All hail our new elephant overlords!

Christmas: Nakhon Sawan. 25 degrees celsius. 3 hours north of Bangkok. Doesn't feel much like Christmas, except for the phone calls home. We buy an orange tree, and decorate it with ribbons and candy-cane striped wafer cookies. My gift was chocolate and beer (what more could I want?). Missi got a toothbrush and a jar of peanut butter. I have never seen anyone happier for a Christmas gift.

New Years: Chiang Mai. 20+ degrees celsius. 8 hours north of Bangkok. Still not that much of the holiday spirit in the air...maybe I'm waiting on the snow. Well it ain't comin here! Chiang Mai is supposed to be the New Years capital of Thailand. Dozens of young people pour into the city in the few days before the celebrations. Phew, we were getting worried.

Thousands of paper lanterns glitter like stars in the sky, as our friend (Sage aka Steak) adds stars of his own...that nearly blow up people nearby!

Us in a crowd of paper-lantern-lighters. Sorry the picture is sideways, and no, I'm not gonna fix it. =P

The rest of our time in Chiang Mai, the "Rose of the North" we spent on a few day trips. We headed up to Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle (the border junction of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar/Burma). We even managed to pull off a border run to Burma to extend our Thai visas so we could stick around for New Years...and Grandma was worried about us going to Cambodia!

Myanmar was interesting, what we saw of it, although we weren't allowed to enter very far. But from the moment you cross the border (and to be fair, even on the Thai side of the border), you can sense a great difference in cleanliness of the city, and poverty of the people. It is a terrible thing to watch children begging on the streets, some of them carrying their own siblings who are not much smaller than them on their backs.

On our return to Chiang Mai, we hit up a few night markets and FINALLY found some fried bugs...I had a few bees, some giant grasshoppers, a few different types of maggots, and a mother-huge water bug...they tasted like cold, fried crunchy things...not too bad! The maggots were my favorite. The thin crunchy ones at least.

A handful of tasty bugs to appease my appetite. I was hungry!

Waterbug as big as my tongue. I gotta say, his carapace was tough!

We did a trek up to see the hill tribes north of Chiang Mai as well, including a stop in to a village of the long neck people from Burma. It was kind of a sad situation because these people are such a tourist attraction for Thailand that they are issued work visas to live here outside of Burma, but they are constantly on display to gawking tourists with cameras and questions. Their culture is preserved, but is it worth the cost of being cooped up in a human zoo?

Their beautiful (but obviously carefully orchestrated) village rice paddies.

Our helpful and friendly driver Cha, showing us what the rings were like to wear. They're HEAVY!

One of the locals at work on her...loom?

The scarf I bought for momma! I hope she likes it!

My absorute FAVORITE daytrip of all was just outside Chiang Mai...to an ELEPHANT SHOW!! We actually woke up at 10 am on new years day, completely hung over and some of us were half dead. I rolled out of bed to find out if it was too late to catch the show. We had about 10 minutes to leave in time! Missi wasn't going to make it! Luckily our driver Cha came in and started shaking her and telling her to get ready, so she came after all! If you EVER get the chance to see an Elephant show: do it! They had these elephants doing things you would never expect. Prancing about, playing hula hoop, performing on harmonicas, playing soccer (there was even a GOALIE elephant!), painting pictures, beating human contenders at games of darts, and building walls with giant logs were only SOME of the feats performed! I was so astonished I couldn't even get pictures! (plus I was hung over, and pretty much thought we were in some kind of twilight zone where elephants could do the insane things they were doing)

Playful elephants bathing in the river. After this they sprayed the crowd with water at their Mahout's request. (The mahout is their human friend/rider/caregiver. The bond they share is incredible. Imagine having an ELEPHANT as your best friend!!).

Mahout and elephant showing off.

Wittle baby hula hoopin!

Elephant beating poor girl at dart throwing.

Big boy painting a masterpiece.

Recognize it, Richard??

Oh yes, these elephants are also polite.

Afterwards our driver showed us around to a less touristy spot where there was a momma and baby elephant! The cute little guy even wrapped his trunk around my hand! Awwwwww...

Thailand...through everyone's eyes but mine.

Unfortunately, waterproof cameras aren't completely waterproof after all...especially when you use them as paddles on day long river tubing expeditions...*ahem*Dennis*ahem*. Oh well, no big loss, that just means I don't need to carry a camera. =)

So here are some random pictures I found of our trip so far, hopefully with accompanying stories.

Bangkok:

Experiencing our first torrential downpour in China Town in Bangkok.

Good thing the poncho lady was around to sell us some 25 cent colour coordinated rainsuits!

Koh Samui:

A cool drink in a Canadian-imported-ice bar? Yes please!

Dennis zip-lining high up in the jungle treetops!

Koh Pha-Ngan:

Abominable-three-headed-mostly-leader-poncho-monster!

Full moon party...just believe me, everyone else was done up worse than that.

Return of the abominable-three-headed-mostly-leader-poncho-monster? Almost. Miles looks ready to play the part though.

Dancing our asses off til the sun came up...on the gay table? I didn't realize that at the time, for reals!

Khao Sok:

My favorite place we visited in Thailand. The family here was so kind and friendly, and the trips they took us on were so fun and adventurous, I could definitely see spending more time here! As Bao says "I have lots of land, you come and build bungalow and stay here with us." ...I just might!

Sabai and Bandau, two of the cutest kids I have ever seen. The family that owns Smiley's hostel and the hospitality they showed us was inspiring!

The kids playing in Halloween masks! Thanks Mom, they were put to good use!

A bit of a river tubing adventure...very chill! Except when Dennis biffed it on a tree branch and rolled down 20 metres of rocky rapids...all very hilarious from my position safely on top of my tube.

