekons it was the biggest needle she has ever seen!!!!!!!

My first Yoga experience was really good, but no where near beginner level, I think I was put into positions that I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams. I just hope I don't wake up feeling like I've been run over by a truck. Anyway I have put my name down for tomorrow as I really enjoyed the relaxation part of the class........so we'll wait and see how I pull up tomorrow!

Thai Cooking School

I can totally recommend a cooking class to anyone coming to Thailand/Chiang Mai. What a thoroughly enjoyable day we have had starting at 9.30am this morning. We were picked up by our chef "Pot" and taken to the local market, where he took us through and explained all the ingredients we were to use in our cooking for the day. We were then able to wander around the market and sample some of the local produce. The Chiang Mai sausage was to die for and I don't even like sausage normally. From the market we were taken to the school, which by the way is called Siam Rice Cookery School and were guided inside where we were able to help ourselves to tea or coffee served with local biscuits and fruits. After we had relaxed and filled out the guest book it was time to begin our class. We all got to choose 6 items out of 18 to cook for the day. I chose Pad Thai, Hot and Sour Soup with Chicken,Spicy mixed chicken salad, fried mixed vegetables with sweet and sour chicken, yellow curry and sticky rice with mango. YUM!!! I can't wait to show off to my family hehehehe.....I do believe I can cook!!!!! We had so much fun, there was five of us in total and we all had a lot of laughs. Our chef for the day "Pot" and his sister/assistant "Nancy" were just beautiful people who always shared a joke and a laugh. Half way through the class we were all feeling very full so it was time for a little bit of relaxation. We could go for a walk, sit and rest or lie down. Pot asked me if I could ride a motorbike - "of course", I said. He then said if I wanted to I could take their little baby bike (moped style in my language) for a ride. He gave me the instructions for the how the gears were and off I went. To feel the wind in my hair and to be free to ride around the little village amongst locals was fantastic......it gave me a bit of a buzz I must admit!! After our "rest" it was time to continue on with the rest of our menu - Curry and then the sticky rice with Mango. Once we had slaved over a hot stove and then eaten the fruits of our labor, all in good company, it was time to head back to Chiang Mai. We got back in at 4.00pm - What a great day!

In Search of Meditation

I have been looking for a place in Chiang Mai to learn the art of meditation to enable me to gain clarity and quieten the mind. I thought it would be relatively easy to find given the fact that I am here for over a week and there are many temples offering teachings by the Monks. I went for one Monk Chat at Suandok Temple just outside the city as they offer 3 day intensive meditation courses, but unfortunately I was unable to attend due to the up and coming water festival which clashed with the dates of the course. They do not run the courses during the water festival. My lovely friend Nine from the Green Tulip suggested another temple which I also tried, but the shortest course on offer was a 10 day intensive. I felt as a beginner, that it would probably not suit me - I could go mad not speaking to anyone for that period of time - for those who know me, you know how I love to have a chat!!!

Anyway after combing the streets near Thapae Gate yesterday AND being hit on for money by some Burmese guy ( a little bit scary, but I let him know in no uncertain terms, not to mess with me lol), I found a place called NAMO which offers Yoga and Meditation. For 100 baht you can walk in every day and have a Yoga session for 1.5 hours. They also offer Tibetan style mediation classes on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for 100baht.......so I am sold, will try it out tonight and give the verdict tomorrow.

Sunday Market in Chiang Mai

Sunday Market in Chiang Mai kicks off at about 4pm through until 11pm. This market is "the market" if you want good prices in comparison with the touristy Night Bazaar which is on every evening. Tracy and I went for a 6 hour shopping marathon and only stopped to have dinner with the girls we met on our hill tribe trek. Exhausted we returned back to our sanctuary at the "Green Tulip" and hit the sack.

Hill Tribe Trek Chiang Mai

We decided that a 2 day 1 night trek would be enough for us, especially as I am doing 16 days trekking in Nepal, so it was sure to be a nice warm up! We set off with our guide to the area of Mae Tang where we were to begin our trek. This was approximately a 2 hour drive with a stop at a local market to pick up some fresh fruit. We then visited an elephant camp where we rode on the elephant for about one hour. Tracy sat on the elephants head and rode.....I just couldn't bring myself to do that as I must admit I was feeling a little bit scared, as the track we were on was pretty skinny and it was a long drop. After that we were taken by truck to a waterfall for a swim and cool off which was fantastic. Our guides were diving in off the rocks and sliding down the rocks into the water. It was nice to cool off and muck about in the waterfall because after that we were meeting another group of trekkers for a three hour up hill climb which was pretty intense. Even though the trek was intense and difficult at times it was a great experience and very worthwhile when we reached our destination late in the afternoon. We were welcomed into the Red Lahu Tribal Village by happy little kids holding our hands and accompanying us to our accommodation for the night. Our lodgings were a huge dormitory style bamboo hut with bamboo flooring. There was about 12 of us in total sharing the floor. We were served up the best local dinner ever consisting of a soup and a vegetable stew with rice. Had to go back for seconds it was that good. After dinner we got to sample the local rice wine which was really nice and we had the children from the village come and put on a show for us and sit and play and have photos taken...they were beautiful people, so humble! We all shared stories and laughs into the evening and then called it a night. Next day was all down hill, which in actual fact, was harder than going up hill. It was only a 2 hour trek then driven by truck to the area of the river where we were to do white water rafting. The river was quite low so we got stuck in a few places, but since it was my first experience I was happy for it to be fairly tame. I can't wait now to do it again!! After the white water rafting we swam in the river then did bamboo rafting for a while back to the pick up point to return back to Chiang Mai. We waited at the pick up point for about 2 hours. The guide bought out more rice wine for us, but I declined as I wasn't feeling too great. I found a bamboo structure and shoved my backpack under my head and caught up on some sleep instead, which really helped for the winding truck ride on the way home, where everyone really started to flag and some people felt really sick. The people we met on this trek were great company.

