Thailand: Chiang Mai

Thailand:

Hey Everyone! These are more pictures of our trip in Thailand. 

Airport from our city to Thailand

Our meal on the plane. It looked AWESOME!! "A REAL SANDWICH" I exclaimed
However, looks can be deceiving!

Cool Photo that I thought I'd throw in of the elephant ride. (See previous posts for the Elephant Ride Adventure)

One of Phil's treats he found there!! Strawberry Fanta! Blah.. it tasted like candy! 

I wish I got more pictures of our first hotel in Chiang Mai! It was a small resort of 4 bungelos, a pool, bar, and kitchen. Because it was so small, we hung out with the owners the whole time. He was South African and his wife was Thai. His daughter from South Africa was there visiting so she and I hung out for a good while.
We got to walk around this like and talk about God. I found out she's a strong believer as well!
I love finding sister's from all over the World!
What a Kingdom God has! 

These are photos of a trail walking distance from our small resort. The owner and his daughter asked if we'd like to join them on an afternoon walk. 

Beautiful Ain't it?

Here's our group. The owner, his daughter, 1/2 Thai son, and Phil 

Phil and I eating at the Bar. 

Delicious Spring Rolls and a Lime fruit shake! Yumm. (These were actually the first Spring Rolls I've found in Asia) 

The owner let us take his motor scooter for rides whenever we wanted to so we could see the area. 

Read Thai signs anyone?

Here I am!

Men working out in the field. I could live here! 

After terrible directions, a 30 minute ride in a foreign country, and asking directions to people who didn't speak english we found the HOT SPRINGS!!
We had to stop by a store to ask where the hot springs were for we felt so lost. A random woman nodded her head and got into her car. We had no idea what she was doing but followed her as fast as we could anyways, driving into unknown land, down all sorts of roads for 20 minutes. She finally stuck her head and hand outside of the window and pointed to a sign that said Hot Springs ->.
We made it! 

Sankhampang Hot Springs

What you see here are baskets filled with raw eggs. People would buy them and hang them into the hot spring pool. The water was so hot that within minutes you could have yourself a basket of boiled eggs.
GROSS!!! I do not like eggs therefore the whole place stunk of people cooking and eating boiled eggs. 

Contrary to what we were told, there are no hot tubs or pools in which you could climb in for a nice soak. With bathing suits on, we were only able to put our feet into this flowing river from the hot spring pools. 

The closer to the pools you were the hotter it was! We learned our lesson. 

An intresting tasting snack. Like I said before, over here in Asia looks are deceiving. It wasn't all bad though. It had shaved ice and strawberry colored liquid favoring. However on the bottom, it was a jel-like substance of some kind with an odd taste and texture. I'm still not sure what I think about it. 

Most visitors to the park were Asian, so when a white foreign couple spotted us all four of us jumped into a conversation and hung out for a while. The guy was from France and the girl from Germany, they were both from the same hotel and decided to travel together to the hot spring and around Chaing Mai. Their english was a little rough but that was the only way they could talk to each other and to us. It was fun for us to all try to communicate. I feel both blessed and cursed to live in an English Speaking Country. It's amazing that we can travel anywhere in the world and be able to get by speaking English. We know we can at least find one person who can understand it. However, we are so spoiled that we don't go out of our way to learn other languages. Living in the country we do right now, I've found it   is awesome how much we are forced to learn the local language just to get by. 

Headed back. Can we find our way?

It was a really nice bike.  It's a lot faster than our electric one here in the city we live in. 

The GAS STATION!!! How cool! This is where we re-filled the bike. 

We made it back and celebrated with some more fruit shakes! In Thailand their called Shakes, not Smoothies. Odd?

Now this is a new hotel. It was definitely not as great as the one before but it had a bonus, FRIENDS!
Rachel and Caleb the newly weds met up with us in Chaing Mai for some fun hang out time just the 4 of us! 

Not bad for I think 20 bucks! 

Phil, Barb, Greg, and Caleb: Caleb's parents drove them 4 hours from Chaing Rai to Chaing Mai to begin their honeymoon. It was so good to see them again! What awesome people they are. 

Rachel & Caleb

Okay this poor thing looked like the saddest dog we've ever seen. He just sat there all day and mopped. Aww. 

Unlike our previous hotel outside the city, this one was within the old wall of the down town part of the city.
Right where the action was! 

Our first TukTuk ride! 

What a Group we are! 

The Night Bazaar! 

No these are not our feet!! You pay money to have these little fish eat all the dead skin off of your feet and legs.. No Thank You! Even for me thats taking it a little too far! 

Now this is one of Phil's favorite parts of Thailand... His KEBAB man from Turkey. What a character! 

We were just walking around Chaing Mai's Night Bazaar when we suddenly heard someone yell, "Green Bay Sucks!" from across the stair well. We turn to find it just happens to be one of Phil's buddies  from the city and country we live in over here in Asia. He had a taking a trip with his family and was eating across the way.
How Random! 

Edward???  What a Thai- Ed!? or Did he follow us here?

Phil found a Subway!! 

Rachel & Caleb had us make their Marriage License official! 

We had the honor to sign as their Witness'! How blessed to be apart of such a thing in two people's lives. 

The Pharma C!
How creative. 

Breakfast... yumm yuck! Stale toast, an omelet egg thing, two pieces of processed ham, and a hotdog thing...
I skipped for a fruit shake. 

Phase 10!

Lunch at Duke's! Pizza! 

Another round of the Night Bazaar! 

A storm ended up coming through the city. Power flickered, and people ran for cover as all the shopped flooded. I've never been in such a storm. It was crazy. 

Everyone ended up packing up early.

I have the pictures of later that night that I'll have to try to put up some time but the power ended up going out all over the city. That night the tuktuk dropped us off soaking wet to a dark damp hotel. The power had gone out there as well. We used Caleb & Rachel's wedding candles to light a table for us to play cards at. However in the process of getting the candles, I slipped and fell down a flight of stairs.. how graceful. I was okay beside a few bruises and the scare of the ride down. I almost took Rachel, the glass candles, and my Ipad down with me. Thankfully, nothing else came with me.  However, Rachel and I found later that I gave her a pretty big bruise from grabbing onto her at the end of my fall           ... Sorry Rachel.
In the end, we ended up have fun playing cards and eating in candle light until the power flickered
 back on through out the city. 

Phil and I on our way back to the bus station.

I thought the fish look a lot like the Atlanta Aquarium symbol. 

Back in Chiang Rai, We stated at a 15 dollar hotel. Defiantly not the best we've ever stayed in. .. perhaps not the worst either.. well maybe it's close. The pictures make it look better than it actually was.
However, it was walking distance from the Chiang Rai's Night Bazaar and Night Life. 

We just stayed here for 1 night so we could be ready for our flight the next morning. 

That night we walked down to the Night Bazaar to eat and do a little shopping. We ended up having more Mexican from the same place shown on the first Thailand Post. Yumm.. I could eat some right now. It has been so much fun meeting people from all over the world and seeing new places. 

We talked with local Thai, a French guy, a Germany girl,  Irish travelers, Israel travelers, South Africans and English residents, and many other interesting people. 

What a world we live in! 

All Glory goes to God! 

Be looking for updates on a Youth Conference of around 200 kids from 17 different countries that we just got back from being leaders at and our friend's restaurant adventure with the family. 

Hope everyone is well on the other side of the world!! 

Only a Month & 1/2 before we return!