Still in Chiang Mai

We did end up going rafting, trekking and feeding elephants. We were all pretty against riding the elephants since we don't like seeing these highly intelligent and social creatures reduced to carriages. We did feed some, though. As they were coming back from carrying tourists around on their backs, we fed them bananas and sugar cane which they ate whole. I was breaking off bananas one by one from a bundle to feed an elephant, but as it was being pulled away from me to give more rides to tourists, the elephant thought, "enough of this, I'm taking these to go" and wrapped it's trunk around my hand and grabbed the rest of the bundle as it left. It was pretty funny; they were so cute.

Another animal story... We were trekking through a bamboo forest and just as Marah was about to ask the guide if there were cobras there, there was the coiled up answer to her question; it fanned out it's hood, lunged at our guide and hissed. No one was hurt and the cobra quickly slithered away revealing who was really the most frightened. Marah was psyched. Our guide definitely had his adrenaline pumping but later explained that it was a sign of good luck (I doubt he would say that if it bit him). I was right behind Marah, so I heard the hiss and saw the black body slither away through the brush, but only heard from her what actually happened. Crazy, huh? It was pretty cool.

Marah and Steve fly back to the US in a few days; Kris and I are trying to figure out cheap ways to get back to Beijing, so our trip is essentially winding down.

My thoughts on Thailand... this is a great place to vacation: delicious food, great shopping, excellent massages, smiling locals, and comfortable accommodations all at really cheap prices. It makes for a perfect getaway. However, if you're looking for a sense of the culture and people (like we were), then you're in for a disappointment or a difficult search. It seems that if any guide book has written about a place in Thailand, it's exploded with tourism. We haven't really gotten a sense of the Thai people or culture, so if I were to come back again, I would try to stay with locals somehow. Coming from China, especially, where Kris and I went days without seeing other white people, it was a stark contrast. It's not that we don't like it here, it's just very different than what we were hoping for. China was a challenge and an adventure, and I wouldn't recommend it for people who are looking to relax and be pampered. Thailand, however, is perfect for that and makes for a great escape that's exotic enough to feel different but geared enough toward tourists that everything is easily accessible.