A lot has happened in the past two weeks. School ended for starters. We wrapped up classes with a few presentations and our farewell party. Then most people on the program either headed home or headed to the islands in the south to spend their last few days in Thailand on the beach. I, on the other handed, stuck around Chiang Mai.
Alana came on the 10th and she and I have been traveling ever since. We spent the first few days in Chiang Mai. We rented a motor bike and cruised around the city. We drove up to Doi Suthep (much better than walking like I did on the 4th of July). I had never been inside the Wat and it was beautiful. We also went to the cookery school that I had been to with my class. We learned how to make Pad Thai, Green Curry, Paneang Curry, Spring rolls, and spicy mango salad. Prepare yourselves for a Thai feast when we return.
After the cooking school we caught the last bus to Pai, a mountain village in the north. We rented a scooter and cruised around in the hills all day. We saw a sign for hot springs and decided to check it out. We forgot that it had rained the night before and the path was a muddy mess. Our motor bike handled it well but it was difficult to maneuver with two people on the bike. We ended up ditching it and walking and some Israeli tourists picked us up in their Jeep, a much better suited vehicle for steep muddy trails.
We left Pai the next day heading south. Our intention was to get to the south as quickly, and cheaply, as possible. We had great luck in getting the right buses and after a 3hour ride to Chiang Mai, 9 hour overnight ride to Bangkok, and an 11 hour ride to the ferry we got to Koh Phangan the evening of the 17th, a night earlier than we had expected. We took the advice of some Germans we met on the ferry and decided to go to a beach that they recommended. We rented the cheapest bungalow we could find and enjoyed 3 glorious days on the beach. I read We the Living by Ayn Rand and laid in he sun and Alana played in the sand and found sea shells (like a cute little tyke... haha). We also rented another motor bike (Alana looooooves motor bikes) and cruised around the island one day checking out the beaches nearby.
On the 20th we packed up and headed to the pier to catch a ferry to Suratthani. A 3 hour ferry ride and a 11hour bus ride to Bangkok ended Alana and I's time together in Thailand. We got to Bangkok around 4:45am and she was on the street that is popular among backpackers so she went to find a place to stay and I headed to the bus station. I needed to get to the Myanmar Thai border by 4pm in order to cross the border and get a tourist visa (if I didn't make I would be an illegal foreigner in Thailand, scary). I caught a bus to Tak at 5:40am and rode til about 1pm and then caught an hour and have minibus ride from Tak to Mae Sot. Once I got to Mae Sot I employed a motorbike taxi to take me to the border. It was 3pm and I didn't want to take any chances by searching for a cheaper Songtheaw. I was able to cross the Myanmar Thai Friendship Bridge, pay 500 baht to Myanmar (to support the repressive military government regime), and head back across the border with a Thai tourist visa allowing me to stay in Thailand for another 15 days. (If you're doing the math and realize that I'll actually be in Thailand for 24 more days you are correct. I will have to go to the border AGAIN and get another 15 day tourist visa before I leave. Annoying, but such is life.)
Alana spent today touring the Grand Palace and walking along the river in Bangkok. Tomorrow she is checking out of her hostel and hopefully getting a more local and authentic tour from our friend AJ Davidson and then she's flying home early in the morning on the 23rd.
That's the past two and a half weeks in a nutshell. Lots of traveling, lots of motor bike fun, a little beach relaxing, and a new visa!
Sawadee Alana, It was great having you here!!!!
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