Adventures in Thailand!

Hello Everyone!

So, I fly to Geneva to visit Amber this evening which marks my final day in SE Asia! The past two and a half months have felt like a whirlwind and I can't believe I'll be home in 11 days! I'm also trying to mentally prepare myself for going from sunny summer temps in Thailand to the middle of winter in Geneva! I told Amber to meet me at the airport with a warm winter coat!!
Anyway, I have to catch you up on my adventures in Thailand! I've been traveling with my friend, Anne, which has been really fun! We spent a few days in Bangkok shopping, visiting wats, and eating lots of Thai food. From there, we headed to Chang Mai via the night train. Chang Mai is in the Northeast corner of Thailand and its cooler temperatures were welcome after nonstop sweating in Bangkok! :) The day after we arrived, we signed up to be mahouts (elephant trainers) for a day. We drove out into the country for about an hour and a half with a stop at a local market to pick up bananas for the elephants. Once we arrived at our destination, we met a couple of the elephants and were taught how to climb onto an elephant without using ladders, platforms, etc. I have to say that that was a bit of a challenge, but I managed to do it! Don't worry...I have pictures (which are quite entertaining by the way)! We also learned commands and motions for getting the elephants to move forward, reverse, turn right and left, and to stop. From there, we rode the elephants (bareback!) through the jungle and up a creek bed. We took them to a swimming hole and were able to wash them and ourselves! One of the elephants we were riding was a somewhat recent mother and so her baby followed us everywhere we went. He was so cute and very playful in the water. One of his favorite games is to ram into you which he was quite good at underwater! After their bath, we rode them to a nearby mud hole where they got their second bath! We also joined in the fun! By the end, we were completely covered in mud right along with the elephants. Over the course of this amazing experience, I truly fell in love with these magnificent and beautiful creatures. I loved hearing the rushing air moving through their trunks as they searched your hands for bananas and learned your scent at the same time. I loved gazing at their long eyelashes that covered their small wise eyes. I loved running my hand over their rough hairy skin and picking up their huge heavy ears. I loved seeing the mischevious and playful look in the baby elephant's eyes just before he came tumbling at you. As you can probably tell, it was a truly memorable experience!
Anyway, the next day we were heading on another drive out into the jungle to go zip-lining! The company we went with offered the longest and highest zip-line in all of Thailand. While I was a bit nervous, I soon got over the nerves and reveled in the thrill of rushing through the jungle canopy! Our guides were hilarious and definately took advantage of our tentative fearful demeanors with various antics and comments. :) There were some platforms where you had to use a hooked bamboo stick as a break. Holding onto the zipline, breaking with the bamboo stick, and remembering to lift your legs at the platform was definately a challenge considering my innate lack of coordination! There was one zipline where I was flying accross like a bird with my arms and legs extended. Apparently I didn't weigh enough or didn't get enough "uumph" at the beginning and thus found myself stuck in the middle, stationary, and suspended in mid-air. The guide had to come rescue me! We all had a good laugh though!
The next day we spent exploring downtown Chang Mai until our train left. We took the night train to a town called Ayuthaya which is the famous old capital of Siam. We spent the day exploring ancient wats and ruins. Not quite as impressive as Angkor Wat, but still worth the visit. From there, we headed to the South of Thailand where we took a ferry accross to the small island of Koh Chang. We spent three days here swimming in the tropical water, exploring the beach, and even sea kayaking. There were very few tourists and you were usually the only one on the beach! Not only that, the island itself along with the color of the water were absolutely spectacular. It was the best and most relaxing way to end my time here in SE Asia! Now I'm back in Bangkok and preparing for my transition to wintery Geneva! I will keep you guys updated on how that goes!

love and miss you all,

Rachel