I Passed Through the Seven Levels of the Candy Cane Forest...

Is it Christmas already?? Not quite. But I sure got a nice preview for winter on my train ride up to Chiang Mai. This past weekend observed Mother's Day, which honors both mothers (obvi) and The Queen of Thailand. The holiday actually takes place on the Queen's Birthday and it provided us a long weekend...our last long weekend until (dun dun dun) THE END. Ahhhh! But let's not freak out yet- I still have LOTS to look forward to. Anyways, Sarah and I took advantage of the extra day and bought train tickets to go up north. Unfortunately we were a little slow in buying the tickets, so we landed the last two seats, which were not sleeper seats. We geared up for an uncomfortable train ride, but when we saw the seats, we were pleasantly surprised. They were spacious and not bad at all. But an hour into the ride, I was miserable. To be more exact, I was a popsicle. And not one of those delicious ones with different flavors- but a very unhappy popsicle. Sarah was convinced we were in Russia, and we wished the hours away on the train. 12 hours later, I basically pranced into the wall of humidity. Living in the tropics was a brilliant idea. 


I've been to Chiang Mai heaps of times, but it just makes me so darn happy. We ate well, we pampered ourselves, and boy, oh boy, we shopped. We shopped a whooooole lot. I'm ashamed to admit how much I purchased, but let's just say my future apartment is going to be the bomb diggitty. I also may have purchased one of the greatest things to ever happen to me...


Meet Fabio, my new rhinoceros:

Although I could spend forever in Chiang Mai, our main reason for heading up north was to venture to Chiang Rai, which is another 3 hours north. On Saturday morning we got on a bus and made our way further north.  


I had no expectations for Chiang Rai, but it really surprised me. We easily filled up our day and a half there. The highlight of not only this trip, but also one of the highlights of all of my travels, was seeing Wat Rong Khun. I've seen a lot of Wats in my time here, but nothing comes close to the beauty of this white temple. The style is unlike any other since it contains a lot of modern art. It was absolutely breathtaking and definitely worth the long trek. 

Exploring Chiang Rai

Wat Rong Khun

King Triton vibes

Bob fit right in!

After filling our bellies with Khao Soy and doing a little (read: A LOT) more shopping, we hopped on our bus back to Bangkok from Chiang Mai a little before 8pm. The journey usually takes about 9 hours, getting us back to Suphan right in time for school. If all went as planned, it would have been perfect. But it was so far from perfect. After leaving an hour late, I fell asleep pretty quickly, only to be awakened 2 hours later, gasping for air and sweating profusely. The aircon had stopped working and it was a complete sauna, which left a not so pleasant smell lingering in the air. The bus pulled over soon after for what we thought was for a little fresh air. No no no no no. Disaster ensued. The bus driver attempted to fix the problem but took apart some vital parts of the bus in doing so. AKA we were stuck on the side of the road, getting attacked by mosquitoes, for 2 1/2 hours. Around 1am, a replacement bus came to save us. The new bus was not so pretty and the seats didn't recline. Only 9 hours of discomfort to go! By the time we got to Bangkok, got the connecting van to Suphan, and made it home, it was far too late. 17 hours total, and 4 hours late to work. Yikes. 

Despite the horrific transport to and from, the trip itself was great! I saw an amazing Wat, I met Fabio and I basically furnished my apartment.... I think that deserves a BOOYAH!