Hey guys!!
The Thai cooking class we took was amazing! We went out to a farm where they grow all their own ingredients and learned to make pad Thai, spring rolls, coconut milk soup, masaman curry, and sticky rice with mango. They even give you a cook book at the end with all the recipes you made plus a few more. It was a great day. When we got home we took a nap and didn't wake up till 1030 pm, so Shannon and I got ready and went out dancin!
We spent the rest of our time in Chiang Mai just relaxing and meeting new people. The family that owns and runs the guest house we stayed at were amazing!! They were so sweet and funny and helped us with everything. The other day we ended up changing our plans for Christmas and new years all together. We now have decided to go back to koh phangan in Thailand for both. It was nearly impossible to find a place to stay, luckily we were smart enough to think to book ahead, otherwise we'd probably end up sleeping on the beach. We searched online for hours and every place was completely booked, then we finally found one on the right side of the island that had rooms together so we called them but the lady didn't understand me And I couldn't understand her... It was impossible! When we got back to our guesthouse the lovely lady who works there was nice enough to call there for us and sort it all out, securing us a room for December 24-January 2! Turns out part of the reason it was so hard is that there's another full moon party on Christmas and new years on koh phangan is insane! People have told us once you've experienced new years there, nothing will ever compare! 2 beach parties in one week!!! We're all so excited! The next 4 weeks for us will be spent by the beach, oh what a though life paradise is!
We arrived in luang prabang, Laos, this morning at 530am. What an awful bus trip that was!!! We left Chiang Mai at 10am and it took till 530am to get here. The bus was the most uncomfortable one we've been on so far and the guy sitting beside me took up half my seat and kept falling asleep on me! When I eventually would fall asleep, it was so bumpy that when we went over a bump my head would smash into the window. My head and back hurt so much today. When we finally got here there were no guesthouses open... We finally found one at 630am. The floors were woven wicker, the beds hard as rock with dips in the middle, the ceiling had holes as did the upper walls, the toilets didn't flush... You had to use the bucket to flush them, and you could hear everything in the rooms beside us. We decided to sleep till 1 then go on the search for a new place to stay. We found one with proper walls and beds, tv, fan, and wifi! Thank goodness!!!
Tomorrow we go buy our plane tickets to Thailand for the 22nd!
I love you and miss you all! Will update again soon.
Xoxo
Alicia
Saturday, 17 December 2011
Saturday, 10 December 2011
December 10, 2011
Hey everyone!
So much has happened! We left Bangkok on Tuesday night to come to Chiang Mai on a night bus... that was interesting because of how hung over we were on our 12 hour bus right... not much fun. I ended up sitting next to some guy who had an iPad and was watching movies, so he let me watch them with him which really helped make the time go by faster. We talked for a while and he actually lives in Chiang Mai so was able to give me some pointers for our trip. As soon as we got here Wednesday morning, we went straight to the guest house and fell asleep until about 3pm... it was 630am when we first got here. We didn't do much that day.
On Thursday we went to Tiger Kingdom. It was amazing! We got to cuddle and pet the baby cubs and the full grown tigers. It was definitely not something I would have the opportunity to do at home. We had our photos professionally taken with the baby cubs, they aren't on Facebook yet though because we have to find a computer that has a disc drive. We took our own photos with the full grown tigers, they are uploaded now so you can all have a peak. They were so friendly and lovable... I just wanted to take them home with me. We had a very quiet night on Thursday because we knew we were going to have a full busy day on Friday. We woke up at 7am o n Friday to go on a one day trek. The trek started by taking us to the jungle where we rode elephants!!! Shannon and I shared an elephant and it was huge! It was the biggest one they had. He was 29 years old and weighed 4 tons. As I am sure most of you know, I am deathly afraid of heights, so being way up there with nothing strapping you in was terrifying. There was a seat with a rail to hold on to, but that was all. It was definitely the most scary but exciting experience of my life. I couldn't believe it. One of the baby elephants gave me a big kiss on the cheek with his trunk... man those guys have suction! haha. The elephant rides took an hour, after that we went up to Karen Village. We saw women making silk scarves and tons of awesome animals running around. We didn't stay there long, we then went to the waterfall which was absolutely beautiful. Again, I overcame my fear of heights by walking across so many bridges that didn't have railings... I was terrified but I did it!!! The trek back to the van from the waterfall was probably close to an hour, once we got there they took us to have lunch which consisted of rice, veggies, and a curry soup. It was delicious. After lunch we went bamboo rafting!!! That was so much fun! we got so soaked and the water was freezing, but all in all, the whole day was absolutely worth waking up early for and overcoming a fear. We went out for dinner last night to a Mexican restaurant and drank margaritas! We ordered a pitcher of them... not realizing how much booze a pitcher really was... it was a lot and they were so strong!! It was still pretty early at this time... probably around 7pm... we were all in bed by about 1230am.
