Day 10: Orphans and Parachutes

Best day of the trip.

Visited an orphanage in Chiangmai. We had purchased several gifts for the children both before our trip and here in Thailand -- vinyl sports bags, candy, gum, writing pads, pencils and pens, sticks, balls. We also had some gifts for all the children to share like soccer balls and volleyballs.

Leslie and Alexa brought some brilliant gifts from South Carolina, including jump ropes and a huge parachute to bounce balls off of and hide underneath. (BIG hit!)

The kids (16 boys and 13 girls?) were expecting us and were dressed in their Thai finest. We started with a tour of the orphanage building. All the boys sleep in one room, with the girls in another. They sleep on mats on the floor and each has a plastic hamper with their clothes inside. (The girls all have teddy bears.)

We gathered in the large common area (for eating and homework) for introductions -- everyone told us their names and how old they were (ranging from 5 to 16). Then, the smaller kids put on a show for us -- crazy cute with lots of wiggling booties and jumping around.

Present time was exciting, but more fun was the running around after -- kicking balls, jumping rope, and just general roughhousing. Jake asked the older kids about school and two of them broke out a cello and violin for an impromptu classical concert. (Quite nicely done.)

The kids were so open with us, holding our hands and hugging us and laughing and asking us to stay and play some more.

Ben made a little friend who hung onto him as we left, asking him not to go.

As you can imagine, it was very difficult to leave.

DAY EIGHT: Oh My Buddha!

Elephant camp! Everyone had been waiting for this one. The opening show was standard elephant fare -- picture painting, soccer ball kicking, drum beating. Then off to training.

Everyone got a denim uniform to wear, the sort of thing you’d wear to the prison work-release holiday ball. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to keep them.

Confession: Matt had last-minute anxiety attack and decided not to ride the elephants, opting to hike alongside (and nearly underneath) the beasts instead. In retrospect, probably less harrowing to ride.

As happens often on this trip, Katy teaches her guide to speak English. He has loudly mastered the phrases: OH MY GOD! OH MY GOODNESS! and OH MY BUDDHA!

After learning how to get on the things, we took a long trek up a mountain where the elephants could snack on the foliage. If you weren’t careful, your elephant could uproot an entire banana tree. SUKI WHAT YOU DOING??? OH MY GOD!

The trip ends with a mud bath for the elephants -- and the humans. This part met with mixed levels of enjoyment among our party.

Dinner and a show that night. Matt’s new strategy of making faces when the “give me 100 baht” photogs show up at your table is thwarted when the children start a collection of said pictures.

Finally, a trip to the Night Bazaar -- a square kilometer of shops and hawkers. Somehow, we didn’t lose anyone and Jake bought silk boxer shorts with elephants on them.

Rode back to the hotel in three tuk-tuks -- (kind of three-wheeled motorcycle/Mad Max contraptions that would be safety-banned in less carefree communities). The ride back was like being inside Grand Theft Auto: Chiangmai, with whizzing motorbikes and stampeding tour busses all ‘round. For many, this was a trip highlight.

DAY SEVEN: Airport Contraband and Feather Dusters

Travel to Chiangmai. A sign at the airport indicates things one should not bring on the plane, including hand grenades. Jay and Lesley don’t read signs, try to bring several bottles of fluids,

lotions, and curios. Once the contraband is discarded and Jay frisked, we’re on the plane to Chiangmai.

Arrive at the best hotel yet -- a beautiful spa on the river with Japanese style futonbeds that are awesome for backs.

A ‘quick’ (not so much) lunch then off to the mountain temple of Wat Phra Thad Dot Suthep. Or as I like to call it, the Mountain Temple. Took several trips around the Buddha for good luck (lots of good luck being procured here in Thailand).

Amazing mountain top view of Chiangmai . Many souvenirs purchased here, including a feather duster that really wasn’t for sale but Alexa just had to have it.

DAY 6: Kanye West and Highway Anxiety

DAY SIX

Yi doing laundry!

On way to 15 - kilometer bike ride. Ted ("my parents watch a lot of American movie") was our guide. Ben says “Best guide ever.” Ted likes MTV, Rihanna, Sean Kingston, and Jay-Z. Jake introduced him to Kanye on the ride back.

The ride was great except for the occasional stretch WHEN WE WERE RIDING ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. No one was killed.

We stopped for a snack (pineapple and watermelon) after a few kilometers next to a school. After a lot of prodding from Jake, we went over to check it out. It was like the circus came to town -- quite possibly the first Americans most of these kids had ever seen. We met the English teacher and got a brief tour of the school as we disrupted international learning. Some girls said Ben was very handsome.

We ended up taking a ferry to an island and piloted a labrynth of shops, homes, and secret Thai hideouts. Not as fast as taking a tuk-tuk but nearly as thrilling because we were driving. Also navigated one-meter-wide concrete paths that hovered over the river -- like flying over the water with the caveat that a slip of the wheel means going off into the drink.

DAY 5: Bar Girls and Monkey Floss

5:30 a.m. wake-up call.

On bus ride, Katy and Lesley learning meaning of “bar girl.”

Stops at two amazing temples. Most climbed a very steep staircase

to top of temple. Matt walked the square courtyard through 8 smaller rooms, with architecture that tied a thread around one’s heart and pul

led the captured from Buddha to Buddha.

Many plates purchased with snapshots slapped in the center, including one with Matt looking peeved that someone was taking his picture with the intent of selling it to him later.

At second set of temples, Matt and Lesley climbed to top to discover a room they dubbed the Stinktuary.

While purchasing souvenirs for co-workers, Thai Lady offered to buy Matt’s t-shirt. Suspected she just wanted to admire the merchandise.

MONKEY TEMPLE! Monkeys everywhere in the street. Hired 14-year-old boy about Sammi’s size to protect us from extreme monkey-harm.

Started off by feeding corn to monkeys through the bars of monkey safe place. Graduated to feeding monkeys by hand -- green fruit (highly coveted by high-status monkeys), sesame seeds, jello cups.

Monkeys jumped atop several members of our traveling party, using our hair to floss.

Bangkok traffic prevented a sit-down dinner -- a combination of McDonalds and Auntie Anne’s pretzels gulped in the bus on the way to Thai Super Show.

Coolest part was when actor jumped into stage, which revealed to be a pool of water. Also masked actors resembling bobbleheads of cast of “Everybody Loves Raymond.”