BKK to Chiang Mai

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After more than a week in Bangkok I'm in Chiang Mai, chilling in the mountains. Sarah and I spent our last few days in BKK sorting out the tourist company who scammed us and other things. WE met up with an American, Chris, who is in the Air Force. We all went to this hip club called Bed Supper Club, where you eat on a bed basically in this futuristic white orb building. Amazing food!!! and very hip, LA feel. In fact they have one in LA. The menu was written on the waiters chest in flourescent paint, and the desserts were written on the waitresses arms and chest! I had the pleasure of wiping the board when they had seated the last table!! very fun. We then went to the bar side where they palyed really good house mix. Apparently there was a famous Thai singer/band called "Black Head", it was his bday! and also some model "Echo". i guess they get lots of super stars there! we felt so hip!! the next day we took a long boat and rode the canals of BKK. The driver spotted a crocodile - really a monitor lizard! Yikes, don' t think I want to fall into that river. The City is preparing for the King';s 60 year coronation party on June 9th so everyone wears yellow shirts and the streets are all decorated. Sarah left on Saturday early in the AM. I decided to head out to the burbs and see my friend Leah's brother's family. MIke and Mikela and their adorable sons Ryan and Adam. Mikela was a great host and took me to this fantastic weekend flea market - Chetadi?? That girl knows her way around for sure!! the next day we got massages and pedicures. I can get used to that.

I headed back into the city to my great hostel, Suk 11. The hallways look like the Sois or alleys of thailand with bamboo, stones etc. very charming. Met a ton of people there and we hung out alot. One guy, Chris, from LA cut our hair as he is a stylist. In trying to sort out my Russia visa i was stuck in BKK so went to the mall and walked/watched movies to escape the heat and humidity. I think I have decided to abandon the RUssian leg as its very expensive and big pain in the butt for only 3 days. But now have to sort out how to get through Russia.

I flew to Chiang Mai, mounaintous region in the north yesterday, very excited to leave the city. Chaing Mai is a very pleasant place, not too big. I'm more and more convinced I am a small town girl at heart! :😊)) It's very relaxed here and not so much touts. After dinner I went to the night bazaar, great shopping!! the north part of Thailand is different than the south/central for sure. There's alot of influence from nearby Laos and Myanmar (Burma) and many hill tribes like the longnecks. Very colorful clothes, you can see the Tibetan, Nepalese, Chinese influence.

I took a cooking class today as Chiang Mai is world renowned for it. We went to the market and saw/bought some spices, saw how they make cocanut milk, etc then to the organic farm where they grow most of the ingredients. We made 5 dishes, I think I liked the sticky rice withj Mango the best!! anything with coconut milk is good! May hang out awhile and go to Pai, a small mountain town then head north to the Laos border to take a slow boat on the mekong River!!! can't wait.

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