Sunday, February 28, 2010

Sawadee KAAAAA~!

Keeping it short as I only brought 30 baht to the internet cafe, and I think I've already run over my time! Got the 'India Photos' section handled though (2 months late)... if you fancy a visit.

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Funny how I only know two things in Thai (hello and thank you), but I seem to mix them up on a constant basis. Shopkeepers are quite puzzled when you insist that they greet you long after you've already purchased something and are in fact, in the process of leaving the store.

So let me finish up on Sri Lanka. Emil left sometime on the 16th after a successful run of 2 months of travel, and I found myself not having anyone to threaten or torture with the pulling of chest and/or kneepit hair. I forgot that ordinary people don't like that. With only a week left in Sri Lanka at that point, Danielle and I made for the hills- spending 2 blissful nights in Ella before continuing on to Dalhousie to climb Adam's Peak for sunrise. Here's a cute little girl that boogied our way from the top of the hill down to where the road snaked left and we lost sight of her. A natural, if I ever saw one!



Adam's Peak (right) is maybe the hardest physical thing I've done since volcano boarding in Nicaragua. 5,200 steps straight up, and quite the queue once you get there. Adam's Peak, or Sri Pada, is a remarkable sight for two reasons. For Buddhists, the sacred footprint left at the top of the mount is said to be Lord Buddha's last step on earth before ascending into Heaven... for Christians, it was Adam's first step out as he was exiled. Whatever the case, there's certainly a very long line of pushy pilgrims. 3am hikes make for some grumpy devotees!

A day here, a day in Kandy- one 6-hour bus ride and a questionable "egg" sandwich later.. I was on my way to Bangkok. Not sure what I expected... but this wasn't it. Skyscrapers, air-con buses, and loads... I mean... LOADS of tourists. Heavens, me! After teaming up with an impulsive South African, I was on my way to Chiang Mai for party and pleasure. I won't post too much except to add this photo of Ben with a purse. We met Bobby, a Coloradan that had been living in Thailand for 4 years or so- and he introduced us to Fone.... a Thai native that insisted on driving. Ben was ousted to the back of his scooter, and a designer purse was hoisted onto his shoulder as Fone took the reigns and sped us off into the distance. Chiang Mai was fun- and was without a doubt, the best partying I've had since Goa... but I left to pursue a cooler climate, and people with long necks in the hill country bordering Myanmar. More on that later.

2 comments:

  1. "and I found myself not having anyone to threaten or torture with the pulling of chest and/or kneepit hair. I forgot that ordinary people don't like that."

    haha.. I was gonna write something cheeky about how the knee pit hair pulling only took place because you seemed to like it more than I disliked it. But now that I'm thinking about it... I miss it!

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