hey from chiang mai

i was home for 36 hours between arriving from taiwan and shanghai and jetting off to thailand with my friend j . she had a short vacation and i didn't want to be stuck in an empty cat-less apartment in an empty town (all the students are on break and all the foreigners are on vacation).

our journey to chiang mai was a bit of a long haul. i left my apartment at 9:30 in the morning and took a bus to cheonan. from cheonan it was a 2 hour bus ride up to the airport. we checked in and exchanged money for our 4:40pm flight to qingdao, china. did you know you can only be on mainland china in excess of 24 hours without a visa (if you don't land in one of the airports with the 72 hour transit visa)? we had two layovers in china: one was 14 hours in qingdao and one was 6 hours in kunming. they check when you land in china and when you take off. we landed in qingdao at 5pm on the 6th and flew out of kunming at 5pm on the 7th. we were in china for exactly 24 hours. it was a close one and i was nervous they weren't going to let us on the plane. phew.

we got to chiang mai at 7:30pm on wednesday and took a taxi to our hostel on nimmam soi 1. the location was awesome. it was a quaint little street full of cafes and coffee shops and art galleries. i loved it. the hostel itself was incredibly clean. our rooms were a bunkbed and about a foot on one side to move around, it was tight but cozy. woody, the owner, was kind and watched out for us, checking the buses and taxis that came to get us to make sure we were safe. i was really thankful for him.

the first day in chiang mai we wandered our little area. there were lots of leafy side streets to walk down. we started the day with smoothies and a thai massage. we hopped from cafe to coffee shop and i had a few thai iced coffees (so delicious). that night we ate at a famous restaurant on our street called "mix" and ended with a dessert called global warming that melted under fire.

nimbent soi 1 | the street our hostel was on

being a tourist | chiang mai

the first coffee shop | nimmam

mapping our route | chiang mai

the second day, we went to the elephant nature park which is a sanctuary for 41 or so rescued elephants. the elephants here have been saved from illegal logging operations in myanmar, street begging in bangkok, and trekking camps in thailand. the elephants are not ridden, instead they are left to their own wanderings in the park and interact with humans on their terms. the 41 elephants have formed 5 herds, 2 have babies that roam the park as well. we began the day by feeding the elephants watermelons. it was awesome to see them use their trunks as a limb and grab the melon before sticking it in their mouth. we had a buffet lunch (the best i've ever had!) full of cooked vegetables i haven't seen in a while (or ever) and some pasta. it was such a good, good lunch. afterwards, we wandered the park on foot. approaching some of the elephants. occasionally, we had to back slowly (or quickly) away if they seemed too interested in us. finally, we bathed some of the elephants in the river. ours was a lovely girl. she stood patiently and ate her melons while we splashed her with buckets of the river water. it was fun to play around with an elephant and touch her and be around her. 

bathing our girl | elephant nature park 

feeding watermelons | elephant nature park

my pachyderm palz | elephant nature park 

old girl playing in the mud | elephant nature park 

the third and last day in chiang mai, we walked to the old part of the city to see some of the temples. there were so many! there are 36 active temples just in the old city (which is not very big). they were all unique, though, so it was cool to see the intricate designs on the outside and inside. we got some thai pants (very comfortable) and took a tuk tuk back to our part of town for dinner, packing, and early sleeps before our 6am flight to phuket.

temple | old chiang mai

wat chedi luang | old chiang mai 

tuk tuk ride home | chiang mai

we landed in phuket around 8am on sunday morning and took a mini bus down to patong where our resort was. the beach was right across the street and the hotel let us check in early so we took naps before changing clothes and heading to the rooftop pool. that evening we wandered a little ways from the hotel for dinner, but because we were so tired we crashed early. the next day, we had fresh fruit on our balcony for breakfast before going to the pool. sadly, i got quite burned this day. so we had an early dinner of pad thai and holed up for the night with some movies from the front desk. the next day, i was still burned so we sat in the shade and went to happy hour and just relaxed. that night we put our feet in the indian ocean and it was a lot warmer than i expected! it smelled salty and the breeze was fresh. it was amazing. the next early morning, i got food poisoning from some 1. street pad thai or 2. street mango smoothie, i'm not sure which was the culprit, but it was not a pleasant experience. we had to check out at noon that day and i was still not feeling well so we had a lot of time between then and our flight at 3am. we bounced between air conditioned places until the sun started going down. for the evening, we sat in the cool sand by the indian ocean, watching: the cruise ship out in the bay, people sending off floating lanterns, fireworks, and all sorts of goodness. it was a pleasant way to end the trip. 

at 8, we took a taxi to the airport and waited for our flight. we had a layover in shanghai for a couple hours where we parked it at starbucks and did puzzles. and we were in korea that night. 

