This is such a boring thing to write about, much like the trip itself. It takes two days of sailing on the Mekong River to get to Luang Prabang, only broken up by a night in Pakbeng.
The slowboat trip is fairly uneventful. Beautiful view, but 8 hours on a boat isn’t purely entertaining. On the first day, Sara, Kaleigh, Max, Andrew and I bring a bottle of vodka and end up having quite the party in the back of the boat. On the second, I sleep as much as I can. Oh, and we pass a dead, skinned animal in the river and I’ve finally learned that death smells foul.
I’m not really impressed by Luang Prabang. We check into SpicyLaos, in a decent dorm with no AC, which is awful. We decide to upgrade and get AC, even though it costs extra.
The hostel offers a free cup of snakewhiskey to the ones who dare. I dared, and my mouth tasted like rotten meat for the entire evening. That’s what happens when a snake has been in there for 5 years, I guess.
The next day, we go with a group from the hostel to Kuang Si waterfalls and it is so amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it. First, we go to the bear sanctuary.
That’s a bear cage
We then go swim in one of the pools with a smaller waterfall, which makes it OK to cross off another thing on my 22 things list:
#17: Shower under a waterfall
At night, we have some beer and a hookah at Utopia, which is a really cool bar, and also the only one of two bars in town. And it closes at 23.30! Fuck that. But at least the view is nice.
Sunset at Utopia
Besides the waterfalls, there is a nightmarket and some temples, all things that we are bored of. We’ve spent three days here and now we are heading to Vang Vieng, which I am just so ready for. I am so bored!!
In India, I was addicted to my Lonely Planet book. Here, we just went with the flow. I haven’t looked through my 40 pages of notes about what to do and see in the places we planned to go to. Instead, we did some island hopping, then went to the mainland to be productive. And boy was it a great way to do it.
A few things were different. This time, we barely learned the language or the history of this country. We didn’t do many cultural things or much sightseeing. We partied a lot, and actually met people. We got addicted to 7-11 toasties and Chang beers, chicken with cashewnut and pad thai. I slept in dorms that others would describe as nasty, but I had some of the best times in those. The nature here is beautiful, although we didn’t see a lot of it, and it rained a lot in the month and a half we stayed there.
When I first arrived in Thailand, I was surprised to see so many women – I barely saw any men the first few days. They all spoke almost perfect english, until we started island hopping. I really felt safe at all times, even walking home by myself at three in the morning in Bangkok, partying alone at full moon party, and doing a lone toasty-run during a pubcrawl in Koh Tao. I rarely locked up my belongings, and didn’t sleep with my fanny pack stuffed with passport and money. I felt safe and comfortable.
Service is horrible, as in India, and the waiter usually forgets at least one thing – but in most places they serve everything at once instead of as soon as its been made, which was the case in India. We didn’t tip once, which we always did in India. We learned that you must always take a cab with taximeter if you have the option – a tuk tuk is more than double the price!
Generally, Thailand is expensive – especially on the islands. It must be the fee to ship it from the mainland that does it, and the more north we traveled, the cheaper it got.
The islands are paradise. Not neccessarily visually, but the atmosphere and the people really make the place what it is.
On the mainland, the partying seems more aggressive (I’m thinking of Bangla Road and Khao San Road), but I generally really liked that atmosphere and the options to do things during the day, like going to the movies and nice stores for purchasing electronics, for example.
Oh, and everything is whitening. Creams, sunscreens, deodorants… Wtf!?
I fell in love with Thailand (and elephants) and I would go back in a heartbeat. I am, because my flight home is from Bangkok.
With 9 things left on my bucket list, it seems that I am going to finish it soon… Or am I? I am starting to worry a bit.
Since we threw all of our plans out of the window, the volunteer work we were supposed to do in Cambodia is not going to happen. Laziness and other factors make it hard for me to cross some of these goals off as well. Things like having a supernatural experience and swimming with dolphins seem impossible. What was I thinking?
The road to Pai is a narrow and curvy one, about 3 hours away from Chiang Mai. Needless to day, I get carsick. When we finally arrive in Pai, it starts raining. A lot. We meet Sophie from Chiang Mai, and a guy from our hostel picks us all up and drives us to our home for the next two days, The Purple Monkey.
While it has good food (poutine!) and nice people, it’ss extremely basic. The bathrooms are tiny rooms without roofs. There’s a squatting toilet and a cold shower in each stall. With this weather, I don’t shower or poop for two days, which is awful – and gross. Why am I sharing this with you guys?
On our first night, we join the hostel pubcrawl. It’s one of the smallest and least fun pubcrawls I’ve been on. First off, I’m drinking… At least not in the beginning. So I guess it’s mostly my own fault.
We are handed these sheets of paper with challenges to do at each bar, and I want my team, Team Peach (Sara, Kaleigh, a French girl and me), to win. Here are the challenges:
As team captain, my first challenge is to shotgun a beer along with the other team captains.
I don’t win that challenge, unfortunately. I do take a group photo and post it on The Purple Monkey’s Facebook though.
