Trekking the northern territories...

I don't even know where to start...I guess, as I learned from the Sound of Music, I should start at the very beginning?!

From January 29 - 31, the Matayom 1, 2, and 3 students had girl and boy scouts camps. Some of the students stayed on campus and set up camp on the sports field in the back. During the day, they did trust building games and played sports and cooked lots of food. Other students went away to an overnight camp in neighboring provinces. I joined some of the Matayom 1 (7th grade) girl scouts on a day field trip to Kham Paeng Phet, which is a province about two hours away from Sukhothai and is the site of ancient ruins from the time of the first Thai capital. It was a fun day of site-seeing and I was glad to accompany the students and teachers.

On Saturday, I left for my trip north. I first stopped in Si Satchanalai to join my friend Karen, and then on Sunday we made our way to Chiang Rai. In Chiang Rai, Karen and I stayed with Paige (another ETA) at her host school - Princess Chulaporn. On Monday, we "went to school" and it was fun to meet Paige's students and co-teachers. On Tuesday, Karen and I explored Chiang Rai which is a great little city. We ventured to a beautiful temple (Wat Phra Kaew) and we wandered the city, and then we ended our afternoon with a lovely rest at a local coffee shop. On Wednesday, we joined a day-tour to see the Golden Triangle, Maesai, and Chiang Saen. The Golden Triangle is where Laos, Burma, and Thailand all come together at the Mekhong River. It was so awesome to be in Thailand, but to look out over two other countries! Maesai is the northernmost point in Thailand - and is a popular crossing point between Burma and Thailand. Chiang Saen is an ancient city that at one point was a very important place for trade/conflict/encounters between Laos, Burma, and Thailand. During our tour, we also went on a boat ride in the Mekhong River. We made a stop at an island in Laos, though I am not sure if I would really say I have been in Laos yet or not. We also visited the "House of Opium" which is a really interesting museum on the history of opium (which used to be, and still is (illegally), a point of trade and conflict in Thailand and Southeast Asia).

After our long day of touring, we returned to Chiang Rai and had a lovely bon voyage dinner with Paige, Kali, and Brad! It was so awesome to see them, and to see this part of Thailand!

Then...on Thursday morning, Karen and I hopped on a bus to Chiang Mai where we met our wonderful friend Zoe. Chiang Mai is the second biggest city in Thailand, and it is a fun place to explore. Plus it is the "gateway" to many trekking adventures. Last time I was in Chiang Mai, I went on a mountain biking adventure. This time, Karen, Zoe, and I decided to go on a crazy one-day adventure full of everything! We went white water rafting, elephant riding, hiking, waterfall swimming, bamboo river rafting, and I think there were some other things too! It was a fun day, and everything we did was in such a beautiful setting!

It just so happened that Chiang Mai was having its annual flower festival the weekend we were there - so we got to enjoy the festivities. There was a parade where all of the floats were made out of flowers - so beautiful! On Sunday, we met up with Caryn who lives outside of Chiang Mai and she joined us for an exciting outing at the Chiang Mai Sunday walking street. The walking street is probably about a mile in length and is so full of vendors and people that you can hardly walk sometimes! I found some awesome earrings and pants, and some other souveniry things too.

phew...it was quite a week! We got to see so many friends and so many awesome places in Thailand! Now, I have two weeks left of teaching...only two! I can't even believe it.

I think this is enough for now! Sorry this is a long one!

Missing you! (oh, and Happy Valentine's Day!!!)