I’ve been away from my computer for awhile, hence the lack of posts. I plan on getting these up a lot faster now. Here are the last of the photos taken in Chiang Mai. Next up is Phuket and Koh Phi Phi: home of some seriously amazing beaches.
I like this song. Elizabeth and the Catapult covering Leonard Cohen’s Everybody Knows
I departed Bangkok and headed north for the real purpose of my trip: to see my girlfriend, JoLyn. [sorry, Jon] She’s been teaching English in China and we hadn’t seen each other since August. I met her in Chiang Mai and we immediately set out on what was to become a surprisingly arduous three day jungle trek. Jungle treks are a popular tourist activity in Chiang Mai. Armed with this knowledge, and my assumption that any group tourist activity is designed to accommodate unfit Americans, I expected a leisurely trail hike. Not quite. More like hiking to the top of a jungle mountain amid 90 degree heat. I think this required about as much water as I would normally consume in a week.
Certainly worth the effort.
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Upon return from Ko Samet, Jon had to work so I had two days to explore the streets of Bangkok. I felt I was able to get a good feel for the city just wandering around by foot, skytrain, or water taxi. The city is a sprawling mess of organized chaos. You could be walking down a crowded sidewalk when all of the sudden a dozen motorbikes push their way through the crowd at a semi-disconcerting speed. Where else are they to go? The street is full of cars so it’s only logical.
Khao San Road is somewhat of a tourist/backpacker trap. It’s a fun place to walk around and explore though. A Middle Eastern tailor tried to get me to buy a suit by telling me he knew I was Swedish.
Ok, I’ve been home for two weeks now so I suppose there’s no excuse for the delay in these photos. But hey, I’m moving to Philadelphia. I’ve been busy.
These shots are from the first leg of my trip. I flew into Bangkok to meet my friend Jon and we immediately left for Koh Samet. Samet is one of the closest islands to Bangkok and supposedly attracts a large population of Thai vacationers as opposed to the other foreigner infested islands. The weekend consisted of riding motorbikes on horribly unpaved roads, making new friends, and Mekhong whiskey. Enjoy.