A few hours later, I get more competitive, taking shots for the challenges instead of waiting for others in my group to do them, running around the streets trying to get bonus points by getting a picture with a beer sign and learn new thai words.
In the end, we win. Free breakfast, and lots of haters. I can honestly say that I didn’t expect people to be so cruel – they are loudly complaining that we don’t deserve it, since we aren’t drinking (I actually am, but the French girl didn’t bring money), or we have been sleeping with the guy that did the score. What!? Whatever guys, breakfast is 50 baht.
After our free breakfast, we rent two scooters for 24 hours. Since Sara and I have never driven scooters before, I thought we would share one while Kaleigh, who has a scooter at home, would be fine on her own. I say I’ll go first and then we can switch later. I hate it, and I take a long time getting used to the sensitive gas pedal, and suddenly I see Kaleigh drive off – with Sara on the back. I try to follow them, but I don’t want to go very fast, so I am ages behind before we end up at a gas station. I air out my frustration over being left behind like that. In response, Sara gets on the scooter, touches the gad pedal twice, and then decides she isn’t gonna ride a scooter. Ever. Well, now what? None of us feel comfortable riding the scooter, so automatically I am the one that should do it? Right.
We join a group from the hostel and go to the Pam Bok waterfall. I swim in the water, which is cold and brownish, but amazing.
We’ve parked on a bumpy road, so when I try to drive on to the road, I fall off. In front of everyone. This is only the second time in a month that has happened! .
We all start driving towards the main road. I am alone again. One of the side mirrors is broken, and I think of the 7000 baht we had to pay when the same accident happened in Koh Phangan. I am way behind the others, scared of going fast and crashing again. And I start to cry. For a good 10 minutes, I am alone on a small road bawling my eyes out about being alone and having to pay for this bike and so much more. I am furious that I have been forced to ride a bike, instead of taking turns like Sara and I had agreed to. What was the purpose of renting two scooters then? It has been a waste of my time, money and dignity. When I catch up with the rest, they are having lunch and a good time. The last thing I want to do is join them, but I do it anyways. One of the girls is nice enough to let me ride on the back of her boyfriend’s scooter, while she takes mine. She is my hero.
Next, we go to Pai canyon. We do a quick walk around, and then it starts to rain and we have to get back to town from this sandy hill, fast. I decide to jump on Kaleigh’s bike, while Sara goes with Rowan (the guy whose scooter I’ve been sitting on). We go back to the hostel and are stuck in the rain for hours. We order food while we wait, but that takes us over an hour just to get. By then we only have a bit of time driving around and seeing the White Buddha before the rain starts again and we go back to our beds.
We all get up at 6 in the morning the next day to go to the Lod cave, which is a 1,5 hour drive away. We have a bus back to Chiang Mai at 11.30, so we have to leave by 7. I am on the back of Rowan’s bike, and it’s a loopy drive up the mountain – very, very cold on top – and a loopy drive down, and Rowan is driving very fast. We finally get to the cave, but apparently, you need to buy a guide, a boat and a lantern. So we have to go back. And then Kaleigh’s scooter gets a flat tire. We call the company to pick up the bike, but we are running low on time. We have half an hour until our bus leaves. Sara and I drive back to check out of the hostel and try to arrange for a later bus, while Kaleigh waits with the bike. In the end everything works out, and we go back to Chiang Mai, just a little carsick.
I am currently in Chiang Mai. My days consist of riding a chang (elephants) and my nights consist of drinking Chang (beer). Life could be a lot worse.
First night in Chiang Mai, we stay in a mixed dorm at SpicyThai, and we sleep from we arrive till the next day, only getting up to get a 30 baht meal at a shady-looking restaurant for dinner. The day after, I am desperate to find a Post Office to send stuff (clothes) home, so we take a trip to the mall, where they were are out of packages, so then we go to the old city, where we meet Sophie and American guy (I want to call him Josh), and manage to find a Post Office and do some sightseeing, sorta.
Yep, that’s definitely sightseeing
The guys in our dorm, Johnny, Geoff and Joel join us for dinner and a trip to the Anusarn night market, followed by a cabaret show.
The show is amazing, although there isn’t enough Britney. The best ladyboy I’ve ever seen does an amazing show, dancing with the audience, and shoving her chest in my face and rubs it all over my face, till I am full of glitter. Yes, I motorboated a ladyboy. I am so proud.
On the 3rd day, we go to Baan Chang Elephant Park. Earlier this month, I found out that elephant riding is considered animal cruelty. While the elephant is strong and can carry around 200 kg, its spine is too fragile for riding – especially with a saddlechair attached to the back. We did some research to find a place that would allow riding bareback or on the neck instead, as it is a lot better for the elephant. The cheapest option seemed to be Baan Chang. They rescue elephants, which is a plus, but let people ride on their necks, which of course still is “cruel” in some peoples eyes, but at least it seems like the best way to do it. We arrive and get dressed in super trendy denim uniforms, and then get to feed the elephants sugar canes and bananas.
Then we do Mahout training. We learn the commands, which are in Thai, and then practice getting up on the elephant, and then controlling it for a quick ride. Then we pair up and start riding.
