Chewy Dewy

Hello Islands.

Hello tiny shorts.

Hello beach.

Hello Thai Cat.

Hello Fireman.

Supprise! A penis in the sand!

Love and Sticky Rice,

Dana

Island adventures!

We have made it to the famous islands of Thailand! It feels like we're in a whole different country after coming from riding elephants and frequenting cafés in Chiang Mai. 

We arrived in Phuket and it reminded us a lot of south beach, Miami. It was very busy and touristy. The beach, however, was very nice! We swam for a while in the soft white sand beach of Patong. We were somewhat missing Chiang Mai until we saw the inifnity pool on the roof of our hotel! Sooo amazing! We loved it and after our adventure to three different islands we will return and hang by the pool all day! 

We took a ferry this morning to Ko Phi Phi (the island where The Beach) was filmed. I have to say I was a little bit skeptical at how beautiful the island would be, but I was blown away!!! The first picture above shows what we saw when entering the pier. 

The whole island is lined with these limestone cliffs. The pictures do NOT do it justice by any means! We started our adventure by getting bombarded by travel agents hoping we'd choose a hotel with them. We were so hot, sweaty, and excited to get on the beach we just picked one. NEVER AGAIN!!! We weren't able to use trip advisor to see reviews. The view is absolutely amazing from our balcony, but the room is everything but amazing! Ants, bird poop stains, lizards in bathrooms- the works. Let's just say I need a whole lot of Singha (Thai beer) to fall asleep in this place! We're about to venture out into the night of Ko Phi Phi and experience the night life! Next stop tomorrow...Ko Lanta island by ferry! 

Peace, love, and elephants,

Melanie 

Bitches on da beach!

Just when I was feeling sad to leave Chiang Mai, we made it to the beach...

...and then we discovered our hotel's infinity pool...

This is by far the best pool I have ever been in. I want to stay forever. I'm really looking forward to what the next few days in the islands have in store for us.

 

❤️ Shana

The beating of a lifetime and wok-ing hard

Yesterday, we woke up and finally were able to take our time in the morning. As far as getting ready, that doesn't mean much - as soon as you leave the comfort of your air conditioned room, humidity destroys even the minimal amount of work you put into looking semi-presentable. After enjoying the simple (free) breakfast of eggs and toast the guesthouse had to offer, we went on a hunt for some fresh fruit. The fruit here is amazing! The mangos are the best I've ever had! Of course, I had yet another banana smoothie. It's already been decided I need to buy a blender when I get home to continue with my smoothie addiction. 

After breakfast and second breakfast, we bummed around and did a little more shopping before heading back to the massage parlor for a traditional Thai massage. 

(This is some amazing Thai graffiti)

All of us had a slightly different massage experience, but all of us agree that it was painfully interesting. These girls use their whole body to induce a moderate amount of torture to you. Dana and I were upstairs, and at the point I felt my girl kneeling on top of me on all fours, I opened my eyes a bit to see Dana's girl standing on top of her, bouncing. Oh, if only I had a picture of the experience! It's your chiropractor, combined with a massage therapist, with a little cirque du soleil, and a little bit of catholic school marm with a ruler and a vengeance added in. I think we all agree it's better to stick with the foot massage. That being said, the face, head, and neck portion of the Thai massage was heaven.

After being roughed around a bit, it was time to take our Thai cooking class. As many of you know, I don't cook. Ever. I can bake, but the art of cooking has been bestowed upon my sister and cousin, and left me with limited capabilities. Needless to say, I was excited to see how I would do, and if I succeeded, to have a couple of things I could add to my repertoire (which currently consists of grilled cheese and scrambled eggs). All I can say is, Great Success!!

We took our seats at our table, and were shortly joined by a couple from Houston and another couple from Sweden. Our instructor, Meow (🐱) joined us shortly after. After running down the menu with us and describing our options (stir fry, soup, appetizer, dessert), our group decided to make a stir fry and an appetizer, along with the curry course that everyone must do. My personal menu was Pad Thai, Spring Rolls, and Panaang Curry. These were all, by far, the best things I've ever made. I was surprised at how easy it all was! I now need to add a food processor and a Thai wok to my "must purchase when I get home" list! Before cooking though, Meow took us to the local market to show us some native ingredients and educate us on Chiang Mai cuisine.

This is some of the rice at the market. And below is a fresh vegetable display out in front of one of the stands.

In case you were worried, we were given a few minutes to explore the market, so I was able to purchase yet another smoothie, this time banana pineapple. I think Melanie and I should make a tally comparing who repeats the same food product more; so far, I think she has had as much Pad Thai as I have had smoothies!

Anyway, after the market, we were taken into the garden and shown the veggies we would be using for our menu. 

After we had learned all that we could, it was time to cook! First, of course, was food prep. 

Next came the stir fry. Quick and easy, to my surprise. Then can the true test: tasting the finished product. 

CRUSHED IT. Repeat for the appetizer course.

Perfectly crunchy spring rolls.

