Did a 2-day trek into the hill tribe villages near the Burmese border north of Pai, Thailand. We had a small group of 4, including 2 stewardesses from Spain, the Guide and myself. The hiking was harder than I thought it would be, because of the heat, humidity, and elevation. Staying with hill-tribe families in the villages was the highlight. The guide was fantastic.
Northern Thailand has been great. I'm off to Laos tonight.
Cheers,
Dave
Monday, January 26, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Thoughts on Riding a Motorbike in SE Asia
Riding a Motorbike in SE Asia
Well, I told myself I would not do this, but what the hell. Hey, you see whole families riding along on the same motorbike. People even carry little babies in their arms while driving, while talking on cell phones, and negotiating the worst traffic you can imagine. I've seem 5 people on one bike, with the kids squished between the adults. Not a problem.
Anyways, Tamar and I took a short 15-minute lesson and off we went. We started in a small town, so the traffic really was not bad compared with Bangkok or Chiang Mai. I had studied the traffic-patterns while sitting in a cafe, and although it looks frightening at first, it's really more like "controlled chaos". Apparently the way to negotiate Thai traffic is a combination of Rules and Courtesy. Courtesy overrides rules. Rules are really only suggestions. At intersections, the traffic flows pretty much constantly from all 4 directions at once. They drive slow and steady, with no sudden starts, stops, or sudden turns. When turning, you gradually just move over into the next lane. Signaling, of course, is not something anyone does, so is useless.
Tamar and I rode up into the mountains on little automatic motorbikes. It was actually pretty easy, if you really stay alert. We climbed 3000' up twisting, steep roads up into the mountains on the Thai-Burmese border. The scenery was stunning...with waterfalls, huge jungle trees, and hill-tribe villages.
I wore a helmet, but few Thais bother with this. Of course, as Buddhists, they believe in re-incarnation. Hmmm.... maybe I should take a course on Buddhism just in case.
Well, I told myself I would not do this, but what the hell. Hey, you see whole families riding along on the same motorbike. People even carry little babies in their arms while driving, while talking on cell phones, and negotiating the worst traffic you can imagine. I've seem 5 people on one bike, with the kids squished between the adults. Not a problem.
Anyways, Tamar and I took a short 15-minute lesson and off we went. We started in a small town, so the traffic really was not bad compared with Bangkok or Chiang Mai. I had studied the traffic-patterns while sitting in a cafe, and although it looks frightening at first, it's really more like "controlled chaos". Apparently the way to negotiate Thai traffic is a combination of Rules and Courtesy. Courtesy overrides rules. Rules are really only suggestions. At intersections, the traffic flows pretty much constantly from all 4 directions at once. They drive slow and steady, with no sudden starts, stops, or sudden turns. When turning, you gradually just move over into the next lane. Signaling, of course, is not something anyone does, so is useless.
Tamar and I rode up into the mountains on little automatic motorbikes. It was actually pretty easy, if you really stay alert. We climbed 3000' up twisting, steep roads up into the mountains on the Thai-Burmese border. The scenery was stunning...with waterfalls, huge jungle trees, and hill-tribe villages.
I wore a helmet, but few Thais bother with this. Of course, as Buddhists, they believe in re-incarnation. Hmmm.... maybe I should take a course on Buddhism just in case.
Waking up in Thailand
Thoughts on SE Asia - by Dave
Mornings here in Chiang Mai start at dawn. I thought chickens were farm animals, but here they are kept even in the big cities. The Roosters start about 4 am, which gets the dogs barking soon after. As the day starts, the cooking smells of spicy foods wakes everyone else up who might still be asleep. The first chores of the locals in this town seems to be Laundry. Down all the small side-streets and lanes, women are out with buckets of water washing clothes. Soon all the side-streets are full of colorful clothing hanging in the sun, to dry by end of day.
There are lots of puppies and kittens playing in the streets, but I've noticed there doesn't seem to be many older dogs or cats. It's a tough life here. It makes me wonder about that "chicken" curry last night. Actually, it was really tasty.
I had another traditional Thai massage yesterday. This time it was run by the local Thai Institute for the Blind. Great massage, all done by blind men and women. It was not as rough as the one done by the women inmates.
The other day, I had the best Thai meal, in a small family run restaurant. They also teach cooking courses. It has really helped taking that Thai cooking course, as I now know most of the ingredients, and usually the best dishes to to order. The spices here are a perfect blend of "heat" and "taste", not too much flame, although I had an ice cold lager ready to put out the flames if needed.
