Chiang Mai, Thailand

For the past couple of days, M & I have had a busy time.

Thursday: We started our trekking tour outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand. I finally got to ride an ELEPHANT! I can now check that off my list of things to do before I die. However, I doubt I'll do it again. I don't like how the elephants were treated :( . We felt a little cheered afterwards because it started to pour and we got to wear our cool 7-11 poncho [muahah]! Then, we hiked through the jungle for several hours. I was given a bamboo walking stick. I named him Marvin! Clumsy me (and the JOR's sit-on-my-butt-for-2-years-lifestyle) made the trek difficult, but it was a good experience. We ended the trek at a tiny mountain village. Ball with some kids, dinner, games, and then sleeeeep. We slept in a little hut that's on a stand. Below us lived a giant pig [haha].
Friday: I walked the (very) short distance to the village church before breakfast. It's a tiny building that's more sturdy and costly than the other houses--stone, roof, glass on the windows rather than a hut of bamboo like all the other houses. Since the village only had 8 families, which the church served, it's was a small place. But it was humbling to see this little house of God in the middle of the jungle on a mountain in northern Thailand. After breakfast, we trekked some more. I wiped out so often and tripped so incessantly, I came out of the jungle with battle scars. It looks like I got in a street fight with a cat! My right arm and hand is badly cut, scraped and bruised. My legs are gloriously scratched-up and mosquito bitten too. We came out of the jungle and went water rafting and bamboo rafting. The water rafting was fun. The bamboo rafting was...interesting. They put all 9 of us in the group on ONE raft. we made the raft sink just enough that it looked like we were sitting in muddy river water. Our trekking group members were fun (especially the two, young, Irish boys [haha]) too. Very glad we did the trekking trip.

Saturday-Monday: We got picked up by the Elephant Nature Park people early in the morning (8am?! Eeek! :D) to begin our 3 day stay at the park. So much that we say and did, so the bigger parts of our stay were:

1. watching really sad documentaries
2. feeding elephants (that really young baby elephants are so cute to feed!)
3. meeting the park's 30+ elephants by family groups
4. bathing the elephants in the river
5. food cooked by the staff (I believe I gained several pounds during our short stay)
6. an elephant trying to slyly steal my fruit while my back was turned during lunch (ha!)
7. getting kissed by an elephant :D

Elephants are such amazing creatures! The terrible lives of the elephants before arriving at this elephant sanctuary has not stopped their present, persistent survival. They're very similar to people in their resilience.

Alas, it's time to part ways with Chiang Mai. It's been such a lovely time. We take the overnight train to Bangkok tonight and sort ourselves out before making our way to Cambodia! In Bangkok, we saw a minature of Ankor Wat at the Grand Palace. In a few days, we'll actually BE there!

ELEPHANTS!?!

After a comfortable train ride (beats the India train hands down), M & I arrived in Chiang Mai!

Ko Samed was wonderful. I will fondly remember the frog living in our bathroom, the (really) little hut we stayed in, and the intense sun burns we got on the beach :D

So far, Chiang Mai has been good. There are used bookshops everywhere (in which M has to drag me out of), we just signed up for a trekking trip and volunteering at an elephant nature park. It'll be a fun and full couple of days!

Elephants!

I can see the end of our time in Thailand quickly approaching. How sad! Thailand has been a blast and I'll miss it quite a bit. BUT, we have Cambodia, Vietnam, China and Korea (for me) to look forward to!

Note to sister: We should rock Thailand when you graduate! You'll love it here!

Elephants!?

Note to friends: It seems I'm always pressed for time when I manage to get myself to an internet cafe. Sorry for the short updates!

Loving the Island Lifestyle

Currently in Ko Samed, Thailand, an island off of the mainland. The water is clear, blue, and warm!

M & I got SUPER burned yesterday...which hasn't helped my awesome tan lines on my leg.

The lifestyle here is very chill, relaxed, and easy-paced. It's been nice to relax after bouts of busyness (e.g. crazy busy days in Bangkok trying to get visas...we know the metro and skyrail system QUITE well now).

At the moment, we're in a bar owned by a Canadian ex-pat with delicious pizza. Tastes like home! (almost)

We leave for Chiang Mai tomorrow. It'll be truck, ferry, tuktuk, and finally an overnight train to get there. We're hoping to volunteer at a nature reserve to work with elephants there! Huzzah!

Thailand

BANGKOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

India in the South

In Anjuna-Goa, India.

By far, one of my favorite places in India! It's relaxed, slow-paced, full of expat hippies, and absolutely beautiful. It feels like the jungle-old-time-India I pictured in my head. The monsoon rains are heavier and fall more frequently here, but it's still beautiful. Plus, after two years in the JOR, a good rain shower is a welcome event.

