"Today is better than two tomorrows..."

Buddhist Mantras...

I'm sitting in a "high speed" internet cafe in off the Ratchadamnoen Road in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand, and basking in the luxury of air conditioning. It's been almost a week since I left the comforts of normality back in Surrey, and I'm not sure where all the time has gone! The past six days have flashed by us so quickly, that its hard to think which day we did what. Yet everything is still so fresh and vivid in our minds.

Our first experience of Thailand can best be described as overwhelming. We were dropped off, tired and sweaty, slap bang in the middle of the Khaosan Road: the center of the backpacking universe. It was intense. The road was just as I had seen in all the photos...neon lights paving the way down the crowded street buzzing with people, music and smells that I can't really describe. As two very white girls weighed down with huge backpacks, we radiated a "newbie" look. Suddenly we felt like the main target for all the touts and tuk tuk drivers. Thankfully we had a destination : Rikka Inn. We pushed our way through the hustle and bustle and found our lovely hotel: not quite to our budget but it felt like a safe house from all the chaos outside.

We rested on the first night, ready to make the most of the next day. Bangkok is an intense city, with crowded side streets and non stop streams of traffic on the main roads. Crossing at a level crossing is near impossible at times, and everywhere you walk, you are bombarded with "Tuk tuk?" or by the numerous taxi drivers waiting at the corners. For a capital city, we found that there wasn't much that we were desperate to see. Khaosan was most definitely the main experience imprinted on my memory now, but we set out for our first taste of the Thai Temple trail.

The Grand Palace...

             

The Grand Palace or Wat Phra Keao is the center of Bangkok's royal and spiritual connection. As my first taste of Asian architecture, I was wowed by the elaborate decor of the colourful and bejewelled palace and temples. Decked out with golden Buddhas in all sizes and positions, I went picture crazy.

Thai Decor...

We had to be completely covered up, and dressed respectfully. Annabel was turned away for wearing her leggings, despite only wearing them to cover up. They were very strict. So we sweated buckets in the blazing hot sun, listening to the orange-clad monks chanting praises in the central temple. The famour Emerald Buddha was closed to tourists, due to some sort of festival that we were ignorantly unaware of. It seemed that we may have arrived during a bad time for tourism, as it fell on a national day of worship: Makha Bucha Day. This also meant that there was a national ban on the selling of alcohol. We were a little disappointed to hear this, as we'd been so well behaved the night before, that we fancied a few drinks that evening.

Well, as it turned out, Thai laws don't really apply to Khaosan Road! After about 8pm, the streets were filled with Westerners swigging Changs, Singhas, and buckets to the sound of blaring Thai pop and western floor fillers.

As for us? Well, when in Rome...

In the thick of Khao San...

We did a classic bar crawl down the road with our Changs, fending off the charming men offering us sex shows with the infamous ping pong girls (with a delightful "pop" noise). Curiosity was killing us, wanting to see one of these shows, but we thought it best not to jump in a suspicious looking tuk tuk at this stage in our trip. A trip for the future methinks...

My first 'bucket'...

It was a great night. We chatted to friendly travellers, giving us tips on the must-sees of Thailand. After these chats, we were set on Chiang Mai as our next destination. So booked a 12 hour train journey the next day. And waking up in Bangkok with a hangover was not an experience we wanted to repeat...

Whilst Bangkok is a buzzing and exciting city, we felt that three days was quite enough to start out with. It didn't exactly rest my mind at the thought of five whole months away. Sleeping was difficult in the first few nights (bar the alcohol fuelled occasion) as my mind was racing with my fears and worries of being alone out in the wild, so to speak. Annabel had to comfort me with the knowledge that of course I would feel that way after the first two nights: its all still so new. It's one big learning curve.

Our next destination was Chiang Mai. Beautiful and spiritual Chiang Mai. A city of enlightenment and spirituality, a calming contrast to Bangkok. Instead of having streets lined and ruled by touts and western bars, Chiang Mai is dominated by the many temples. We instantly relaxed, wandering the streets during the day quenching our thirst for spirituality in the many glorious temples, and feeding our shopping habits by wandering along the Sunday Walking Street markets and the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar. The fairy light lit markets surrounded us with delicious spicy smells, and stared longingly at all the hand crafted jewelry and fabrics. If only we didn't have to carry every purchase on our back for five months...we would have been filling our bags and emptying our purses!

Chiang Mai Night Market...

I treated myself to some deliciously colorful sushi for only 30 baht (around 60p) and we had our sore feet pampered by a thai foot massage on the side of the street. This is the life!

Thai Sushi...

We finally felt a little more settled in our trip, and could easily have stayed longer. It was easy to understand how Chiang Mai in particular is such a popular destination for Western ex pats to pack up and move too. Especially the older men...but I won't even start on the subject of Thai brides...or even Thai "girlfriends".

So next it was time to get a little bit touristy. We booked a day trek...or day adventure as Chiang Mai is a big stop on the trekker trail. My friends had recommended a two or three day trek, but with our time being short, we opted for the one day option.

Thai countryside...

This was a day trip where a group of about ten of us bundled into a pickup truck and set off for a day packed full of elephant riding, a trip to the long-neck culture village, a short trek to a waterfall and white water rafting. Our group was internationally diverse, with Japanese, American, Dutch and Norwegian travellers. Out of them we made a friend out of a young Dutch girl Valerie and were given life tips by two quirky American housewives Patty and Susie, who lived to travel but were restrained by the ties of career and family.

The elephant riding was the highlight! Such magnificent creatures, and so docile. It wasn't the most ethically friendly, as they were in chains for the walk, but they seemed to have a pleasant life. Annabel and I were so excited! We named our cheeky elephant Olly, and he was one of the younger more spirited elephants who insisted on splashing us in the river and overtaking the slower older elephants in front. It wasn't the most comfortable ride, but we were caught in wonder at the experience. There rest of the day was fun, but not all the notable in relation to our lovely elephants.

Elephant riding and bathing...

For now we are departing from Thailand and making our way to Laos. Of course, this is not goodbye...this is just farewell, as we will be returning in the south to explore Thailand's beaches. But for now, Thailand, its been eventful...