Northern Loop

Just a quick update, all good here!

After finishing my time in Pai, I continued heading north to do a loop that would ultimately end in Chiang Mai, the only feasible way to then go South. I had met 4 British girls (Frankie, Rosie, Rosie, Lucy) and an Argntine guy (Esteban) in Chiang Mai, we all somehow reunited in Pai, and then I spent the next week traveling with Esteban. We took the very local bus 4 hours to Mae Hong Son. It was an old rickety bus with no seats left for us, so I sat on someone's backpack and Esteban stood in the open doorframe. Note that this road is known for how curvy and windy it is. It actually wasn't as bad as it sounds, but it was an experience!
I was excited for northern Thailand for the spectacular views and dense nature, and while I've had a great time, it's been a little disappointing. Every year at this time, all of the crops/fields are burned (to replenish; works for the short term, really bad for long term sustainability). But this means that everything is super smokey, the sky is grey, and you can't really see any views. So while there have been a lot of "oh wow, look at that view" moments, they are more likely "that view would be amazing if we could see it! I think there's a mountain there. Is that a river?" And it started to make my throat hurt after a few days, so much smoke! Sooooo between the smoke and the sweltering heat, I think I might make my way south faster than expected. Get this girl to a beach!

Mae Hong Son was nice, we met up with a Swiss girl, an English girl, and a French guy, and spent 2ish days together. There's a really pretty lake, some temples, and another temple on top of
a hill that we walked to. As I explained, it was nice but we could barely see the view. Ah well, its the company that counts!

Next stop was Mae Sariang, also known for nature and beautiful surroundings. Esteban and I spent the afternoon we arrived wandering the small town, then the next day we rented a bike and rode about 20k to a waterfall in a really pretty park area. Lots of green and prettiness, I was happy!

Then it was back to Chiang Mai for 2 nights. More temples, great food, and wandering. We also played pool a lot, and I'm starting to get a liiiittle bit better. Plus I got to practice my Spanish, which was very needed with all of these Asian languages floating around in my head. It was a really nice week.

Now I'm farther South, more towards the center of the country. I may melt, and I find it nearly impossible to believe that its practically April, but otherwise I'm happy!!

Finally, finally: Thailand

The day after my jungle trek was all about travel. But when your final destination is Thailand, who can complain? The outline of my day: bus to tuk tuk to the border, crossed easily (and began day 1 of my 60 day visa), shuttle bus to tuk tuk to bus. Phew. I was on the same bus as a lovely French girl I had already met, so it was nice having a friendly face to journey with. We arrived in Chiang Rai, up in northern Thailand, in the late afternoon, and I spent 2 days in this city.
I'm definitely not in Laos/Cambodia any more. My oh my, Thailand is SO much more developed. This means too that it's much more touristy. I anticipate many future blog posts mentioning that I "really liked x location, but it was super touristy." Oh well, i'll get over it. But it was a little disappointing to see my first McDonalds and Starbucks out here.
After 2 days of wandering, temples, a cool night market (where at long last I had pad thai in Thailand, major life goal achieved), and getting back clean laundry (so exciting), I planned to go farther up north. I learned though that to get to all of the northern destinations I had in mind, I first needed to go through Chiang Mai, farther south. A bit of a pain, but no big deal--so off to Chiang Mai I went.
I spent 4 nights in this lovely city, and it's easy to see why so many people get stuck here. It was more wandering and temples, huge and dizzying night markets, desperately looking for AC and sucking down fruit shakes in 100+ degree heat, and meeting some really great people. I took a thai cooking class  and made some really yummy food: red curry, pad thai, chicken soup in coconut broth, and sticky rice with mangoes. So now I've done some cooking in each country I've been to (Singapore not included, unless you count the peanut butter banana Nutella sandwich I made), and I'm pretty committed to coming home, buying the obscure ingredients, and cooking more Asian food. So delish. 

