Thailand: Bangkok & Chiang Mai

While in Thailand Michelle and I were able to meet a lot of other travellers, and we would always ask, "So, how long are you here for?" and they would always respond with, "1 month, 2 months..." Then it turns around and the question comes back to us and when we replied with, "Ummm...4 days." The same stunned expression came across all of their faces. So basically we learned that Thailand, like most European countries, is not a place that you can fully experience in a week (or less in our case). We didn't waste any time though, we arrived in Bangkok on Tuesday afternoon, and spent the night in Bangkok. On Wednesday we did some exploring through the city during the day, then boarded a 13 hour overnight sleeper train, north to Chiang Mai. We did a two day, one night trekking tour in Chiang Mai, then boarded another 13 hour overnight train Friday night, back to Bangkok. We were able to spend Saturday in Bangkok, then returned to Japan on Sunday. Makes you tired just reading that huh?


Flight to Bangkok from Hong Kong

Lobby of our hotel in Bangkok

Subway pass

Thai baht

Bangkok Old Railway Station

Old school


On a hot date

These buggahs were blocking the sidewalk on the way back to our hotel


Hotel pool


Our taxi driver bought us fried bananas while sitting in traffic...good stuff!

Tuk-tuks

Motor boat ride




People live on the river, and there were a lot of little children swimming together which I thought was cute at first, until I learned that there were small alligators in the water...we saw 2!

Snake farm

Playing around with a cobra

Venom

Sharp Teeth!

The second potentially lethal snake around my neck in the past three months...i blame it on michelle



I couldn't get enough green curry!!!

"Coconut Girl"

Coconuts, mangosteen, and lychee...oh my!

Outside the Grand Palace





school girls praying

overnight train to chiang mai


michelle liked the beer so much she bought the t-shirt

dinner and drinks on the train

we both slept on the top and were afraid to fall asleep because we thought for sure we'd roll off


Chiang Mai farmers market




maggots, scorpions, or beetles anyone?

a whole pineapple for less than 50 cents!

they eat wasp nests...oishii soo ne? just kidding...

i stuck to lychee

driving to Mae Taeng to ride some elephants

Elephant camp

Everyone meet Leo



holy crap

bye bye


it stormed the entire trek the first day...our tour guide made us use the banana leaves as umbrellas, it worked but we were still soaked!

we're getting up there!


Lahu tribe children walking us to our hut

That night we stayed overnight with the Lahu tribe at the top of the mountain. It was like nothing I've ever experienced in my life. This tribe migrated from China and they choose to live at the top of the mountain only eating what they grow and raise. Our tour guide suggested that we bring gifts for the children, they LOVE receiving notebooks and crayons so that they can practice writing and drawing. It was amazing seeing how excited they would get over a 10 cent box of wax crayons...such polar opposites from our rich spoiled bratty students at Amity.

bathroom and shower

everyone works...this is a two year old helping carry firewood

smoking the pork

no electricity...these toddlers know how to light candles, and they play with the wax for fun

drying our shoes

dinner is served

we slept in the mosquito net, but i still got attacked!

sunrise






monks hut

breakfast


we had brought up some pears and pineapple from the farmers market, and our guide explained that some of the young children there had no idea what a lot of the fruit was because if it doesn't grow on the mountain, then they've never had it. this girl seemed hesitant to eat the pineapple so i showed her it was okay...and her face the first time she bit into the pear was priceless...it was ALL over her face!









white water rafting...i almost fell out haha

i miss pad thai

orchid farm


back in bangkok-floating market






thai noodle soup for less than a dollar!

the weekend market was AWESOME! everything is super cheap! but too bad we didn't have any money! hahaha...i definitely want to return one day when i do have money and do some major damage!


bye bye bangkok

like all of our trips, it was short and sweet...we did more than most people could do in the time that we had. i was disappointed with bangkok, but would return to chiang mai in a heartbeat. next time though everyone said that you HAVE to visit southern thailand and do phuket and the phi phi islands...so i definitely hope to return one day. we'll see...so to sum up thailand i would have to say-food, elephants, wats (temples), and rivers