A few weeks ago, I took a trip with some of my friends, American and Thai, up to the peaceful mountain city of Chiang Mai. It is a city teeming with culture and beauty. There is a modern urban population with lively markets, public transport and fancy hotels, but nestled in the mountains, there are also people who still live an older, simpler way of life. Blanketed by ever-morphing, misty clouds, the "hilltribe" communities are quiet and still. It was hard to believe that I was still in the same country.
It was a great weekend. We visited some hot springs that spew out water at about 220 degrees Fahrenheit year round. We stuck our feet into the hottest part of the stream allowed. It was so relaxing. We went to a night bazaar/market, which was much more enjoyable than the weekend markets of Bangkok, and we stayed at a nice hotel with air conditioning and a hot shower. We visited a mountaintop temple and a quiet hilltribe community with beautiful gardens at the top of the mountain. We also went to an elephant sanctuary, but it had just closed. Luckily, there were some elephants who just so happened to be walking down the road (getting off work I suppose...). And, one of my favorite parts of the trip, we got to ride a sleeper train there and back. They don't move very quickly, but you can open the windows to let the fresh air in... a much appreciated feature after breathing in the pollution of Bangkok for six weeks.
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| Chiang Mai. Starting in bottom left corner, moving clockwise: [1] bells for spirits at the Buddhist temple (wat), [2] a view of rice fields from the train, [3] reflection of the sky at the hot springs (you can kinda see the water spewing in the top right corner of the photo), [4] intricate architecture of the temple, [5] more bells and embellishments surrounding the center of the temple, [6] a view of the sky from the top of the hilltribe, and [7] me feeding some bananas to the elephant we met on the side of the road. |
This past weekend, I took a trip to the beach city of Pattaya to visit my friend Dana who is serving at a slum ministry there. It was wonderful to see her face and encourage one another. Pattaya is a dark and dirty city known for its prostitution and bar atmosphere. It is trashy in the literal and figurative sense of the word. Yes, Bangkok is a dark city also, but not so blatantly as Pattaya. I went to church with Dana while I was there, and I was greatly encouraged by the close-knit (albeit small) Christian community that is working for the Lord there. Dana is definitely in a place that needs her. The ministry she works for is an important agent of Light for those living in darkness and poverty.
But, Pattaya is still a beach city, and no matter how much ugliness there is on the surface, the beauty of God's creation is still clearly evident underneath it all. Dana and I took a day to visit an island just offshore called Koh Lam (Coral Island). So. Gorgeous. Not only did we ride a motorcycle taxi for the first time, but we also rented a moped when we go to the island-- only about $6.00 for the whole day! It was a deal we could not pass up, even though neither of us had ever driven a moped before... so after a shaky attempt on our own, one of the drivers gave us a short lesson. Then we were off! It was a relaxing day spent laying in the sun, our toes nestled in the softest sand you've ever felt. When the tide came in, the clear, blue-green water came all the way up to the edge of our chairs. We both felt refilled, rejuvenated, and a bit sunburned at the end of the day. :)
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| Koh Lam, Pattaya. Starting in bottom left corner going clockwise: [1] me on a log swing on the beach, [2] a view of the beach from some awesome rocks that were very volcanic looking (though quite painful to stand barefoot on), [3] my feet in the soft sand next to some cool crustation thing, [4] view of the whole beach from the boardwalk entrance, [5] Dana on a motorbike taxi, [6] view of the island from the ferry, and [7] me and Dana at the end of the day. :) |
And may there are many more adventures to come....
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