Speaking of food. I'm in heaven here in Thailand. I think the real reason I booked this entire trip was so I could eat thai food in Thailand. Only sort of kidding. (Ok, and the Thai beaches. I'll get there soon enough). I plan to eat my way through the country, with pad thai, curry, noodles, and soups galore. Pretty much everywhere has local markets and street food, so for a dollar or two I will be eating some of the best food ever.
Nommmm

I also got a desperately needed haircut in Chiang Mai, courtesy of the owner of my hostel who used to work as a stylist in San Francisco. I was a bit nervous about a free rooftop haircut in Thailand with a pair of old scissors, but it all worked out for the best. Although in this heat, I almost told him to shave my head like the monks. They know what's up.
I spent an afternoon with a guy from my hometown who is volunteering at an elephant project about an hour from CM. (Thanks Leslie for the contact!) He met me for lunch in the city then drove me out to the project, and I got to hang with the elephants. And there was a baaaaaby elephant and I got to play with her and it was amazing and I want one. Mom and dad, it's either a puppy or an elephant. Your move. (A piglet would be acceptable too).

Now I'm in Pai, a few hours farther north. It's a super tiny, really chilled out town. Hmm wow ill do it already: I really like it here but it's suuuuuper touristy. It's just a few streets with cafes, restaurants, tour companies, and bars. It's filled with backpackers and old white expats who have dreads and bandanas and play guitar. Its a very relaxed scene here with a rasta/reggae vibe. Every day the electricity goes out at some point, but at night its actually really nice--everything is dotted with candles, the streets get quieter, the stars are gorgeous--just really peaceful! 

The surrounding countryside is beautiful, but you need a bike to explore. Luckily I met a cool girl from Switzerland at my hostel, so we spent a day cruising around the area, relaxing at a nearby waterfall/swimming hole to beat the heat, and checking out a temple/big buddah statue on a hill overlooking the city. Some folks I met in CM are also here now, so it's been nice hanging with them some more. I keep extending my stay here! I expect to leave tomorrow though.

So, about one week down here in Thailand. The country is huge and I'm not exactly sure what ill be doing or where ill be going, but ill be making my way down south. There are so many opportunities here, I've looked into wwoofing (organic farming), volunteering, and some meditation retreats/courses. Not sure yet what will pan out, but I'm enjoying myself so far!! Anyone who secretly dreams of coming to join me for a little while: do it now!

Jungle Trekking (Or, for mom, "There's no wifi in the jungle")

 I ended my time in Laos with a 3 day jungle trek, based in Luang Nam Tha, up in the northwest. I was with a French guy who I had previously met in Cambodia and then ran into in like 3 or 4 different places. We were in the same bus from Luang Prabang to nam tha. It was quite the long, windy, bumpy bus ride--about 6 of the 8 hours of it on unpaved road, for extra fun. On the ride, I also met a Russian couple and their 9 month old son. They have been backpacking with him for the past seven months. Yeah, you did the math right on that one. Can you even imagine?! I think this couple is inspiring and crazy and amazing and masochistic. Also, Karin and Doug, you've now got one less excuse to come meet me in Thailand with the nugget. Justsayyyin. 

The trek itself was fun--tiring and at times very difficult. When you do treks for more than a day, obviously you go much farther info the jungle. This means it's more dense and..well, jungle-y. During parts of our walk I felt like I was going to fall off the side of the mountain. And some of it was really slippery, mainly due to some really steep climbs up and straight down. Dad, I kept hearing your voice in my head from when you were teaching me to drive (and every subsequent Fall of my life, come to think of it) warning me about how slippery leaves are. But slow and steady, we had a nice trek. It was myself, the French guy, and another French couple. And the guides. We slept one night in a wooden hut and another night in tents, ate sticky rice with all seven meals, and ate bamboo, rattan, and various other ingredients straight from the jungle. Also went to bathe in a river and discovered little baby leeches on my feet, so shower didn't happen. Eek. 

We came back smelly and exhausted and sore; I may be a little trekked out for a while/the rest of my trip. 

Now I'm in hothothot Thailand; next post will be on my first week here! 

Northern Laos

I enjoyed the rest of my time in the capital, escaping the blazing sun in cafes and wandering. I even splurged and got a nice $4 western lunch--a panini with mozzarella, pesto, and roasted peppers. Amazing. I don't know how ill ever go back to paying US prices for things!! I walked to the top of an arc de triumph (Terry, thought of you!) and, shockingly, saw some temples. I got my 60 day thai visa as well, which is exciting!

