Chiang Mai

Hi G,

That's awesome news! I just got back from quite an
amazing trip. I was in Chiang Mai, where they run all
the elephant treks into the jungle, and then went to
visit an NGO in the province of Phayao. Phayao has no
tourism yet it is an absolutely specatular place. It's
got mountains with some of the last remaining teak
forests in Thailand, a huge lake, and gorgeous paddy
fields. A villager took me on a hike through the
jungle and up one of the mountains. (Jean - it was a
little like what we did in the Amazon rain forest in
Ecuador, but even more impressive). The vegetation was
extremely lush and they had some huge trees (I even
got to see a snake). Then a fisherman took me in a
traditional boat out on the lake as the sun was
starting to set. As luck would have it, the day I
arrived in Phayao my camera that I have had for 14
years broke. I managed to borrow someone else's really
expensive camera and managed to fall and break this
poor guy's flash.

Regarding your visit, I might be in the northern part
of Thailand (Chiang Mai) for a conference that ends on
Nov. 21. I, therefore, probably wouldn't get back to
Bangkok until late in the evening on Nov. 22 or on
Nov. 23. Any chance I can tag along with you guys when
you go scuba diving. Have you already made
reservations? Depending upon what you're after, Phuket
may or may not be the best place to go. It is very
developed. Other nice areas are Kho Samui (also quite
popular), and the province of Trang. Trang is the
southernmost province in Thailand, but its beaches are
still untouched. If you want a truly amazing place to
visit, I would recommend the Similan Islands. They are
considered one of the top 10 diving sites in the
world. The place has only one resort, but camping is
cheap and available right on the unspoilt beaches.

As for drooling over the Thai food, you might want to
starve yourself for a month before coming. Wait a
minute, I forgot who I was talking too, you never gain
weight! After 3 months of working out 6 days a week
and staying away from Thai food as much as possible, I
weighed myself yesterday and found out that I haven't
even lost one ounce!

Anyway, I'd better get back to work. Take care,

Sarah