Roosters must die...but Chang Mai rocks!

---

Hello all!
Julija and I are alive and well in Chang Mai, Thailand, where we have been having way too much fun. We went on a trekking/elephant riding/hill tribe/whitewater rafting tour where we hiked up into the jungles outside of Chang Dao and stayed with this real Lisu hilltribe and then went on a wicked riverrafting tour then next day. It was Julija's first one, but her fear quickly passed after the first rapid set. I was very proud of her. We have been staying at a nice guesthouse in Chang Mai for $200B/night ($6 US) but we have had to move on to another because of this damn rooster that likes to hang out outside our window and start crowing at 3am at 20 second intervals and not stop until 9am. I seriously considered buying a slingshot and shooting him from our window but thought better of it. Thai roosters are cocky little things and will attack you if you mess with them too much, but the next one that messes with me is going into a pot of soup!
In other news, we braved Thai traffic and lived to tell the story! I rented a 125cc Honda motorbike which I initially thought was a joke, but it actually did really well (150B/day=$4.50 US for this brand new bike). Once you realize that you have to just go for it and that the "lanes" are just a suggestion, it isn't really that bad. At major intersections with stop lights, the bikes go to the front in a giant cluster and a second before the light turns green it's a drag race to get out front--awesome! I got pretty good at bobbin' and weavin' and staying away from danger spots. We rode out to Doi Inthanon, a park with Thailand's highest mountain @ almost 8,000 feet. It was a little tricky to get out there and it ended up taking 4 hours to get to the summit, some parts of which took forever because the bike could only go 15 mph up the steep sections, but we did it. There were 7 huge, beautiful waterfalls just off the road on the way up and we went swimming in the lower pools...amazing scenery. The way down was one of the most intense motorcycle experiences I've had because there are so many steep turns and this little bike felt like it was going to skip right off the road at times. Julija gave me the squeeze of death a few times, but I rode well and we made it back safe and sound. We visited these remote jungle villages and some nice parks...It seems that the Thai government is trying to improve their environmental image and really protect its remaining parks, which are truly beautiful and rugged. Julija jumped into a heated negotiation in a small town for a unique silk shirt, skirt, and scarf outfit and ended up scoring the whole thing for a great price. She also got a couple silver bracelets and a new purse-bag. I think it really made her day. I had to put the brakes on that spree, though, because there are so many nick-naks in this country that if you aren't careful it can add up. We are quite a team, and other travellers seem to love us. We've already met fun and interesting people from England, Ireland, Austrailia, New Zealand, and others. Tonight we are meeting at a Raggae bar with an Irish couple and we are leaving for the small time of Pai in a couple days for some relaxation, cooking, and yoga stuff. Hope everyone is well. More to come including photos, which will blow your minds. Much love to our families and friends.

Alex and Julija

---

Comments

[raminta]

you know he ain't gonna diieee!!
Your rooster made me think of the Alice in Chains song "yeeeaa, here come the roosters, oh yea! You know he ain't gonna die...." aahhahahhahahahaha.

[Glenda]

!!
Hell yeah! I'm so excited that you guys are doing this!! Congratulations! and have fun! --glenda

[Stanimal]

Post That Shit
sounds killer, you globe-trotting hooligans . . . but you really should learn how to make the comment thing work, 'cause i know there are at least a handful of people who have also been commenting on your sideways adventures, and i wanna seem 'em!!! i'm out of this god-fore-saken "states" place in less than a week and a half, and i'd love to hear other's input and put in thier own two cents . . . or pence . . . whatever. sounds like you're saving your shillings for buying shit in aussieland, so get off the net and start saving some pennies . . . or pence . . . whatever. hope all's well, kids!! take care!

[Roger Heine]

Thanks for the information
Thanks for the excellent information and in general the details on the "excursions" you've had. I got a heck of a laugh regarding that rooster and how pissed you must have been. It's good you didn't kill it - could have been a voodoo bird, ya never know. Also it looks like Julija is real good at getting the prices down. I'm glad you made it down the mountain since I expect the roads were mud. Love you both. Roger

[John Lowry]

Street shopping
Greetings Alex. Hi Julija--I'm a long-time friend of Alex' dad and a traveler of sorts--reading your blog makes me want to hit the road again! Usually I hate shopping, including those state-sponsored tourist stores with their fancy prices. But I LOVE haggling with street merchants, be it Andean, Moroccan, Chinese, Tibetan—it’s a global thing. And, when the next merchants almost rip your arm off, saying they’ll match the purchase you just made, after you talked the price down from $5 to $2, you know that there was some profit in it for your seller, despite your steely negotiating! Keep the reports coming. You both write well.

[Phil]

Fantastic trip Alex - Kudos
I am amazed at what the two of you are doing. What a fantastic experience! Your blogs are very fun and exciting to read, thank you for sharing. Uncle Phil