I also visited the COPE center, and left very moved and with a heavy heart. The COPE center is an organization that primary works to fund medical care for Lao folks who have lost limbs, mainly due to unexploded ordinances (UXOs). Did you know that Laos is, per capita, the most heavily bombed country in the world? Most people don't know the history of this country, I sure didn't, but it's really heartbreaking. Laos was heavily caught in the crossfire of the Vietnam war. Not only did the famed Ho Chi Minh Trail run through Laos as well, but if bomb targets were missed, the bombs were often just dropped in designated areas in Laos. Awful. And worse, approximately 30% of these bombs didn't detonate properly---and they are quite literally ticking time bombs, still as dangerous as they were the day they were dropped. Today, and since the 70s, people have been regularly killed when coming across these UXOs. They are mainly in rural areas, and Lao people are heavily reliant on the land for their survival. So in one of the poorest countries in the world, the poorest of the poor must decide every day--work in the fields and risk an explosion--or starve? For most, the choice is easy, but can be fatal.

So anyway. The COPE center has really informative displays about prosthetic limbs and care being provided to victims, and really great documentaries about the country and its history in the war that "never really happened," since technically Laos wasn't involved. I heard stories of families affected by UXOs, as well as other services being provided--education to children and communities about what the bombs look like (so they don't pick them up/play with them), and most critically, teams that go out and safely find and detonate UXOs. It's mind boggling to me that small organizations are relying on donations to fund these removal efforts. There are millions of bombs left to be cleared. How the US government hasn't paid to safely rid the country of these bombs is literally beyond my comprehension. There is so much to be done here--education, bomb removal and training, medical and mental health care--remember when I said I could do social work in Phnom Penh? Add Laos to the list.
I could go on for ages, I find this (untold in the western world) history fascinating and heartbreaking and horrible and inspiring...I hope I'm explaining it clearly! It gave me a lot to think about. Also at one point, we chatted for a bit with a woman who worked there. My favorite bit of the conversation: "So, what do you do here?" "Oh, I'm the CEO." Oh, ok. Gotcha.

After 3 nights in Vientiane I kept making my way north, still with my British friend Catherine (we met our first day in the capital). We went to vang vieng, set among gorgeous mountains. The town has become completely set up for tourism, it's one of the very few places in laos with a party atmosphere, a bit trashy--but it's really pretty, activities abound, and food/accommodation are really cheap. I spent a day doing river tubing, the most popular activity with the backpacker crowd. It's a bit stupid but fun, and it was actually one of the first things I read about SEA months ago, and before I even knew for sure I was coming here, I said, "I'm going to go there and do that." And I did! You rent a tube for the day and are driven 4k up the river, and you make your way back slowly. There are bars along the water and you pull over and stop for a drink--good fun. And it was over 100 degrees the day I did it, so anything on the water is a nice respite.
The next day Catherine and I rented bikes and rode to an organic farm, where we enjoyed mulberry pancakes, bread, and goat cheese. Heaven! We then saw that the farm is involved with lots of nonprofit work, so we asked if we could volunteer or help out at all. We ended up cleaning bottles, to be used for the mulberry wine they sell, and we helped pick some mulberries. As a thank you, we got to sample the mulberry juice and wine--yum! So a very random but fun day.

Now I'm in Luang Prabang, a really charming city with a European feel. The old quarter is UNESCO protected, so it's clean and beautiful and restored. It's a few days here for colonial buildings, French cafes galore, a huge night market, a nearby waterfall, and--you guessed it--lots of temples. It really doesn't feel like Laos, it's a world away. But it's lovely, and I'm really enjoying my time here!

Update: I have officially eaten my body weight in pastries. I regret nothing.
(Although, a 3 day trek up north, my next stop, isn't such a bad idea...)

Update 2: I found a bagel with cream cheese in Laos. My little Jewish heart is so happy. If only they had lox...

I recognize that I'm talking about food a lot. Whatever. I do love Asian food, thank god, but after a few months its nice to have some western treats. Ill be back to noodles and rice in no time.