Today, because we were so busy the past couple of days, we decided to have a lazy relaxing day. We slept in until around 1pm, then woke up and I spent most of the day beside the pool reading my book. Later in the afternoon we went out to get Thai massages... they were incredible!!! We just finished them about half an hour ago and I feel so relaxed. They use a lot of pressure and actually get right up on top of you... it's different but it feels amazing. Tonight we're going to go get some ice, take it back to our room, and drink the rest of the booze we bought at 7/11 last night! Tomorrow will be another quiet day, Monday we're going for a 12 hour Thai cooking class on a farm where they grow all the ingredients right there, and Tuesday we're going to the Longneck Village. I will be sure to keep you updated on how all those exciting events go!!
Love you all so much and miss you so much too!!
xoxoxox
Alicia.
So much has happened! We left Bangkok on Tuesday night to come to Chiang Mai on a night bus... that was interesting because of how hung over we were on our 12 hour bus right... not much fun. I ended up sitting next to some guy who had an iPad and was watching movies, so he let me watch them with him which really helped make the time go by faster. We talked for a while and he actually lives in Chiang Mai so was able to give me some pointers for our trip. As soon as we got here Wednesday morning, we went straight to the guest house and fell asleep until about 3pm... it was 630am when we first got here. We didn't do much that day.
On Thursday we went to Tiger Kingdom. It was amazing! We got to cuddle and pet the baby cubs and the full grown tigers. It was definitely not something I would have the opportunity to do at home. We had our photos professionally taken with the baby cubs, they aren't on Facebook yet though because we have to find a computer that has a disc drive. We took our own photos with the full grown tigers, they are uploaded now so you can all have a peak. They were so friendly and lovable... I just wanted to take them home with me. We had a very quiet night on Thursday because we knew we were going to have a full busy day on Friday. We woke up at 7am o n Friday to go on a one day trek. The trek started by taking us to the jungle where we rode elephants!!! Shannon and I shared an elephant and it was huge! It was the biggest one they had. He was 29 years old and weighed 4 tons. As I am sure most of you know, I am deathly afraid of heights, so being way up there with nothing strapping you in was terrifying. There was a seat with a rail to hold on to, but that was all. It was definitely the most scary but exciting experience of my life. I couldn't believe it. One of the baby elephants gave me a big kiss on the cheek with his trunk... man those guys have suction! haha. The elephant rides took an hour, after that we went up to Karen Village. We saw women making silk scarves and tons of awesome animals running around. We didn't stay there long, we then went to the waterfall which was absolutely beautiful. Again, I overcame my fear of heights by walking across so many bridges that didn't have railings... I was terrified but I did it!!! The trek back to the van from the waterfall was probably close to an hour, once we got there they took us to have lunch which consisted of rice, veggies, and a curry soup. It was delicious. After lunch we went bamboo rafting!!! That was so much fun! we got so soaked and the water was freezing, but all in all, the whole day was absolutely worth waking up early for and overcoming a fear. We went out for dinner last night to a Mexican restaurant and drank margaritas! We ordered a pitcher of them... not realizing how much booze a pitcher really was... it was a lot and they were so strong!! It was still pretty early at this time... probably around 7pm... we were all in bed by about 1230am.
Today, because we were so busy the past couple of days, we decided to have a lazy relaxing day. We slept in until around 1pm, then woke up and I spent most of the day beside the pool reading my book. Later in the afternoon we went out to get Thai massages... they were incredible!!! We just finished them about half an hour ago and I feel so relaxed. They use a lot of pressure and actually get right up on top of you... it's different but it feels amazing. Tonight we're going to go get some ice, take it back to our room, and drink the rest of the booze we bought at 7/11 last night! Tomorrow will be another quiet day, Monday we're going for a 12 hour Thai cooking class on a farm where they grow all the ingredients right there, and Tuesday we're going to the Longneck Village. I will be sure to keep you updated on how all those exciting events go!!
