3.30.2006

Koh Chang Paradise



Helloooo from Koh Chang. We're still here and considering a permanent stay! Just Kidding, but this place really is fantastic.

After a pretty slow day yesterday on the beach we decided to see the island a bit and rented a motorbike. We went down to Lonely beach to check out some different bungalows that we may or may not move to for the second half of our stay here.

Then we went elephant riding! My elephants name was Sonchai and Jason's was Churpy (he doesn't really remember for sure). They were massive but very gentle and friendly. Elephants live to 90 years old! Ours were only 20 and 42. We rode for 40 minutes and then fed them some bananas. Each elephant has a specific rider that always rides them from early on....the whole outfit had 10 elephants.





After that we rode to a waterfall nearby. Luckily, there were some Germans and Austrians that were also headed in that direction so we followed there lead through the jungle on foot and came to swimming hole. The waterfall was not very big as it is not the rainy season here, but we were still able to swim. Some of the people got naked....we Americans are pretty modest I guess and left our clothes on!


We spent some time on the beach and watched the sunset. We're still contemplating where to go tomorrow as our hotel arrangements end at noon....I suppose we'll discuss over dinner at a German/Thai place called Hattie's that overlooks the gulf. Time is slowing down for us here and we're not too concerned!

3.28.2006

Lots of Travel and the Beach!


We've arrived in Ko Chang and not without a bit of effort. We left Chiang Mai on Monday morning for a full day of travel. We took a taxi, airplane, taxi, bus, taxi, and boat to get here. When we finally got in around 8PM, a huge rainstorm soaked us in the open-air taxi we were riding in. I quickly agreed to take a little bungalow of the main road at a place called Tonsai while Jason watched our bags at the reception desk. This was possibly the biggest mistake of the trip. The bungalow was covered with mosquitos that were smart enough to navigate the giant mosquito net and attack us in our sleep. It was not a very restful night!

We were able to catch a nice dinner on the beach with a horrible band playing in the background, it was funny. We noticed right away that Ko Chang is a bit more expensive than everywhere else we've been in Thailand....lots of tourism has aparently sent the prices skyrocketing.

After finding a place for $25/night (with private bath & air=con) at Alina Resort we spent the day on the beach, it's beautiful! We bought a couple Beer Changs just in time for the sunset over the Gulf of Thailand.


We had pizza at a restaurant in town. There are a lot of Italian restaurants here, it's strange. The cheese is not very good and a little expensive so we'll probably stick to Thai food from now on.

We're hoping to explore the island more today and take lots of pictures. We're hoping everything is going well back home....we're beginning to feel out of touch.

Chiang Mai Shopoholics



Our four hour bus ride back to Chiang Mai was uneventful. We found a new hotel right next to the Sunday Market where we would do most of our shopping.

First, we headed to the government shop for our second fitting of Jason's suit and my coat. The suit fit perfectly and Jason looked great! My coat needed a few minor adjustments, so we left the shop and promised to pick it up later in the night.

We caught a late lunch at Aroon Cafe where I had the best Pad Thai I've ever eaten! Jason had a yummy chicken curry...we bought a couple of packets to try our hand at curry at home.

Then the shopping began. We bought pants, shirts, hats, plates, vases, jewelry, and wooden knick-knacks. It was lots of fun to walk through the markets and hard work to get those Thais to come down in price. Jason was definitely better at bargaining than I was....I felt kind of bad trying to get a $4 t-shirt for less. At one point, I was bargaining with a girl that couldn't have been older than 8 (seriously!) for a pair of earrings. Eventualy, I got them for $2.

In total, we spent less than $100 for 25 pounds of stuff. We know it's 25 pounds because we tried to ship it from the airport in Bangkok and it would have cost $175 to ship. We decided against this...and instead are opting to carry with us.

We ate on the street that night for so cheap! It was delicious. My only complaint about eating from ther street vendors is that there are a lot of mangy dogs in the streets that sit by you while you're eating.

The next morning we got up early to leave for our 8AM flight to Bangkok. It took us awhile to hail a tuk-tuk (a motorcycle carriage), but finally we caught one. We were so excited for the beach!

3.25.2006

Pai Days 2 & 3



Another gorgeous day in Pai has passed, let's catch up. Yesterday we drove
out to a waterfall and went swimming, it was nice and cold, a great break from
the heat. Lots of neighborhood kids play there becasuse you can slide down the
mossy rocks into pools of water. Unfortunately, I wiped out and scraped my elbow and Lauren jumped on a rock and hurt her foot! But nothing serious, we trekked on!

After sunbathing for a bit we headed up to a Buddhist temple on a
hill overlooking the entire town of Pai. It was very peaceful and quiet, with
great views. We mailed some postcards and did some window shopping, I bought a really comfy hammock. Its very colorful too, and it takes the tribal woman 4 days to make by hand!


We met our English friend Anna for dinner (she took the bus with us here), and ate some very unique garlic bread and bruschetta before dinner. After that we stopped by Ting Tong for a drink and politics. Then we heard about a party under a bridge outside of town, very near our hut. We only had one motorbike but somehow managed to make it there without getting lost! It was dark for a while, but then we came upon a big camp fire and tons of hippies dancing in the woods! There was a Britsih cover band playing, and artwork all around. It was the strangest thing you could imagine, but lots of fun!

