The Lovely South of Thailand

Greetings from the Southern Islands of Thailand!

The warm weather is everything I dreamed it would be, and it feels overdue by a long shot. Since hitting Northern Vietnam in December I have barely broken a weather-induced sweat once. Was I crazy to think that my 6 months in SE Asia would all be warm and sunny? Apparently.

However, now everything is as it should be.

I bussed down to Bangkok on February 8 to meet my dear friend Rishelle, who was flying in to spend 2 weeks of her vacation with me! We made our way South to Hua Hin, a nice seaside town, intent upon visiting The Wildlife Friends Foundation of Thailand, an animal rescue sanctuary reccommended to me by some fellow travelers who had spent some time volunteering there.

It was very cool to visit and see all the different animals there, from lizards, to birds, to monkeys, to bears...and elephants! The animals have each been rescued from different sad scenarios within Thailand. Exotic animals are an effective money-making strategy here. Tourists dont think twice about going to the tiger temple for a selfie with a drugged up wildcat, or riding an elephant that has been abused its whole life. It is really sad, and hearing the stories of the individual rescued aniamls is pretty heartbreaking. It was encouraging that WFFT is really working hard to educate locals and tourists on how damaging this industry is to the wildlife of Thailand (and other imported creatures). Often it is just a matter of not realizing how much the animals suffer.

WFFT works to rehabilitiate and release every animal for whom this is realistic possibility, but others are very human dependent and/or incapable of living in the wild. These animals will spend the rest of their lives in enclosures at the sanctuary, as close to a "normal" life as possible.

Our full-day tour of the center was very enjoyable and a highlight of our to weeks together. I would definitely recommend it to anyone, especially those wanting to get up close to the amazing creatures of Thailand without supporting the sketchy, abusive animal tourism industry.

After Hua Hin, we jetted our way to Koh Phangan for some serious beach time. We stayed on the North end of the island for the first few days in an amazing jungle bungalow just on the end of Thong Nai Pan Yai- super peaceful and quiet, and at a surprisingly reasonable price!


We spent one night in Haad Rin to get a teensy taste of what the Full Moon Party might be like, and then quickly scooted over to Sanctuary; a super hippie resort on a remote stretch of beach along the East coast of the island. The breezy establishment was wreathed in a haze of incense, and populated by tanned, toned, and tattooed waifs either meditating or detoxing (or both), bright green fresh veggie juices in hand. The dress code followed something like, "wear as little as possible, but if you must wear something, make sure it floats in the breeze, and throw some flowers in your hair".  The cheapest accommodation available to us was in the dorm room located above the restraunt, where we camped out on thin mattresses and fell asleep to the sound of waves crashing on the short just outside our window. Naturally I loved it there, and we both enjoyed some yoga, vegetarian food, and of course some top-notch people watching!

After a few days we felt sufficiently zen to move on to face the big island of Koh Samui, staying in the center close to the Chaweng beach. Here we took a moto taxi to see a waterfall (3 of us on one tiny moped!), rented paddleboards (so fun!), and were intiiated into our first Thai massage! I am now addicted. Paying less than $15/hr for a massage is such a good deal, and they really dont go easy on you. It is almost half chiropractic adjustment haha!

Unfortuantely, that was the end of our vacation together, and Rishelle had to head back to Bangkok from Samui. I stuck around another day or two to see Ang Thong National park, and then had a very long day of travel to the other side of the mainland, arrving at Koh Lanta.

Now I am enjoying the soft sandy beaches and roasting hot sunshine for a few more days before I head south again, and enter Malaysia! Im not sure what I will find there, but Im excited to find out! I can feel the end of my journey creepiing up on me. I'm working on a few things for when I return "home", and Im trying to wrap my mind around not being on the road anymore. I still have a little over a month though, so it might be a bit early to mourn the end ;-) 

February is the new New Year

Let's be honest, no one is prepared for New Years when it bursts in right after the chaos of Christmas. After a frenzy of festivities, we havent even had time to process what our goals for the New Year will be.

Hence, I propose that February is the new New Year. Maybe this is convenient for me, because I spent most of December and January eating things I shouldnt and generally being lazy, and I knew that I needed to make a change...but I also needed a little help.

