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Published: December 18th 2006
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Typical Buddhist Temple
located inside Chiang Mai Okay, so it has taken me a while to make a real update. I apologize to those people who have visited this site without any new news of my travels. I figure the longer between updates, the more I have to tell about what I have been doing.
So right now I am currently in Bangkok, back to where the original journey began. After spending the day wandering around the city, I took an overnight train to the northern city of Chiang Mai. The old part of the city, complete with a moat and stone wall to fend off invaders dates back to the early 13th century. Right after my arrival I met up with Joey Keeperman and Ryan Donnelly, along with their friend Furgus, whom they met while in Laos. We spent about a week hanging out in Chiang Mai...reading books, relaxing, riding motor scooters, having an occasional beer. Located about 30 minutes from the city is arguably the best climbing in Northern Thailand. We spent several days climbing all sorts of difficult routes and fending off the monkeys that live in that part of the jungle, apparently they do not like visitors. It has been a while since
I've done any real climbing but getting involved again with a sport definitely has made traveling more exciting.
Ryan, Furgus, and I left Joey in Chiang Mai and headed to a small town several hours north known as Pai. A very really relaxed little town with lots of arts and crafts and the type of small town vibe often present along the California coast. We spent several days there relaxing, getting massages, reading, and enjoying many of the same activities we did in Chiang Mai. Did I mention eating? My god, the food in Thailand is off the charts...as my friend Mat mentioned a while ago...after I eat a meal, I attempt to do anything that will make me feel hungry once again. Ryan and I did a day long cooking course with a local guy we met at a bar. He taught us all about the ingredients used in Thai food, how they are used, with what dishes, etc. We then made 5 different types of Thai curries, Thai soups, stir-fry noodles, and fried rice. It was strictly a day of eating and napping....hard to complain.
The next destination was Mae Hong Son, a small city in
Pai Bungalow
This was the first place I stayed at in Pai. the northwest corner of Thailand, very close to the boarder of Myanmar (Bhurma). Instead of taking a bus, we opted for a two day rafting trip down the Mai Ping river, a much more scenic and relaxing way to get from Pai to Mae Hong Son. Because it is no longer the rainy season, the river was 3 meters lower than it usually gets, but still with several areas of good rapids and long stretches through unihabited jungle. The rafting company has a river camp 30km from the start of the trip where we ate enormous amounts of food and slept in wooden huts. The next was spent rafting our way to Mae Hong Son.
Not all that much going on in Mae Hong Son. There are several beautiful Bhurmese temples in the city, which I photographed during the evening hours. We rode bicycles around city and then hopped an overnight, 14 hour bus ride back to Bangkok. Aside from the cheesy Thai pop music that never went off the stereo, it was an enjoyable and very comfortable ride. In Bangkok Ryan, Furgus, and I met back up with Joey and checked into a guest house just outside the
heart of Bangkok. Since then we've been wandering the day and night markets, finding new places to eat and hanging out with Ryan before he flies home on the 19th.
One thing that I did not expect to see in Bangkok is serious Christmas decorations. Man is there a lot of them. Who woulda thought that a Buddhist country would be so into a Christian holiday. From what I can tell, Christmas is much less a religious holiday and much more a holiday of shopping and gift giving. The big malls are packed with people enjoying holiday sales and the spirit of a Buddhist Christmas. On another note, Bangkok has impressed the hell out of me. Aside from the more slummy side that comes along with every big city, including all those in the US, Bangkok has beautiful shopping centers, hotels (in case you want to visit Dad, there is a Four Seasons here), and scenic waterways. Bangkok has a lot going on and tons of excitement, definitely a change from the lazy days spent in Pai.
On December 20th, Joey and I are flying to Krabi, a beach town located in Southern Thailand. Krabi and the surrounding
Pai river bungalows
Ryan and I spent a week at this place in Pai, very relaxing to say the least. area has some of the best rock climbing in the world, along with some of the most beautiful beaches, so it will be a fitting place to spend Christmas and New Years. In some areas, there are over 500 different climbing routes, so Joey and I should have no trouble filling our days with exercise and constant adventure. Some of the limestone cliffs surrounding Krabi ascend 100 meters of more directly out of the ocean, making some of the routes only accessable by a small boat. Hopefully I'll have some great pictures to post in the coming weeks.
I hope that everyone is having a great December and that the holidays are filled with good health and happiness. I hope to make another update in 2 to 3 weeks, all depending on what happens in that time. Lots of love to everyone!
The map at the top of this entry shows the route I have taken thus far.
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Stiefel
non-member comment
yo
It sounds like your havinga blast, Rock Climbing? thats kind of Random, were did you find the proper equipment? take some photos of the rock faces you climb. Also take a photo of a Thia Hooker. Peace Stiefel