indian ocean and beach | patong

view from above | patong

last sunset on the indian ocean | patong

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even though thailand beat me in the end with my burn and food poisoning, i loved it. i loved the people, the atmosphere, the elephants, the beaches. i loved the scenery and the food. i loved the thai iced coffees and little cafes. i loved the fresh fruit and smoothies. it was a great experience, one of my favorites. things to do for next time: don't have a 14 and 6 hour layover on the way there, take the train to bangkok, rent an umbrella, and spend more time swimming in the ocean. thankful for adventurous friends and an adventurous spirit and the means to take them places. thankful for energy and spontaneity and cheerfulness to get us through long layovers and nights in china. thankful for aloe and mango smoothies to cool. thankful for mornings on the hot balcony and nights in the comfy bed. thankful for the sunshine and warmth in between. 

happy january !

hey from taipei, hi from shanghai

two days after christmas, i flew to taiwan to see lindsey and to explore. we'd planned a visit since the very end of august, right after she'd moved there. when i landed, it was raining. i took the 1968 bus and got off the second stop after the highway. she met me with an umbrella and a big hug. we walked the kilometer back to her cozy apartment. that night, we caught up on everything from the last few years and by 1am decided it was time to sleep. 

the next morning, we slept in late. it was still raining. we walked to old street in sanxia and sampled every food that was offered. the little street was full of temples, food stands, and shops. we drank guava juice and ate bullhorn bread. that rainy afternoon, we watched a french movie and that rainy night, we walked to the new part of sanxia and ate hot pot (shabu shabu) at cash city (cash cash city). 

monday, i woke up earlier and lindsey walked me to the bus stop. i took the bus until i hit the subway, and rode that all the way to taipei main station where i met m and c. we hopped on a slow train to hualien on the east coast. that afternoon, we rode scooters to the pacific ocean and scooted up and down the coast for a few hours. for dinner, we went to a tea lounge and sampled teas and ate noodles. tuesday, we took another bus to taroko gorge, a few kilometers up the coast. we hiked back into the gorge and spent some time sitting on rocks, listening to the running water, admiring all the green. we took the late train back to taipei that night and set up camp at a hotel on the west side of the river with a round bed. wednesday, new years eve. we went to taipei 101 and took the really fast elevator to the 89th floor. we walked the circuit, i drank a latte, and we sat up there looking down at the world for a while. the rest of the afternoon was spent looking for sparkles. for new years eve, we met with s and t and stayed close to taipei 101 because it's famous for its fireworks. i'm all about the fireworks, they were amazing. we danced late, late and the subway ran all night. 

the first day of 2015 was spent being lazy. we slept in. lindsey and i went back into town to climb elephant mountain where we saw taipei from above. then we went to a night market and wandered around. 

friday, we climbed a mountain not far from their apartment in sanxia. we climbed a lot of jungle steps, clung to chains spanning ridges, and had to lower ourselves using ropes down rock faces several times. i felt like most of the time was spent pulling myself up the mountain with my weak little arms. but it was so much fun to chat and climb and reach the peak and see so, so far. that evening, we went for dinner at a veggie place and i had some sesame noodles. 

saturday was my last day. we walked and got some juice and a giant avocado. we rode bikes to a university close by and laid in the grass. i miss laying in the grass a lot, korea doesn't have much (if any) grass. we did some yoga, and kicked a soccer ball around. then it was time for me to take a taxi to the airport. and i said goodbye to taiwan. 

scooting | pacific ocean

destination | pacific ocean 

rock-sitting | taroko gorge

latte-sipping | 89th floor of taipei 101

walking to the fireworks | new years eve

greatest fireworks show | taipei 101 

taipei from above | elephant mountain

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i had an overnight layover in shanghai by myself. i decided i didn't want to spend it in the airport, and china offers a transit visa. i took the maglev train into the heart of the city (i went 300 km/hr but at top speeds it reaches 430 km/hr). i caught a taxi that didn't look sketchy and he took me to my hotel. i crashed for the night and woke the next morning early to go to the bund. i took another taxi there, under the river. the bund is a walkway along the river, overlooking the pearl and other architecturally impressive buildings. it was a smoggy day, but the sun was pleasant and it felt like fall. i took the subway back to the maglev and made it to the airport way too early. 

riding the maglev | shanghai

#aloneies | the bund, shanghai

taking it in | the bund, shanghai 

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i consistently am learning things about myself as i travel with others and alone. this trip in particular made me worry less and place more confidence in myself and be willing to go where the wind blew me and i can see that attitude seeping into other areas of my life. this, coupled with my faith, remind me: do not be anxious about anything. and this is how i begin 2015.

and tonight, i'm in korea. but tomorrow, j and i begin flying to thailand. we're a little nervous because we have two long layovers in china, and they don't require a tourist visa if the actual time doesn't exceed 24 hours (supposedly). we land at 5pm tomorrow night and leave china at 5pm on wednesday. fingers crossed we make it. 

prayers would be appreciated as we venture out. i'm excited for elephants and beaches and thai food. off again !