Feeling in a bit of slump post-holidays, I was out for dinner with a friend from my hostel in Chiang Mai, and spotted a flyer for yoga in Pai, my next destination (or so I thought, until my Myanmar visa went through). Knowing Pai to be a bit of a hippie place, I thought it might be fun to do some yoga there, because I like yoga and have really missed it while I have been traveling.

As it turns out, the flyer was for a yoga retreat, which is something I have never done before, and frankly never expcted that I would ever do. I was too late to sign up for the retreat that week, but there was an opening beginning of February, and as I did more research on it and read some reviews, I felt very strongly that this was something I wanted to do! I needed some kind of jumpstart, and the retreat seemed to fit the bill, as well as being a cool new travel experience. Because isnt that what travel is all about? Seeing and trying new things?

Upon arrival I discovered that the theme of the week was "purification". Essentially, we were about to begin a week of detox! It was exactly what I needed, and I couldnt have been more excited about it.

Every morning I woke up at 6:45am to bundle up in thick sweater, hat, and scarf (here in the mountains it can be quite chilly before the sun comes out. And just to prove that I am not completely off my rocker, it is cold enough that you can see your breath- so there!), and trundle down to the kitchen for a mug of hot lemon ginger tea, followed by a mug of vegan chai tea. Did I mention that from the moment we woke up until lunch time at 12pm, we are all in a "silence session"? No one except our instructor spoke during that time, and although the first morning I had to swallow my habitual morning greetings, I actually appreciated the silence. Its amazing how much pressure it takes off when you can just sit with a group without feeling the need to make conversation. It also allows time for introspection and reflection.

Tea time was followed by nasal cleansing- that's right, we used a personal neti pot every morning, and unclogged whatever might be obstructing our breath that morning! After that we moved straight into breathing exercises, which I had done before, but never for so long at a time, and then silent meditation.

I'll confess right now that I suck at meditation. There are WAY too many thoughts going through my head, and I have real trouble trying to slow them down. I struggled through each meditation session, but I did try, and that's the important thing right? The flies and misquitos landing on my face didnt help matters.
I still think the most meditative state I have ever been in was while I was driving my motorbike through Vietnam. There's definitely something wrong with me.

When we finished our meditation, we would eat breakfast, which was usually a scrumptious pureed vegetable soup or bowl of noodles, chased by a vegetable juice. While this was not to everyone's liking, I adored it, and may even consider this an alternative to my usual yogurt and granola when I get home.

A short break for digestion followed breakfast. This was usually spent lolling about in the blissfully warm pools of morning sunshine, until 10am. Then the real work began.

The two hour session of Hatha yoga was always challenging, but I loved it! This was our chance to feel the burn and get the heart rate up. It never took long before we started peeling off the layers we piled on in the morning. Every session would end in at least 15 minutes of shavasana, which is basically a fancy way of saying that you lay down and get so relaxed that you almost fall asleep. It feels SO good after working hard!

At 12pm we ate lunch, which was the largest meal of the day. Everything we ate all week was vegetarian and dairy-free, but I never missed meat or dairy. The food was absolutely fantastic, gourmet stuff. Everything was portioned out for us, so if we were still hungry there was always a basket of fruit and veggies to snack on, and plenty of herbal tea available at all times.

Maybe this is overshare, but I knew the detox was working by the second day! I was visiting the toilet every 5 minutes and had a huge headache. My gut was loudly protesting the abundance of nearly-raw vegetables, complaining that it actually had to work to digest things, rather than quickly absorbing the sugar-laden and greasy foods that unfortunately had become my normal diet. However, my skin began to clear and I was starting to feel more energetic.

At 3pm, after the heat of the day, we would gather in the studio for a Q&A period, followed by a short lecture of yoga philosphy. We could ask any question at all- whether about a certain yoga pose, a question regarding the previous day's talk, something we had experienced during one of the sessions, or about life in general. I was a little hesitant about the yoga philosphy talks, as I am decidedly not into Buddhism. Our teacher assured us it was not "religious" in that sense,  though she spoke on the Yama and Niyama teachings, which I believe are derived from Buddhism. It was basically universally recognized values. Simple in concept, difficult in practice. Nothing earth-shattering, but good reminders. Maybe I'm too cynical :P

Afterwards we started our Yin yoga session. Yin yoga requires holding a pose for a long period of time. We usually worked in 3-5 minute intervals. Something as simple as laying on your back with a bolster underneath you and your arms overhead can honestly become torture after a minute or two. By five minutes, you want to scream. The point is to work at breathing into and relaxing the tension, but this is very difficult. The very worst pose required sitting in a crouch, balancing with only your toes. For. Five. Minutes.
I wanted to die.
Apparently only walking in flip-flops for 4 months can be detrimental to the foot muscles.
While Yin yoga looks easier than Hatha, I much preferred the fast-paced morning session!

