Get ready for the biggest blog post ever. I have some catching up to do as there was a bit I left out before the meditation post. Also I’m heading to Laos tomorrow morning so I might as well get caught up.
These photos are taken at Doi Suthep the temple in the sky. I went to check what their Vipassana course was like. But when I got there I was disappointed because it felt really touristy.
It was beautiful but I just didn`t like the energy there. And I wouldn`t have been able to complete the full 10 days because Chinese New Year was right around the corner. It was great to visit though. And although it boasted some beautiful sunset shots, we were disappointed to find the temple blocked the view.
The sky was still beautiful though. It`s just that by this point we had seen so many temples we were pretty much `watted out.`
I was fortunate enough to watch Muay Thai kickboxing while we were in Chang Mai. Some of the backpackers we met were heading there, and although it`s something I personally probably would not have planned to go to, I was really happy I did. It is one of those things that just gets your adrenaline pumping!
It`s an event that draws just as many locals as it does tourists. Also I should mention here that I also had a chance to watch a Ladyboy pageant in Pai!
Here`s a photo of a Canadian fightingCanadian battling a Thai man. Sadly he lost based on points. He was much bigger and threw some mean punches and kicks. We were all cheering for him but ah well you win some, you lose some! 
After I had completed the Vipassana meditation, I met up with Katie in Pai. Pai is a small town of 3,000 people. It is basically on the hippie trail so when you get there, there are tonnes of healthy organic food options, and gourmet coffee to be found everywhere.
Our only escape from the heat midday was a wonderful place called Fluid Lounge. A place with great food, a cool swimming pool and amazing food.
Here`s the crew that Katie had met during my 10 day meditation. It`s a really nice group of people from Australia, the U.K., and Sweden.
Pai is known for it`s easy days and crazy nights. It`s a place where you run into everyone you know, and everyone you meet on the street at some point. One of my favorite towns so far!
Pai is also a town that is known for it`s beauty and charm. It`s a place where the farang and the locals are all super laid back and really friendly. I fell in love with Pai very easily!
Wokking with Tee!
Lucky for me, Katie didn`t do any of the things we planned on doing together during the past ten days. So we were able to get back on track with our travel plans. Here we are making fresh curry paste from scratch.
One of the best parts though was being able to invite all our friends to come join us for dinner after. And Tee was this cool Thai hippie, who provided all the Thai Whiskey for the night. I think we all left there a little tipsy!
There were a lot of breaks, and we were advised to do everything `Slowly, Slowly`. And intermittently he would yell `Taste!` It was just my style to learn how to cook.
The next day we went on a beautiful 2 day jungle trek. You have to burn off the calories some how, right
I am a sucker for sunsets. And this was the gorgeous pristine view from the bamboo hut where we stayed the night after hiking and swimming in a beautiful water fall. After our swim, our guides made us bamboo tea, which we drank out of cups made out of a bamboo chute.
This is where we slept. A one room bamboo hut with a family from the Karin tribe. The floor was really hard, and it was cold during the night. But we were kept warm by a blazing fire lit in the living room.
We were lucky to get to visit the different hill tribes in their natural environment. There was no scheduled song or dance, or anyone trying to sell us anything. It illustrates such a simple yet peaceful way of life.
And then we hitchhiked home!
This is the friendly visitor I found in my hair over breakfast this morning. I thought the lime green was a nice contrast to the fuschia purple.
The White temple in Chang Rai. This is the modern day temple set to be completed in 2070. It`s a contemporary work of art which encompasses sculpture and current figures in some of the murals. In the temple, there are scenes of Nirvana, and if you look carefully you can make out Spiderman, Superman, and my favorite Keanu Reeves depicted as Neo from the Matrix.
You can see the sharks that swim in the moat by the temple!
This is my favorite part of the temple. these hands depict human suffering and anguish. The physical attachments that keep us in pain. The only way to let go of physical suffering is through meditation and it is only through our separation of this that we can reach the state of Nirvana.
And no smoking! Smoking is the devil! It`s considered a burdensome habit that everyone should be rid of and it is not at all conducive to meditation. Actually I read an interesting fact at the Hilltribe cultural museum today. Smoking actually causes more deaths than drugs do. More people die from smoking cigarettes than they do from drugs on an annual basis. Smoking is more culturally acceptable because a) it`s legal and b) people that smoke are not considered a `hindrance on society`. Just a little food for thought!