Skype to Home

Here's a picture of me using Skype for the first time. How great is internet technology!!!! For those who are not familiar with Skype, it enables the people who have a skype account to speak to other Skype users via the internet for free. In our case everyone in our family has a skype account and we have a web cam set up at home. The Guest House where I am now staying has Skype installed on their computer, a web cam and headphones with speaker, so this afternoon I was able to talk to Brad. He could see me and has sent a picture of me talking to him. It was so exciting. I did try to Skype my boys........but they were out with Nanna. Will have to try again tomorrow. Have just been down to the Night Bazaar for a look around - seems pretty cool, didn't buy anything, just getting a feel for the prices. Going for a detox tomorrow, should be exciting!!!!!!! then probably a massage in the afternoon.

Overnight Train to Chiang Mai from Bangkok

A nice slow start to the day getting organized for the overnight sleeper train to Chiang Mai. Took off to MBK (huge department store in the Siam area of Bangkok) to have some lunch and a look around. The place is huge and has everything you can image and very cheap. After that, jumped on a ferry and cruised along the river past the Grand Palace and several other Wats, including Wat Arun which looks incredible from the outside, so I shall go there with Brad when he arrives in Bangkok. The Taxi Driver who took us to MBK was hilarious. He told us that one of his pass times was impersonating Elvis Presley and so then he began to serenade us. After every tune we clapped for him and he would say in his Elvis voice "Oh thank you, thank you very much". It was so funny!! A Thai Taxi Driver singing Elvis..........you just had to be there to appreciate the moment. Anyway once we got back to Asha Guest House, we had a couple of drinks and before long were in a taxi on the way to the Samsen Train Station to catch our train. On boarding the train, Tracy and I were not put in the same berth so I got chatting to a French family who resided in Phuket and were bunking in my berth. When it was bed time I wasn't quite ready for bed so I got chatting to some people from the UK and we all went to the "bar" carriage on the train for drinks. They were great company and it was nice to exchange travel stories. After drinks they played cards, but I was well and truly ready for my bed, so I climbed up to my bunk and hit the sack. The bed on the train was actually softer than the bed that I had been sleeping on at Asha Guest House, so I had a really comfortable sleep and would highly recommend the train trip to anyone. Its a great experience, safe and cheap. The arrival in Chiang Mai was quite refreshing as it was not as polluted as Bangkok and a little quieter. We booked into a Guest House called the Green Tulip, which was recommended by Jo (a lady we met whilst staying at Asha). We were so pleased at the standard of this place for only approx $12AU a night split between the two of us. The place is clean and the people are friendly so if anyone is looking for a place to camp in Chiang Mai, I can highly recommend this place. I hope this post has made sense, as I have felt very weird today. A light headed, almost motion sickness feeling, but I'm sure it will pass. Not sure what tomorrow will bring - maybe a little meditation or yoga. I am thinking of doing 5 day Yoga/Meditation course which includes course notes and 3 hours of meditation/yoga per day. Also looking at a Hilltribe Trek a little north of Chiang Mai.......options options.....

