Chiang Mai, Thailand
I am up early again, though this time it’s more because I wasn’t really comfortable rather than the fact that we just went to bed so early that I got in all the sleep I needed. It’s about 6:30am, so I probably have about an hour and a half to wait before anything happens, though it sounds like Bernhard and his wife are awake.
It’s a morning quite like yesterday: a bit overcast but still relatively warm, and the people of the village seem to be up with the sun, tending to whatever need to be done, like cleaning, cooking, and feeding the wide range of animals that live here.
My legs are very sore today, and I feel like I could use a nice long stretch. I also feel like I could use another shower, and my hair desperately is in need of a brush. The other girls mentioned massages and pedicures for when they get back today, and I might have to steal that idea, though I hear Thai massages can be quite painful. Only one true way to find out though!
We left the village sometime around 9, though that’s only a guess because at this point everyone has taken off their watches. We left after eating breakfast, which was toast, fresh pineapple, and an omelet with tomato. All we had to do to get to our raft was walk down the bank. The raft was constructed last night, and was made up of maybe ten long, thick rods of bamboo all tied together. Our bags were draped over a bamboo cross at the front. We were each given a big plastic bag to put our electronics and valuables in, in case our bags were to get wet. Because of the danger of getting it wet, I was only able to pull out my camera a couple of times and get a few pictures.
We donned some pretty sweet and stylish life jackets and climbed onto the raft one at a time. Luke started out in the back while one of his friends took over steering in the front and the rest of us were lined up single file in-between. I was third in line, between Laura and Aiofe (I finally learned how to spell her name…still can’t pronounce it). We stayed standing as we started our way down the river, which was calm and peaceful.
There were so many different kinds of trees and plants, all very green and most really tall, as well as a variety of animals. We saw buffalo, cows, and elephants as we floated along, as well as spiders (one pretty massive one made its way up my leg), a couple of water snakes, and some amazingly beautiful butterflies. We made a pit stop at a village, just to use the bathroom (hole in the ground) and so that Luke and his friend could switch places on the raft. To steer, they used very long bamboo sticks and basically just kept us moving along and helping us to avoid hitting rocks.
The second half of the ride was much like the first, except we had the added bonus of some “rapids” which helped push us along a bit. We were told to sit or squat in those moments so that we wouldn’t lose our balance and fall off. During one of the calmer stretches, Luke brought me up front to steer. The long bamboo stick made me very clumsy and it was very hard to manipulate. However, I did keep us a safe distance away from a massive bush/shrub on one side of the river.
After what I would guess was three hours total, we made it to our destination, which was a nice resort for white water rafters. We stopped there to have lunch (tofu pad thai…so good. I was the big eater of the group) and take a few photos before piling in the truck for our last leg to the hotel.
As we got in, it began to rain, so we had good timing, but that also meant we had to close up the “open-air” part of the truck. That, coupled with bumpy, muddy roads, lots of turns, and a stomach full of pad thai, made me rather carsick. I had to stay that way for about an hour before we were let out for a break. A couple of people got tea or coffee, but I couldn’t imagine stomaching anything. When we got back in, I convinced Luke to let us open up at least the back “window” of the truck bed, so I could look out behind us as we drove along. Luckily, the rain was letting up and he agreed, and the rest of the way back wasn’t as terrible.
We dropped off and said goodbye to Bernhard and his wife before heading to the Imm Hotel, where the rest of us were staying. The other girls and I checked in and gathered up the bags we had left behind the counter a few days ago. We are now all on the first floor, which is nice because this place doesn’t have an elevator.
The very first thing I did when I got to my room was pull out my toiletries and hop in the shower. It was so nice to come out clean and to actually brush my hair, which I haven’t done for a few days. I got dressed afterward and headed out to find a place for a Thai massage. I found a nice looking place that was an open storefront, allowing the warm breeze inside, and for a little more than 5 USD I experienced an hour-long Thai massage. This type of massage focuses more on pressure points to relieve tension, rather then rubbing. There was also a lot of stretching involved, which was great for my sore muscles.
I walked out feeling pretty great, and now I’m back in my room. When I walked in I found a note on the floor from Laura, Claire, and Aiofe, inviting me to join them for dinner in about an hour and a half. In that time, I think I’ll pack up my stuff because I don’t know how late I’ll be out, and my flight leaves at a pretty decent hour tomorrow morning.
I waited in the lobby of the hotel until almost 8pm, and was about to leave when the girls rushed in. They were running late from getting manicures/pedicures, but I’m just glad I didn’t miss them.
We went to dinner at a nice looking Thai restaurant. I ordered a glass-noodle salad with seafood, but was way spicier than I anticipated (all in the sauce) and my lips and throat were burning the entire time.
I tagged along as the group headed to a cocktail bar. We were having a good time and conversation came easily, which was nice. The bar had a nice feel to it and we took a seat and enjoyed our drinks. We talked and laughed about a lot of things and listened to the soothing music. At some point we decided we needed something more upbeat if there was any chance for us to stay awake, so we found another bar with a live band doing covers of American songs. We found a table, ordered another round and listened/sang along to the music. It was too loud to carry on any real form of conversation, but we were still enjoying ourselves.
It was at this point that Claire had the brilliant idea to sign us up to shoot a round of pool. I don’t know if it’s like this in the states, because I’ve never been to a bar with a pool table, but the people playing were really serious and really good; neither of which I am.
Anyway, our turn finally came and I was partners with Laura. All three of the other girls were better than I was, claiming to have played in Irish/British pubs, but none of us were up to par with the Thai natives. I oftentimes failed to get the cue ball to hit one of ours (we were stripes), but I did get a few crucial shots and we kept the game close. Little did we know that our game was taking forever (the other games averaged about 15 minutes. Later we worked out that we were at it for an hour and a half) but we did end up drawing the attention of pretty much the entire bar, and the guy singing made a few comments about our game and how talented and entertaining we were. All jokes of course, as we were neither.
In the end, we battled over the 8 ball, and Claire and Aiofe got it in first. It took us so long for someone to finally sink it that we were just in fits of laughter over the entire situation. We finally finished and sort of rushed out of the bar with ducked heads, to avoid jabs and comments.
We made it back to the hotel and gathered in their room, talking for a bit before I finally decided it was time for me to head to my room because I had to get up early the next morning. We said goodbye and I went to my room to finish packing up my things. I finally made it to bed around 1:15am, and fell asleep very quickly, spoiled by the softness of the bed and pillow and cleanliness of the sheets.
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