M & I rented mo-peds to get around. It's a mo-ped culture down here, with few cars. I really want a mo-ped now! We've been to most of the nearby beaches, all of which have been full of wild, smashing waves and surfs. Now is not the season for swimming. Still, Goa is wonderful! It's a great way for M and I to end our trip in India.


Thailand is up next in a few days. India, I'll miss you!

India in the North

Whirlwind tour of the northern part of India is done! Earlier today, M and I rode the overnight train up from Varanassi. While much more comfortable than our first overnight train, it's hard to get a good night's sleep on a hard berth bed on a rocking train--especially when the train frequently pulls to a stop and there are people bellowing out "juice, mango, tea, chai, coffee!" up and down the aisles throughout the night.

With some time at an internet cafe in Delhi, I have a little more time to write about my trip.

Most Notable Moments in India:

1. Monkey Temple on the old road (the emperor used to take) between Jaipor, India and Agra, India. It's actually a regular temple to a Hindu god, but it's nicknamed the Monkey Temple because of all the monkeys that take residence there. M and I fed the monkeys right out of our hands! Some of them got greedy and grabby. In fact, one jumped ON me to get to the bag of peanuts! Another jumped up and tried to rip the bag from me. It was only half successful since I managed to keep a good hold on the nuts :P.


2. Boat ride on the Ganges River in Varanasi, India. The pouring monsoon rain took place in the afternoon (it seems like the usual time), so taking a cycle rickshaw to the ghats area was an adventure! The streets were flooded, with mass crowds of bikes, people, rickshaws, and water buffalo! We finally made it to the main bathing ghat to take a ride along the "Ganga river". We rowed to the main burning ghat, where we watched cremations take place. Our guide told us a little about the funeral process and the rules for putting your remains in the Ganga. After the subdued hush of the burning ghat, we went back to the festive main ghat to wait for the fire ceremony. Seven members of the Brahmin caste do a fire ceremony every evening. It was interesting to see. A lot of culture packed into a short evening.


3. Sweating my FACE off! (literally, I sweat off everything on my face!) The heat and humidity have been intense! For those from Virginia, can you believe it's even hotter and more humid than a July afternoon? All the pictures of me are shiney-faced, sweaty, and dirty...mainly because I AM shiney-faced, sweaty, and dirty CONSTANTLY.
4. Taj Mahal in Agra, India. I thought that I would be a little disappointed because of all the hype you hear about the Taj. Nope. I wasn't disappointed at all. It truly is an amazing construction! Beautifully erected and designed, I can see why people rave about it. The old king who built it for his favorite wife must have loved her greatly if the Taj's physical beauty (and size) is used as a measure of love.


5. Food (everywhere) in India! While the Indian food in America is great, like many other ethnically derived food, it's better in the motherland! The lassi (yogurt, water, sugar or salt drink) is DELICIOUS and the Indian tea (masala spiced tea with milk and sugar) is a perfect end to a meal. Two years in the JOR has never made me crave tea, but two weeks in India has me constantly jones-ing for some Indian tea :D

My last week in India starts tomorrow when I fly to Goa in the south! Huzzah!

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Picture 1: Cows are EVERYWHERE in India. As a holy animal, they're left to do as they like--whether sit in the middle of a highway, wander between traffic, or stand in a store. This is me with a cow in the streets of Pushkar, India.

Picture 2: Feeding a monkey at the Monkey Temple!

The First Week

The first week in India has been dizzying and amazing! I only have a few minutes left for internet, so here's the short of it:

1. Delhi

2. Pushkar (lake supposed to be created when Brahma dropped a lotus) where we saw ghats, people bathing in the holy lake, and where I got ridiculously sick bwecause I ate street food when I shouldn't have :P

3. Jaipor and Amber, where I saw beautiful palaces, forts, and a monkey temple! I fed monkeys by hand! One jumped on me to get the peanuts.

4. Agra, where I saw the Taj Mahal. Amazing and beautiful!

5. Varnassi, where I currently am. The Ganges river is dirty but it's been interesting watching the people.

No picture :( . I hope to find an internet place later though to write something longer! Tomorrow: Temples and a Ganges river ride!

Masalama, Jordan!

The day has finally arrived: COS! Close of Service! The End!

Today is my LAST day in the JOR as a Peace Corps volunteer! Hurrah! I didn't think I would make it this far, but here I am! 2+ years of (challenging) service later, I can now claim the title of RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer).

I don't know if I'll miss very much about you, the JOR. I DO know that one of the few things I'll miss about you is the food. Oh, the food...[drool]. However, India is calling to me (err, my stomach), so masalama, Jordan.

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Picture: Sporting my new traveler haircut while munching on a potato spiral from Souq Jara on Rainbow Street in Amman, Jordan.