Dinner offered welcome warmth as temperatures began to drop when the sun went down, and the sweaters and scarves began to return. This was the time of day when the group began to get chatty, discussing just how painful a certain pose was, or how delicious the food was, or asking get-to-know-you questions. Tea was guzzled, and friendships forged.

In the evening we would gather for a second session of meditation, and once we did an excursion to the hot springs, which was fantastic!

I was usually in bed by 10pm, and never had any trouble falling asleep! I have to say, that this was the first time in 4 months that I have had a regular routine, access to a hot shower, and slept in the same bed for a week. It was a really nice change!

Having completed the retreat yesterday, I have been evaluating how I feel.
For one thing, my stomach feels MUCH happier. I need less sleep, as I have naturally been waking up early and not struggling to get out of bed. My body is not as sore as i thought it would be after 4 hours of intense exercise for 6 days in a row. In fact, its not very sore at all. I think my mind is clearer, and I'm more aware of how I'm feeling and how that affects my body.

Overall it was a restful and rejuvenating week! It was definitely worth the time and money, and I would do another yoga retreat without hesitation, and reccomend it to anyone.

Now I'm headed to Bangkok to meet a very dear friend who is flying in from Canada, and then we will spend 2 weeks in the Southern Islands together! I couldnt be more excited! Koh Phangan, here we come! (No, we will not be there during Full Moon...and I dont think I could throw away my newly-detoxed state on a party anyway!)

Double Christmas

So I decided that since it really did not feel like Christmas in the least here in Lao, I will simply not make a big fuss about the holiday this year and just celebrate double Christmas next year! I think it was a good decision.

Needless to say, nothing noteworthy occured in the travel department. I returned from my 2 night stay in Muang Ngoi, and was fortunate enough to find reasonably-priced accommodation with enough wifi to skype the family back home! So that was really nice.

And as it turns out I got to spend a night in a rodent-infested bungalow (the reason for the low price, I guess)! So...that was...exciting...

Some photos from the past week:

Village life along the river...on the boat drive to Muang Ngoi

Tat Kuang Si, famous waterfalls outside Luang Prabang

The easy part of the 100 Waterfalls Trek...

Waterfall #99...and we climbed it! (The hard part)

Goaties!

Laundry day means heading down to the river!

Sunset view from my bungalow in Muang Ngoi...killer.

Making Personal History in Hanoi

I don't think its any secret that I have been enjoying some motorbike time since I arrived in SE Asia. After my first 5 minute ride on the back of a mototaxi, I was hooked. From that point on I would take any chance I could get to hitch a ride with whoever was heading the same direction I  was. I was also inspired by how many girls I met who had decided to bike across Vietnam by themselves, with no previous experience! This enthusiasm was tempered by the amount of motorbike injuries I saw, and by the utter craziness of Vietnamese traffic. My fears and somewhat cautious nature have held me back from renting my own bike...until last week.

When I arrived in Hanoi, cold and shivering, I booked myself into Flipside Hostel, a brand new Kiwi/Vietnamse-run establishment in the Old Quarter. The reviews on Tripadvisor had been good, and I was banking on the promise that the owners were allegedly super helpful in figuring out non-touristy ways to see the north. I had 2 items left on my Vietnam list, and 10 days to accomplish them: Sapa, and Halong Bay. Both were apparently beautiful, but absolutely overrun with tourists, ruining the whole experience.

As soon as I walked into the hostel, my eyes landed on the oversize posterboard advertising a 4N/3D motorbike tour through Ha Giang, the Northern province next to Sapa. I felt a sudden surge of adrenaline...this was it! After a long conversation with the hostel owner, Linh, I was convinced this was my opportunity to see the beautiful, remote North, and to try my hand at driving the bike. One quick credit card transaction later, and I was committed (and I was also signed up for a relaxing cruise through Halong Bay to commence directly after the motobike tour!).

