Thailand

While waiting for our train ride to Chiang Mai, we decided to see some of Bangkok before we headed out. We got into a Tuk Tuk taxi and rode around for a while. Derek was pretty pumped.

Most of the tuk tuk passengers were foreigners.

The train of death from Bangkok. We had to settle for the non-sleeper seats for 12 long hours. None of us slept, due to the shifty train track and a couple loud passengers, who kept a conversation going the entire trip. No joke.
I was told a bowl of khao soi is a must in Chiang Mai. The curry I had the next day didn't sit so well, however, and I spent the next couple days yelling at the toilet and purging myself of delicious Thai food.
There were fliers everywhere for Muay Thai fights. We checked one out the first night and enjoyed it thoroughly. The ring was situated in the middle of a horseshoe of bars. Nice helpful "waitresses" strolled through the ringside seats getting drinks for their new friends.
I was curious what a "blind fight" was when I noticed it on the program. Instead of 2 disabled people punching each other senseless, 3 fighters wearing blindfolds entered the ring and started wailing on each other. Even the referee got into the action. After about 2 minutes of comedy, the fight turned pathetic after the blindfolds came off and the fighters continued to hit each other. At least it wasn't a real blind fight.
The main event featured a guy from England versus a guy from Thailand. Needless to say, the fight ended a couple of minutes into the match after the English guy got kicked in the leg too hard and gave up. Stick to Cricket, Limey.
The next day we took a tour to the countryside and arrived at a Karen village. These people are famously known for their long, ringed necks. However, the people in this village do not wear the rings and have regular sized necks.



Our guide took us to a waterfall outside of the village.

This little Danish kid was fearless, as was the rest of his family. He and his older sisters climbed all over the rocks next to the waterfalls without any hesitation. They were the happiest family I've ever seen. I think they had their own family chant they sang when we went river rafting a few hours later.
Our guide warned us about the 2 baby elephants at the elephant camp. He said one was named "naughty boy" for his behavior towards tourists. This is a picture of the baby girl, who was quite mean herself. She kept trying to run us over and kick us while we tried to take pictures.
Of course, Peter Pan got a little too close and the baby charged.
Baby and her mom.

As we crossed a river, the mom turned to the baby to come to the other side so she could protect her from the current.




Buddhist temple in Chiang Mai.





After flying from Chiang Mai to Phuket, we caught a ferry the next morning to Ko Phi Phi.


This beach was devastated by the tsunami, but the island looked amazingly beautiful.





We took a tour around some of the surrounding Phi Phi islands. The monkeys at Monkey Beach were relatively tame compared to the camera-snatching ones I encountered in Bali. However, one little guy was insulted when Nick offered him a leaf instead of a banana and snarled and chased after him.


A few of us went cliff jumping after Monkey Beach. I broke on of my sandals on the jagged cliffs but it was still worth the effort getting up there.

This little cove is used by men who collect swift's nests for bird's nest soup, a very dangerous job for a very expensive dish. It is known as Viking cave for its drawings of ships that resemble those of the vikings on the walls.

This is Maya Bay, where the movie the Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed.



The next day we took a speedboat with 2 Australian girls we met to Ao Nang.
Derek and I manned the front.
This island is name Chicken Island. I think it looks more like a turtle.

The girls convinced us to get a pedicure from these little fish that ate the dead skin off our feet. They were ticklish as hell and I was pretty offended when they all rushed over to Nick's legs instead of mine. However, I got to sit in my own tank and the fish feasted on me for a while. I wonder, do these things solely eat feet?
Christmas dinner was awesome. Fresh crab and lobster all around with our friends.
Fi Fi got pretty creative with her straws.
Sorry Derek, no one looks tough drinking a margarita with a straw.
we kayaked through a mangrove forest and some limestone cliffs the next day.






Back in Bangkok, we thought we were at Wat Pho, the site of the famous Reclining Buddha, when we figured out we were at the Grand Palace instead. This was as close as we got to the Palace.
Wat Pho


The Reclining Buddha