Happy New Year!

Hope your holidays were brilliant! It’s been a hot minute since my last post so gear up for plenty of stories and pictures!

Pre-Holiday Break

Resilient. Our bodies can certainly handle a lot more than we think. In no way am I saying that I pushed myself to my own limit but at times I might’ve been dramatic and suggested it. Somehow, through pink eye, strep, a week of teaching, and a fairly involved Christmas skit, I woke up Friday, December 22nd, set for a full day of travel. Behind me was an unsettling week of illness that also required a high amount of energy. Up ahead was a couple weeks of travel for the holidays. I knew I’d have a blast but what I would learn is that I’d have to do it while contracting bronchitis as well as pink eye again, never getting more than 5 hours of sleep in a given night, and through perhaps some of the most tumultuous transportation I’ve ever endured. I know, poor me, I got to spend two weeks traveling and was a bit sick. I don’t actually feel bad for myself at all but it was a big part of my week so I had to mention it.

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On a more informational note, I’ve now experienced the true consequences of what capitalism has done to healthcare prices in America. To illustrate this, let me present a few of my medication charges:

• Antibiotics for pink eye: $1.23
• Albuterol inhaler: $6.01
• 6 pairs of monthly contacts: $12.33
• Meloxicam (x8): $0.92

Pretty absurd, right? I was completely baffled. And what was arguably better than the prices was the fact that no script was necessary. You just simply stroll into a pharmacy, ask for what you need, and walk on out within minutes.

Chiang Mai

The Oddest 36 Hours

Destination #1 was Chiang Mai, a city that is raved about by both Westerners and Thais alike. But first, I had to head south of Bang Saen to Sriacha to extend my visa. The process was much easier than obtaining the visa, which was a giant relief. By noon I was well on my way to Chiang Mai via Bangkok. Following research and recommendations, I had booked a 10-hour overnight bus from Bangkok to Chiang Mai as well as a return ticket a week later. The good: I was saving on transportation as well as two nights of accommodation and I met a really cool Italian guy named David, who’s now in my international contact list. The bad: both rides were more turbulent than a plane flying through a hurricane, the a/c on the ride up made me lose my voice for a few days, my inhaler ran out on that same trip so I coughed like a chain smoker for most of the ride, and the two busses only allowed me to accumulate about 9 hours of total sleep. It’s fair to say I will not be taking another overnight bus for awhile.

Upon arrival, I had to wait a few hours until a pharmacy opened and I could buy a new inhaler. Once breathing somewhat normally, I made my way to my hostel, Spicythai Backpackers (another excellent hostel where I met some class people and even travelled with a couple to my next destination). By this point I was at that place where you’re so tired that you cannot possibly fall asleep so I decided to go in for a workout at CrossFit Chiang Mai. My thinking was that I might as well go all in on the energy output and then take a long nap. Upon arriving, however, I was told that the normal Saturday free class was cancelled because they were hosting a mock powerlifting meet. After warning me it would take 5-6 hours, they invited me to join in and I thought why not?, so I accepted their offer. Five hours later, I stood second on their podium; my body was decimated.

Three hours after that, I awoke from a fulfilling nap, grabbed dinner, shared some drinks with other backpackers at the hostel, and then made my way with my new friends toward the city’s nightlife. Amidst many pop and edm venues, we found our way into a Thai Reggae bar. Never in my life would I have thought that I would write that sentence. But, it was actually a really cool experience and the live band was excellent. The night ended at a taco stand—with a legally questionable name, Tacos Bell—that was also, surprisingly good. I may or may not have revisited it two more times during my stay.

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Sightseeing

Day two in Chiang Mai took me and a couple new Canadian friends on a self-guided walking tour of the city. Because we had to remove our shoes for every temple we walked into—there were so so many temples—I decided not to retie my shoes until my second day in Pai, which was four days later. (I might love fitness but I’m admittedly lazy in more cases than you’d think.) Following the temples, we took an Uber to Chiang Mai University because a teacher back in Bang Saen had highly recommended it. It was a great decision because the campus was beautiful.

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Thai Massage

Just a warning this section is kind of weird. Not in the way you might’ve heard Thai massages to be weird, but rather from a psychological perspective. Don’t judge.

