THE ROAD FROM PAI TO CHAING MAI...
OUR ELEPHANT ADVENTURE WAS SHORT AND SWEET. WE BOOKED A PRIVATE ELEPHANT TOUR FOR THE FOUR OF US BUT IT WAS CUT SHORT, I WILL EXPLAIN A LITTLE LATER. HOW DO YOU RIDE AN ELEPHANT? WELL, MATTHEW GOT UP THE THAI WAY VIA THE ELEPHANT'S TRUNK, LANDING BACKWARDS ON THE BACK OF THE ELEPHANT, THEN TURNING AROUND TO FACE FORWARD. JENNY AND I CLIMBED THE STAIRS TO A PLATFORM THAT WAS HIGHER THAN THE ELEPHANT AND DID OUR BEST TO GRACEFULLY REMOVE OURSELVES FROM THE PLATFORM TO THE ELEPHANTS BACK. FIRST YOU SIT ON IT'S NECK, BRING YOUR LEGS UP AS FAR AS POSSIBLE. THE ELEPHANT PULLS IT'S EARS BACK AND TUCKS YOU IN. YOU LEAN FORWARD, PUT BOTH HANDS ON TOP OF ITS HEAD AND AWAY YOU GO! THE SCENERY WAS BASIC UNTIL WE REACHED THE MORE PLUSH PART OF THE JUNGLE BEGINNING. BUT, AT THAT POINT, JENNY'S PANIC TOOK OVER AND WE DECIDED TO TURN AROUND. NOW, YOU HAVE TO KNOW THAT I THINK MY SISTER IS FEARLESS, BUT APPARENTLY THAT IS UNTRUE WHEN IT COMES TO RIDING ELEPHANTS. SOME THINGS YOU JUST HAVE TO FIND OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF DOING IT. IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO AS WE WERE ALREADY FEELING THE EFFECTS OF BOW LEGGEDNESS. BUT A GREAT ADVENTURE NONE THE LESS. WE TOOK SOME FANTASTIC PICTURES AND HAVE A NEW FOUND RESPECT FOR THESE CREATURES.
LATER THAT DAY WE TOOK THE BUS FROM PAI TO CHAINGMAI. THIS IS A THREE HOUR TRIP UP THE MOUNTAIN, OER THE MOUNTAIN, DOWN THE MOUNTAIN WITH SWITCHBACKS AND NO AIR CONDITIONING ON THE UPHILL SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE BUS CANNOT MAKE THE SWITCHBACKS OR EXCELL WITH THE AIR ON. BUT, BEFORE WE LEFT PAI, WE HAD THE MINI BUS PICK US UP AT PAI MOUNTAIN LODGE SO THAT WE COULD SELFISHLY GET THE GOOD SEATS. IT HELPS TO KNOW SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THESE IMPORTANT DETAILS, OTHERWISE WE WOULD HAVE BEEN SITTING IN THE BACK WHERE IT WAS REALLY REALLY HOT AND SWEATING. AFTER PICKING US UP, THE MINI BUS WENT TO THE REGULAR BUS STATION WHERE THE OTHER TRAVELERS WERE WAITING AND GIVING US THE EVIL EYE BECAUSE WE HAD ALREADY ESTABLISHED OUR SEATS. A YOUNG FRENCH MAN INSISTED I GIVE UP MY SEAT TO HIM BECAUSE HE WAS FEELING THE EFFECTS OF A HANGOVER OR MAYBE FOOD POISONING. I CHEERFULLY TOLD HIM NO THANK YOU, I PLANNED AHEAD, HE DIDNT, I EAT CLEAN FOOD, HE DIDNT, I HAD A SEAT...HE DIDN'T. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT, HE CALLED ME AN ARROGANT AMERICAN, OR WAS THAT JENNY HE WAS TALkING TO??? I KNOW HOW HATEFUL THAT MAKES ME SOUND, BUT I WAS JUST AS HOT, SWEATY, UNCOMFORTABLE AS HE WAS. I THINK HE CHOSE ME BECAUSE I AM A WOMAN AND HE DID NOT WANT TO CONFRONT THE MEN TO GIVE UP THEIR SEATS. IN THE END MATTHEW WAS DIPLOMATIC ENOUGH TO OFFER HIM THE WINDOW SEAT FOR HALF THE RIDE WITH THEM SWITCHING AT THE SUMMIT STOP FOR SNACKS AND POTTY. JUST TO REDEEM MYSELF, NO ONE ON THE MINI BUS BOUGHT HIS STORY OR FELT COMPASSION FOR HIM SO IT WASN'T JUST ME BEING MEAN/AMERICAN.