Photos of Thailand
https://photos.app.goo.gl/d2Fxt4Lfhko8JHnr6
Mornings here in Chiang Mai start at dawn. I thought chickens were farm animals, but here they are kept even in the big cities. The Roosters start about 4 am, which gets the dogs barking soon after. As the day starts, the cooking smells of spicy foods wakes everyone else up who might still be asleep. The first chores of the locals in this town seems to be Laundry. Down all the small side-streets and lanes, women are out with buckets of water washing clothes. Soon all the side-streets are full of colorful clothing hanging in the sun, to dry by end of day.
There are lots of puppies and kittens playing in the streets, but I've noticed there doesn't seem to be many older dogs or cats. It's a tough life here. It makes me wonder about that "chicken" curry last night. Actually, it was really tasty.
I had another traditional Thai massage yesterday. This time it was run by the local Thai Institute for the Blind. Great massage, all done by blind men and women. It was not as rough as the one done by the women inmates.
The other day, I had the best Thai meal, in a small family run restaurant. They also teach cooking courses. It has really helped taking that Thai cooking course, as I now know most of the ingredients, and usually the best dishes to to order. The spices here are a perfect blend of "heat" and "taste", not too much flame, although I had an ice cold lager ready to put out the flames if needed.
Photos of Thailand
https://photos.app.goo.gl/d2Fxt4Lfhko8JHnr6
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Mae Hong Song - Northern Thailand
A quick note from Mae Hong Song in northern Thailand. Had a great time in Chiang Mai, and did a one day Thai Cooking, which was much better than I thought it would be.
Met up with Tamar from Holland and we're traveling together right now. We're in a small mountain town in NW Thailand near the Burmese border. It's beautiful here, with almost no tourists The buses are a bit uncomfortable, but not too bad. We're seeing an authentic Thai Boxing match tonight. We might be the only tourist there Have to run.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Dave arrived safe and sound
Hi,
Just a quick note to say I arrived in Chiang Mai yesterday, safe and sound. The 21-hour flight was actually not that bad. No issues.
Had a Thai Massage yesterday from a Massage school run in a Women's Prison. Weird ehh? I didn't know what to expect, but it turned out great. They run the Massage school to help the inmates earn some money for when they are released, as well as to learn a skill. The massage was excellent.. they are really trained well and I felt great after getting all the kinks out, after a long flight.
Off today to a nearby national park.
Cheers,
Dave
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
4 Months in SE Asia - pre-trip planning
Man, I can’t believe I’m almost ready for this trip. Well, maybe not mentally ready, but at least the physical preparations are almost done. Although I’ve done some Business travel fairly recently, I’ve not done this type of long term traveling since the late 70’s when I toured around Europe for 9 months. Do you think backpack type traveling has changed a tad bit since then? I guess we’ll see.
The pre-trip preparations for 4 months in SE Asia has been a bit overwhelming at times….. what to take, how to pack, health concerns, first aid kit, immunizations, insurance, tickets, visas, money management, travel security, traveling alone, booking flights and hotels, guidebooks, maps, itineraries, travel photography, blogging (what the hell is that?), and lots of decisions to make. It will be a relief to finally board the plane and just get this epic underway.
Being your basic procrastinator, it’s amazing I get anything done at all really. Have you ever noticed that the more time you have the longer it takes to get anything done.
On Jan. 13, I fly to Chiang Mai, Thailand, via Vancouver, Hong Kong, with an overnight in Bangkok. I haven't checked how many hours of flying yet, but it's probably more than a couple.
The pre-trip preparations for 4 months in SE Asia has been a bit overwhelming at times….. what to take, how to pack, health concerns, first aid kit, immunizations, insurance, tickets, visas, money management, travel security, traveling alone, booking flights and hotels, guidebooks, maps, itineraries, travel photography, blogging (what the hell is that?), and lots of decisions to make. It will be a relief to finally board the plane and just get this epic underway.
Being your basic procrastinator, it’s amazing I get anything done at all really. Have you ever noticed that the more time you have the longer it takes to get anything done.
On Jan. 13, I fly to Chiang Mai, Thailand, via Vancouver, Hong Kong, with an overnight in Bangkok. I haven't checked how many hours of flying yet, but it's probably more than a couple.
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