Ok...I know it's been awhile since I posted. A LOT has gone on during that time. I'm going to try to get all caught up. The last adventure I wrote about was cooking school. The next day (Sunday) was a free day for the students to relax, do some shopping, and enjoy Chiang Mai. That night we went and saw the new Harry Potter movie (sorry, Laura!). While there were a few previews before the movie, there were a lot of commercials in Thai. Also, prior to the movie starting, everyone stands for a singing of the national anthem. The movie was good and marked the end to a relaxing day.
The next morning was a big hiking day. We were hiking Doi Suthep, one of the highest points in Chiang Mai. I was not prepared for the steepness of the climb and about 1/4 the way up, I opted for the much easier Spicy Thai van. I hopped in the van with Aum and we met the group about halfway at this magnificent jungle temple. Everywhere you looked there were statues and Buddhist sayings. Upon reaching the top, I had some time to walk around and shop a little while waiting for the rest of the group. Once they were up (and exhausted), I was glad I didn't try to make it up myself - it might have been the end of me. Little did I know what the rest of the day had in store. To get to the temple at the top of the mountain, we still had to ascend about 300 steps to the top. It was worth it though. The temple and the view were really great. We learned more about Buddhism and shrines in the temples while up there. After grabbing some lunch, it was time to head down the mountain. The decision was made to all ride down to a waterfall halfway and then hike the rest of the way down. The waterfall was really nice (much bigger than the one in Peru, Megan!) but everyone wanted to do a little hiking alongside it and find the swimming area above. We hiked up this little path by the waterfall and with the students a little ahead, I made it to this large rock that I needed to get up. The rock was a little slippery. I was determined that I would get up it though. I stepped halfway up the rock and could feel myself slipping. All of a sudden my foot slipped out and I fell. Apparently the first thing I yelled was, "my face is gone!". I remember thinking it -- I don't remember yelling it. After a trip to the hospital, I came out with a stitched up lip and two chipped front teeth. This pretty much put me out of commission for a week. The students went on a meditation retreat and trekking during that week and I stayed back at the hostel and recovered. It was hard watching people go out and do things but not be able to participate. The following Monday, I returned to the hospital and got some of the stitches out and got fillers put on my teeth. I didn't realize how much that would make me feel better. It brought me out of my funk. The hospital was great and did a really wonderful job with everything. Thanks, Chiang Mai Ram!!
Even with my new teeth and stitches out, I still decided to take the next day off as the group was going and hiking around in a national park. I'm still a little wary hurting myself again. Wednesday was mostly a work day in the house. The students worked on projects, essays, etc. and we went to the student market at night for dinner and shopping. Yesterday, we spent the morning at a Botanical gardens. We had a tour led by Eric and he was great. It's rare to find someone with so much passion that can convey that passion to others. He was a testament to the fact that you can take the thing you love and make a career out of it if you really want. We saw different areas of the gardens and he taught us about edible plants. His blog is here (http://dokmaidogma.wordpress.com/) and he already has a post up about our visit.
Today started with a trip to a snake farm that included a snake show. The students enjoyed holding the python. It reminded me of my Cincinnati Zoo days! Now there is some project work time and a pretty chill rest of the day.
Soon we head back into the jungle for a week and then I'm home. It's been a whirlwind trip and I can't believe it's almost over and the school year will start up soon. Didn't the summer just start?!?!
Hope everyone is doing well. Instead of me posting pictures, you can check out all the photos from the trip on our flickr site (http://www.flickr.com/photos/loopabroad2011/)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/loopabroad2011/
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