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Published: November 7th 2005
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kickin' back
can't blame him... we're in tropical Thailand! we travel agent shopped (as we have come to call it) in Bangkok for a few days, and we decided that doing an organized trek to see the north was way too expensive ($37!! haha). plus, we don't like being on someone else's time schedule. we set out on a mission to make our own trek even better and cheaper.
we'll do what we waaaaant!!
so within 2 hours of departure we found a sweet double decker, air con-sleeper bus for a measly $3.75. yes, already off to a great start. a few hours into the 12 hour bus ride to Chang Mai, we took a pit stop. we decided to take advantage of the bus actually having a bathroom, and stocked up on 32 oz-ers with some new friends.
so far the bus ride had been pretty smooth compared to crazy Vietnam, so when stacy put her shit on the floor for two seconds... of course it was time to slam on the brakes! haha, just imagine stace running down the aisle barefoot in the dark to scoop up her untouched fresh cup of ramen, and to stop her second round of beer from sliding from the
very back of the bus ALL the way to the front. haha, it happened. but don't worry, she did not eat the noodles after some serious consideration. jessie, acting on her instincts, threw her blanket in the aisle to absorb the mess. quick thinking, but too bad the air con was blasting all night.
we arrived in Chang Mai at the crack of dawn and went straight to bed at our hotel ($1.50 baby). we awoke refreshed and ready to see the new town we got only a glimpse of at sunrise. we filled our day seeing some temples and trying new, weird food until... yes, score! weekend market... we shopped around with a girl from the states we met at lunch. as we walked around town, we heard a familiar "hello girls." when we turned around, to our surprise, it was Jens, the swedish dude we hung out with at Ha Long bay a month ago. he had been to 2 other countries in the mean time, and then there we were: same country, city, and street... and at the exact same time??!! crazy small world we got here. and this is not the first time.
the
pretty good shot from the back of a motorbike
is it the good driver or the good photographer?? ... both, we're professionals. next day over breakfast and more agency shopping, the 4 of us decided to hit up the public bus station. we were again the only westerners there doing things off the beaten path. good call b/c the 4 hour ride was only $1!
haha, only $1! yes! oh. no.
as the rice stacks got higher and higher below our feet (literally), we realized that this was going to be another "cultural experience" as we like to call these situations. by the end: a child had thrown up for a good half hour in the aisle (due to the continuous curves through the jungle), jessie had passed out on the guy next to her, stacy had a chick pass out on her, and the mini bus was so far beyond capacity that they could not even close the side doors...
when we got to Pai it was dark and of course pouring rain. we ducked under a covering to leave our bags, and two of the four of us went in search of a place to stay. we settled into a cute log cabin with an amazing tile mosaic shower (we are quite accustomed to grungy, shared outdoor
showers and hole-in-the-ground toilets here in thailand). we kept on giving ourselves pats on the back for not signing up to do a tour. they take you hiking, elephant riding, etc. rain or shine.
the next day however, the weather had made a turn for the better. Pai is a hippie, laid back tropical town. it is gorgeous, AND every restaurant, shop, bar, etc plays the chillest music. we rented two motos and hit the road. we were cruising through the jungle and mountain landscape, when all of a sudden an elephant stepped out of the bushes into our path. it was amazing! elephants are so affectionate, powerful, wise and loyal.
on our way to a waterfall the next day, no joke women popped out of the bushes whispering, "ganja? opium? you like the smoke?" when she ran back into the bushes as a car passed, we motoed on our way. we decided that we are too young for life in thai prison.
eh hem. riiiight. we went out pretty hard for our last night. we sat around a bamboo hut on the floor lit by candles to enjoy a long meal with friends... then headed to
a bar cart that was owned by a chick we had met at the falls earlier that day. these carts line the streets and are lit up with lights and lanterns. after a few drinks, we jumped on the back of 3 local boy's motorbikes to some RANDOM ass rice patty hut to smoke out of a bamboo bong, sped to a bar downtown that one of the guys owned... then live music and dancing at the bee bop bar next door, and the night just goes on... quite an eventful and unplanned evening but could not have been better!
we wanted to stay longer in this town, but we have to go visit the long neck villages before we need to be down south to an island for the full moon party. we have plans to meet up with rachel klipp and angelo and a couple other random friends we have made along the way. should be insane to say the least!
xoxo S & J
p.s. if jessie does not come home, look for her working at the preschool in Pai!!
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sue
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photo awards go to ....
"Kickin' back", "elephant yoga" and "a perfect day". They all get awards! Stace, I hope your camera dried out... Thanks to you both for being so wise and making good choices- ah-hum- and stay away from kids who are throwing up. xoxo