Kha! Hello again from Chiang Mai! Many things have elapsed since the last time I updated my blog, which always dissuades me from taking the time to update it. Instead of putting it off any further, however, I offer a brief summary of what I am up to:
These past couple of months have continued to be oodles of fun, but things in Chiang Mai have definitely shifted. After a winter of beautifully cool and sunny weather, Thailand's summer has quickly crept in. During this time of year in Thailand, farmers burn large amounts of vegetation to clear fields and get rid of waste. This creates a layer of smog that encases the city, both hugging in the heat and blocking the city from the sun. After the smogs first debut, I was lucky enough to take a 5 day vacation from the smoke and enjoy the clear air in Ko Tao. Ko Tao is a small island in the Gulf of Thailand and I had visited once before during my winter break and received my Open Water Dive Certification. The four days I was there before weren't nearly enough and my appetite for the chilled island vibes, clear waves and vibrant sea life was not quite satisfied.
And so, at the beginning of the month I was able to return to the fun island. The first day my friend Chloe and I arrived, I heard talk of a whale shark sighting the day before. I got excited since I would be diving at some point but the locals I spoke with assured me that people dive in Ko Tao hundreds of times without seeing a whale shark. Despite their reservations, the next morning when I took a dive into ocean blue, I opened my eyes to see a whale shark straight ahead in the center of the blue abyss. I was floored to see the creature just below the surface but without any context I didn't appreciate how huge he was initially. After that first dive, we decided to stay since the whale shark was in our vicinity. We took a forty minute break to let our lungs decompress and our dive leaders radioed around to let others know what we had seen. The second dive we had to descend further before we saw him again. This time, however, we were able to stick with him for a good amount of the dive. At certain points, because other groups got the message and joined, around 20 of us were following him at once. Seeing our whale shark up next to a large male in my group let me know that he was at least 9 feet long and significantly wider than a human. There came a point in the whale shark's winding path where he was surrounded by people and unable to get out of the way. In response, he used his nose to push a man out of the way and wiggle up toward the surface with his smaller fish companions swimming alongside the whole way. I am still hoping to get some of the GoPro pictures some of the people I dove with have, but as of now all I have is a googled image to show what I saw:
My trip to Ko Tao was also highlighted with a day spent swimming and climbing rocks near a more secluded beach, climbing and jumping off a large boulder a deadly swim away, and meeting some people from Humboldt, California for the first time in my travels! I also got to visit the man who sculpted my nose flute and buy a couple more from him for friends and family:
Since Ko Tao, I went on a 3 day trek and rafting trip with other students in my program which was incredibly fun. We got to hike through the forest, eat delicious food, wash and feed elephants, play takraw (juggling small woven ball with your feet), and navigate hand crafted bamboo rafts. It was easily one of my favorite weekends.
Also speckled within the past few months, my Hill Tribes class has gone on field trips where we stay with hill tribe peoples in northern Thailand. We stayed in Mae Sa Mai, which is a Hmong village in the heart of the jungle. At night they showed us their talents with traditional instruments and performances and we got a chance to show them our talents. I first was able to boast an interpretive nose flute song and dance and then got to rap one of my raps to my friend Jonathan's impressive beatboxing.
All of the Hill Tribe peoples have been very fun. The next village we visited was celebrating their solar calendar new years and I had a ridiculous but incredible experience dancing, eating, and drinking with the Lisu people. I also chewed betel nut chewing tobacco with the elder women in the village. Betel nuts have been chewed in places like Thailand for thousands of years. In the past, Thai women would have black teeth and red lips because of the habit and that was considered beautiful until Western standards leaked into public consciousness. Below is a picture of my friend Brice and I after chewing the betel nuts (which didn't taste bad and gave me a strange head rush):
Last weekend we got to go to the Golden Triangle where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos intersect. The Golden Triangle is famous for being a major opium hub in the past and we were able to visit the Hall of Opium, which turned out to be an awesome museum. We stayed in the Akha Village and I had a blast playing with two 11 year olds who I could speak Thai and laugh with. It was interesting to see how their village's culture is changing. While most of the adults speak only Akha, the children speak Akha and Thai and study English and Korean. After a quick breakfast Sunday morning we left the village and spent the day visiting two contrasting temples in Chiang Rai, the Black Temple and the White Temple. They were both unlike anything I have been to and I was especially blown away by the artist of the White Temple. Here is some of his work:
My twin brother Dakota arrives in Chiang Mai in two days and my mom, grandma, and little brother Kamden will be here the following day! I am so eager to see my family and see what adventures await as life continues to accelerate and change directions.
Thank you for your time!
~Suwana
