April 15: Chaing Mai (Zipline)

Greetings from Thailand!

We went to Eagle Track zip line which is situated between three hill tribe villages outside the city of Chiang Mai. We had a great time zip-lining and saw many rubber trees and we were in the middle of a lush rain forest. We survived 20 platforms, 9 zip lines and walked across several bridges. We had fun and after that, we had a lunch buffet then went back to a hotel. We took a break and went swimming.

We had a traditional Kantoke dinner at the Kantoke Palace. There, we had traditional northern Thai dishes and we watched hill tribe Lanna dancers and learned about their culture and food. (For more information, see www.kantokepalace.com). We had a lot of fun at the dinner and some of us even joined in the traditional dancing.

Tomorrow, we will say good bye to Chiang Mai as we return to hot and humid Bangkok for the rest of our stay. We found the people of Chiang Mai very friendly and they have been very good to us. We will miss our hotel's food service and staff.

Enjoy our pictures!

Before the trip (uhmm, what's Joi doing?)

Go Amberley!

Waiting at a platform.

Go Tyrel!

Go Jesus!

Go Kendrick!

Go Tim!

Yikes!

Double yikes! Either that dog is really talented or not very smart.

 

Go Hadassah!

 

We survived!

Our traditional northern Thai cuisine.

We enjoyed the dancers.

Uhmm.. what was sponsor Pat doing? Dancing??

Amberley beautifully and skillfully picked up Thai dancing.

 

 

 

Kendrick: We enjoyed our meal very much following the Thai hill tribe tradition. We also saw some dancing- Look! We are enjoying ourselves.

 

 

April 14: Chiang Mai (Tigers!)

Today, the Songkran festival is still alive and hopping. Everyone is throwing water on each other. Thai people do know how to have fun!

We went to the tiger kingdom and pet some adult and some younger tigers.

We also paid our respects to the Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep temple on the mountain of Chiang Mai and we saw a beautiful emerald Buddha statue. The real emerald Buddha is currently in Bangkok. We survived the 306 steps!

After that, we stopped by a jade factory and they taught us about jade. Jade is a valued stone and they come in colors from green to red. We are now back to our hotel and people are entertaining us by throwing water in the street.

Amberley: We today went to a temple that honored a rare white elephant that went up and died. We also saw the Emerald Buddha. We also got to see tigers who were really cute. They were various sizes and very beautiful. Some were spread out and they played. We took pictures and video to remember today.

(Narrator: Is it just me or do the students look more dangerous than the tiger? :))

Taking "wearing fur" to the extreme.

Yes, the sponsors want tips, please.

Awwww....

A new friend for everyone.

The trip is not only fun and games, it's educational. (Then again, education is fun!)

At the Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep temple.

 

The emerald Buddha

306 steps! (Those who braved the hike up to to Machu Picchu in 2012 will say "that's nothing!")

 

Traditional Thai clothing is beautiful!

A brief glimpse of the Songkran Festival

April 13: Chiang Mai

Cheers from Thailand~

We can't believe it has been a week since we flew here and that we are halfway through our much anticipated Thailand journey!

Today was a mellow day. We had a good time walking around the city and got soaked during Thailand's Songkran Festival. This is Thailand's New Year. We also went to Talat Warorot market during lunch and it was interesting. Tomorrow, we are going to the Tiger Kingdom to make friends with tigers and then in the afternoon, we will visit the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep temple where there are 306 steps for us to master!

 

 

 

 

 

Additional information:
Excerpt from Wikipedia: The Songkran festival (Thai: สงกรานต์, pronounced [sǒŋ.krāːn]) is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year's Day from 13 to 15 April. It coincides with the New Year of many calendars of South and Southeast Asia. The date of the festival was originally set by astrological calculation, but it is now fixed. If these days fall on a weekend, the missed days off are taken on the weekdays immediately following. Songkran falls in the hottest time of the year in Thailand, at the end of the dry season. Until 1888 the Thai New Year was the beginning of the year in Thailand; thereafter 1 April was used until 1940. 1 January is now the beginning of the year. The traditional Thai New Year has been a national holiday since then.

 

Songkran has traditionally been celebrated as the New Year for many centuries, and is believed to have been adapted from the Sankranti Hindu festival. It is now observed nationwide, even in the far south. However, the most famous Songkran celebrations are still in the northern city of Chiang Mai, where it continues for six days and even longer. It has also become a party for foreigners and an additional reason for many to visit Thailand for immersion in another culture.