Relaxation and Harrowing Rides

I've had the chance in the last couple weeks to see a little bit more of my "home". One would think that after all the time I've been here I would have seen more of Thailand. I am slowly chipping away at the places to see.

Chiang Rai
Two weeks ago I headed up to Chiang Rai with Stacey for my final visa run. (I've already been here 9 months - crazy!) Early Friday morning we set off for our bus. Sadly, we missed it by 3 minutes. No worries though, as 45 minutes later we were on a different one. Around one in the afternoon we arrived in the northern city of Chiang Rai Thailand. After my other visa runs to Laos and Cambodia it was nice to have a 4 hour bus ride and be done with the trip. Our goal was not actually to see much but to relax. Our goal was mostly accomplished. We stayed at a nice place called The Chat House that had clean, comfortable rooms and HOT showers! We got massages and ate delicious food. I think we hit almost every farang style restaurant in the place. While our meals at the school are good, and we are lucky because we don't have to cook (although cooking sometimes would be nice), it is still nice to have a meal that doesn't have rice in it. Friday night we went to an Italian style restaurant that even brought complimentary bread to the table. Ahhh, the things one takes for granted at home!
Saturday continued the relaxing theme and I don't believe there is anything too worth while to note. Saturday night, however, we enjoyed the Chiang Rai night Bazaar. They had a quite a few unique things for decent prices. Mostly it was just fun to walk around and look. I have a feeling I'll be back someday.

A group singing at the Night Bazaar.

Makes one wonder what happens in areas without this sign...Actually, it was outside a Buddhist temple. One of the tenets is not to kill any living thing - even animals.
Sunday afternoon I took a bus to Mae Sai so that I could cross the border into Burma. I ended up arriving rather late, so I think I was only on the Burma side for about 5 minutes before I had to come back and catch my bus. I met a student of mine and a young man staying at the school who also had to extend his time. The three of us found out there wouldn't be any more buses leaving from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai so we caught the last bus to Chiang Rai and the 4 of us stayed another night. We left bright and early the next morning to gear up for another day of school.

Doi Suthep and Huai Kaew Waterfall
Last Sunday one of my students asked if I would like to go to a popular waterfall with him and his family. I readily agreed since the day was beautiful and I thought it would be fun to play with the kids! They asked my brother too, plus another of my students and soon we had a little motorbike caravan. I didn't know where the waterfalls are located, which is probably a good thing since it was my first time riding on the motorbike with Ben. While he is perfectly trustworthy, in some ways he's still my little brother and it's just weird to put my life in his hands! Considering the twisty turns and steep inclines, it was definitely better that he was driving. There's no way I could have gotten our little motorbike up the mountain. After many exclamations of "Ben, slow down!" and numerous replies of "Erika, I have to keep the rpms up!" we arrived in one piece at the waterfalls. We took some pictures and cooled our feet in the stream.

Ben, two of my students, and their daughters.
Soon someone suggested going further up the mountain to Doi Suthep. Even though I was a little worried about my nerves I gave an enthusiastic yes. Doi Suthep is probably the most popular tourist attraction in Chiang Mai. It's a Buddhist temple situated atop a hill, with great views of Chiang Mai. It was the views that I was most interested in.

The view could have been better...but it also could have been worse. When there is burning up in the mountains you can't see the city below.

The stupa at Doi Suthep.
After an exciting and not-as-terrifying-as-I-thought-it-would-be ride to the bottom, we headed home.

Jay flying past us on the way down the mountain.

Back in Bangkok

My brother arrived in Thailand 3 weeks ago today - and here I am finally sharing details! First off, it was great to see him! It had been about 8 months since I had seen anyone from home. That's a long time!

I picked Ben up at the airport and couldn't wait to get him back to school to meet my students. First he got to experience a sawng-tao (basically a pick-up with a cover and two benches), which was funny because he is so tall and his knees took up all the space in front of him. And of course, the sawng-taos were more crowded this time than usual. The good thing is that one can just ride standing up on the back. It gave him a chance to stretch out those long legs.

We got to school and I introduced Ben to the students that were here. About half of them were still at home for the vacation, but I think easing in to all the new names is helpful anyway! Of course, the main comment was "He's so tall!".

Ben didn't get much time to settle in because that night we were headed to Bangkok. It was my first time on a train here, and for my part, I will stick to buses. They're cheaper and you seem to get about the same amount of leg room - plus they're about 3 hours faster. (There is an argument for the train if you get a sleeper!)

Upon our arrival we hiked to my friend Ian's place. I still am not cured of my inability to tell distance on a map. I showed Ben how close Ian's apartment was. "Look, just over the tracks and the main road and we're there!" Well, not quite. The "getting" over the tracks part took a bit of a detour. However, half an hour later we arrived at the apartment without further trouble.