Before long I was tucked into a berth on a night bus to Ha Giang, to awaken early the next morning and begin the adventure! I was in a group of 12: 2 x 22-yr-old Kiwi guides, 8 guys of varying nationalities, ages, and motorbike experience, my new Scottish friend H (I met her at Flipside Hostel), and I. The testosterone factor was mugh higher than I had anticipated, so I was grateful for H's presence. The senior tour guide seemed intent on convincing the two of us girls (but not the guys) not to drive our own bikes, using several tactics...fear (its dangerous, there's no medical facilities nearby), guilt (you will probably be really slow, and hold everyone back), and doubt (once you get out there, you can't turn back). H wasn't set on driving anyway, so she was happy to ride on the back of a bike, but the sexist intimdation tactics got my back up, and I put on a very convincing show that I no doubts whatsoever about hopping on a bike and driving off into the unknown for 3 days! Fake it 'til you make it, right?

trying to pass some trucks...I am in the grey sweater!

There was almost nothing in the way of driving lessons. Our guide told us how to turn on the semi-auto bikes, how to switch gears, and then told us to drive down the road and come back again. We were parked on the main street of the town, and we would have to make a left turn almost immediately, with oncoming traffic...Vietnamese style.

lots of rain and mist on the 2nd day!

I will admit, there were doubts in my mind.
Until I accelerated.
I made a smooth left turn, and cruised down the circuit.
It felt good.

My guide still didn't sound very happy that I wanted to drive, but we compromised by getting me an automatic bike, so I would't have to worry about gear changes...and I'll concede that this was probably a wise choice.

On the order of China

However, I am pleased to report that despite one incident (now I have my own war wound!), my motorbike tour was a huge success, I was able to keep up to the leading group for the most part, and I was not the weakest link. It was a huge thrill, I had an incredible amount of fun, and accomplished something I wasn't entirely sure was possible for me! I also confirmed my love of motorbiking.

Lots of this plant growing on the side of the road to fend off those aches and pains...

Cruising down those narrow, muddy, winding roads, navigating traffic, and dodging obstacles was a challenge that required the utmost concentratiion and focus...it may sound ridiculous, but for me it was almost meditative. There was literally nothing else going on in my head but facing what was in front of me and controlling the bike. I was surprised to find that it wasn't stressful at all...instead there was just peaceful clarity. Whether it was ripping down a straight paved stretch, or bouncing across a slippery mud-puddle-strewn construction zone, I absolutely loved it!

I am so glad that I took the risk and tried something new! I saw some amazing scenery, got off the beaten tourist track, challenged myself, and found something new that I love to do. I don't know when or where I will have the opportunity to drive again, but I feel like my trip through Ha Giang will not be the last time!

Lady of Leisure

I've spent the last 3 nights in the charming, albeit excessively touristic, town of Hoi An...really doing nothing but eat, relax, and make my tailoring appointments!

Hoi An is famous for its absolutely insane amount of tailoring shops. It's not a big place, and as you walk past street after street with shoulder-to-shoulder tailor shops selliing almost identical products, you wonder how there can possibly be enough business to support them all!

Originally I thought it was kind of lame to do such a "Western" thing as shopping when I'm here in Vietnam. But the whole experience of tailor-made clothing has been so different from what I'm used to, it's actually been a hilarious adventure!

On my first day I had a few ideas in my head of what I would like to have made (but foolishly no specifics). I decided to have a walk around and get a feel for things before committing myself anywhere. In reality however, I am an easy target.

I was walking down the street past the central market, just taking in the sights and sounds, when a woman who had been chatting to a friend on the side of the street caught up to me and struck up a conversation with the usual questions that prelude a sales pitch:

"Hello! How are you? Where are you from? How long you staying in Hoi An?"

I tried to pick up my pace to shake her off while politely fending off more questions, but she was a professional at this, and my Canadian politeness took over and I had to stop and have a proper conversation. I found her to actually be quite pleasant and friendly, so when she invited me into the market to see her cloth shop I didn't say no, only that I had no money on me and couldn't buy anything (which was 100% true!). She assured me that was fine, she just wanted me to look. I liked her smile and felt enough initial trust in her that I went along with it instead of beginning the messy extrication situation.

The cloth market is literally a warehouse of tiny booths lined with fabrics, each housing a team of tailors and their wares. I was swiftly seated and shown a stack of catalogues of various Western fashions. I was a bit overwhelmed and certainly underprepared!