I’m 23 and have lived a happy life without ever indulging in a massage. But I’m in Thailand and between the volume of endorsements and the frequency of parlors, I figured it’s just one of those things you have to try at least once. So when my friend Pete from the hostel asked if I was interested in going to get one I thought, why not?—this thought was a common theme of my travels if you couldn’t already tell.

From our hostel’s recommendation, we decided on a popular chain called Lila Thai Massage. So we set out, arrived, paid, and waited a few minutes until it was our turn.

Step 1. Wash your feet: I had the honor of receiving a massage from a young woman named Nam. And she began the process by using hot water and some combination of chemicals or herbs or something to wash my feet. That already would put me off from ever being a masseuse. I’m not a big fan of feet.

Step 2. Change into classic Thai massage attire: next, we were escorted to a changing room and given some blue robes that are pretty close to what I’d imagine Santa wears as pajamas. Took me a second to figure out how to tie them, which I later realized is a common struggle from demonstration diagrams on about every wall.

Step 3. Enter the massage room: from the changing room we were escorted into a big, quiet room where about 15 or so other people were mid-massage. The absence of noise prompted the headspace to fill the void.

Step 4. Begin Thai Massage: So just in case you forgot, my previous day was spent participating in a five-hour powerlifting meet so my body was a hotbed of lactic-acid. In fact, coming into the massage I was most nervous about the intensity on my sore muscles—particularly on my lower back, which tends to give me the most problems when inflamed. Perhaps, that’s why my mind wondered off once the massage began. It might’ve been to distract from the pain. First, came questions from lack of knowledge. Where do I put my hands? Should I close my eyes or leave them open? Is it weird that I’m chewing gum? Progressing into those a bit deeper. How many people have laid on this table before me? Does the masseuse enjoy the challenge of tense muscle? Do they like or dislike massaging fat? And then just some weird ones. How many calories do you burn when giving a massage? How many do I think I’m burning as the recipient? Seriously, how does this experience lead to paid sex??

All the while, the massage carried on, starting with my left leg. Then the right. Followed by shoulders and back. Ending with attempts to contort my body and crack my joints but I had done that right before I walked in, whoops.

Overall, it was a positive experience. There were awkward times such as when I flipped over and she was concerned because my back was drenched in sweat. There were funny times like when she was confused why my hands were so badly calloused (thanks CrossFit). And there were relaxing times–actually this was only true for my shoulders and upper back. I’ll probably do it again but maybe not until I get down to the islands in southern Thailand and definitely not after a heavy day of working out.

The rest of my time in Chiang Mai was spent just hanging around. I took the day after Christmas off to rest and recover for the second half of my trip. Unfortunately, this meant I forwent a day at an elephant sanctuary but to be honest I’m not the biggest animal person anyways.

Chiang Rai

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All streaks will eventually come to an end. The Patriots won eighteen games in 2007 before falling short in the Super Bowl. UConn’s Women’s basketball team won 111 straight before Stanford defeated them in 2014. The Cubs were losers for 108 years until they finally brought home a World Series in 2016. And in 2017, my 23-year streak of Christmas with the family came to a halt, which had been one of the harder but inevitable factors to get around when I was deciding to go and teach for a winter semester. Luckily, unlike many of my peers around Thailand, I had the day off and was able to remain distracted and not let much homesickness creep into my day. While I originally didn’t think I was going to be able to visit Chiang Rai, I found a day trip that would take me to all the main points of interest and booked it for Christmas day. The 12-hour excursion brought us to some beautiful temples as well as to a Karen hill tribe settlement near Thailand’s northern border. By the time we returned that evening, I was so exhausted from the day as well as my continued cough that I briefly called my family to wish them a Merry Christmas and then fell in and out of sleep for the next seven or so hours of the night.

