Hot Hot Hot!

I was very lucky to travel to Chiang Mai, Thailand's biggest city in the north, with another English teacher from Surat Thani. Chiang Mai's night market was filled with tables of gorgeous textiles and handicrafts made by artisans of the northern hill tribes. There was a food market as well with fresh fruits, vegetables, and fish. Training how to care for an elephant at the Elephant Conservation Centre was a highlight of the trip!

The mahouts have a special relationship with the elephants. They fetch their elephant every morning from the jungle, feed it, ride it, and bathe it. The people at the Elephant Conservation Centre also rescue sick elephants at the hospital and make paper out of elephant dung!

As mahouts in training, we bathed our elephants and learned how to command our elephants in Thai. Our guides showed us how to get on our elephants from the side (stepping on the elephant's front leg), the front (leaping onto its trunk), or the back (stepping on the elephant's hind leg and crawling over its back while it is sitting). We tried all three! The elephant is tough and its skin is thick and leathery.

We also went to an umbrella factory, where workers carved, assembled, and painted paper and silk umbrellas.

We flew to Bangkok from Chiang Mai and took a bus to Kanchanaburi, where we climbed seven waterfalls in a national park. The hike was filled with many breathtaking views of plantlife, monkeys, and incredible waterfalls.

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You can never rely on anything to be on time in Thailand! The bus just leaves when it's full...we like to say they live on "Thai time"! Erica, Victoria, and I travelled by bus to the province of Krabi where we met up with a few of their friends. When we eventually arrived at the west coast, we sailed on a long tail boat to Railay. We settled on staying at a cheaper cabana because some of the resorts on the beach were way too expensive. I think I'm an official backpacker!

Because of the cheaper price, our cabana lacked some conveniences such as a flush toilet. Instead, we had to pour a container full of water to flush it. And there were a few holes in the walls, so my mosquito net came in handy. Also our cabana was right beside The Jungle Bar (literally)! At night, there was a Muay Thai boxing match at the boxing ring insinde the bar, and an incredible fire dance show. Didn't really enjoy watching the fight, but the dancers were awesome.

We explored the beaches and caves in Railay, climbing over rocks to see amazing stalactites and stalagmites. On the way we walked past lemurs hanging out in the trees. From the side of a cliff we saw a fantastic view of the beach.

Erica and I booked a half day rock climbing adventure with an instructor. It was my first time rock climbing EVER (haven't even climbed the wall at the Science Centre!)!!! Unfortunately, the trip lacked instruction/safety tips so it was a bit scary. The first time I let go of the rock and sat suspended in the air on the side of a cliff with nothing holding me up but a rope and a tiny Thai man, I nearly freaked out! But our instructor wouldn't let me give up. He made me climb right to the top!

When I reached the bottom I was so relieved. I did one more climb and Erica (who has had experience) climbed a few more times. In the end I felt a powerful feeling of accomplishment.

I am in paradise! I spent a few days in Koh Tao "Turtle Island" snorkeling, taking a cooking class, and relaxing with a Thai massage (although it would be more relaxing if I wasn't so tickelish!).

Koh Tao is Thailand's most popular island for snorkeling an diving. On a snorkeling tour of the island, we sailed to four different points around Koh Tao. Our first stop was Shark Bay, were there were actual sharks (not dangerous though!).

The coral on the bottom of the ocean was amazing! The sea plants looked like upside down mushrooms and brains! I swam in a school of yellow and black zebra fish, and saw a huge traingle shaped one with really big whiskers.

The next day, I resgistered for a cooking course and was surprised to have my very own private lesson! A very sweet Thai woman named Pat picked me up on her motorcycle and drove me to her daughter's house where we made four Thai dishes: Pad Thai, Panang, Green Curry, and Spring Rolls (the Thai version of Grandma's cabbage rolls!).

Green Curry was a bit spicy for me but the rest of the dishes were deliciously flavourful. We cooked with fresh coconut milk, eggplant, sugarplum, and a bunch of other fresh vegetables and spices. The picture above is of chicken Panang with coconut sauce, lemongrass, and chilis. Pat loaded me up with food before I left and that night I feasted on some of the most delicious Thai food ever made!

I took a boat from Koh Tao to Koh Samui - a bigger beach with more tourists, shopping and a busy night life. On a tour of the island I saw the Big Buddha (it is really big!), a mummified monk, and a temple with very elaborate and intricate gold decoration. Along the way, we stopped for fresh coconut juice straight out of the coconut!