Chaing Mai, what a wonderful city... May 27th ...

Since arriving back from Lahu village I have had the most wonderful time hanging out in Chiang Mai with my new friends from the course in Lahu. Its amazing how life can flow so wonderfully when you just let things be. I had no idea where i was going to stay after the course & had planned to go to Laos & Cambodia for a couple of weeks however when I finished I had heard such good things about Chiang Mai I decided i had to spend some time here. My wonderful friend Stella (Doh in thai, she speaks thai) introduced me to the best guest house in Chiang Mai, Imm Eco. She had said it was nice but it is just fabulous with a huge 500m pool. Then it turned out we both new Rose a wonderful person who owns a yoga studio called Wild Rose. We both headed for a yoga class & to see Rose & now I am teaching there until I leave. I feel so privaledged to get to teach at such a beautiful space.

http://www.wildrosesauna.com/details.php?eventid=189

I was also able to go climbing at the w.end an hour away from the city which is perfect. Although I would love to visit Laos & Cambodia they will wait until i come back very soon. Whilst in Chiang Mai I have also been able to meet up with my old friend Lou who lives in HK, on my very first travels to Aus in 1996 me & Lou travelled together & since then we have spent the rest of our days trying to meet up in different countries around the world!

Chiang Mai is a wonderful place which i know i will come back to soon. My plan was to go back to the Europe for the summer & then back to India in Oct, that may change to returning to Chiang Mai instead, we will see ......

The photos on this post are from to a lake, reservoir an hour from the city. I went with Lawrence & Gaston (gorgeous Belgium couple), Rose, PJ & Sky to the boat house which you get to by boat. It is so relaxing out there, all we had to do was relax, swim in the lake & play on the large surfboard, do yoga, eat & hang out! Bliss & a wonderful end to my time in the north of Thailand. Time was running out before I was heading back to the UK.

10 Days in Lahu village, north of Chiang Mai - 16th - 27th May 2010

My time in Thailand as usual has been & continues to be wonderful. After my 2 back to back over night trains to get to Chiang Mai, I headed to the nearest hotel to the station, to try & get a cheap room to do some yoga & get a shower for a couple of hours ( having arrived at 6am) before heading to the meeting point for Sunshine network massage school to go up to Lahu village, 1 hour north of Chiang mai. I couldn’t get a room for a couple of hours without paying for the night so being in traveller budget mode I didn’t want to pay! They were kind though & let me practice in their court yard & shower for free! So no need for a room.

At the meeting point I met a lot of the people who were joining the course, all nationalities from all walks of life. We were packed into the back of 2 Toyota hylux style trucks, rather squashed but it wasn’t too far & it meant we got to see the landscape whilst feeling the wind in our hair & sun on faces!

Izaac the main teacher for the thai yoga massage course said that it would take about 2 days to get used to the village then we would feel right at home, its in our nature to go back to basics. I don’t know why but I felt right at home straight away, I loved the dirt tracks, dogs & chickens etc running around everywhere, pigs & their piglets blocking the path ways. The simplicity of life there was very calming.

Me, Michelle, Catherine & Brit were very lucky with accommodation & got a house to ourselves with our own bathroom. Most other people had to share the showers which were not attached to their buildings, never mind rooms. Me & Brit even had our own rooms. The house was not painted & just breeze blocks but had a nice feel about it, until we heard that apparently it wasn’t used as somebody had died in it. Thai people are very superstitious about death in houses. That might explain the deep breathing sound I kept hearing. I thought I was going mad at one point as it seemed to happen every time the cock cocked! A deep breath could be heard afterwards. One morning I hadn’t slept very well & I said to Brit were you doing some breathing exercises to get to sleep? She said know but I thought you were? Hhaaha so we had a mystery deep breather around the house!!

Brit is lovely & had pretty much done exactly the same as me, quit a job in the corporate world & then went to India & was teaching yoga the next beach along from me. Actually its funny the amount of people on the massage course that had quit their jobs & life at home to look to do something more fulfilling. At least 6,7 people out of 25. It was so nice to be with lots of like minded people.