Pai

Barcelona, Utrecht, Nashville, Porto, and Pai. In no particular order, those are my favorite five cities I’ve ever visited. Pai was that good. The combination of the lush scenery, chilled vibes, and tasty food forged an amazing experience. However, the magic of Pai starts before you ever get into the city. The journey begins in Chiang Mai on a road that will take you around 762 turns and up a net gain of 200 meters in elevation. For those that easily get car sick, it’s highly recommended that you take medication beforehand. Once you make your way through the three hours of mountains and winding road, you’ll finally end up in the small city center of Pai. As of the last census, there were only about 2,300 locals and I would guess that on any given day there’s about as many tourists visiting the city. From the small bus station I walked out of the center and up a hill to my hostel on the outskirts of town. From the open-aired lobby of The Famous Pai Circus Hostel you could look out and see a fire pit, followed by an infinity pool, bar, dorms and villas, and then an absolutely picturesque view of mountains and countryside. The hostel offered hammocks and seating all around where many people were socializing, playing instruments, and practicing random circus acts. Immediately, I was enamored. For this part of my stay I had booked a private room and while I had expected just a small room with a window unit or something, I was pleasantly surprised by a bamboo villa that was done up simply with a bed, table, trash can, outlet, lightbulb, mosquito net, and window. It was perfect both for the atmosphere as well as to continue my recovery from sickness over the next couple of days.

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Upon arrival it began to drizzle on and off and continued to do so for the rest of the day so I decided to relax and meet people in the social areas. I spent the afternoon and evening talking, eating, playing pool, and drinking with people from all areas of the world. I even got to borrow a ukulele and practice for a bit, which has me itching to go and buy one in Bang Saen.

Day two started early with breakfast and then off on a journey to the city center with a Argentine friend I had made in Chiang Mai, Federico, to rent motorbikes. Four others also rented bikes and we set out on an adventure through the mountains. 100+ kilometers and about seven hours later, we were back at the hostel. Ironically, I can now say I fully understand the allure of motorbikes. The experience overall was top ten for anything I’ve ever done and pictures won’t nearly do it justice.

Day three was just a half day for me so I got up early and went out solo on the bike one more time. I explored out to a canyon and down back roads until it was time for me to return my motorbike. About midday I hopped on a bus and began the long journey back to Bangkok for New Years.

Bangkok

The overnight bus back to Bangkok was not nearly as hectic as the journey up. Fortunately, I had three seats to myself and a girl from the hostel in Pai had given me some Tylenol PM so I managed to get my best sleep of my entire trip on that bus ride. At around 6am Saturday morning we drove into Bangkok and I was situated in my hotel by about 9, so I decided to go drop in at a CrossFit gym. Following a three-hour workout, some of my friends from up north had arrived so we hung out until the other ten or so got in over the next few hours.

Our greatest decision was staying on Khao San Road. Our biggest mistake was staying on Khao San Road. Any decision involves a tradeoff and our choice to opt for optimal accessibility and convenience for partying on Khao San Road meant that our rooms would be filled with beats and bass until 3am each night, which is when the music finally shuts off. For New Years Eve it was perfect but in any other scenario I would not dare do it for more than a night. Night one—NYE eve—we partied but not too hard because we were there for the New Years celebrations after all. Day two, most of us chilled and drank by the pool all day, ate dinner, and then got ready for the evening’s festivities. To write down everything that I witnessed and experienced that night would require a novel but I’ll give a list and just end by saying it was everything NYE should be and probably was the best New Years party I’ve ever attended. So without further ado, here’s the list: Khao San Road, lifelong friends, The One (bar), vulgar bracelets, laughing gas, dancing, eating scorpions, kebabs, bruised hips, laughter, tears, romance, rice, charging through crowds, fake marriage proposals, vodka, buckets, red bull, Burger King, clubbing, life chats, and absolutely no sleep.

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The next couple days were obviously a bit slower paced; everyone pretty much ran their own days of recovery. Mine involved soothing music, FaceTiming home, multiple coffees, a foot-long sub, and bowling at the biggest mall I’ve ever been to in my life. The next morning was similarly chill and the day passed with the group slowly dwindling down. Around 3pm, it was my turn to depart and by 5:30 I was finally back sitting on my bed after two crazy but amazing weeks.

The Wrap Up

Since being back, I’ve finally made the time to write down my 12 goals for 2018 (I went with 12 since there’s 12 months), which you can see below. So naturally, I’m curious: What are your goals for 2018? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading this post and as always, I encourage you to #gotravel!