Pai-radise

A view of Pai-radise

Our smart bungalow!

A happy fish in the water

This morning we boarded a mini-bus heading north-west of Chiang Mai for the sleepy mountain valley town of Pai. Fellow travellers had told us how relaxed and beautiful this little slice of heaven was, but I had to see it with my own eyes to believe it. Pai is a town whose city-planning fits comfortably within four main streets. It sits in a valley surrounded by jungle-topped mountains and etched by snaking rivers and streams. Modest bamboo bungalows dot the riverside and hillside where backpackers converge to kick-back and soak in the beauty of the surrounding scenery.

Zach and I settled ourselved into a little place called "Pairadise", which has proven to live up to its name. For 500baht/night ( $15cdn) we have our own private cottage-style bungalow complete with a hammock on our front-veranda. It overlooks the man-made swimming lake where on occasion a fish jumps out to say hello. We are here for 2 nights before making our way to the Laos/Thailand border where an adventure with the Gibbon Experience awaits us. Here is a more detailed description of what we will be doing. Now if only the weather can hold!

The Communist Blockade

So there has been a change in plans for the future stages of out trip. Over the past few months the Chinese government has grown increasingly paranoid about visitors coming to their country and as a result has essentially stopped issuing traveller's visas. We had 1 month planned to visit China, but with little hope of being issued a visa our plans have changed to spend that time in Singapore and Malaysia instead. With the recent wave of earthquakes and natural disasters that have tragically devasted the south in combination with fears of hippy-type travellers causing a raucous in demonstrations at the olympics, visas are being granted to only a select few. We would need travel documentation for our entire month, including receipts for accommodation. Even Olympic ticket holders are not guaranteed visas! Check out the media coverage on this issue here at the International Herald Tribune.

From Bangkok To Chiang Mai

Cooking class in Chiang Mai

Ernest the elephant after our trek

I want this baby monkey!

Aruna in our bamboo lodging

Hot springs

Last Saturday Zach and I were joined in Bangkok by our very good friend from Ottawa, Aruna, who is in transit to India for 2 months travel. We spent Sunday afternoon touring the Royal Palace before catching a night train to Chiang Mai in the north. We had a celebration on the train in honour of Aruna's arrival. We hadn't seen her for over 6 months! In Chiang Mai we set off for an adventurous two day trek into the jungle of one of Thailand's national parks called Ob Luang. The trek took us to waterfalls, hot springs, local villages, elephants, and bamboo rafting. After only 10 minutes hiking in the national park the group encountered its first taste of Thai wildlife- a vibrant green snake, as the locals call it, or a venemous viper as we know it. I nearly died of fright ( for those of you who know my phobia of snakes this doesn't come as a surprise!). But I carried on for the remainding 5 hours of the hike. I'm glad I did, or I might have missed meeting one of the cutest little monkeys I have ever seen. The first village we stopped in for a water break had a resident 2 month old baby monkey who had been rescued after his mom was killed in a dog fight. This little guy was enough to break even the toughest of hearts and was incredibly human like. We were allowed to hold him, which has been one of the highlights of my trip so far. I didn't want to let him go!! But the trek continued, and we had more adventure ahead of us. Our lodging for the night was a bamboo house on stilts in another village in the park. We were so exhausted after our trek, alot of which was uphill or walking precariously down muddy paths in the rain, that we zonked out almost immediately after supper. The next morning we awoke to elephants drinking water from the river that were suited up to take us for a 1.5 hour trek. Zach volunteered to ride on top of our elephant's head bareback for the trip- a decision he soon vocally regretted. Aruna bravely traded places with him and proved that she is the true elephant whisperer. Ernest, our elephant, was a little grumpy, but he brought us to our next destination in one piece and with lots of laughs. The day ended with a 2 hour trip down the river on a bamboo raft crafted together by our guides. It was a welcome break from the hiking we did the day before. So much fun!

Our last day with Aruna was spent learning the secrets behind some of Thailands tastiest dishes in a day-long cooking class. We began our morning with a trip to the local market before continuing to the open air kitchen where we made curries, soups, salads and deserts. I can't wait to put my new skill-sets to the test in Ottawa!

Still Alive in Asia!

To those of you wondering if I'm still in Asia, the answer is yes! Since my last postings I have put a few more notches in my travel belt. From Saigon we made our way through the Mekong Delta into Cambodia, from Cambodia into Thailand, and here I am in Bangkok. For now my time is limited but I've managed to upload some pictures. Stay tuned for some meaty blog postings. I'll be taking advantage of the internet access here!

Bangkok- Tourist Ghetto!

Deserted resort in Mui Ne- Zach reading!

Mekong Delta- Making rice paper
Mekong Delta- Floating Market
Gate to Angkor Thom--Amazing!

Children of the Dunes in Mui Ne