10 days went so quickly, I would get up at 4.45am then walk up the hill to an open space with a beautiful view of the valley around where we would meditate for 30mins & then we would practice yoga until 7, 7.30am. It was amazing meditating in the dark & by the time you opened your eyes the sun was rising & you had the most beautiful view. I felt really honored after a few days of practicing with Isaac teaching, as he asked me if I wanted to teach, obviously I jumped at the chance as I had been dying to teach since finishing my last training in Bali, although it will definitely be the earliest class I have ever taught. I had about 16 people in my first class which was fab & although I felt a little rusty I had really nice feedback from people who told me I have to find somewhere to teach. I felt that I need to be teaching more as the only way you learn & improve is by teaching, teaching & teaching. We were lucky that we also had a couple of Thai chi classes & Brit taught some yin yoga. I got to teach again & we had a really playful class.

Breakfast at Lahu village consisted of cooked pumpkin & rice & some chilli. There were oats as well, so I found a good combo was oats with pumpkin & juice & banana, pineapple & spirilina! Then I used to take it to the coffee shop, which was someone’s house with a few stools & a table outside. I once again got into coffee, my excuse been it was grown, picked etc etc in the village so I was supporting the local economy, haha. Also it was a nice social activity to sit with the your breaky & drink coffee & chat with the guys on the course. Everyone got on so well, despite it been a very large group.

We would start our massage classes at 9am & begin with a Buddhist chant either Om Mani Padme om or the Buddha chant. Isaac would then demonstrate the section of the body we would be working on & then we would go off & practice on either other, first with a led instruction, then on our own. The early days I felt like it was bliss been massaged continuously, then maybe the end of the 10 days you did start to feel a little bit massaged out! I realized it would take a long time & a lot of practice to become really in tune with the person your massaging & feel really comfortable & confident. I was enjoying it though, some sections of the body more than others. I liked the positions that were more like yoga positions. Everybody got on really well, a good job really as we were swapping partners every day!

Lunch & tea (dinner) consisted of pretty much rice & veg, occasionally with some variations. I enjoyed it, so simple but nice. By 8pm I was pretty tired, a couple of nights we had a mini kirtan or chanting session. One eve it was one of the girls b.day & so we had a little party, Daria (Italian girl) had made an amazing chocolate cake, with biscuits & choc sauce, was delic!! Then we had a mini disco, it was funny because their were a lot of latin people on the course & so of course they were always up for a fiesta. Me & James an English guy joked about how the latin0s were so alive & the first ones to dance whilst the English would never get up & dance without alcohol! It turns out me & James were both on the same Uni course in Hull on the same year. We had a feeling we may have met before but as that was in 1995 we were not sure. Small world!

On day 6 in the afternoon we were taken to a very mini waterfall. It was a nice break from massaging & we got to jump off quite high rocks into a fresh water springs. I have to say when we arrived I was like ‘wheres the waterfall’, it was more of a dribble than a fall! Still we had fun & then the locals cooked us food out in the open & served it in bamboo trays they had made by chopping down some bamboo! We even had bamboo tea, served in bamboo cups. It was a lovely afternoon & it finished with the latinos singing & dancing, v.funny but I supposed you would have to be there!

I ended up leaving Lahu village with a netbook! Daria decided to sell hers as she was skint & so I finally gave in to my netbook envy & bought it off her! Its pink! My fav colour & she named her! Now I have no excuses to study & type up my notes from all my courses I have been doing!

Overnight trains to Bangkok ...

I have left to Tonsai with a promise to myself to go back, as i love the climbing there, the place is v.chilled out & i need to go back before they build some luxury resort which is in the pipeline! The last climb i did me & the guide got stuck around some rocks as the tide had come in as we were v.late! In the end we had to wade around in the dark along the rocks edge, me hoping that my flipflops would survive, as the coral under your feet would cut your feet to shreds! I was wondering if my last climb was worth the effort but eventually after what felt like an age we made back to the beach! The guide was not in a happy mood as he would have prefered me not to have done the last climb, oh well i wasnt to know!