I LOVE STAYING AT SRI PAT, IT IS VERY CLEAN, VERY FAMILY ORIENTED, THEY THINK AHEAD AND HANDLE LITTLE DETAILS UNEXPECTEDLY. I WOULD RECOMMEND IT HIGHLY IF IN CHAING MAI. AFTER OUR BUS TRIP, IT WAS NICE TO RETURN HERE. WE WENT RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET AFTER OUR TRIP OVER THE HILL FOR FRESH SUSHI AND PIGGED OUT.
I'M SURE IT'S KHARMIC RETRUBUTION, BUT THE FOLLOWING DAY I GOT SICK, NOT ON SUSHI, NOT FOOD POISONING, NOT BIRD FLU BUT JUST THE OLD FASHIONED FLU. MAYBE THE FRENCHMAN GAVE ME MORE THAN HIS KIND REGARDS??? THANKS TO MY SISTER, I RECEIVED ANTIBIOTICS AND IMMODIUM AND AM FEELING SLIGHTLY BETTER AFTER TWO DAYS OF NO FOOD, ONLY WATER.
JENNY, RON AND I WENT TO HONG DONG THE OTHER DAY TO SHOP FOR CERAMICS AND WOOD CARVINGS. IT WAS A HOT MISERABLE TRIP. IT COST 200 BAHT TO GET A RED BUS DOWN THERE BUT ONL.Y 12 BAHT EACH TO RETURN, WIERD BUT TRUE. WE ALSO WENT TO MAC OR MACRO WHICH IS LIKE COSTCO THAILAND OR WAL-MART THAILAND. IF A PERSON NEEDED AN AMERICAN FIX AFTER TRAVELING, THIS IS THE PLACE TO GO, I THOUGHT I WAS BACK HOME ALREADY!! WE SAW THE MOST FANTASTIC CAR, A MERCEDES ABOUT THE SIZE OF A PEANUT, THAT RUNS ON ALCOHOL. IT IS ONLY USE FOR COMUTER TRANSPORTATION, NO HILL DRIVING.
TOMORROW NIGHT MATTHEW AND I TAKE THE OVERNIGHT TRAIN TO BANGKOK. WE ARRIVE IN BANGKOK AT 6 AM THEN WILL TAKE ANOTHER LITTLE TRIP FOR ABOUT AN HOUR TO THE TEMPLE CALLED AUYATHAYA. AFTER THAT I THINK WE WILL JUST RELAX AND PACK UP FOR OUR TRIP HOME ON THE 21ST.