Love you all so much and miss you so much too!!
xoxoxox
Alicia.
Monday, 5 December 2011
December 5, 2011
Hey every one!
On Thursday we went to the killing fields in Phnom Penh and the Genocide Museum. It was one of the saddest experiences of my life, it's so depressing to be there but uplifting at the same time. It's hard to explain. The genocide museum actually used to be a school many years ago, and was later turned into a place where they held the prisoners and tortured them. Hearing some of the survivor stories was hearbreaking. The killing fields was even harder to go to. They give you a headset to listen to as you walk through the fields, explaining everything that happened in great detail. It's amazing how much a horrible place that was once filled with so much horror can be so peaceful and graceful now. It really opens up your eyes and makes you appreciate what you have. I left there feeling so blessed with all that I have at home, the safety and security that some people never get to know. It made me want to be a better person and made me feel like I really don't have a right to complain about anything, because at the end of the day, I really do have an amazing life filled with amazing people.
The next day we left Cambodia at 6am to come back to Bangkok by bus. About 2 hours into our bus ride, a tire blew. It was pretty scary and definitely woke me up from my sleep. They fixed it very fast and we were on our way again. It took us about 17 hours to get to Bangkok, so when we got here we ate dinner and went straight to bed.
We were planning to go to Chang Mai on Monday, but the bus was full so we will be leaving Bangkok and heading up to Chang Mai tomorrow instead. It's a 12 hour bus ride and it's a night bus so hopefully we'll be able to sleep through most of it. We will be arriving there at about 630 in the morning, which usually means add another 2 hours on top of that... haha.
Last night we went out dancing and it was a lot of fun. I didn't get home until about 5am so I decided to sleep until 12, then we went for a late hangover breakfast and did a little shopping. I bought myself a beautiful silky dress yesterday for very cheap, and a couple of tank tops today. Pretty productive I would say...
Yesterday was grandma and papa's 60th wedding anniversary party, so Auntie Brenda took her laptop over there and I was able to skype with everyone. It really felt like I was right there with them! It was awesome!
I love you and m iss you all and will write again as soon as I can in Chang Mai!
xoxoxoxoxoxox
Alicia
On Thursday we went to the killing fields in Phnom Penh and the Genocide Museum. It was one of the saddest experiences of my life, it's so depressing to be there but uplifting at the same time. It's hard to explain. The genocide museum actually used to be a school many years ago, and was later turned into a place where they held the prisoners and tortured them. Hearing some of the survivor stories was hearbreaking. The killing fields was even harder to go to. They give you a headset to listen to as you walk through the fields, explaining everything that happened in great detail. It's amazing how much a horrible place that was once filled with so much horror can be so peaceful and graceful now. It really opens up your eyes and makes you appreciate what you have. I left there feeling so blessed with all that I have at home, the safety and security that some people never get to know. It made me want to be a better person and made me feel like I really don't have a right to complain about anything, because at the end of the day, I really do have an amazing life filled with amazing people.
The next day we left Cambodia at 6am to come back to Bangkok by bus. About 2 hours into our bus ride, a tire blew. It was pretty scary and definitely woke me up from my sleep. They fixed it very fast and we were on our way again. It took us about 17 hours to get to Bangkok, so when we got here we ate dinner and went straight to bed.
We were planning to go to Chang Mai on Monday, but the bus was full so we will be leaving Bangkok and heading up to Chang Mai tomorrow instead. It's a 12 hour bus ride and it's a night bus so hopefully we'll be able to sleep through most of it. We will be arriving there at about 630 in the morning, which usually means add another 2 hours on top of that... haha.
Last night we went out dancing and it was a lot of fun. I didn't get home until about 5am so I decided to sleep until 12, then we went for a late hangover breakfast and did a little shopping. I bought myself a beautiful silky dress yesterday for very cheap, and a couple of tank tops today. Pretty productive I would say...
Yesterday was grandma and papa's 60th wedding anniversary party, so Auntie Brenda took her laptop over there and I was able to skype with everyone. It really felt like I was right there with them! It was awesome!
I love you and m iss you all and will write again as soon as I can in Chang Mai!
xoxoxoxoxoxox
Alicia
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)