Gypsies and Monks

So I have to let you in on a little secret- I am home!

Home in the US! 

Home in Iowa! 

Home and living with my Mom and Dad! (Never thought I would say that again) 

Crazy? Surreal? Bittersweet? Exciting? Scary? YES all of the above! More on all of that to come! Until then I will continue with my stories from SE Asia!   

Perhaps the smallest banana on Earth? 

Friday morning we said farewell to our beloved Wendy House accommodations and had a go with the Sky Train. (Sort of similar to the L in Chicago-The best of BKK's public transportation in my opinion.) Taking this mode of transportation was probably a bit risky, seeing as we had a plane to catch and this was our first time making the connection to the airport. We crossed our fingers that we had the timing figured out and away we went!

High fives for us! We made our way through the new and very clean BKK airport and hopped on a plane to Chiang Mai (north Thailand). We were ready to leave the smells and crowds of Bangkok and had high hopes for Chiang Mai.

A busy day in Chiang Mai!

We were in luck! Chang Mai had our hearts as soon as we stepped out of the airport. We were immediately greeted by a very friendly cab driver willing to take us into town for 120 baht each ($2ea). For all we knew the town was less than a mile away, but at this point we didn't care; we were just excited about a nice driver with a clean car! Not to mention excited about a new town to embark on with air that wasn't so full of pollution!  

We made friends with cabbie Anek almost instantly. He informed us that our chosen accommodation wasn't great and graciously drove us to two others, at no extra charge, before we were content.  I should add that normally when a driver would tell us this -it was because he was getting paid by another hotel to bring us there instead. There was something about Anek, though, that made him seem more trustworthy than most.  He became our personal driver for the extent of our stay in Chiang Mai! 

We called Rux Thai, aka Little House, home for 275 baht a night. Translation: $8 a night for our own room, bathroom, TV, air-con and a fridge. Not bad, not bad! 

Well not bad that is until we found ants all over the room and our beds...the joys of traveling! A quick change of sheets and a fresh coat of bug spray and our room was as good as new...ish!

As usual, day one in this new location meant a day of exploration. We were pleasantly surprised when we came across the clean, well... cleaner, city square surrounded by a moat. Unlike the murky waters of Bangkok, the water was flowing freely and sans debris! We strolled through a busy food market, and walked down small culture-filled streets. We managed to come across the most delightful meal I had eaten in Thailand yet! A banana smoothie quenched my thirst while I attempted to ignore the extreme heat, sun and humidity. Spring rolls followed the smoothie. The fresh ingredients were laid out in front of us and we filled the rice paper wraps to our liking.

Satisfied and stomachs full, we attempted to walk off lunch while taking in the sites of an ancient temple (the original reason for the moat). The grounds were surrounded by a school for Monks, and before long we were sitting at a picnic table with an orange clad young man.  We attempted to educate ourselves about the Monk and his religion (Buddhism) through his broken English. He explained that he was 23, and had been working his way through Monk-hood since he was 8. It was a choice he had made on his own, he assured us. He couldn't say if he would be a Monk forever, but said it was remain his tittle for at least the next two years until he was finished with school. When we asked him for a brief description about what it means to be Buddhist, well...he couldn't exactly tell us. Is it wrong that I found this funny? We said Kap-pun-ka (Thai for thank you) and parted ways with the Monk... still unsure of base this religion sits on.

Coincidentally Lisa and I both heard a beer calling our names, so we decided to give our tired feet a break and enjoy a cold one. These thought provoking sodas always seem to bring about some entertaining conversations. Tonight's convo started with a discussion about what our weddings would look like if we were to get married tomorrow. Long story short- mine small, hers big, both in beautiful destination locations. Next thing you know, after commenting on a woman's purse, there were three of us at the table. The woman appreciated the comment so much she decided to join us for a beer! Her blonde curly hair was everywhere and I quickly determined she was a cat lady. She caught me by surprise though when she said she was a fortune teller too! From Monks to Gypsies...all in one day! Fascinating.

We picked her brain about the profession and throughly enjoyed the surprise entertainment. After a couple more beers with our new friend we went back to the guest house for a quick nap. We had intentions of heading to the night market, but our nap turned into a good night's sleep! Exactly what we needed before another exciting day in Chiang Mai! 

A sneak peak into what happens on day two! 

All Thai'd Up!

Guess who's back?!

I can't believe it either! I've missed my blogging time! So- I realize in my last entry I left you in Melbourne in the airport on my way to New Zealand, but seeing as it has been over a month since I was there I figured you could wait a little longer for my NZ stories. I want to tell you all about where I have been for the last month while it is fresh on my mind. Trust me I won't forget about NZ -I am just saving the best for last!

SURPRISE! I'm in Thailand! Yeah, that's right...Thailand, SE Asia! A place I had briefly thought about visiting, but struggled with whether it was worth giving up more time in Australia for. Great Barrier Reef- Thailand- Great Barrier Reef- Thailand...SUCH a tough decision. BUT alas, all the unknowns of SE Asia captured my interest and here I am, sipping juice out of a young coconut and taking in the smells of fish sauce.