Our elephant is Ying Lee, a female elephant. She follows the other elephants, so I don’t have to control her much (I am on the neck, so I get to steer her), but she likes to stop and snack a lot. Elephants can eat 10 % of their weight, so they spend most of the day eating like 200 kg. As there is nothing to hold on to, riding her is really scary, and I feel like I am about to fall off several times. It doesn’t help that I am feeling nauseous, dizzy, have a bad headache, and that my sight is blurry. I feel miserable, and barely enjoy riding an elephant – something I know I would love any time but then.
Finally, we get to bathe them. We are sore from riding, and I have back pains and the shakes from being so nervous of falling down, so getting off Ying Lee and into the water is amazing. I absolutely love washing her nose, and it seems like she is enjoying it just as much.
That makes another thing on my 22 list crossed off!
# 3: Ride an elephant
I definitely feel worse about elephants being in zoos and these parks now that I’ve fallen completely in love with them, but even when we capture elephants to make them feel better, as in give them medical treatment, we need to put a chain around their foot. At least that’s what I told myself when I saw the elephants around me like that. It’s not optimal, but no one can help them if they run away or go crazy and attack others.
When we get home, we have to switch hostel, as we hated our hostel the first night and quickly booked something else, but ended up liking Spicy Thai anyways. At this point, I am feeling worse than ever, and behind my sunglasses, I am crying. Of course Sara takes her sweet time packing her bag, putting on shoes, and walking towards the road to get a taxi. Of course the taxi does a detour as well. Of course our new hostel is a looong walk through an alley, then after a lenghty check-in, it turns out we are in a dorm that’s at the end of another street. I am on the verge of breaking down. Of course the AC doesn’t work in the room. Of course our three room mates show up 20 seconds after we’ve thrown ourselves in bed, and of course they want to get to know us and get the AC to work. Finally, as Sara yet again talks about yatches, I do what I now do everytime she does that: put in my earphones, and then I fall asleep.
I am woken up by a hungry Sara. I feel better, but still have a horrible headache, and we go for mediocre food and a great ice cream at Blue Diamond. We go back to the room, get into an awesome conversation with our roommates about serial killers, and suddenly I pass out again.
The next day we get a room at the main building of the hostel, Kikie’s House. We go with our roommate Kaleigh, and get a nice dorm together. After that, we all decide to go to the zoo. Bad idea.
I will spare you all my animal photos. Actually, no I wont.
First, most animals are locked in cages that are too small, or they are living with other species. Giraffes, zebras and emus share a space, which is random. You can feed the animals if you pay up. Seems like the animals will be either over- or underfed, depending on how many visitors will be there that day. Most of the animals aren’t even there. The main attraction is the panda cage, which we have to pay an additional fee to get into – which no one tells you, until you reach the cage. We pay the fee anyway, and there are two pandas in there. Two. We are furious, and storm out of the zoo not too long after that.
At 4, Sara and I are picked up and driven to a market. We have an evening cooking class at Siam Rice, recommended by Kirstin, and first we get a lecture on the ingredients at the market with a Canadian couple, who is also attending the class. After the lecture, we are driven to the school.
We make 5 dishes each and get a free dessert. I make coconut chicken soup, pad thai, chicken cashew nut, curry paste and yellow curry, and then for dessert, mango sticky rice. Yum.
Making pad thai
After dinner, we get a certificate and a recipe book! It was a great experience, and I would do it again! Another thing on my list crossed off.
# 19: Take a class
Since it is Sunday, there is a special night market on the walking street, and it is amazing. We go with Kaleigh, and I buy so much amazing shit: a watch, a passport holder, backpack, T-shirt, two skirts, a keychain and lots of food. Yes, I got hungry again.
Collages are time savers and awesome. Must do this more often. Also, Kaleigh’s pulling tissues out of a butt, ha ha.
We then go for drinks at Zoe, where we meet Sophie from SpicyThai, and have a great time until we get sleepy and go home.
The day after, we go to Tiger Kingdom. They claim they don’t drug the tigers, but they are kept in cages according to size: newborn, small, medium and big. We choose a package deal with the small and big tigers, and we start with the smaller ones. Now I am disappointed, as I thought small meant, you know, small. Those “small” tigers are freaking huge! We go in and take pictures for 10 minutes, then move on the big ones. They are about 20 months old and massive! Some of them definitely don’t like having us in there, and I get hit by a tail a few times, which would make anyone a bit jumpy.
This is a “small” tiger. Luckily, Kaleigh got a picture of me being scared.Big tiger!
I am extremely high and exhausted afterwards. We just petted big-ass tigers! Yes kids, another thing crossed off my list here in Chiang Mai. I am on a roll.
#13: Pet a wild animal
We take a nap and then go to the night market a few hours later, before the rain forces us home. I’m addicted to this night market, you guys.
The next morning, our beds start to shake violently. I am thinking that it’s just the guy on the top bunk being a dick. There is an earthquake!. Yep, I survived an earthquake! I We then have to leave for Pai, which is the worst drive ever.