That Friday began with quick R&R (if it can be said there is such a thing) and then a trip to the local coffee shop. I'm willing to admit I may be going to the wrong places, but every time I try to get a cup of coffee in this country I am not very satisfied. Generally the quantity is minuscule (by my Americanized standards) and, worse, its lukewarm. I don't care if it's in the hottest of hot season (which, by the way, now is not), I want my coffee hot! Therefore, I will unabashedly admit that I went to Starbucks twice over my three day weekend. It was well worth it.

After getting some fake energy we headed to the area of the Grand Palace. I had already been here, but tagged along with Ben. We were admitted to see the Emerald Buddha but not the Grand Palace. The week prior to Ben's arrival the King's older sister passed away. This calls for a period of mourning and she was laid out in the Grand Palace. I had learned that when someone dies, especially a member of the royal family, the people wear black or white (generally black). This information came in handy when we were stopped by a reporter and cameraman from Channel 5 (the English language channel in Bangkok I believe). The reporter asked why so many people were wearing black and also asked me my opinion on the devotion to the king. I actually had answers for both questions. She looked surprised at this. I couldn't help but feel that I had done a little towards changing opinion that Americans know zilch about other parts of the world. Of course, that was partly undone because as I answered this question I wasn't wearing black (hey! I didn't know when we were supposed to wear it!), but coincidentally Ben was.


The Giant Swing

This used to be part of a religious ceremony held every year in front of Wat Suthat. Somehow it involved swinging about 82 ft off the ground to try grab a bag of coins. This was banned in 1932 because of all the fatalities.

After seeing the Emerald Buddha we headed next door to see the Reclining Buddha. (I'm foregoing the actual names of these Wats because I already included them in one of my first posts - and it is rare that I am able to remember Thai words.) I read a book while Ben went in.

After that we went to see Wat Arun. This Wat is across the river and has amazing views from the top. I had not been to this one before. It is covered in mosaics and is very pretty up close. We climbed up as high as we could and I got a little feeling of vertigo - the stairs were so steep! It was like being at Angkor Wat (in Cambodia) again.


The sibs half way up Wat Arun.

Friday night we were able to meet up with a friend of Ben's for a nice Thai meal and then amazing views from the top of the Banyan Tree hotel. That hotel was amazing. I would almost say it's worth the price of the rooms!

The rest of our weekend consisted of seeing Lumphini Park, going to one of the Night Bazaars, hitting up the ritzy shopping area (but no buying!), and general meandering. On our way back to Chiang Mai we got a sleeper car. While I have to say the seats were spacious, and the beds were clean and comfortable, I will take the bus from now on. For those willing to pay, however, this is a pretty good option.


Messing around - I got to be the annoying sister in the top bunk.

Not all fun and games...but pretty close

My "vacation" will soon be coming to a close - but not before I get a few days in Bangkok with my brother! Ben will be arriving tomorrow morning and I can't wait to show someone around. It will be especially fun for me because we (the students and I) have been very busy the past couple weeks getting our school in order. There were so many piles everywhere and so much organizing that needed to be done. I also wanted to get a little landscaping in. Amazingly, almost everything on my list was completed. I have reason to believe that in my absence the rest will get done as well. I will admit, now, to being lazy. I don't really feel like writing a good, long post. I also don't think I possess the talent to make two weeks of work here sound interesting to the masses. However, pictures are quick and easy so I will pass those along!

Beka and Hkawn Din weeding and pulling brush from the plants.
I didn't spearhead this project (like I know anything about building a duck house!), but I still went to the farm to cheer them on!
Malat
Beka and Jay
Once Malat, Beka, and Jay were finished we had new dirt and the foundation for our new ground cover. Instead of grass we planted a small, viney, green plant that will get yellow flowers. It's easier to care for and the roots don't need to go too deep - it just creeps along the surface.
I am posting this picture merely to give an example of how stunning some of the flowers are at this time of year!
Now, lest you think all we did was work, I must add that we watched several good movies, had homemade caramel popcorn (not as hard as I thought!), had a pizza night, and today went to the zoo!
I thought today's outing would be fun just because it is a change of pace, and hanging out with the students is always a good time. I didn't expect to see anything new. I was wrong. There were several animals there that I had never seen before. Unfortunately, all the information about them was in Thai. No matter. Looking was still fun!


I've also never seen these...
...purple bananas!
Our delicious and messy Thai style lunch - sticky rice, som tam, gai yang, smoked fish - oh yes, and of course, Pepsi and Coke.
The crew not wanting to incur jealousy of their fabulous smiles...

I must say, this break was one of the best vacations I've ever had - lots of fun and lots accomplished too. Stay tuned for the next Bangkok installment! We get to take the train!