"What you like? You want dress?" They brought out brochures of fabric swatches and samples. My mind froze, and I blurted out, "I think I would like a winter coat!".

Why my mind latched upon that idea, I do not know. It's true that I've been hunting for a nice wool coat for quite a while, and it's really difficult to find one to fit properly.

Almost before I knew what was happening, I was being measured, advised which color suited my skin tone, and written out a receipt for the necessary deposit.

Since I honestly didn't have the money on me, the very detirmined woman offered to drive me back to my homestay so I could get my card. It was quite a hilarious situation, and I had to admire her tenacity.

I spent the night anxiously wondering if I'd just made a huge mistake and wasted a bunch of money. While it cost about half of what I would pay at home for an off-the-rack coat, it still felt like a significant investment- especially since I would be packing it around for the next 4 months!

I didn't need to worry. When I saw the coat the next day, I loved it, and it was almost perfect- the necessary second fitting went smoothly, and I was confident it would be absolutely perfect when it came back. I even decided to commit to having "my" new tailor whip up a couple more things for me.

It ended up raining for most of the 4 days I spent in Hoi An, so I didn't feel so guilty that most of it was spent running around to different tailoring appointments with my new British friend! She had 2 pairs of jeans made, a pair of leather oxfords, and a pair of leather ballet flats. I ended up with my beautiful wool coat, a pair of leather sandals, a staple LBD, and a bathingsuit!

We joked about our really difficult life as ladies of leisure, where our greatest concerns were that something might not fit exactly right, or the color would not be exactly as expected. And then we would sight and say how tired we were from all the decision-making we had to do, and how many different tailors we had to visit! Its a tough life!

Maybe I will post a photo of the dress and my tailor later, but I can promise you there will be no bathingsuit photos on the blog!!!

Friendsgiving

Yesterday was American Thanksgiving, and I got invited to a travelers' get-together organized by a couple American girls from another hostel. The girl that invited me is British, and is staying at the same guesthouse I am, and only randomly met one of these other girls by chance. She wanted to take part and asked me if I'd like to go. This is how the world of backpackers social lives works!

In the end there were about 10-12 of us, and I think only 3 were American! There were several other Canadians (Hello, Canmore AB!), a bunch of Europeans. We met at the Central Market and then went a local restaurant which fed us a DELICIOUS all-you-can-eat dinner of assemble-your-own rice wraps with greens, BBQed pork, egg omelets, spring rolls, and mouthwatering peanut sauce. I was a happy, happy camper.

The best part, though, was the massive collection of strangers (most people only knew one other person at the beginning of the meal) who all sat down together and enjoyed each others company for several hours! Traveling really brings people together....its funny how you can just have that one thing in common, and soon you feel like you've been friends forever!

I have been enjoying my new British friend's company since my first evening in Hoi An (we spent all day together yesterday), and I met another girl at this dinner from California who was really cool, and the three of us just got along so well- what a treat! I get such a boost when I find friends along the way, because I actually don't usually like hanging out by myself!!

As per Thanksgiving tradition, we went around the table saying something we were thankful for. Health, safety, and new travel friends featured heavily, and I too am thankful for these things. But for myself, I said I was thankful for being lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel.

Having met so many local women my age has made me aware of the privileges of my circumstances. Having been born into the advantages that are innate to being a middle-class Canadian have enabled me to be financially independent, and enabled me to travel in so many more subtle ways (different expectations of women, education, opportunity, independence, even support and encouragement from peers, etc). Many women around the world do not have these priviledges. I spoke with a tailor yesterday who is my age...she learned the trade from her mother and has worked since age 18, long hours, no days off, and she is also raising a family. She has never had the opportunity or means to travel, and probably never will.

I feel incredibly lucky to have the life that I do, and I never want to take it for granted. I am trying to make the most of these next few months before I buckle down to work hard at my job and my future schooling, and I hope that one day I can put my education and privileges to work to improve the lives of women around the world...in what capacity this will be, I have no idea...but that is the dream that is taking shape :)

(Unfortunately my friend A. and I are cut out of the photo...we are the 2 closest to the camera!)

Siem Reap!

Sorry for the long hiatus on blogging! Its been a busy week!
Last Friday I said goodbye to all my new friends at the Fatima Center. It was bittersweet, since I felt like I was beginning to find my place there and could have done more to contribute if I'd planned to stay longer, but I was also excited to say goodbye to Bangkok and begin my travels across the rest of SE Asia!

