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Published: July 20th 2009
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As painful as it was, I have torn myself away from the warm embrace of Thailand's Southern beaches in favor of the culture and adventure offered by its Northern counterpart. Having spent almost 6 weeks between the islands of Ko Phangan, Ko Samui and Ko Tao my departure is colored with a shade of remorse; however, intent on making my last night in the area memorable, Ian and I book our Northward journey for the morning after the Full Moon Party....
For those of you who have never experienced the Full Moon Party on Ko Phangan (which is presumably most of you) allow me to try to explain it through analogy. It is like a having a euphoric bomb, loaded with fluorescent body paint, detonated in the middle of a riot. Chaos, pure and simple. Tens of thousands of people dancing, drinking, jumping fire rope, making new friends and losing old ones in the neon sea of people. Obviously, one hell of a good time. I managed to outlast Ian on this particular night, as he was sound asleep upon my return to our room, at 6:30 AM. After two hours of life saving sleep I board a mini-bus and
begin the ominous caravan of transportation which will inevitably lead me to my desired destination of Chiang Mai.
After one mini-bus, one three hour ferry equipped with the latest in retro-grade cafeteria style chair seating, one two hour double-decker bus ride, one 12 hour "sleeper" train courtesy of Thailand public transportation (use your imagination), and one 12 hour "regular" train, I suddenly find myself in Chaing Mai. Pretty painless as long as you never plan on using your back for anything ever again aside from curling into the fetal position. Needles to say Ian and I quickly checked into our hotel and slipped into the blissful oblivion of travel-weary sleep.
Upon waking in the morning, well actually mid-afternoon, I set out with my travel companion to begin to explore the ancient city of Chaing Mai. After a few hours of walking we are again confronted with the juxtaposed reality of Thailand. The city, whose roots go back over a thousand years, is a living memorial of times long since passed. Ancient walls, moats and temples half a millennium old are scattered throughout the confines of the city. The history and culture saturates the very air you breathe; however,
scattered amidst these ancient monuments are sure signs of modern life. Movie theaters boasting the latest Hollywood releases, shopping malls teeming with European fashion and Western food chains, and electronic stores selling plasma televisions are not merely common, but rampant. Admittedly, while some people may take this encroachment of modern life into the heart of the Old World as a troubling sign, I choose to embrace it.
In the city I split my time between touring the vast number of wats, ruins and monuments, and indulging in Western style luxuries like pizza parlors and movie theaters in an attempt to alleviate any minuet inklings of home sickness I may be suffering from. All in all, I feel I struck a fine balance and thoroughly enjoyed my time within the city.
After almost a week within the city Ian and I decided that it was time to pull a u-turn and shake things up. Since we were in the heart of the major city in Northern Thailand, the obvious answer was to head off the grid on a trek through the remote jungles of Northern Thailand. After a little price shopping, we decided on a three day trek which
included a diverse itinerary consisting of elephant riding, hiking, white water rafting, and visiting indigenous villages. While a complete description of the trips events may not be necessary, perhaps a brief account will suffice.
The elephant trek was immensely fun; however, it was rather obviously designed with tourists in mind. The duration of the trip lasted around 90 minutes and was more or less a glorified circuit. Upon departing from the elephants, the jungle hiking began. While all three days involved hiking, it was the first day that was the most serious. At the end of the day we had hiked for nearly 6 hours, in 35 C weather and smothering humidity, up mountains steep enough that I would be nervous about skiing down them. Needless to say exhaustion was rampant throughout the trekking party when all was said and done. While the hike took its toll on the body, the views from the camp alone were worth it. The topography was akin to the interior of British Columbia; however, the vegetation and lushness of the environment has no equal back home. Finally, we ended the trip by white water rafting back to our pickup/drop off point. While the
rapids were not as extreme as anything found in Kicking Horse or Jasper, they were enjoyable nonetheless. Ian and I did not find the river much of a challenge, but our British counterparts thought their lives were in mortal danger on more than one occasion. While some parts of the trip did not meet expectations, others exceed our hopes, and looking back all-in-all it was an excellent adventure.
It is here that my time in Thailand ends. Having been in the country for almost 7 weeks I have grown quite fond of it; however, as I have experienced many times already during my trip I have enjoyed my time and experiences, but I am ready and eager to move on. Next stop Laos.
*Accompanying photos to come soon
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