Shane's Trip Journal

The last few days have been some fun activities. I visited Doi Suthep temple and was told that if you come to Chiang Mai and do not visit Doi Suthep you really have not visited Chiang Mai. On the way to Doi Suthep we stopped at a village and got to see some flower gardens. In the garden was some poppy that represented how the villagers made their income in the past but now sell things to the tourist as well as grow fruits and vegetables. I went on a full day trekking activity that included hill-tribe visit, bamboo rafting, elephant riding, and swimming at a waterfall. There has been a Saturday and Sunday market that is apparently every week. They shut down the roads in a certain area and local people set up on the sidewalks to sell their goods. There are some nice things at the markets but I do not want to carry anything else around with me while I travel so I have just enjoyed looking. I am not sure if I have mentioned about the dogs in Thailand. There are dogs everywhere. Many appear to be stray, just wondering around on the streets and elsewhere. You get to the point of not noticing them, but a couple of days ago I was passing a pack of dogs and one of them waited until I was just passed before it bit me on the back of the leg. I was walking around a street vendor when it happened and the man behind the cart apparently saw what was happening and yelled at the dogs to go away. Luckily, I had pants on and it barely broke the skin without tearing my pants so I am not too worried about rabies. So far the injury list is: twisted ankle, sun burn, mosquito bits, leaches, various cuts and bruises on my feet and back from the river, some kind of infection in my lungs (I think it was Bronchitis so I self medicated), and a dog bite. Here you don't have to go to the doctor to get a prescription, you can go into the pharmacy and explain your symptoms and they will sell you what you want. I have lost about 20 lbs as of last week when I used a scale in the pharmacy. I only have one belt loop left before I have to buy a new belt. I have not had any tobacco in about 4 days so I am gaining back some of the weight that I lost. My diet for the most part has been vegetarian, Pad Thai with vegetables and eggs as well as fresh fruits, water, and fruit juices. Although I have slipped on the good diet over the last couple of days because there is a coffee shop next to the place where I am staying that has some great desserts. Tomorrow I take the day-train (12 hours) back to Bangkok. I stay one night in Bangkok and then take a bus the next morning to Cambodia. I will be staying in Siam Reap, Cambodia for a couple of days and touring Angkor Wat. After that it is back to Bangkok where I will decide which direction to head. I was told before I came that Bangkok was a international hub of bargain flights. I hope to find a cheap flight to Nepal but I am not sure they will be cheap enough to fit in the budget.