Angkor Wat at Sunrise

Satrday morning I left bright and early and boarded my bus for Siem Reap Cambodia. I was fortunate in my seating partner- a Californian girl the same age as I am, of Cambodian heritage. She has also been doing a fair bit of traveling this year, and we talked for a really long time and really connected. We were booked into different hostels, however, so we parted ways upon arrival.

Backing up a bit...despite being warned of scams at the border, a bunch of us definitely fell for the trickers that lay in wait. Our bus was no help. The driver likely has some kind of deal with the scammers, so he dropped us off at their office which is right outside passport control. We were told this is where we got our visas, so we paid the money, waited 20 minutes, and were given our visas, and then they started to fill out our entry forms for an additional 200 B. (approx $7). Once we realized what theye were doing, we told them we would fill out the forms on our own, and headed for passport control. After completeing that, we stepped out of the office and saw a very official looking sign that said "Visa On Arrival" for about $15 US less than we had paid. Oooooh well. Live and learn.

I stayed at the European Guesthouse in Siem Reap on the advice of my trusty Lonely Planet travel guide. While it doesn't win any awards for cleanliness, it has a nice small pool, a decent bar/restaurant, and it comes at the low, low price of $5 US/night. Having lived in treeplanting camps probably helps me get over a bit of bathroom grime!

My first morning I met  (read: nosily wormed my way into a conversation and introduced myself) a Colombian girl who was also traveling by herself. We hit it off, and decided to take a Khmer cooking class and wander around the city together, and then rent bikes to ride to Angkor Wat the next morning. I am so glad I met her, as we had a great time hanging out over the next few days, and sharing my Siem Reap experience with someone made it so enjoyable!

We got up at 4am on Monday and cycled to the temple, joined by throngs of tourists in tuk-tuks and taxis. I was a bit dismayed by the crowds of selfie-sticks, but we moved to a less-popular and populaced location to watch the sun rise and snap a few photos. It was really beautiful, though I remain a bit jealous of those who had the opportunity to see the magical area before it became such a tourist hotspot.

The rest of the day was spent wandering through the main temples, riding our bikes in the hot sun, and snacking on dried mango and salted cashews we had bought cheaply at the market the day before.

On the way home, we missed a turn and ended up way off track, out towards the airport! It made for a VERY interesting ride back to the hostel as we were obliged to cycle along one of the busiest main roads in the city! It was quite an experience, and I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself for how calm I remained, especially as I have never been much of a bike-riding expert, and helmets literally do not exist here. Traffic patterns in Cambodia are different from anything I have seen before- they seem even more chaotic than what I saw in Cusco, Peru! So there we were, pedalling hard on a mix of pot-holed dirt roads and random brick sidewalks, while cars, motorbikes, and tuk tuks are zooming by, occasioinally honking at us to get our of their way (which I would have gladly done, had there been anywhere to go!), and then out of nowhere some random will cut directly across traffic, or just go right against the flow. Literally everyone is just going everywhere and hoping they dont get hit. I just kept my eyes wide open, and kept on pedaling!!! It was actually kind of hilarious. My friend and I were just like...what is even happening right now....

Needless to say, we survived, and it is something I will never forget!

Yesterday we took it easy, swam in the pool, did some skyping and facebooking, went to the market, ate some spicy frog stirfy and then delicious ginger and black sesame ice cream, stuck our feet in a tank of fish that ate our feet, and visited the night market with some new aquaintances! It was a fun, relaxing day, and a nice finale to my Siem Reap visit.

Evidently my feet have more to offer....

This morning I hopped on another bus for my next destination, but that's another story for another day!

Weekend Wonders

Where has the time gone??
I'm on my last week of volunteering/staying in Bangkok, and preparing to strike out on my own come Saturday.  I can't believe how fast the last 3 weeks have flown by!

I've been much busier since the two other volunteers arrived, which has been nice. We have gone out exploring on a few nights, and spent our long weekend (last Friday was a holiday here...what the occason was is still a mystery) about an hours drive outside Bangkok (read: 2 hours for the whole trip, because it takes an hour to get anywhere in the city) at the historic UNESCO World Heritage sites of Ayutthaya. This was a good warm-up to starting the backpacking portion of my trip :)

Checking out some ruins at sunset on my first night in Ayutthaya

I stayed in the cheapest room I could find, which was about 200 Thai Baht ($7.45 CAD). It was a private room, with a shared bathroom. Creaky floorboards, opaque plastic windows, and a small fan sitting on a plastic chair serving as the A/C lent it a rustic charm. The bed was big, fairly comfortable, and clean, so I was satisfied. The bathroom was sketchy as heck, and I spent very limited time there! haha!

