February 21, 2004
Northern Thailand!
The north of Thailand was just as exciting and adventurous as the sunny south. We did a full day Thai cooking course, went on a three day trek which included visiting local villages, treking into a waterfall, bamboo rafting, riding elephants and caving, and then relaxed and took in a few movies in Chiang Mai!
Our cooking course! We began our day with a 'class tour' to the local food market. Our guide Oil, pronounced 'oy', explained why and how we use each ingredient. Very interesting. Here are some scenes from the market.
Wok with the Geddoche's! Matching hat and apron, what a cute pair. We made our own green curry paste (that's what Jilly is pounding in the first pic.), then we made sweet and sour chicken, caramelized bananas, pad thai, spring rolls and finally, Tom Yum soup (hot and sour soup). Needless to say, we were quite full after leaving because you eat everything you make.
Our three day trek from Chiang Mai.
Day 1. Treking through a bamboo forest walking across a few of these bridges until we hit the waterfall! And then treked on to the village where we played soccer with the kids and then they sold us their wears. The kids love getting their picture taken, especially when you have a digital camera so they can see themselves. That's what they are doing 'en masse' with Mel in the middle, looking at themselves.
Day 2. More treking through the bush until we hit the river where we started our three hour bamboo rafting trip. Look at those rafts... safety first! haha but it was a lot of fun. Then into the second village where we played with the kids again (handing out candy and toys) and then more buying!
Day 3. (My Birthday!!) We started the day riding on Elephants. I sat on the neck while Jill and two others sat on a bench behind me. It was a lot of fun! Then we went caving and then headed back to Chiang Mai. To celebrate my birthday, 8 of us from our group met up for dinner and music in a local restaurant. It was a lot of fun!!
Sights around Chiang Mai. Some talented individuals that are 'one-man bands' and some of the markets.
Now we are off to India! We leave tomorrow but we have a stopover in Bangladesh for the night, but the airline picks up the tab for the hotel. Supposedly we aren't allowed to leave the hotel, don't know why, but if that's the case I'm sure we'll pass the time in the pool! So until we find internet in India, take care and we'll talk soon.
Bow.
Posted by jill at February 21, 2004 05:50 AM