Today, we awoke to another homecooked breakfast at the hut, Meusli
and a Thai omelet. Then I attempted to find a waterfall, but couldnt find the
turn, so we gave up and went to the pool! The only swimming pool in Pai, it was very refreshing, and they played nothing but classic rock, my favorite!


Then we got Thai massage for 6$ each, the best six have spent so far!
And that was for an hour and a half. Full body!



We are now very relaxed and just ate some ice cream with our French friend Dominick. Tomorrow, back on the bus to Chaing Mai, a second fitting,and the Sunday market. Maybe some presents are in store for you....

3.24.2006

Pai (pronounced "bye") Day 1

We took a minivan with seven other passengers to Pai on Thursday morning - two Americans, an Aussie, a Brit, a Japanese couple and an American/Thai couple with a little boy. It was a long and winding road.

Upon arrival, we hiked with our bags to Sun Hut, a bamboo hut village just over the bridge outside of town. It was about 1 mile, but it felt like forever. I'm glad we made it, as our little hut Pluto was the last one available, for 550 baht ($14). It's awesome!

We rented motorbikes and have been exploring Pai ever since. We went to some hot springs and mingled with the townfolk. There's a lot of hippies in Pai, so we've feel like we've stumbled upon a traveller's secret!


I ordered a fish for dinner and got the whole thing...Jason put a napkin on it's head so we didn't have to look at it. Then we got ice cream at the only ice cream place in town, owned by a Frenchman. He gave us a lesson in business - silence (listening) is the key to successful sales.


It got very cold at night (probably around 50 degrees). Day 2 in Pai coming soon!

3.23.2006

Chiang Mai, Boogie Down

Chiang Mai, once known as Vieng Ping, is a must see in Thailand! Much more laid back than Bangkok (not so many people in your face asking you to buy things). With the exception of the tuk tuk drivers who never give up asking you for rides.


Supposedly there was a boy to Monk ceremony going on while we were in town, but we missed it! Nonetheless, we had a great time there. We scurried through the night bazaar, but didn't buy anything yet. We heard from a couple very friendly locals that the clothes and materials sold there will fall apart before we get back to the US, and that the Sunday market is much better quality, so we will be back through there then on our way down to the beach, boyyeee.


We did get the insider on the government factories that have cheap labor and tailoring so the costs of nice suits here are the best in all of Asia. So I picked one up, got fitted and everything. A nice cashmere/wool blend. We even got a demonstration on quality checking, if you burn cheap fabric it smells like paper, while the quality stuff smells like hair. This prompted Lauren to get a nice camel colored wool jacket herself, its gonna be a big weather change from here to Chicago. I hear they are even cancelling softball games there it is so cold haha!

After the fitting we were hungry, and stopped at a third floor bar that overlooked the city of Chaing Mai. It was called THC and was covered with mats and bamboo, no chairs!


The next adventure: Pai in the morning, a four hour bus ride through the mountains...

Bangkok in less than 24 hours

Hello Family and Friends! Thanks for checking our blog postings, as this is a much easier way to keep you all updated on our travels.

We arrived in Bangkok around 4:30PM on Tuesday 3/21. By staying up all Sunday night and sleeping the first 8 hours of the 17 hour (NYC to BGK) flight, we were able to avoid jet lag completely, it was amazing!


Amid general confusion when we first stepped outside, we managed to catch a taxi to an area of the city called Banglamphu. This area is known for its cheap accomodations and eateries. There was so much to see and do, especially one street called Khao San. The first hotel we saw (our guide recommended we ask to see the rooms first) was a dump! I was really grossed out, so we walked across the street to Khaosan Palace and got a room with a prvate bath and air conditioning for 700 baht ($9). Much better!

We ate our first Thai meal at Silk Bar and, surprise surprise, it was better than our favorite little "Thai Tanic" in DC (and less than $10 for dinner and 4 drinks). I got a bag of fresh pineapple for dessert from a street vendor.



Although there were lots of street kiosks selling clothes, jewelery, and knick-knacks (Gee-gaws as my family would say!), we didn't buy anything because we knew we could get it cheaper in Chaing Mai, our next stop.

The next morning we walked along one of the big boulevards with our backbacks in 95 degree heat! Unfortunately, two women in a park pretty much forced us to take seeds to feed the birds and then promptly demanded money. We gave them 20 baht and shrugged our shoulders and walked away quickly.

We saw Wat Pho (temples) and the Reclining Buddha - a massive gold buddha structure inside a temple. It was cool!



We caught a cab to the airport with only a bit of trouble....we said the International Airport and our driver brought us to the International terminal. After a few laughs and a lot of "Kor Toht" (sorry!) we were on our way. Next up, Chang Mai in the Northern Province.

3.18.2006

So Many Things To Do!

I had a nice birthday, thanks to all the calls from my wonderful family and friends! It's over not a moment too soon, because Jason and I have so much to do before we leave on Monday morning:
Oil change
Post Office
Sports Authority
CVS
Nordstrom
Bank
Laundry
Border's

Plus I've caught Jason's cold now! Must....Get.....Sleep.....

3.17.2006

Blogger Time!

Palabra a tu madre, Im an official blogger now, internet beware!

And more importantly, an extra special super duper happy 24th birthday to Lauren Elizabeth!!!

3.16.2006

Getting Ready for the Big Trip

I've set up this blog to help Jason and I document our big trip to Thailand, Korea and Japan. I want to be able to write about our vacation so friends and family can follow along. Hopefully, we can figure out how to post pictures too!