I ate the street food served piping hot from the little pushcarts on the corner- delicious! - and drank SO much water, iced drinks, and coke...anything cold. It was ridiculously hot outside. As soon as I took a drink out of the cooler, it began to sweat almost as much as I was, and in a matter of minutes it's lukewarm, and then just plain warm and gross. So I guzzle while its chilly.

And heaven knows I needed hydration. Most people rent bikes or hire tuk tuks to get around Ayutthaya, but one of our party was nervous about riding a bike and tuk tuks get expensive fast, so we decided to walk! And since I was detirmined to get to a certain temple at the far reaches of the town, I continued walking long after the other girls turned back. It was an adventure, as my free tourist map was fairly useless, and I had to stop to ask for directions several times. But it was good. And a nice Thai lady on a motorbike saw me tootling along sweating up a storm, and stopped to offer me a free ride to the temple! I took her up on it, and got my first motorbike ride- what a thrill! I loved it! Once I'm out of Bangkok I think this will become a more regular occurance :)

I visited 3 temples in total, and they were all very beautiful. Wat Phra Mahathat was of special interest to me because it is the location of the intriguing Buddha head that is tangled up in tree roots. Its an image I've seen a few times, and its always appealed to me, so I wanted to see it for myself.
I guess I had never seen a picture with it next to a real person, to get the scale of it. For some reason I imagined it was this massive boulder of a sculture, locked in roots the thickness of a giant's arm. I was slightly taken aback to discover that in fact, the Buddha head is about the same size as mine, if not smaller, and could easily be missed if not for the crowd of tourists snapping selfies with it.

I was a little disappointed, but then realized how ridiculous my expectations were, and snapped my photo. I like it.

Next we visited Wat Pha Si Sanphet, which was cool, but very crowded with tourists, and also caters to the Elephant-riding crowd, which made me sad and a little peeved. I get that its cool and exciting to ride an elephant, but that doesn't make it ok. Especially when you can clearly see that they are being mistreated, ie: scars and marks on their bodies from the hooks the handlers use to control them.

After that point, my friends and I parted ways for the afternoon and I carried on to Wat Chai Wattanaram, which was my favorite! It was a bit further out = less crowded, and very well preserved. While not very large, I spent a fair amount of time wandering and taking photos, cuz that's how I roll. I even took a selfie! Gasp!

Despite sunscreen usage, I burnt to a crisp.
Thanks to frequent application of Burt's Bees After Sun lotion, it turned to a tan. Hooray!

I finished the day with a quick trip to the local floating market, which I'm sure lacked authenticity, but was fun nonetheless. Again, not what I expected, but it was interesting to look around.

On Sunday, back in Bangkok, I visited the Jim Thompson House (pretty, if not really as interesting as I'd hoped), and took a Thai cooking class! We learned about some of the key ingredients while shopping at a local market, prepared each dish separately, cooked, and ate! It was fantastic and we had a lovely chef to guide us. I walked out with a small recipe book I am very excited to use!

Now, I am back to work at the Fatima Center for the rest of the week, and then I carry on to Siem Reap, Cambodia on Saturday! Wish me luck at the hectic Poiphet border crossing!

As always, more photos & anecdotes can be found on my instagram, jllkc79, or #jillgoesbackpacking.

Thailand Sightseeing Weekend #2: Temples and Tuk Tuks

I had big plans to get up early to see Wat Arun, the "Temple of the Dawn" while the sun was rising...but when the alarm went off at 5:45am, I decided that it just wasn't going to happen today, and rolled over for another hour of rest. 

I did eventually drag myself out of bed and caught a taxi to Koa San Road while there was still no traffic. Because it was still early, the infamous street was still slumbering off the hangover from the night before, which doubtless had only come to an end around the time my alarm woke me up. Sometimes I really feel like an oddity among the usual Thailand tourist crowd!

I wanted to get in as much temple sightseeing as possible, including Wat Phrakaew & the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, and a few other places further down the river if I had time and energy. 

