fight on sc!!!

Come on ... you didn't really think a small trip to Thailand would get in the way of my beloved Trojans! Go SC ... good way to start the season!!!

Anyway, I am writing from Chiang Mai. We have had a great time here so far, although I do have to say that after Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai isn't quite living up to my expectations. Perhaps if we had more time to explore outside the city.

When we arrived yesterday, we were all in awe of our hotel, the Tamarind Village. It is straight out of Architectural Digest. We laid around the pool for awhile and then went on a two-hour boat trip on the Ping River to a fruit farm. The river is pretty polluted, but we saw some beautiful houses. At the farm we tried dragon fruit, which I thought was way too sour, like a lime.

On the trip we met two guys, Thijs from Amsterdam and Nik from Stockholm. After Leanna flirted :) we met up with them at the Night Bazaar. I can't even describe to you how big this thing is. It's huge. We didn't even cover 25% of it so we're going back after we finish checking email. Although we only covered 25%, we did manage to shop a lot!

After another delicious Thai dinner, we met up with the guys and had drinks at the Sham Rock Bar (that's how it's spelled here) and drank Changa beer and played Jenga. Neither boy had ever seen it and by the end, Nik was a monster.

Today we traveled into the mountains to a Hmong Village. The village was interesting ... more cute dogs who will be next week's dinner ... but what was amazing was the scenery. It was like the Amazon ... SO beautiful. We had a to take a 4x4 truck to get there. The sad part was a little dog who kept following us everywhere ... with his front let hanging together by skin :(

On our way back down the mountain we visited temple Wat Doisuthep which is high on the mountain top. It was gorgeous. Buddhas everywhere and a view to die for. Today was the head monk's birthday so we got to see a lot of special ceremonies. Speaking of which, monks are all over this town as it has as many temples at Bangkok. One is sitting next to me now checking out his MySpace friends. I kid you not.

So that is Chiang Mai in a nutshell. It's the market tonight, then to bed early after last night ... followed by a morning massage and then a plane flight to Phuket, the last stop on our journey. I am so excited to head to the beach!!!

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. Miss you all!!!

keanu reeves = pure evil

Only two quick things to post. We arrived in Chiang Mai this afternoon, I will post a full report tomorrow or the following morning. For now though:

1) On our drive here, I noticed that no matter how small or poor a village, it has the most ornate and beautiful temple. It's beautiful to see how passionate the Thai people feel about their religion.

2) In a new temple outside of Chiang Rai, we saw the artist's representation of heaven and hell on murals covering the four walls. Heaven contained the usual images of Buddha, clouds, light ... while hell contained demons, terrorism ... and Keanu Reeves.

I kid you not.

long live chiang rai!

W-O-W!!! I am writing to you from an Internet Cafe in Chiang Rai, the northern-most province in Thailand. It is near the Golden Triangle of Myanmar/Burma - Thailand - Laos and is where opium poppies are cultivated. Before we got here, we all thought this would be a so-so stop, but I can honestly say, I LOVE IT!!!

Our last day in Bangkok was interesting. We narrowly-avoided being scammed, shopped, saw more Buddhas, and then went to an amazing Thai dance show. We culminated the evening at the Patpong night market which is full of "ping-pong" or "pussy" shows. Yeah, you don't want to know. The next morning we each had a 1 1/2 hour massage in our room before flying here.

The city is so lovely. It is green, no traffic, and very friendly. While I enjoyed Bangkok and am glad I experienced it, I was so ready to leave. It is huge, congested, and dirty. If you think LA traffic is bad, you haven't seen anything until you have been here. Chiang Rai is the total and complete opposite.

Our hotel, the Dusit River Resort, is amazing. It is situated on the Kok River. When we got here, we all swam in the huge pool and had drinks at the swim-up bar. Last night we took a rickshaw (new mode of transport for us) to the night market and did some shopping. Today we got up and our lady boy guide, more on that at another time, took us to see two hill tribes - one from Tibet and one from China. While it was sad to see how they live, constant refugees (oh ... and they eat their pet dogs!!!) the country was beautiful and we learned a lot. Even saw some poppies!

We got back to the resort, swam, and then Leanna and I had yet another massage. This one was great ... my masseuse even walked all over my back! This evening we walked all over the small town (population 30,000) and are amazed at how nice everyone is. We walked the grounds of a Buddhist university with some amazing temples and even-more amazing Buddhas. Then we walked across town to a restaurant called Cabbages & Condoms. It is run by a non-profit AIDS organization that aims to make condoms as easy to find as cabbages :) The food was great ... I had spicy tom-yam soup, red curry, and some pineapple rice. We also had a huge beer each ... Tiger Beer. We have also had Singha and Chang.

We are headed back to the night market and then to bed for our early morning drive to Chiang Mai. We are really looking forward to it ... especially because we don't have to fly this time :) I will again try to post and am sure I will be able to do so as Internet cafes are everywhere we go.

So while I am sad to leave Chiang Rai, I am excited for my next adventure. I hope this blog is somewhat amusing. I am having fun writing it, but have many more stories and pictures to share. I love and miss you all ... see you in exactly one week!!!

three nights in bangkok ...

After almost 22 hours of flying ... we made it to Bangkok alive and well. This is now our second full-day and I don't even know where to begin! The city is HUGE and overwhelming. There are buses, cars, and tuk-tuks everywhere. And so far ... we have tried them all, including the Sky Train (aka subway)! In a nutshell we have already visited the Grand Palace, Pho Wat/Reclining Buddha (my favorite thus far), seen a "Lady-Boy" show, eaten delicious food, shopped (Molly & Lindsay, I already have great presents for you), and had a 1 1/2 hour massage in our room. Tonight we are going to see a traditional Thai dance show and then we are hitting up the Pat Pong night market for more shopping.

Our hotel is great, Crissy and I have been swimming a few times. Yesterday was a bit rough acclimating to the time difference, but today we all feel great. I am in heaven with beautiful, awe-inspiring Buddhas everywhere I turn. I can't post pictures, but will have tons to post when I get home. Tomorrow we have another massage in the morning and then we fly off to Chiang Rai (ChiangRai for you Adam) in the north. I don't know if Internet will be as accessible, but hope to post once at each of my stops.

I love and miss you all ... but want to give a special internet hug to Diana who is taking such good care of Annie. You will be rewarded :)

are we there yet???

well ... after 17 hours of flight time, i am almost there! this post is coming to you from the singapore airport. i have another 2 hours of layover and then a 2 1/2 hour flight to bangkok. singapore airlines is nice, but i have played about 80 games of super mario bros, another 30 of tetris, and watched too many movies.

the good news ... crissy just spotted a coffee bean. over and out.

oh, jack talk thai ... jack talk thai very well!

My bags are packed and in less than 6 hours I will be on a Singapore Airlines flight headed for Bangkok.

I am nervous, excited, happy, anxious ... and ready-to-go! I will post when I can. Bon Voyage!

lake arrowhead fun