Making the curry was a bit more labor intensive, as it involved finely dicing a number of herbs and spices, then pummeling chiles and those herbs and spices into a smooth paste. Actually, it was a good workout for those arms! But the end result was amazing, which is why I don't have a picture of my Panaang. It was so damn good, I forgot to stop eating to take a picture like a good American. So instead, here is Shana working that curry like a pro, with our instructor Meow.

I highly, highly recommend taking a cooking class if any of you make it to Thailand. And if you're lucky, you just may have a fun-loving Swede man who insists on making a beer run in the middle of class, making the whole experience just that much better.

- Julie, Panaang chef extraordinaire 🔪

Searching for elephant pants

It's been a couple days since I lasted posted, so this is going to be a little lengthy, because it's been quite a couple of days! 

On Monday, we woke up in our hotel room bright and early - about 3am for some of us - caught the end of the US v. Portugal game (bummer) and got ready for the day. Breakfast at the Chatrium was amazing! Shana already mentioned the jams, but seriously? I need cases of the banana passion fruit delivered to my home! After that, we were picked up by a private tour bus, and started out exploration of Bangkok. Our tour guides name was Pen, and although I think she may have swindled us a little bit, she was a great guide. We first went to Wat Traimit, which is known for it's five and a half ton Golden Buddha. 

We walked the beautiful grounds, and learned all about Buddhism in Thailand, which, unfortunately, I recall none of it. Next, we headed to Wah Pho, which houses the largest reclining Buddha in Thailand. The size was awe-inspiring.

Pen then took us on a tour of the city, which, of course, took us to a gem store and silk shop, among other things. Pen then insisted we had to go to the tallest building in Bangkok and have lunch at the top. The views were stellar, but the restaurant was a mediocre buffet. To add insult to injury, the thing cost us 800 baht per person, a total rip off, especially when we had better Thai food the night before for about 150 baht per person, and that included beer! Needless to say, we were eager to get back to the hotel.

We took the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai Monday night. The train station, itself, was quite an experience. Combine hundreds of backpackers (who are not known for their cleanliness), Thais, and stray cats, with stifling heat, and you get the ambiance of the station: sweat and cat urine. So, we headed across the street to grab a beer and wait for our train.

When we booked the tickets, second class was our only available option. This meant we were in public cabins with public bathrooms. The train sleeper cabins looked exactly like the Hogwarts express, except no magic, and substitute a friendly woman selling treats for an older Thai woman pushing orange juice on you like drugs. Shana and I took one room, shared with one of the conductors and two of his lady friends... A little awkward. Luckily, Melanie and Dana's bunk mates were two girls from the UK. If I remember correctly, Dani was from Liverpool and Rachel was from Belfast. Regardless, good people! We compared experiences of living in the US versus the UK over some beer. Had we not had the pleasure of hanging out with these two, I can't say I would have enjoyed the train. None of us thought we'd be cold in Thailand, and we froze our asses off on this train! And the blanket they gave you was pretty light weight, which made rough sleeping for all of us. Also, the toilets. My god, the toilets. They only word to describe the bathrooms is "wet". And one of my worst nightmares nearly came through when, at 3 or 4 in the morning when I woke up to relieve myself, I found myself stuck in this tiny, shaking, box of wet and stink. Thankfully, Melanie just happened to head to the bathrooms at the same time, so I scared no strangers trying to claw myself out of this cesspool, and only sufferd a 90 second panic attack. The train rocked me back to sleep like a child, after that. In the morning, we took in the views of rural Thailand as we neared Chiang Mai.

After we arrived, we said goodbye to our traveling buddies and exited the train, where we were mauled by tuktuk drivers. Overwhelming doesn't even begin to describe the experience! We finally realized that we had no idea where we were going, and had no other traveling option, so hopped on a tuktuk and prayed. The experience was exhilarating! 

We found our guest house, and got freshened up. The MD House cost us about $8 a night, so it's not luxury, but it does the job. We were starving after our travels, so we went on the hunt for some delicious Thai food. Luckily, we didn't have to go far - Nature's Way was just down the road, and has been our favorite spot so far. The food is prepared in healthier ways, and focuses on organic food prep. All it took was a banana smoothie to realize I was in love. I mean, check out Shana's curry, served directly in the coconut:

After lunch, we headed out to do some shopping. Haggling is part of the fun here, so we were able to find some great steals. When we finished shopping the streets, our feed needed some lovin. We were dead set on trying out the feeding fish massage, so we found a place and headed on in. What a feeling! Super strange, so ticklish... One time is plenty enough for me! But, they were running a special for an hour long foot massage, so we of course said hell yeah! Best decision ever! These women know what they're doing. And for around $7, we decided this needed to become a daily luxury. Maybe not the fish part, though...

After getting pampered, we grabbed some dinner and headed back to the room to get refreshed. Onto Chiang Mai's famous Night Bazaar we went. I have a feeling that during peak season, especially when tourism is at it's normal volumes, the place gets wild. I don't know if it was our exhaustion or what, but I was excited at the first couple stalls, then quickly realized the stalls kept repeating products, which was kind of a bummer. But regardless, still found some great stuff. The exhaustion kicked in hard core, so we headed back to our guesthouse, but not before stopping to try out some street food. Melanie and Shana split pad Thai, while I opted for a banana Nutella crepe. The best!

