Saw some nice waterfalls (where I went for a swim),
and some bears.
Then it was 3 days by boat with my friend Micheal,
with some very pretty stops along the way,
to get to remote Phongsali.
Did some trekking in the area,
before catching a bus to Udomxai, where I made my last post.
Since then, I've spent a couple days biking in Luang Nam Tha, crossed the border to beautiful Thailand, where I visited Chiang Rai and its strikingly modern White Temple (which has a mural depicting things like 9/11, Star Wars and Buddha). I've been in the outstanding Chiang Mai these past few days, maybe the nicest city I've ever been to. Lots to do during the day (yesterday, I did a cooking course, today I'm going mountain biking on some trails), great restaurants and markets at night. It is touristy, but it's also big enough that you never really get that Disney World vibe like I got in Luang Prabang. Also, the nice thing about Thailand (at least in the north) is that the locals are rich enough that they go out to the markets and restaurants too (again, unlike Laos), and you never feel pressured into spending money and being a tourist. So yeah, Chiang Mai is lovely, definitely a must-visit if you're ever in this part of the world, I honestly think I could spend the rest of my trip here, it's just that great.
PS
If you're looking for the bears, they're over there.
7 comments:
One of these days you're going to have to fill me in on what exactly you mean by "too touristy" (a word that Firefox spellcheck approves of, surprisingly) and why it's such a bad thing. You realize you ARE a tourist, right? :p
Your friend Michael is a bear?
I want to see the Star Wars part.
Jeremy, a place that is "too touristy" is anywhere where you have more rich white people than locals, or anywhere that feels like a facade, like a show put on for tourists, rather than a legitimate cultural experience. Of course, to get a true cultural experience, you really have to live somewhere, but if you visit places with very few tourists, then it doesn't feel so much like you're being catered to. It is nice to have touristy amenities (like good restaurants), but the tradeoff is that you have to share the place with hundreds of other tourists and then it's more like visiting Disney World than another country. Make sense? Probably not, but I tried.
Stephen, not only is Micheal a bear, he's also completely imaginary.
Scott, I bought a book with pictures of all the Star Wars paintings (you're not allowed to take pictures of them), so I'll show you them when I get home.
Awesome.
Oh and dad wants to know which day you're coming back, 21st or 28th?
Psst...You should visit Calgary on your way back. And let me know when that's going to happen.
28th
Sorry Jeremy, my flight goes through Edmonton, maybe next time.
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