The family dog, Joe, came along with Missi as well. Why not, Thai dogs can do anything.

A cave expedition that has been closed for a year since 8 people died in it from flash flooding =(. We were the first group to go through it once it re-opened...that's encouraging! Bats, rats, and spiders the size of my hand! Wading through water that varied from knee deep to neck deep, climbing up and down waterfalls and through tiny crevices, so much fun!! But I still don't know how someone got this picture...creep.

Our fearless leader Miles doing what fearless leaders do. Off a waterfall.

The rafflesia, the biggest flower in the world, that only blooms for a week before dying, and only grows in certain parts of the forest...it was quite a trek to find them! Actually it's some kind of funghi, but who's counting.

A chameleon that Yaya, our jungle guide, caught off a tree. Actually, he leaped from tree to tree to catch it. Barefoot. In a jungle. On a hill. He then climbed about 10 metres up some vines and sat in a tree as we walked past. Jungle man.

Yaya, Gone and I just before leaving Smiley's =( Great guys! I'll be back to build a bungalow someday soon!

While in Khao Sok we also did some elephant trekking, got some awesome pictures of which I do not have at this moment. But as they become available I will post them =). (Done and done! New pics!)

Awesome ride, until our elephant started getting upset at the elephant behind him, rumbling like a small volcano and trumpeting LOUDLY. He then proceeded to 'gallop' a few hundred metres to the next elephant in line, while I held on for dear life.

Bath time! They were doing this as we were riding past on Mr. Elephant's friends.

Yum banana! 'Thanks, Ashley' says Mr. Elephant.

We also swung by a monkey temple on the way home from the elephant trek...I don't know why...nasty little things. It was pretty cool feeding them, but when they eat your french fries, bite you in the leg and chase your whole group off a beach, you start to change your mind...

Floating bunglaows on Cheow Lan Lake, surrounded by limestone cliffs! Breathtaking AND refreshing!

View from...the bathrooms? I don't know, I never went up there, I just went in the lake.

The longtail boats we took to and from pretty much everywhere over water. They were powered by converted car engines connected to a long shaft with a rotor on the end, and looked REAL fun to drive...

So Bao (from Smiley's bungalows) convinced the driver to give me a shot! Suh-weeeet! And I didn't even kill us all!

Railay:

Looking forward to doing some legendary climbing! Checkin out the routes.

Yup.

We spent a day at a school in Railay, playing with the kids, practicing their English, and donating towards a good cause! In the past few years, Free & Easy has donated enough to build a wall around the school to keep the neighbouring farm animals from wandering through the playground. Regardless, we did see several goats while playing musical chairs. =|

Koh Phi-Phi:

Pink party! One of the group themed-party nights. Note the sunburn to match the colour!

We were quite the spectacle walking the streets to get from bar to bar.

There was one bar that would give each contender (i.e. our friends) a free bucket of booze if they agreed to fight each other for a few minutes. Given that they were often usually really drunk to agree to do such a thing in the first place made it very entertaining.

Sheri and Katie duking it out. Err...maybe it's just Sheri duking it out.

Dennis and Lonnie had a go too.

Some of the best firedancing we saw all over Thailand was on Phi Phi! There are people inside those tornadoes of fire, trust me.

Koh Lanta:

I was running a fever almost the entire time we were on Koh Lanta, and I had a hole in my toe the size of a dime, yet Lanta remains one of my favorite places we've visited all over Thailand! For a few reasons...

#1, VOLLEYBALL! YES, beach volleyball right outside our bungalows! Unfortunately the court was on a 10 degree slope towards the ocean =|

#2, TING TONG BAR! (actually this is the #1 reason, but I'm too lazy to move the pictures around.) The coolest, most chilled out and friendly bar on the planet. The staff become your instant friends, and make you feel right at home. I promised I would come back to visit.

They also put on nightly fire shows, run by the staff themselves. Cool dudes.

Jappy, my good friend who works at the Ting Tong bar. I'll be back to get my revenge for throwing me in the pool on our pool party night!!

Koh Lipeh:

Beautiful beaches, crystal water, amazing snorkeling, scenic islands, and cultural longtail boats to take us anywhere we want to go!

Ruining nice photos...what I do best! Right mom? And what better place to do it than paradise! =D

Bangkok again:

Doing some touring in the countryside around Bangkok...this was a museum at the River Kwai. I might have been trying to make it look more exciting? I don't know, I was put on the spot.

My favourite exhibit: A wall of various countries' currencies used since the second world war. Check out the centre bill. No joke.

Koh Chang:

After the group left, and I got tired of the cold weather and prices in Hong Kong, I came back to join Elissa, Missi and Kim in Koh Chang. Yay ocean!

Renting bikes to get around the island and explore the hidden beaches and other gems around Koh Chang, "Elephant Island".

A jobber (aka super sketch?...I don't get it either...) bridge connecting the road to a really nice beach. AS I was commenting on it's sketchiness, and how best to manoeuver it's rickety planks, my foot bends and nearly breaks the plank at the spot I am standing, nearly plunging me 10 feet to an embarassing and wet landing below. Thai people were riding their motorbikes across this thing!

Beautiful sunset across the fisherman's village on Koh Chang. Our motorbike trek took us down a random side road, where we discovered a secluded fishing village complete with cozy market street that went all the way down the pier into the ocean! The view was incredible, imagine staying at those bungalows every night!

An awesome find floating in the ocean...dead squid! They feel funny. Smooches, anyone?

Ok, that's all I could find from various people's photos for now, but I am SURE there will be better ones popping up in the future which I will upload later. So until then, enjoy!