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Other entries in Chiang Mai

A Busy Day

Woke up yesterday morning at 7:30, in disbelief that it was in fact time for me to get up.  I guess going to bed at 3am will do that to you.

Strugeled around to get ready for a bit, and got on the minibus that finally pulled up 35 mins late, at 8:05.  good job, I had been waiting for about 10 mins.  This bus proceeded to drive in circles for another 20 mins, since neither the guide nor the driver knew where the last guesthouse was!

Finally, with a full complement we headed 30 mins out of town to the butterfly and orchid farm.  The farm was small, and kinda crappy, but we only stayed 30 mins, so it was ok.  I also got a banana to eat for breakfast, which was the highlight.  I did manage to take a photo of a butterfly with a 10" wingspan.

We leave the farm and go to a cave, that I believe is called chengdao cave, but that could be completely wrong.  Like most caves in Thailand, it also has an attached monastry, replete with monks and temples etc.  The cave exploration was cool, it was an 800m trek through many caves, lit only by the coleman lantern the guide was carrying.  There were some places where you had to squeeze through TINY tunnels, and wiggle around rocks to get to the next cave.  They should put a warning on the door, since if you were much taller or fatter than me, you would have serious problems.  Some of the mineral deposits in this cave were spectacular, and the hour spent in there was a good time.  Too bad I remembered how many earthquakes there had been recently when we were at the deepest point!

After the cave we went for lunch, which was good, since it was 1pm and we were all starving.  We then proceeded to a little lookout point to get a nice view of this river and the town and floodplanes below.  Finally getting back on the bus we head to the 'highlight' destination of the tour - a cluster of hilltribe villages with 3 different tribes all living within a 10 min walk of each other.

Our guide proceeds to tell us that this place is run by the Thai maffia, and they set it up for the tourists basically - great, we are going to a mafia run human zoo.  Couldn't she have spared us this info?!  She then says that in talking to people it is a good thing, since a lot of these tribes were being persecuted in Burma, and on the run, in danger, and never knowing where their next meal was coming from. Here they make a good salary, are protected, get Thai healthcare for free, and live a lot more stable life.  It was a bit of a reassurance, but still, a little strange all in all.

After taking a bunch of photos and leaving the village, we proceeded on our 4 hour minibus ride back to Chiang Mai. Fortunately the Danish family that had take over the back of the bus wanted to get dropped off at a place 3 hours outside of Chaing Mai - they were smart and using the tour as a free bus service as well!!  As soon as they got off I took over the back seat and slept the whole way back.

I have found a fantasic bar / resteraunt here called 'The Wall' (even in the same font as the Pink Floyd version).  The food is second to non, and relatively cheap.  I had the first real steak I've had since leaving Canada for dinner that night, and the best panang curry in Thailand the night before.  I'm going back there tonight.

Oh yeah, I also met an English girl and her boyfriend who had just celebrated her birthday.  I told her the story of my birthday on Phi Phi, and when i got to the 'I'm always happy when I get to eat an animal I haven't eaten before' part, she got a stony look on her face and said 'We're Vegan'  Haha, you can't win them all.  In fact, that turn of events was much funnier.

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