SEE YOU ALL SOON! love susie
LATER THAT DAY WE TOOK THE BUS FROM PAI TO CHAINGMAI. THIS IS A THREE HOUR TRIP UP THE MOUNTAIN, OER THE MOUNTAIN, DOWN THE MOUNTAIN WITH SWITCHBACKS AND NO AIR CONDITIONING ON THE UPHILL SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE BUS CANNOT MAKE THE SWITCHBACKS OR EXCELL WITH THE AIR ON. BUT, BEFORE WE LEFT PAI, WE HAD THE MINI BUS PICK US UP AT PAI MOUNTAIN LODGE SO THAT WE COULD SELFISHLY GET THE GOOD SEATS. IT HELPS TO KNOW SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THESE IMPORTANT DETAILS, OTHERWISE WE WOULD HAVE BEEN SITTING IN THE BACK WHERE IT WAS REALLY REALLY HOT AND SWEATING. AFTER PICKING US UP, THE MINI BUS WENT TO THE REGULAR BUS STATION WHERE THE OTHER TRAVELERS WERE WAITING AND GIVING US THE EVIL EYE BECAUSE WE HAD ALREADY ESTABLISHED OUR SEATS. A YOUNG FRENCH MAN INSISTED I GIVE UP MY SEAT TO HIM BECAUSE HE WAS FEELING THE EFFECTS OF A HANGOVER OR MAYBE FOOD POISONING. I CHEERFULLY TOLD HIM NO THANK YOU, I PLANNED AHEAD, HE DIDNT, I EAT CLEAN FOOD, HE DIDNT, I HAD A SEAT...HE DIDN'T. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT, HE CALLED ME AN ARROGANT AMERICAN, OR WAS THAT JENNY HE WAS TALkING TO??? I KNOW HOW HATEFUL THAT MAKES ME SOUND, BUT I WAS JUST AS HOT, SWEATY, UNCOMFORTABLE AS HE WAS. I THINK HE CHOSE ME BECAUSE I AM A WOMAN AND HE DID NOT WANT TO CONFRONT THE MEN TO GIVE UP THEIR SEATS. IN THE END MATTHEW WAS DIPLOMATIC ENOUGH TO OFFER HIM THE WINDOW SEAT FOR HALF THE RIDE WITH THEM SWITCHING AT THE SUMMIT STOP FOR SNACKS AND POTTY. JUST TO REDEEM MYSELF, NO ONE ON THE MINI BUS BOUGHT HIS STORY OR FELT COMPASSION FOR HIM SO IT WASN'T JUST ME BEING MEAN/AMERICAN.
I LOVE STAYING AT SRI PAT, IT IS VERY CLEAN, VERY FAMILY ORIENTED, THEY THINK AHEAD AND HANDLE LITTLE DETAILS UNEXPECTEDLY. I WOULD RECOMMEND IT HIGHLY IF IN CHAING MAI. AFTER OUR BUS TRIP, IT WAS NICE TO RETURN HERE. WE WENT RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET AFTER OUR TRIP OVER THE HILL FOR FRESH SUSHI AND PIGGED OUT.
I'M SURE IT'S KHARMIC RETRUBUTION, BUT THE FOLLOWING DAY I GOT SICK, NOT ON SUSHI, NOT FOOD POISONING, NOT BIRD FLU BUT JUST THE OLD FASHIONED FLU. MAYBE THE FRENCHMAN GAVE ME MORE THAN HIS KIND REGARDS??? THANKS TO MY SISTER, I RECEIVED ANTIBIOTICS AND IMMODIUM AND AM FEELING SLIGHTLY BETTER AFTER TWO DAYS OF NO FOOD, ONLY WATER.
JENNY, RON AND I WENT TO HONG DONG THE OTHER DAY TO SHOP FOR CERAMICS AND WOOD CARVINGS. IT WAS A HOT MISERABLE TRIP. IT COST 200 BAHT TO GET A RED BUS DOWN THERE BUT ONL.Y 12 BAHT EACH TO RETURN, WIERD BUT TRUE. WE ALSO WENT TO MAC OR MACRO WHICH IS LIKE COSTCO THAILAND OR WAL-MART THAILAND. IF A PERSON NEEDED AN AMERICAN FIX AFTER TRAVELING, THIS IS THE PLACE TO GO, I THOUGHT I WAS BACK HOME ALREADY!! WE SAW THE MOST FANTASTIC CAR, A MERCEDES ABOUT THE SIZE OF A PEANUT, THAT RUNS ON ALCOHOL. IT IS ONLY USE FOR COMUTER TRANSPORTATION, NO HILL DRIVING.
TOMORROW NIGHT MATTHEW AND I TAKE THE OVERNIGHT TRAIN TO BANGKOK. WE ARRIVE IN BANGKOK AT 6 AM THEN WILL TAKE ANOTHER LITTLE TRIP FOR ABOUT AN HOUR TO THE TEMPLE CALLED AUYATHAYA. AFTER THAT I THINK WE WILL JUST RELAX AND PACK UP FOR OUR TRIP HOME ON THE 21ST.
SEE YOU ALL SOON! love susie
posted by Matthew DeWitt at 2:05 AM
2 Comments:
Ohh, I guess our stories are not as interesting ehh? Everyone suddenly got busy ??
=)
Whoa, sorry about his finger!
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