Laura in Japan: Thailand Post, finally!

So, way back in Golden Week (a month ago, now!) Anita and I made another trip to Thailand, and this time headed north to Chiang Mai.

Bangkok:

On the sleeper-train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai (I highly recommend this mode of travel! second-class, air-con car. so nice!):

Chiang Mai:

View from our guesthouse

geckos

Horse riding:

Oh no! Anita fell off her pony!

Touring the temples:

Wat U-Mong

Wat Suan Dok:

This temple is just beside a Buddhist university which has a lot of monks and novices living around it. They have sessions called "monk-chat" where tourists can go and talk to the university students, who are novices. I had a 17-year-old boy attempting to explain enlightenment to me; was very interesting. It was also interesting to hear about their lifestyle and diet. These types of monks eat meat, but they must beg for their food, so they may not eat anything that has been specially killed or prepared just for them.

Riding elephants on the way to our trek:

The Lebanese guys we went trekking with (they smoked the entire trip...on the elephant, while they were hiking, while they were eating dinner...)

Trekking to the village in the hills of Chiang Mai Province, day 1:

This baby was not happy that his sister handed him over to me.

The cutest boy in the village

Chopping the onions

This is Be, carrying onions

Boy catching chickens

Hacky-Volley

Trekking, day 2:
Thailand has lots of fun bugs!

snakeskin

I have video of our guide breaking an ant nest and eating the eggs that fall out, but for some reason it won't upload to YouTube. I also have video of him putting a cicada in his mouth! But that doesn't want to upload either.