Though the day started off looking like it might rain, it soon turned to the typical sweltering heat I am still trying to adapt to. It is difficult for this Canadian to accept that 25 degrees celcius is a cool night time temperature. 

Strolling down a main road, I stopped to read a corner street sign to figure out where I needed to make a turn, and was quickly approached by a well-dressed, friendly Thai man, whose English was much better than most. He greeted me, and asked where I was going, and did I need help? I said I was looking for the Grand Palace, and he pointed me in the right direction, and asked if I had a map so he could show me. At this point I was foolishly still thinking that he was just being helpful, and that quickly switched to a realization that he was a typical scam artist that my Lonely Planet guide book had warned me of, when he told me the temple wouldnt open until 1pm, but he could reccommend a few other places where I could spend my time until then! This is a trick where they whisk you away to various overpriced places where they pressure you to buy a lot of things and basically hold you hostage for a couple hours. 

He whipped out a pen and started marking down attractions on the other side of town that were "only free today", and "just free for students," and wasn't I lucky because right now there was a once-a-year festival, "but only today"! I thanked him and said that sounded nice but it was very far away. He quickly stepped in to say that I could take a tuk tuk, one of the colorful go-cart lke mobiles that have infested the city, charging horrendous prices to ignorant tourists. The 'Nice Man' said I should only take a government taxi because it was cheaper, "only 20 Baht for 3 hours! It will take you to all these places!". I may be cheap, but even I know when something is TOO cheap. 20 B. for 3 hours is absolutely ridiculous, and I had spent enough time with this fellow so I began to extricate myself from the situation. His friendly smile soured when I deffered on the waiting tuk tuk, and said I wanted to look around first. "But why dont you want to go now? You hear about that bomb that exploded in Bangkok? Killed many tourists! There is a political demonstration today, very dangerous for walking!" (absolute rubbish). He was quite angry when I insisted on leaving...I walked to the end of the street, crossed to the other side, and then continued on my way to the Grand Palace!

I did eventually find my way there, and surprise surprise...it was open! In fact, it was packed with tourists, mainly big chartered busloads of Chinese tourists, who are undoubtedly the most annoying kind I have ever encountered. I will try not to focus too much on just how much I disliked the swarms of self-stick toting, personal-space invading, culturally-insensitive, and obnoxious tourists, but suffice it to say that I spent a shorter time there than I would have otherwise, and left with a headache that was almost certainly crowd-induced. 

However, the temple was absolutely stunning, and I tried to get some photos that captured some of its magnificence. I tried to imagine how wonderful it must have been when it was a calm, peaceful place for meditation and reflection. 

After reviving myself with some coconut ice cream, I walked down the road to Wat Pho, which was a visit I preferred quite a lot more. While stll touristy, it was not super busy, so it was not difficult to wander and snap photos without waiting for someone to take yet another selfie. I spent quite a lot of time there, enjoying the peace, admiring the huge reclining Buddha, and trying to entice a small orange cat to pay attention to me (I am going through Lokers deprivation). 

After this, I walked a tourist gauntlet of small vendors, tuk tuk drivers, and beggars, to reach the canal of the river, upon which Wat Arun, my original choice of temple, is set opposite. I was dissapointed to find that the beautiful temple is currently under restoration, and almost entirely obscured by scaffolding! 

Disheartened by scams, tourist hordes, and the unrelenting heat, I tried to find a taxi that would bring me home. I was completely unsuccessful, as every single one I approached refused to use the meter, instead asking for 200-300 Baht for the trip, that was probably worth half that. I compromised with myself by instead catching a taxi to the nearest BTS Skytrain station, and then riding that to the stop nearest the guesthouse, and walking the rest. Sometimes I wonder if I am too cheap, but then I remind myself I have more time than money, so if it comes down to one or the other, I should keep the money! 

So that was my day! I got home exhausted, took a cold shower, and had a nap! Looking through my photos, I remind myself that even though there were annoying aspects about today, everythiing was very beautiful, and I knew Bangkok/Thailand would be like this. That is why I have planned to move on after this month :)

I allowed myself one selfie.

I am excited to go to Cambodia, but my tourist time in Thailand is not done yet! Next weekend I am hoping to head out of the city with the new volunteers to explore a Unesco World Heritage Site, and visit a floating market! I'll keep you updated!