Chinese New Year In Thailand

First Day in Chaing Mai, Thailand 

First of all, immediately upon our arrival into Thailand, I couldn't help but make the following observations: 

In Taiwan, people are pretty homogenous- Myron and I really stand out there-  we are often THE only foreigners visible at any given point in time.  It felt so strange (and also so nice) to just be one of the many foreigners in Thailand. 

It was also SUPER weird to suddenly both have people be able to understand what you are saying and for you to be able to understand what they are saying.  While the language barrier in Taiwan can be frustrating at times, it is also incredibly liberating in a way: since you can’t understand most of the things being said around you, you can just exist in this bubble.  Being in Thailand, this bubble burst and it took some adjustment to get used to - stimulation overload. 

Our first full day here, we woke up and had breakfast on the river at our guesthouse.   We are staying a bit outside of the city-  I think it would have been nicer to stay in the city center- but it is easy enough to get around here. 

After breakfast, we went on the Flight of the Gibbon tour, which is a zip-line tour.  It was awesome!  But definitely not for those afraid of heights.  The tour began with a waterfall hike, which was very scenic-  Chang Mai is a big city- but this was located outside of the city in Mae Kompong-  the area was just beautiful.  Here are pictures from our waterfall hike. 

Then we got a half hour massage, which we weren’t even expecting, but certainly enjoyed. And then we went on the tour- which was very adrenaline-filled. I have been on a zipline before in Costa Rica but I don’t remember it as this frightening-  perhaps it was because this time we had goofy guides who liked to swing the cables up and down as you went across- or perhaps it was the 40 foot drops that you had to rappel down- At any rate, it was both terrifying and some of the most fun I have had in a long time. 

Above, is a very short clip that Myron took of me, going backwards on the zipline as they bounced the wire and sent me flying all over the place.  Again, not for everyone, but if you like adventure and are not afraid of heights, and find yourself in this part of the world, I strongly recommend this tour!