Thailand adventures!

Wow! First opp to update blog - so here goes. Okay left Brissi midnight 12th August - Singapore airlines flights okay. A bit lost in Bangkok airport and no-one seemed overly keen to help - however made it reasonably intact to Chiang Mai on Saturday arvo. Holy ____! (insert chosen expletive here) I got the shock of my life to find that Travel to Teach (the volunteer 'organisation' that I went through) told complete and utter lies on it's website regarding (firstly - there's much more to come) the accommodation etc in Chiang Mai. First I was picked up (late) by the 'co-ordinator' who then drove like a raving maniac (there was more of that to come - hold on to your hats ladies) to the dorm, which in no way resembled the vaguely livable dorm in the photos on their website (and here I was concerned that the standard on the website might try me out). Filth with many many capitals is all I can say. Yes folks, it was 'filthy' and I don't mean in a cool way.  I burst into tears and immediately thought of calling a taxi (except my 'unlocked' phone did not work) and returning straight back home. Worse yet, there were only 2 young men and no other volunteers coming during my time.

So the co-ordinator suggests I might like to go to Mae Hong Son (I'd looked at it on the Travel to teach website but scorned it since I was led to believe I may not make it out of there alive - I was up for an adventure 'n' all but that might be taking it to the extreme). Anyhoo, since my immediate thought was to turn around and come straight back home, I thought I'd give MHS a crack. (There is a bit of positive coming up). After surviving (yes, I have several T-Shirts that say so) an utterly horrendous bus-trip (the Mae Hong Songians if I may call them that rather lyrical name) are quite proud that there are 1834 'courves' in the road trip to get there - kind of like the young lad in Luton, England who proudly boasted to me that that shithole had been voted "Britains worst town" Yeh, go me!   Guess what - MHS is the best thing that has happened to me in Thailand. It is utterly gorgeous, and after a week here I could almost imagine living here - beautiful 'lanna' style (lots of teak - no tacky at all) buildings, restaurants, coffee shops. The lake, behind which is my accommodation. See pics (once I upload). The guesthouse is disappointing to say the least - but I'm thinking of it like camping - the hot shower is down the back yard and you have to share it with a cockroach or spider for company.  Anyhoo, I'm okay with it all (unlike one other volunteer in particular who cracks on a regular basis to anyone within earshot re lack of this, that and the other) - other stuff in MHS had made up for the crappy guesthouse.
Since I've been here I've 'taught' at the primary school (a bit of a waste of time really) but I have the phrase 'nang long' down pat which means 'sit down you naughty naughty person'. One little tacker yesterday sat on the floor right where he was when I issued the command (I really wanted him back in his seat -oh well - they are obedient aren't they?).  I totally love the fact that the teachers still have sticks - not sure if they really use them, but gosh they seem a good deterrent (I have witnessed children standing on chairs, 2 boys were doing a sort of gymnastics lesson in which one tied the other up like a pretzel - the worksheet the other volunteer had given re types of fruit just wasn't holding attention I guess). Another major major highlight for me (the reason for coming to Thailand) was that I have been along to the Wat to teach the monks! Yeh, that's right! However (like the school) you can turn up (like last night) and they will prefer to do a slip 'n' slide into the (religious) fountain rather than come to the class - so we went and had (bizarre) cake and ice-cream at the gorgeous (one of many) little restaurant across the lake.  People if you get a chance to come to MHS - do it - it's kind of like Ubud in Bali - sleepy, relaxed, friendly, just lovely.  Also we have a lovely young American volunteer who only has a few days here and she wanted to go to the Burmese border - so we did, and visited lots of places such as Karen village (neck and leg rings!), Lishu people, Chinese village and the most memorable part of the day for me was having tea and pineapple made by an 84 year old Burmese refugee who sat over the way of his modest hut and smoked something in his pipe ( - he looked pretty relaxed put it that way).

This is a Karen Hill Tribe woman

Me outside a Wat in Mae Hong Son with the first Ylang Ylang plant I've ever sniffed!

Anyhoo raving over for just now, I'm gonna try to upload photo's - don't expect much - I'm not up for any National Geo prizes for photography - it's a Kodak point and click camera but you'll get the idea.  Over and out for now. Must go for a pineapple shake (mmmmmmm shaaakkke!) 30 baht (1 aussie dollar!) Delish!