When we finally got to our rooms, we crashed, which is what's happening to me at this moment. So, if you've stuck with me this long, great job, and thanks!! Today's adventure will have to be told tomorrow.

-Julie, forever a lover of banana smoothies 🍹

Chaing Mai Yai Yai

     Oh gosh Chaing Mai! You make me want to quit life and become a local elephant pant vendor. Life here is like a condiment, you just spread it on and relax. 

      So far I have experienced fish socks that only cost me $2.

       I also participated in this new intense interpretive sport called the "Thai Massage". Which was where the chubbiest of Thai woman straddled my back and swung me into compromising positions that cut off the majority of my air for an hour. I had so much fun I think I'll go back tomorrow! 

       I also took a Thai cooking class. Now all I need is a Wok and some fish sauce, and I can make practically make anything in Asia.

Tomorrow I will ride and bathe an elephant. Wish me luck!

Love and Sticky Rice,

Dana

Waking Up with Britney?

    So I guess when everybody says no one speaks English, they were telling the truth. So far we have been walking around bum fuck Bangkok (tee he) for over an hour and no taxi knows where our hotel is, turns out neither do we. I've seen an abundance of stray cats and dogs running amidst the dirty streets and apparently they only eat them in China. Good to know. Finally we find our hotel, beer, and a beautiful balcony view.

     As I started to feel like I was the American character in a weird anime, and a sleep coma stared to take over my body limb by limb, I knew my day was over... At 4pm. Face plant on bed followed by drool and sleep talking. Bring it on.

At least I got to recover with a proper Thai breakfast. Woot woot, off to Chaing Mai.

Love and Sticky Rice,

Dana

Hawng naam yuu tee nai?

This is my delectable spread from our hotel breakfast in Bangkok:

 

So fresh, so yummy. These jams that we had with our waffles are what really put this plate over the edge. 

All I can say is Banana Passionfruit jam oh em gee.

And I thought the food in Bangkok was amazing but holy smokes Chiang Mai takes the cake. So far I've had the best meal of my life here- Coconut Curry served out of a coconut. This little organic restrauant by our guest house is so delicious. Melanie's Pad Thai was the best I've ever had. Perfection.

I had some Panang dish in Bangkok and Another Panang dish in Chiang Mai. In Bangkok it was similar to how I've had it back home- thinker sweet curry sauce. In Chiang Mai it was a very spicy thinner coconut milk curry sauce, like vegetable curry back home. I just found that interesting. Melanie and I were starving last night so we got some street Pad Thai. It was super delicious but different from all the rest. More peppery. I haven't been to concerned about what I'm consuming despite warnings of not eating meat and drinking the water. After every meal I get a little nervous that it will be the one that does me in. I made sure to learn how to say "Where is the bathroom?" in Thai. But so far, I've been golden. 

Besides food, Chiang Mai has some really great shopping. So cheap! You can buy a dress or a really nice necklace for 100 baht, which is only $3! I got a lil cray with the shopping yesterday.

Well back to food, I'm starving again and it's breakfast time :)

Sawatdee.

-Shana

IN LOVE

So, we made it to a northern city of Thailand called Chiang Mai. When deciding on cities to visit during our planning of this trip we had heard many great things about this city. I am sooo happy we went with opinions and came here. I absolutely LOVE this city! 

We arrived to Chiang Mai via an overnight train from Bangkok. The railroad station was huge and apparently sleeper trains are a very popular mode of transportation. We were a bit skeptical of the safety and the quality if having our own bed on a train and sharing with strangers. However, this turned out to be a great experience as well. We bunked with two other backpackers from Liverpool. It was so great to meet them we had such a nice time learning about their travels all over the world and drinking Singha! 

As we arrived in Chiang Mai we finally rode in a Tuk Tuk and it definitely felt like a more Thai authentic experience. We arrived at our little guest house. It's very cute, simple, and plain- 8 American dollars worth, what can you expect. Hence the reason I'm updating this blog at 530 am time here- no sleep. 

Chiang Mai has turned out to be our absolute favorite. We keep saying we never want to leave. 

This city has so many walks of life. So many amazing views as it's amidst mountains in the back. So much massage too! We experienced a fish pedicure (soooo strange) and an hour long Thai foot massage all for only 200 Baht ($6). 

Last night we experienced the Night Bazaar. It's miles of tents set up with arts and crafts and souvenirs. Of course I'm buying way too much, but when will I ever be back in Thailand!? 

Today we are taking a Thai cooking class!

Peace, love, and elephants,

Melanie 

  

We made it!

We've made it to Chiang Mai! We'll probably have full posts coming later, as it appears we have some storms rolling through. But for now, just a quickie...

A glimpse of Norhern Thailand from the train this morning

Shana's coconut curry lunch, served in a fresh coconut - the first meal in Chiang Mai. All of our meals were completely satisfying. Oh, Nature's Way, why don't you exist in America??