Chatuchak Market and Thai Boxing

Chatuchak Market is a must see if visiting Bangkok. We had a great time wandering through the different areas of the market. They have everything there from clothes, second hand books, antiques, art, pets, spices, food. I shopped till I dropped and felt very satisfied with my purchases. I got a couple of great little dresses for about $8AU and Tshirts for $3 and heaps more of course......but I wasn't tempted to buy any more shoes - my collection is getting way out of hand due to the fact that every time I'm in Asia I usually buy about 15 pairs of shoes. After shopping Tracy and I went for a 2 hour thai massage to unwind which was an interesting experience. I do love the thai massage as it really works the tension out of your body. What made me laugh in this place was that the minute we were in the room awaiting our massage, lying there trying to relax, they switched the TV on. Tracy very politely said "no TV please", so they switched it off. BUT then about an hour into our massage the TV went on again, can you believe it....the mood just flew out the window. Tracy eyeballed the girl who put the TV on (she was massaging me) and covered her ears. They got the message, but didn't turn it off, just down...which was acceptable. Then the girl who was massaging me stopped for a few minutes to chat on her mobile phone. By this time my mind was not feeling relaxed, although my body was, so I suppose I can't complain hey! I am finding that every day in bangkok there is a funny experience just waiting to happen, so I am laughing a lot which is very theraputic. After the massage we were able to find an internet cafe to download our pics from the day before for only 10 baht for the hour which is soooo cheap. We stayed around the guest house for the rest of the evening just chatting with the staff and making new friends. We found out through the staff at Asha, that every Sunday in Bangkok you can go to see Thai boxing for FREE (usually around 500 baht) at the Channel 7 Stadium near Chatachuk Market. This is where most of the locals hang out and its a very interesting experience. It was really exciting to see all the Thai's shouting at each other across the stadium...I assume they were placing bets on the boxers and the oohs and the aaahs of the crowd . Just a little tip - don't get conned into paying anything for entry as someone did whilst we were there. I left the stadium before Tracy, as 3 rounds was enough for me, and jumped on the back of a motorbike and headed back to the Chatachuk Markets where I grabbed some food and found a couple more presents to take home with me.

Tiger Temple Kanchanaburi

Tracy and I set off for the Tiger Temple in the Kanchanaburi Provence, not realizing just how far away it actually was. We were told it was about 2 hours away, which it kind of was on the way there, but certainly wasn't on the way back.

We took a taxi, then local bus, then a tuk tuk to get to the Temple which took approx 3 hours. Managed to have a bit of catch up sleep which was quite refreshing. On arriving at the temple we were informed that we needed to cover our shoulders, which was fine as we took wraps, but Tracy was unable to wear hers because it was a bright pink color, which apparently attracts the tigers. She had to buy a T Shirt to put over the top of her top. She wasn't alone, many people didn't have the right clothing. Anything Orange and Red was a definate no no - it alarms the tigers. Walking alongside the tiger with one of the monks and being able to pat it was a buzz. We were then able to enter the canyon where they had the handlers standing by the tigers and we were able to sit with them and pat them. The smaller tigers were unchained, the bigger ones chained. That was a fantastic experience and apparently these tigers have been raised by the monks from a very early age, needles to say they are used to being handled. Even so, we were obliged to sign a disclaimer before entering the grounds.

Making our way back to the bus station was a breeze but then we were hustled onto a bus which we thought was going to Bangkok. We kept saying "going to Bangkok" and the reply was "yes, yes, hop on" mmmmmm it wasn't going to Bangkok it was going to another area in Bangkok called Bang something. I guess it was all in the pronunciation. Anyway it was the journey from hell - first of all we had this very loud obnoxious family seated behind us and man were we in for a ride!!!!! First of all, one of the family fainted and the bus had to stop for quite a while to get her out of the bus. She finally came good, but the worst of it all was the 10 year old BRAT sitting right behind me. Even my ear plugs could not block her high pitched whinging. Tracy said lucky she didn't have a gun, it got that bad. Then just to top it off the bus ran out of petrol. What a pitty I was just to slow on the take to get a picture of the driver filling it up with a hose and a bucket after he jumped on the back of a motorbike to go and get the fuel. Finally we were back on the road, but wait there's more.............we ended up being taken to the wrong bus station. Lucky for us we both combined our thai and found a taxi driver who pretty much understood what we were saying. He got us home back to Asha. Its all part of the adventure, I kept saying as we were having a good laugh about our crazy day out. At least we could laugh and the tigers made it all so worth while.

Bangkok

Well arrived in Bangkok after an hour's flight delay, made my way straight down to the taxi meter stand, which I heard was the only way to go when not familiar with Bangkok, so I was feeling pretty confident as you can imagine. Jumped in the taxi, driver appeared not to speak any english and didn't really seem to understand where Asha Guest House was. I showed him the address on the confirmation email I had in my hand from the Guest House thinking that this would be suffice....how wrong could I be!! Luckily before I left the house I had jumped onto the virtual tourist forum and found a couple of posts from people arriving in Bangkok and getting transport from the airport. One of the posts appealed to me as it related to Asha Guest House, so I printed it out and had that in my hand in the taxi. In my broken Thai I said to the driver Saphan Kwai Soi Sam........he sort of understood, well I thought he did and off we went. We were scooting down the tollway in the far right hand lane toward the city centre and I saw the exit that we should be taking, so I pointed to it rather anxiously and he ripped the car across to the other side and we managed to take the exit I was pointing to OMG!!!! Then we drove around and around and around whilst he was trying to understand and I was trying to explain. We eventually stopped and asked a policeman, who pointed him in the right direction. FINALLY at 7.30pm arrived safely at Asha Guest House. What a quaint little guest house.....felt like home immediately. My travel mate Tracy had already arrived and was waiting in the room when I arrived. It was really nice to meet her and we immediately got on well. I basically threw down my pack, grabbed my purse and headed for the bar. Her and I had a couple of quite drinks by the pool and a quick bite to eat and got to know each other and then headed for bed. Next morning we were heading off to the Tiger Temple, so check my next post to follow that journey.