Chaing Mai

I have been done with habitat for about a week now. I know I sounded negative towards the end, but I can't help but wish that the group was still together.

I spent a couple if days in Bangkok. I originally stayed in Bangkok just for St. Patrick's day. I verbalized to everyone that I was excited about being on my own. In hindsight this was rude and ignorant of myself. I spent another day with the girls from habitat plus another girl named Ali who is a childhood friend of habitat Alli. Excited to get too my bus I catch a ride to the bus station on the back of a motorcycle. I rush to the ticket counter complementing myself of my independence. I ask for a ticket to Krabi and I'm immediately disappointed to hear that there isn't one for the next two nights. I catch the bus back and contemplate why I was so eager to get rid of three great people. The "girls" we're great company and we each complimented each other well. I thought to myself, "why must I be a salmon swimming upstream, I should just go with the flow." To the girls surprise I was waiting on the doorstep of their hostel. I decided to hang out with them in Bangkok for another two nights and head up to Chaing Mai with them.

After a couple days of wandering around Bangkok on my own, while the girls did their own thing, I was eager to reunite with everyone and get on the night train to Chaing Mai. Yavone smartly grabbed some whiskey and we boarded our delayed train with a healthy buzz and ready for some z's. After a far too comfortable nights sleep we finally arrived in Chaing Mai thrilled to start the next chapter of our adventure.

After scouring the town we find an amazing place that accommodated us extremely well for a low price. After the long train ride and search for a place to sleep we are ready to book tomorrow's adventure and go grab a beer or two. We all let loose that night and enjoyed the company of each other, along with the company of two dashing englishman!!

We slowly woke up the following morning and began our day. The Allies go to a cooking class and Yavone leaves for a day of excitement including guns and snakes. Both options I would have enjoyed, but I was on a stricter budget than the girls and was fine with wandering around Chaing Mai.

After being lost for a bit I decide to follow my Lonely Planet and make my way to the women's prison for my first Thai message! Chaing Mai had a women's prison and part of their rehabilitation was to learn how to give Thai messages. This gave the women a skill that they could take into the world after prison. I was nervous and excited to get this message. I enter the room and even though I don't speak Thai I was well aware of the fact that I was the topic of conversation. The message was filled with laughter and you had to be there moments. The message was very enjoyable and I encourage everyone to go to the women's prison in Chaing Mai for a message!

The following day we are booked for a day of trekking. I am very excited because this trek was the main reason I wanted to go to Chaing Mai. We leave at 8:30 AM and meet the group for the day. The first stop is a disappointing orchard farm, but little to what I imagined the day would turn out to be one of the best!

Next we arrived at a village in which we were surrounded by elephants. My ear instantly perked up in excitement. We walked through the village and continued on to another. On the way we crossed banana trees, rice farms and got a feel for "primitive" life in Thailand. I say "primitive" because of their ways, however I must note that I saw people talking on cell phones. We arrive at the next village and are taken for the much awaited elephant ride!!! It was short and touristy, yet sooooooooooo cooooool!

After a short meal we are on our way for a rafting trip down river. The Allies, myself and our new found friend Jesus decided to go rafting instead of the bug infested bamboo ride. We begin the trip with a few quick rapids and continue our way down river. The stroll down river included a rambunctious Thai kid who decided to join our trip, elephants bathing in the river and the large pieces of elephant poop floating in the river. We are all high on the ride we just took. Next is swimming near a waterfall. Our amazing day comes to an end with Chang beers and a blissful smile on all of or faces.

The next day I borrowed the hostels bicycle to ride and book my train back to Bangkok that night. After another save by the iPhone I return to the hostel with my train ticket to join the girls in a bike ride to a local lake. I am ecstatic about this. We hire bicycles for fifty batt a piece and take off towards the lake. The ride was a bit extreme for our cheap bikes but was yet another adventure. We spend the day relaxing by the water and taking in the day. I find an amazing place in my book and everyone is once again thrilled with the day spent in Chaing Mai.

After the ride home it is time for me to get ready for my train ride. I am sadly forced to say goodbye to the "girls". Throughout our adventures my brotherly instincts took ahold of me and I looked after them as if they were my own. Truth be told I relied on them more than they on me. We laughed together, shared long conversations together and most of all experienced life together. I was finally left on my own like I longed for, yet this time I didn't want to be. I say my goodbyes and have one last adventures ride with Alli to the train station on a bicycle. I depart looking back on my new found friends and tentative about what the future entails for my lonesome self.

I bored my train with a bottle of Sang Som and the last 40 pages of "Into The Wild". I have a layover in Bangkok and then head to Krabi!

I'll finally get to see how I handle on my own.