Hola!

Sorry for the delay folks but there have been a few extenuating circumstances. First off we were on a trek through the jungle for 2 days with little more than a few electric lights and mosquito nets. And most notably i have not been feeling well. I think my body is rejecting my new food habits. Basically I have constant stomach aches and diarrhea. Luckily my two compadres are very comfortable with their bodies and bowell movements so poop talk has been very common thus far. Sorry to anyone out there who isnt comfortable but it wont get too much worse. Mac and I started our trip by being totally constipated for the first few days, regardless of how much we ate. Although we obviously kept eating to a minimum in response to our bodies. After our first few movements we both felt free and clear. I probably took it a little too far by eating and drinking anything in sight that looked delicious. That included local fruits I have never seen or tasted before, different types of meat BBQ'd on sticks (some of which i could not even identify), seafood, weird sauces spicy and sweet alike, lots of coffee, and alcohol. I am paying for it. So I have cut out the alcohol, coffee, and most of the spicy stuff. Even though not eating spicy food is pretty tough in Thailand. I have gotten it to a pretty manageable point and im just suffering chronic upset stomach and that other gross before mentioned thing that involves a toilet.
So my reason for not blogging sooner? It was really tough to sit in front of a computer sweating head to toe in 80+ weather with humidity that is through the roof all the while fighting stomach cramps and constant trips to the loo. But here i am feeling a little better but still sweating like you would not believe. And yes i have been looking for an internet cafe with AC. BUT! It goes without saying that I would not trade where I am or what I am doing for anything. This is exactly what i signed up for. I am constantly presented with new obstacles to overcome and challenges that need successful completion and it is so very rewarding.

Back to whats been happening. Since the last time we sat down together lots has happened and I will just start right where I left off. We did a beautiful hike just outside of Chiang-mai to a gorgeous waterfall where we could cool off and sit in the water. It ended up raining and chasing away all the locals and tourists alike so we just posted up and enjoyed being cool. From there we had some amazing dinners (pre-stomach problems), I had chicken noodle soup thai style (very spicy and flavorful) and the girls had papaya salad. It is tough to explain the papaya salad but it is freaking delicious. Its actually made from green unripe papaya that is shaved into thin strips, I am going to make it in the states for anyone that will eat it as soon as its papaya season again. After dinner we went to our first muay-thai fight which consisted of 5 different bouts. The first bouts were 100lb 14ish year olds, these kids were amazing. Both bouts ended early in near knockouts, the kids were clearly dazed from either a fist or foot to the face. The last few fights were all much older men but none weighed more than 160lbs. I bet on most of the fights and was up 600baht (apprx. $20) at one point before my boy blue took a dive in the third. Personally, I absolutely love drinking beer and betting on competitive sport. And Dad I ended up even, other than the money spent on beer, so do not worry. Not all the fighters were Thai, there was actually a Swede and a German there that night. It seems if you are really into Thai boxing you could go to a fight almost every other night. The girls ended up enjoying the experience as well even though I am pretty sure they both think the mentality and attitude of the people there left something to be desired. We left the "stadium" and emerged on a cool wet and rainy street with a short walk back to our guest house. About 30m outside we came across a huge Asian elephant being ridden by his keeper. This was amazing. OK, so here is my attitude on the keeping of elephants, I do not like it. But after some time talking to people about it and trying to learn as much as I could, I did end up supporting it a little. This elephant was walking right down the street next to speeding cars, tuk-tuks, and motos. She was taking tips for peanuts, give the keeper some cash, he gives you peanuts, give the peanuts to the elephant and then the elephant is happy. Or at least I hope so. The sight alone of the elephant stirred something in all three of us and the walk back was full of insight, talk of religion, and a real feeling of togetherness. Thank you Elly the elephant!

The next morning was the beginning of our first trek. Trekking is basically guided hiking and camping offered by different private companies. We took a 2 day 1 night trek that included; visiting and swimming in and around waterfalls, riding an elephant (i know, i know), rafting, visiting a local hill tribe, hiking through the jungle and around country farmland. I loved this experience. We got extremely dirty and maybe it wasn't as strenuous as we wanted or as deep into the jungle as expected but it was really cool. for me the best part was meeting new people. We met Irish, Dutch, English, U.S., and Thai. Pretty much everyone was 20 something years old with similar gung-ho attitudes. We had a long and fun night of drinking where we got to hear a lot of different perspectives on the world and especially Americans. Apparently Americans speak at a much higher volume than the rest of the planet, this I did not know. I attribute it to our love of good and loud music, so obviously our hearing has suffered and as a consequence we speak louder ; ). The elephants were really cool. They were basically free to roam around our camp and the surrounding areas. Where they slept was not more than 100m from where we laid our heads for the night. Instead of riding them, because I did not think that was very cool, I would have enjoyed it much more to walk beside them or get to know them by just feeding them bananas. Whitney actually got to "bathe" with them which would have been pretty awesome. Right by the camp were a couple of ponds, one of which they take the elephants into. That is where Whitney was able to scrub them down while being in the water and eventually ride them out of the pond bareback. Sadly i was still in bed feeling the effects of drinking rum and trying to keep up with a bunch of Irish. We rounded out our trek by visiting an awesome slide/waterfall and going rafting. The rafting was alright but the water was filthy and the rapids mediocre at best. That night I met up with the Dutch couple and one of the Irish for a few drinks at the reggae bar here in Chiang-mai. Whitney joined for a drink but the girls went to bed early to get some rest. The next day was the beginning of my stomach issues with not too much interesting happening other than getting some rest and my first massage.

Bottom left is our cook tent and mess hall, bottom right is the elephant feeding and chill area, And the cool hut on the hill is where we slept.

That brings us to today! Today we took an all day Thai cooking course. Although i was suffering a little and not eating anywhere near close to my full capability or capacity I had a blast. I made tom yum soup, yellow curry, drunken noodles and sweet and sour chicken. The girls made a host of other dishes including; green and red curry, cashew chicken, pad thai, fat fried noodle, and fried vegetables. I think there were more but Whitney is not here to school me. Our chef was really cool with an amazing sense of humor, he could make himself laugh for ages. And the class was at his house a few minutes outside the city with what appeared to be his entire family chipping in to help.  The cooking class included a tour through a local market and a crash course in local ingredients, which are so fresh and phenomenal. We finished up today relaxing here at the Funky Dog restaurant finally sending our clothes off to be cleaned.

I finally got all the pictures up.
Thanks for listening! Arrivederci!