I Just Went Pai

We are now 12-ish days into our trip...who can count? I lost track of time a long time ago! I am currently in a little town in the mountains of Northern Thailand called Pai. It is a hippie town: lazy days, sipping tea, Thai Chi, massages, reading in a hammock. We were going to leave tomorrow, but this place has a way of sucking you in and keeping you here just a bit longer. We decided to stay another day....I just went Pai. Mal and I have been hanging out with an awesome group of people: 3 people from Sweden, 1 from London, and 2 from Australia. The other night we were 12 people deep searching for a bar and stumbled upon a reggae bar in the middle of nowhere, so we decided to start our own party. Before we knew it people were coming from all directions...Rock on Bob Marley!

Mal and I arrived in Pai after a 3 hour bus ride on the curviest road I have ever been on in my life. If you know me well, you know I have terrible motion sickness. Somehow, by the grace of God (and with the help of my iPod and sleep) I did not get sick. Unlike the 5 other people in our van who puked the whole way. Back in Chang Mai before we left, Mal and I went to an Elephant Park. It was so cool to be among them. We were able to walk with them, touch them, and we even got to draw pictures on them! They showed off their skills by painting, tricks, soccer, etc. The best part...making paper out of elephant poo. Yes, elephant poo. I mixed it with my bare hands:) Smells good. Actually, elephant poo doesn't even smell!

We also went to a cooking class in the middle of the countryside and learned how to make traditional Thai food. I will be sure to make you all something delicious when I get back. The last couple days of Songkran we escaped the water fights by visiting a Tiger park, lounging by a pool, and having little fishes eat the dead skin off our feet (weird I know and ticklish like hell, but awesome!) We sent Songkran off right with dancing in the streets and splashing in the water with locals and foreigners alike. Definitely an unforgettable night!

So, once we can peal ourselves away from Pai, we will travel back down the world's most curvy road to Chang Mai for mountain biking. Then, off to Bankok for a taste of the big city and on the infamous beaches of Thailand.

More to come from the lovely traveling ladies!!