Bhubing Palace

Before we went to Doi Suthep, we stopped at Bhubing Palace, one of the King's palaces. It was full of lovely gardens. It was such a relief to walk around up on the top of the mountain in the cool air after spending a week in the city. The fog was constantly rolling in and out and everything was lush.



There were amazing orchids.


They were everywhere


Statue in the gardens


Orchid


The jungle


Some kind of radio tower or something disappearing into the clouds.


A pretty butterfly on a flower


We got some fresh waffles for a snack. You could get them filled with anything from chocolate to pork. We went with coconut. It was fresh and warm and completely delicious.


The path up to a little temple


You can barely see me, but I'm there in front of some giant bamboo


And a prettier view of the bamboo. It was amazing. You could hear it creaking above as the fog rolled past....it was definitely just like something out of a creepy anime movie.

Doi Suthep pictures

There are about a million steps leading up to the temple and they are flanked my Naga (dragons)


Close up of one of the dragons


making our way up


statue at the top. It looks just like you, Mom! : )


A beautiful tree and small temple behind it

'
There were many many bells everywhere, which I think you ring for good luck


Some of the temples in the area. It's more of a temple complex once you get up the stairs, not just one temple.


Two temple Stupas (sort of the equivalent of church steeples)


Some school girls preforming traditional dances


Me in front of the main stupa


The main stupa and two Buddhas


A flame in a lotus flower


A jade (i think) Buddha


Another school girl dancing


And one more


There was a rain storm on the way down. I think it was the heaviest rain I've ever seen.

TESOL

I started my TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) training on Monday. It's sort of weird being in class all day again. The days feel very very long, even though they're not quite as long as a workday was at Gate 1.

The classes are going well, I think. We already began teaching real Thai students. I taught once, for about 15 minutes. I think it went well, the students seemed happy and responsive. For some people, they just stared blankly, so I'm very relieved I was actually able to get them to speak.

Last weekend I visited Doi Suthep and one of the King's palaces. It was a wonderful day. Doi Suthep is a Buddhist temple on the mountain just outside of Chiang Mai. I am not a city person, so it was wonderful to drive out of the city and into what is basically a rain forest. I can't describe how beautiful everything was, but I am going to post pictures so I don't have to! I am also going to post some pictures of various other fun activities with all my new VIA friends.




We went out for dinner at a place where you grill your own food. It was all you can eat and pretty fun. This is a shot of our table.



This is a close up of the hot pot where you can cook meat.


This is me, hot and sweaty, but enjoying the meal.


and a shrimp I grilled and was very proud of



And then we went out for some beers. This is me with Ben and Yoko.


Pictures of the temple coming soon...

Where to find more pictures

I take a lot of pictures that I do not put on this blog, so you can find more by going to this link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/palejewel84/collections/72157604561771991/

If you can't figure out how to use the site, let me know and I will give more details!

More Chiang Mai pictures

A Buddha Sculpture


Inside a temple


A Burmese Monk


In the temple grounds


A stupa at a temple


A little kid with a lot of snacks


Dragon Fruit - I haven't tasted this yet, but it looks so pretty


Live eels or snakes or something in a market


Flowers being sold in a market




I got up early and walked in the park and took these pictures


We squeezed 15 people in the back of a taxi truck


The whole group out for dinner






These are from a Buddhist Temple

Chiang Mai, Thailand

I am in Chaing Mai, Thailand for my training right now. I am having a great time, meeting lots of new people. Everyone with VIA is great. I love that there's no "cool kids group". Everyone respects and wants to be friendly with everyone else.

The food here is wonderful so far, although I haven't had a chance to try too many fun things. The weather is very hot and humid. I am getting used to just being constantly sweaty. I understand why they shower several times a day!

The International Center where we are staying is very nice, much better than I expected. I share a room with only one other person and just the two of us share a bathroom. I thought we'd be in something more like dorms. The beds are really comfortable too, I've been sleeping great - There's even AC in the rooms!

Yesterday we had a scavenger hunt all around the city in order to get to know our way around. My team won so later we are going to get massages as a prize! Thai massages are supposed to be really good, so I'm excited. My feet are achy from all the walking!

There are mosquitoes, but not as bad as I expected. I have a few bites, but no monsters. The bug spray I bought seems to work pretty well.

Ok - here are some pictures, none of me yet, but I will take some with me soon:


This is from the plane leaving Taipei


This is the city wall


This is some of the volunteers playing in an exercise park near where we are staying.


This is a canal from the same park


This is in a nearby market


Also in the market

I am going to put some more pictures in a separate entry!