Goodbye, Chiang Mai

So far Thailand has been one of our most exciting destinations. We have loved every bite and every activity. 

On our last post we shared about a VERY unique opportunity when we went to the Chiang Mai Women's Prison. We haven't filled you on our massages yet. While they were wonderful, we were mostly inspired by the rehabilitation program. The women were pleased to work with us and even seemed overjoyed. There were lots of laughs throughout the experience. We have found that Asia really tries to build up its people. No one sits idly by and lets others suffer. People try their best to help their communities and families prosper and people are really working together. It is quite a refreshing attitude that we hope to pass on to our students.

We tried so hard to take these pictures before the massages started because we were afraid we'd get in trouble. Of course Nicki's flash went off in the dark room as we tried to be discreet. 

Next we visited the Historical Center in Chiang Mai. Not only did we learn about the city, but we discovered interesting content about the nation as a whole. The country prides itself on the fact that it has never suffered a cultural conquest. This is very different than the other nations that we have visited. While the historical cultural sites in Vietnam, Laos, and the Philippines tended to be focused on tragedy and suffering, the sites in Thailand are the exact opposite. The Thai are glad to share their heritage but they do not have the same suffering to share. Their sites are positive and informative. The diversity of activities allowed us to observe and interact with Thai culture in our own way and force a special connection with this beautiful country. 

It was a pleasure to learn about Chiang Mai. This city is the educational capital of the country and this makes it stand out to us even more. After the Christians were welcomed into the northern part of Thailand, the shift of the region focused on studies. There are many schools and educational centers around and we also saw many students during our visit.

Chiang Mai has so many different peoples and cultures. The city was able to keep its independence for about 500 years and has had many different rulers since. While this northern part of Thailand has had many transitions, it has held on to its rich Buddhist identity. Each tribe holds steadfastly to this belief as well of its use of the natural surroundings. The surrounding bodies of water, forests, and wildlife are used to the fullest by the thousands of tribes that inhabit Thailand's northern provinces. 

We even learned more about our wildlife crushes, the elephant! Our beloveds were used for transportation and labor until the railway system was developed through the country. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were missing out!

A few days ago we considered visiting the Karen Long Neck Village. We were told this was an area where many cultures inhabit one community and live harmoniously even though they have cultural and linguistic barriers. We were excited about this opportunity until we did some further research. Many compared this experience to a human zoo, and the tribes do not even see money from the tourism that occurs there. We learned about this tribe and many others during the trip to the museums. This felt more natural and less invasive. 

On our last night here we revisited the market. We ate at one of the bustling markets as busy servers walked by with live lobsters and fresh coconuts. We enjoyed the diverse people-watching while we enjoyed our spicy curries. 

We woke up early the next morning to head to Phuket. This beautiful destination is not part of our Fund for Teachers Fellowship, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to enjoy the georgous scenery and beaches that this island has to offer.

Our hotel is close to Patong Beach, and we look forward to visiting it tomorrow. Today we boarded an early-morning boat to the Phi Phi Islands. The weather seemed quite ominous during our two-hour ride and it definitely poured on us. Good thing we packed the motion sickness medicine for the rocky ride.

As we pulled up to Maya Bay, the weather finally cleared. This beach was featured in the movie, The Beach. If you haven't seen this interesting 90s DiCaprio flick, Nicki recommends it. Arelys has obviously not seen it, but maybe you can watch it with her when we get home. 

The boat took us around the rest of the island for some more stunning photo ops. 

Can you tell it rained on us?

We were dropped off on the main island, Phi Phi Don. Here we enjoyed two lunches (oops), some scenery, and another massage (another oops). 

As we walked back to the boat, we ran into a new friend! She is petite with brown hair and brown eyes. Her name is Nancy and she has a huge heart. Oh yeah... she's also a monkey. We paid three dollars to be photographed with this cutie. We know some of these animal photos can be considered morally questionable, but come on! You know you couldn't resist a baby monkey with a bottle in overalls. 

The boat ride home seemed nice at first. We took some more pictures, caught some rays, and read our books. This lasted for about twenty minutes until the wind started raging. Arelys upped her dose of the motion sickness medicine and Nicki surprisingly fell asleep through it all.

Nicki even took her first successful selfie! Literally.

We look forward to enjoying the sun and scenery tomorrow. Thursday we head to Bangkok for a few last adventures. Get ready because our goal is to eat some bugs (on purpose)!! We thought it would be the best way end our Asian food tour... Maybe you'll agree?

Wish us crunchy luck!!

Your hungry, 

Frizzy Girls 

PS Did you notice we only have one food picture in this post?!