Chiang Mai/Chiang Rai

After a couple of days in Bangkok, I was on my way to the north. After a brutal overnight bus with a seat that didn't recline, I arrived in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is beautiful, slightly less chaotic than Bangkok, and for sure less pollution. The streets are easy to navigate, the food is delightfully tasty, and the people are always joking around. I arrived in Chiang Mai at the beginning of Thai New Year (Songkran Festival). This festival is like no other holiday I've ever experienced. Imagine a 5 day constant water fight/street party with every neighbor, store owner, friend, family member in the entire city...intense! It's clearly not documented as no one wants to ruin their camera (but I did sneak in a couple of pictures). The traffic is at a standstill around the old city and water from buckets and water guns fly through the air. When driving around the country water comes flying from every direction...good thing the temperature is 95F so that we welcome it. After a couple of days of sheer madness and enjoying a wonderful cooking class, I started my 3-day Jeep Adventure through some of the north of Thailand. I was the only American in the group of 17 Israelis and it was quite the experience. We had such a nice time together traveling around and sharing stories. Not only was my trip to learn about Thailand, I also got quite an education on Israelis...lots of fun!!

I've always wanted to try to do a zip line course. Needless to say, I never thought it would be in the jungles of Northern Thailand. After my 3 days in a Jeep, I felt I was ready for my "Jungle Flight". It was incredible...22 zip lines, 2 free falls, 3 shaky bridges and 1 day of complete fun! I survived to tell the story and even learned a bit about the village that lives down below (they of course climb the trees without harnesses...maybe I'll do it next time!)

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