I go on an overnight train to Bangkok & the thing i notice most is how much cleaner the train stations look now, they seem to have been painted & there is virtually no rubbish at the side of the tracks like there used to be! Now its v.clean especially compared to INdia!

I am on route to Chiang Mai now on my next overnight train. The train station in Bangkok could be manchester with its coffee shops & dunkun donut etc etc! There are no protests here holding the trains up which is good!

9th May 2010 Next stop Thailand....

I have to say that when i left Bali at 06am this morning I was excited to get away from all the shops & thousands of tourists! THis constant hassle, "you want massage, yes!", "you want this, that, the other " was getting to me! Since arriving in Thailand via Kuala Lumpar I have not been hassled once! THis is my fourth trip to THailand & now I realise thats because its such a great place, despite changing alot since my first visit in 1997. I arrived in Krabi & caught a long tail boat over to Tonsai beach, next to Raleigh beach. Funny Raleigh beach was the last place i visited before returning home after my 1 & half years away when I was 19. On my trips since i have not come here but on arrival i realised that i had come to Tonsai on my first trip. I remember walking through the trees & rocks to get from Raleigh as i was invited for food at somebodys hut! In those days i do not remember it been a big climbing place & there was only 1 or 2 huts! Now there are lots of places to stay & climbers everywhere, which is why i have come!

It is very humid here as it moves into the rainy season. I thought i would cool down by going for a swim, not a chance! It was so hot that it felt like hot hot bath water. I was actually cooler when i got out of the water!

I spent the last couple of days climbing & love it! At first it was a little scary as you get up high & you see the view of the sea, the overhangs can be a little scary but I love the feeling of been outside. When you are climbing you have to be so present, you cannot think about anything else except where you will put your next hand or foot! Its also the way you use your energy is so different to other sports, it goes so well with yoga! I have to say that i have never sweated so much, its literally dripping off me & for those who know me, know that I do not sweat! Rarely anyway, i feel sorry for people who normally sweat alot!

Back to Bali for my final week...Tirta Gangga yoga retreat, Kuta fun, mountainous Munduk..

I left Lombok to return to Bali to join yes another yoga retreat with the founder of Anusara yoga (the yoga i have been training in already in Bali). I signed upto 3 days due to the expense & not unsure if i would connect to the teacher! The location of the retreat was in a beautiful water palace called Tirta Gangga. Once again on my 3rd day the heavens opened, it has rained alot more than i expected in my 2 months in Bali & Lombok, apperently the rainy season came really late this year! Unfortunately we were practising in a roofed platform but it had no walls around the sides, so with the v.heavy rains we ended up getting a little wet whilst trying to do yoga!

I spent the rest of the week with Sua my friend who i met in the ashram in India & we then hung out with 2 lovely dutch girls who i met in Lombok (Anne & Charlotte). We had a few fun nights out in the quite tacky Kuta, Bali! We then went upto the mountains in Bali for a day, to a place called Munduk. I was so glad we went here as it restored my faith in Bali, we didnt get any hassle & it felt a v.chilled out place. Although we were only there for a short amount of time we managed to go on a short hike through the rice fields which was beautiful.

When i was flying out of Bali i did feel excited to leave, 2 months was enough. I dont think i will go back to Bali unless it was to teach! I would like to visit Sumatra but I deffo dont feel that Bali was a place for me now! I missed India alot whilst there & wished i could get a roti & curry & missed the cows on the street etc!

Overall view on Lombok, will i return??

After my initial thoughts that Lombok felt a little less safe than Bali, I did meet some lovely people & as I spent more time there I felt more at ease. I think because it really was wilderness compared to Bali & so so underdeveloped, it had a sense of been slightly hostile. However I was safe & enjoyed my time there, I hope that Kuta, Lombok which is now a very sleepy surf village doesn't get developed like Kuta, Bali (a horrible mass of shops, shops, shops, bars & & clubs). However it looks like it doesnt have long as all over Lomobok there are land for sale signs so it maybe that if i ever go back it could be quite different!

