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On the run in Thailand
Posted by Brian
on
9:56 AM
The past few days have been intense to say the least. I may be able to post a few pictures to my facebook page tomorrow, but I thought I'd update you on where I've been the past few days.
Wednesday we returned to the mountains of northern Thailand and spent the night at the Lisu Lodge, one of several accommodations operated by the various hill tribes that live here. We got up on Thursday morning and began our two day trek way up into the hills, and when I say "up", I mean "up". Not sure what our altitude was, but we were definitely in cloud forest territory. The first three hours were uphill, a challenge for this body, which was built for comfort not speed, and for stability in high winds. After stopping at a few different hill tribe villages, we ended the day way up on a ridge at an outpost with an unbelievable view. It was actually populated by a tribe with Tibetan roots, so the culture was remarkable. Friday morning we trekked back down the mountain, in the rain, and stopping for a swim in a waterfall, before finishing the hike with a 10k whitewater rafting trip.
It was a pretty hardcore few days, and stretched most of us way beyond our comfort zones, physically and culturally. My biggest challenge was actually keeping my camera dry and functioning with a collection of dry bags and umbrellas. The video footage was stunning and I can't wait to get it edited. The group has made my job easier too. They are a great bunch of university students - 29 in all.
Today we visited three major temples in Chiang Mai. This used to be the capital of Thailand until hostilities with Burma necessitated a move of the capital south to Bangkok. It is still in many ways the spiritual capital, though. The temple on top of Doi Suthep, the large mountain overlooking the city, is amazing, and the view of Chiang Mai is stunning. After witnessing the intricacies of Buddhism, I am more in love than ever with the simplicity of following Jesus.
Tomorrow we have our last day here before catching the night train to Bangkok. Monday will be spent sightseeing there, before catching an afternoon flight down to Phuket and then on to Kao Sok for some river tubing, rock climbing at Railay Beach and sea kayaking before heading home on the 15th.
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Wednesday we returned to the mountains of northern Thailand and spent the night at the Lisu Lodge, one of several accommodations operated by the various hill tribes that live here. We got up on Thursday morning and began our two day trek way up into the hills, and when I say "up", I mean "up". Not sure what our altitude was, but we were definitely in cloud forest territory. The first three hours were uphill, a challenge for this body, which was built for comfort not speed, and for stability in high winds. After stopping at a few different hill tribe villages, we ended the day way up on a ridge at an outpost with an unbelievable view. It was actually populated by a tribe with Tibetan roots, so the culture was remarkable. Friday morning we trekked back down the mountain, in the rain, and stopping for a swim in a waterfall, before finishing the hike with a 10k whitewater rafting trip.
It was a pretty hardcore few days, and stretched most of us way beyond our comfort zones, physically and culturally. My biggest challenge was actually keeping my camera dry and functioning with a collection of dry bags and umbrellas. The video footage was stunning and I can't wait to get it edited. The group has made my job easier too. They are a great bunch of university students - 29 in all.
Today we visited three major temples in Chiang Mai. This used to be the capital of Thailand until hostilities with Burma necessitated a move of the capital south to Bangkok. It is still in many ways the spiritual capital, though. The temple on top of Doi Suthep, the large mountain overlooking the city, is amazing, and the view of Chiang Mai is stunning. After witnessing the intricacies of Buddhism, I am more in love than ever with the simplicity of following Jesus.
Tomorrow we have our last day here before catching the night train to Bangkok. Monday will be spent sightseeing there, before catching an afternoon flight down to Phuket and then on to Kao Sok for some river tubing, rock climbing at Railay Beach and sea kayaking before heading home on the 15th.
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