Previous Thailand travelers had mentioned how cheap everything would be here, and I have to admit that looking at my bank account and hearing this news certainly played a role in my decision to discover this side of the world. They weren't kidding either! I, a deal seeking, budget stricken, almost broke backpacker, am living like a queen...sort of!

The adventure begins...

With less than 10 kilograms (22lbs) of a month's worth of belongings in my backpack (more than 10 kilos meant paying a lot more money for my budget flight), we made our way through customs and then out to hail a taxi. Turns out we would be the ones getting hailed. The abundance of taxi drivers all stood outside their cars waving at us "Taxi Ladies? Taxi Ladies?". With that we made a random selection. Unfortunately our selection refused to turn his meter on- which was a big no no we had been warned about. Fortunately he agreed on the price we had expected to be charged so we accepted his ride anyway. I had booked accommodation online- so I handed over the address and off to Soi 1 Backpackers we went.  We drove down what appeared to be a random alleyway that was somewhat deserted and offered very few lights. Upon arrival at 9pm the building was dark and seemingly abandoned. I was concerned. The doorway, however, was open so we curiously walked up the stairs and thankfully began to hear voices and catch some light. We were greeted by a room of smoke and the American owner who was dressed like Jimmy Buffet. The interesting man from Georgia showed us to our room. We were content with the place until we discovered the less than desirable bathrooms. It was then that we decided we would only be staying for one night!

By recommendation we discovered our first authentic Thai meal just down the street. Dessert was a Thai beer. Both dinner and dessert were fantastic and with that we considered our first night in Bangkok a success!

We woke up early and purchased fresh pineapple and papaya off the street for a buck! We stared at a map for a bit trying to find the river and taxi boat that our hostel owner suggested we try. It took a little instinctual trust and some guts to follow his directions down the filthy street clad with diseased dogs, run down shacks, and a variety of unwelcomed scents. The language barrier between us and the people in the streets meant pointing was the easiest and only way to determine whether or not we were headed in the right direction. A few points later and we had made it to the boat dock. This was far less glamorous than the boat dock you may be picturing! The litter filled river flowed around us and we found ourselves reveling in the fact that we were the only Westerners on the boat. The scenery was a bit shocking as we floated past a level of poverty I had never been exposed to before.

Eventually we ended up at the King's Palace and wondered around in our required garb of long sleeves and pants wishing we knew a bit more about what exactly it was that we were looking at. Too cheap to hire a tour guide we agreed to just take pictures and do research at a later date (still working on that!). The architecture was quite impressive- pictures don't do it justice.

 We bowed to the Buddha and blessed ourselves with who knows what before setting out for a canal tour.

  

We stocked up on some beer, booked a private boat and set sail. Sound glamorous? Fun yes, but glamorous it wasn't. It only cost us $12 each for this private boat! We motored through some Thai neighborhoods, saw more poverty- this time mixed in with a bit of wealth, and we learned how easy it is to get scammed! We bought a beer for the driver from a Thai lady on a boat. She had insisted he deserved one and we bought into her plea. With us in the front of the boat and the driver in the back she offered to deliver the beer to him. Only problem- she took our money and then instructed him to carry on...without ever giving him the beer.

He obviously couldn't hear our conversation with her and she was well aware. Lesson learned!

 The rest of the day was spent walking around town. We stopped by a market, an internet cafe, and then worked our way towards a new place of residence for the next two nights. The Wendy House was the name of our new guest house and it was a delightful upgrade. For only $5 more a night (total of $15 per night) we had a very clean room, our own bathroom, air conditioning, TV, fridge, plus internet and breakfast were included! Not bad! We were excited to freshen up in our new home before heading out for some grub. We decided to forgo Thai food for a night and ordered a pizza. Let me tell you- the pizza in Thailand is better than any pizza I had in Australia, not to mention 1/3 of the price!
     
The next morning I found myself, in a sleepy haze, feeling a bit shocked when the realization that I was actually in Thailand came over me! It was only a week prior that I had decided to visit the country and book a flight!  Crazy! 

My trendy massage outfit

Our complimentary breakfast was delicious and set us up well for a day in the life of Lisa and Bri. After breakfast we accomplished day two in true Thailand style- shopping and massages! We shopped around the 6 story, 1200 store MBK Center and then sought out a Thai massage to relax our shopping fatigued muscles! For $9 I had an hour massage that was like nothing I had ever experienced before. The masseuse used her whole body to work through every muscle and moving my limbs in directions I didn't know they could go. I'll admit there were a few moments when I questioned whether or not what she was doing felt good or hurt terribly! It was an intense massage to say the least- but I am not sure I have ever felt better!


 To top the day off we hit up a German beer garden and sipped on a liter of beer to accompany our spicy Thai lunch. The thinking juice had Lisa and I discussing our future and where we thought we would be in a year. Not too far into this conversation we both realized we didn't even know where we would be in a month's time!


This whole experience has offered a lot of time to think about my future and has been quite thought provoking. I am feeling very blessed to have been given this time to reflect, and I am becoming very excited about getting back to the US and taking advantage of the opportunities it has to offer.

My Fav- Tom Yum Soup

Yummy Street Food

These Thai people are funny!