The people are different to the Balinese, been a Muslim island it does seem to have more of a moody feel to it & i have to say that the prayers that are speaker-ed out across all towns, 3 x a day do not sound v.joyous to me but still you get used to it, its just different to the Hindu chanting! A v.diff feel!

Black Lombok coffee & sweet white bread!... Trecking Rinjani 3726m

Returning from a 3 day treck up Mount Rinjani, a volcano that is not active but with a volcano right next door that was going off every 3,4 hours & literally smoking! My lovely friend Lydia from the ashram had told me to climb it & said it was the hardest thing she has ever done! She was not wrong. I thought that as I love climbing, hiking I would be fine but I can safely say it was one of the most intense hikes i have ever done. Me & my friend Arianna (we did our yoga training in london & bali togeths) have arrived back down & now feel like we need new legs! The intensity of the trek was what made it so hard i think, there was no messing about from word go, no gentle hiking & chatting & enjoying the views! NO it was straight up, up & up! With this trek it was 3 full days of hiking, scrabling either straight up, up & up Or down, down, down! For the first night we camped at the base of the final summit climb up the mountain, we arrived around 6pm after hiking since 7am. We had about 1 hour lunch break & a few very short stops on the way but not alot. This trek already made the Inca trail in Peru seem like a walk in the park! After a couple of hours in the tent trying to sleep despite the cold we then had to get up at 2.30am to prepare to climb to the top of Rinjani!

We got up & had told our porters that we wouldnt want to eat anything but they hadnt understood & we were given some lovely white bread (my favourite, NOT!) & jam & black sweet coffee! ahaha what is happening to me, I decided that maybe I would need it to get to the top & so indulged, it was actually quite nice i guess! At 3.15am we set off up the Rock! It was pitch black & my crappy head torch was about to die! About 30mins into the trek & my head torch did die & I felt like i was climbing completely blind! Only one of the porters had gone with us & he didnt speak english! Feeling very unsafe, I felt myself getting a little frustrated, i had told the guide that my torch was rubbish but they didnt give me another one! I love been slightly unsafe but this felt like a joke, I really didnt want to fall off the side of a volcano at 4am in the morning! Also Ariannas torch seemed to be playing up so between us it was like blind leading the blind. The porter kept going to far ahead & leaving us with no light, so in the end I asked for his torch which I would use & then shine behind me for Arianna! The porter didnt seem to have a problem leading in the dark. The stars were beautiful though & eventually we settled into scrambling our way up. Around 5.30 light started to break through & we began to see how far we had left to climb until we reached the summit. We watched the sunrise as we were climbing & then made the top around 6.30am i think, it took us around 3 hours to climb! It was a wonderful view & then the most spectacular thing happened. THe volcano (Nangi) next door erupted, we knew it was live & had been going off & we were told we could go there but it was at our own risk! Hahaha we didnt expect it to go off though, I captured it smoking on video. So spectacular. As we were hiking a few hours later it went off again. This time as we were lower we had the full impact, it sounded like a bomb going off, a little scary! We asked the guides if it was safe to carry on the trail which goes nearer the live volcano & around a lake at the bottom & they said yes so on we went.

We arrived back to our campsite around 8am for our 2nd breakfast, this time rice with veg & black Lombok coffee, which i was quite getting into! We only had a 1 hour break & then we had to head off again. We had another 6 hours to hike, this time it was a long down hill which is harder on your knees & then a never ending up hill to our final camping destination for the night. We were getting v.tired as the up just went on & on, me & Arianna tried to motivate ourselves by chanting our way up, haha. The guide,porters had long since lost interest in us & pretty much left us to fend for ourselves! It was getting tougher & tougher this hiking business!!

We did have a break for lunch by the lake & then we went for a dip in some thermal hot springs, this we v.relaxing & just what we needed to rest our aching feet!

On the 3rd morn we had to do yoga in our tent as it was so misty & cold & wet outside. It was quite funny as the tent was only a 2 man & not enough room for one person to do, never mind 2 but we adapted to the space

To be continued......