Pai to Chiang Mai

Hello,

All is good over here. I have been getting a lot of emails about the airport being closed and my safety. Airports reopened today and I feel very safe=). Jeff left for San Francisco a few hours ago. I'm sad. I really had a great time with him besides both of our run-ins with the dreaded travelers illness.

Jeff and I had a few days in Pai before he got very ill. Pai is a great place to relax in. The only problem is it is insanely COLD there at night! I had no idea. Can't believe it, I actually had to buy a scarf and beanie in Thailand. Never thought the day would come=). So our official first fun day in Pai consisted of waterfall, look-out point, elephant riding, and a massage. I thought that I would never ride an elephant again after the last time I was in Thailand but Jeff really wanted to do it so I gave in. Watching him with her was quite funny. It was like watching a child at a candy store. He was splashing around with her in the water, climbing on her face, and kept on asking to get sprayed in the face with her trunk. It was very cute. I was a little stand offish because I have seen the show, "When animals go bad" and the guide kept on yelling at her.

On our second day in Pai we went rafting. We had met a couple the day before and they were in the same boat as us. The total group filled 4 boats. Our guide was great! He was the owner of the business so he really knew what he was doing. So our boat included the 5 of us plus one of the most interesting people I have met. She is from Hawaii and had about 110 stories about her life. Jeff and my personal favorite was when she told us she was committed to a Nepal prison for murder. Hmmmm did we pick the right boat? She was harmless though. She told us that she was kyaking with a friend who thought there was a city under the water so he jumped out and never resurfaced. They charged her with his murder. Jeff was wondering if there were drugs involved in that story that she happend to leave out. But the rafting was fun, Jeff got thrown out of the boat! My only complaint was the trip was just a little too long. Note to self-never book a 12 hr trip with a 2 and half hour trip back to home in the back of a truck. We immediatley got home and went to bed.

The next day we were very sore from rafting. We did some relaxing and moved to our 3rd guest house. We were on our way to dinner and Jeff started feeling ill. We met up with some people we had met previously and ate dinner. The film and music festival just started that night so we were going to hit up some jazz places. Jeff's tummy couldn't take it anymore so he retired home. I checked on him an hour later and he still was not doing well. To make a long story short we had to go to the Pai hospital at 4am to get him rehydrated. What an experience! If Jeff and I have nothing, we will always have that. I will never forget sleeping in the same gerny as him in a terrible looking hospital where barely anyone speeks English.
Recovery from this took a few days. His flight had been delayed because of the protests so we had some time. Really didn't do much of anything, which is very easy to do in Pai.

Finally we were able to head back to Chiang Mai. Jeff still wasn't 100% but we needed to get the bike back. This trip was way easier then the trip going there. We made it back and checked into our fabulous hotel. Yesterday we did more relaxing, got Jeff's ticket figured out, saw the worst movie ever made (Twilight) and we were supposed to go out to for a goodbye/birthday dinner but right before we were leaving guess who got sick this time....Me!!! So my last night with Jeff was blown. I couldn't be anywhere but laying down. I feel awful about it even though I know it is not my fault. Such a bummer! So we watched a movie and went to bed.

He left this morning. My stomach is feeling better but I already miss him. Going to plan more of my trip today and tomorrow. Him and I went through more $ then I had planned so I have to be careful.
Hope all is well with you!

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