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Published: February 7th 2011
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Photo 6
Chilling in Chang Mai So after several bouts of food poisoning, missing India, turning my nose up at tourist traps and calling Michael to tell him that I am homesick and want to come home, I am finally liking Thailand! It's been a bumpy ride but I feel like I have settled in now, especially now that I am in Northern Thailand where there are mountains, temples and culture!
I originally arrived in Phuket from Singapore and did what everyone does... made a beeline for Phi Phi Island. So Phi Phi itself was amazing, the sea was turquoise, the sand was white, the fish swam around your ankles the scenery was magnificient but unfortunately, you have to share it with a million other tourists. After spending 2.5 months in India, such a spiritual, cultural and sexually repressed placed, Phi Phi was a little bit like torture to endure for me. With so much flesh on show and the empathsis on drinking, cavorting and 'having it large', it was a shock to the system. So I did my share of snorkelling, travelling around the bays and ferried off to Ton Sai, which is just round the corner from famous Railey beach.
Ton Sai, whilst
it is no where near as beautiful as Phi Phi was such a relief; with it's relaxed atmosphere, rock climbers and treehouses scattered through the jungle, I ended up staying 10 days here! I had a sweet little tree house, right on the top of a hill so it was really shady and cool most of the time. I was lucky enough to have my own balcony terrace, and once I put my yoga mat on the floor and strung the hammock up, it was hard to leave! And yes, I bought a hammock, you know I love a hammock and now my life is complete. The Swedish rock climber in the treehouse next to me showed me how to put it up by teaching me these really safe knots. So I met some great people in Ton Sai, did a lot of yoga, taught some yoga, trekked through the jungle most days, climbed over rocks and it was a good daily work out just going anywhere as I had to hike up the great big hill every time to get to my treehouse and out, God knows how I did it with my backpack in the first place. When
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Bamboo Islan I arrived in Ton Sai, absolutely everywhere was full, it was 5pm and as I walked along the trail, being eaten by mosquitos, I got more and more worried about where I would be sleeping! I dragged myself up the hill and was told that everything was full. Even so, I prayed there would be something and I made it to the top to the very very last place, the Sathong, and I think I got the last place to sleep in the whole bay (thanks universe).
So the south of Thailand
IS beautiful, the Andaman sea is a flat and balmy contrast to the ever thrashing currents of the Arabian sea in India, and I've never been anywhere more centered around hedonism and pleasure. It really is a tourist's dream. But it's not
my dream- I'm not a tourist, I'm a traveller and I am craving culture so I headed up to Chang Mai, and I'm so pleased I did as it is a great place.
And at this juncture I want to make a point of saying, that I didn't visit all the islands like you're supposed to, I didn't go to Ko Phanang or Pattaya,
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Cookery Class I didn't lose my mind at a full moon party at Hat Rin and I didn't drink a single drop of alcohol! This is my trip, and part of this whole process is allowing myself to just
be. Just be. It is so hard to really exist in a state of true equilibrium anyway, and even more so when the surrounding currents are so strong. I meet girls every day that throw in during conversation... 'that's okay though right? It's alright if I just want to relax today? I can do this right? I am allowed right?'... and I always tell them to just relax and be. It's so hard to commit a true act of free will. Free will... what a misconcieved concept in modern day society. We are (especially women), influenced by outside forces, suggestions, ideals, magazines, adverts and Lonely Planets that without realising it, everything we do, what we wear, the way we talk, the way we think, the decisions we make are all dictated to us by society, parents, a boyfriend, a boss, a group of friends, a computer generated image, a God that doesn't exist! We are not really choosing what we think, what we
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East Railey Beach do, where we go, we're just reacting... that's not living, that's slavery. So! I'm trying really hard to watch myself, acknowledge how I feel and make a decision based on something true to myself. That's the closest to freedom I can get. So I'm not going to do what everyone else does, what everyone else expects of me, or even what I thought I should be doing ten months ago. I want to create my own destiny, here and now!!
So with that said, I took it real easy in Chang Mai and I didn't feel guilty about it. What a great place! Loads of culture, temples every few 100 meters, massage places, amazing food, markets, trekking and cool things to do like batik courses, cookery classes. And finally it's cheap as my accomodation cost me £2.20 a night! I loafed around a lot, drank coffee (yes, bad I know, but it's the only coffee right), read books. I also did a cookery course with Organic Thai Farm, which I can't recommend enough, it was such a great day and really well run. I made red curry paste, thai red curry, tom yam soup and pad thai. I also
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Zip lining in the jungle went zip-lining through the jungle for the day with Jungle Flight. Despite my remaining fear of heights (the Himalayas knocks that out of you), I coudn't resist the idea of flying through the jungle. It wasn't an amazing day, but it was exhilerating! My chest hurt from the fear (abdominal breathing where were you) and my legs were jelly but I felt really proud of myself by the end. Serously five years ago, you couldn't have paid me enough money to abseil 40 meters down on a bit of rope! When I got back to the hostel, I did some serious sivasana and relaxation to stem the ebb of tension built up in my body :-)
So yesterday I jumped on a bus to Pai and I love it. It's so chilled out, a really cool little town but the gem is that it is surrounded by waterfalls, hot springs, a canyon, villages and jungle! It's also up in the mountains, and what a relief it feels after so many months of low land to be up in the mountains. It's freezing at night, but I even like that. Shame I lost my jacket, but I am determined to
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Zip lining make do with my yak wool blanket and not buy another jacket. I look like an old women wondering town at night with this blue blanket wrapped around me, but I don't mind. The thing to do in Pai is to rent a motorbike and ride on up to the countryside to take in the sites. So I hired a crappy little moped, that is patiently parked outside and waiting for me. It's not as smooth handling (or stylish) as my little mjoito back home, but I have wheels and the scenery is terrific! The guy who gave it to me was so funny, he asked ... "you ride before?" and just as soon as I nodded, he walked off without one glance back. So one key, one moped, no instructions on the kickstand, the indicator or turning the ignition on, he didn't care. So, folks, blog over, and I am off to ride to the Chinese village for lunch then some waterfall. Reason says that I shoudn't really be doing this on my own, I could have an accident, I could get lost on the trail... but... :-)
I'm also going to try really hard not to buy
this cute little travel guitar. I have been playing all the guitars I find in hostels or of friends I meet, but I long to have my own one to craddle pluck away at. It's 1000 baht but I already have too much to carry!!
Love and light
S
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