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!!