14 July 2006

We are still in Chiang Mai...heading down south tomorrow. Yesterday we spent our day white water river rafting on the Mae Ping (spelling unsure) River. It was quite an experience. The water was moving rapidly and there were several very scary parts. However we only lost one out of the boat but he was recovered quickly by Jr. and the 'skipper', our expert guide. While rafting a rain shower came through, which was a nice referesher, and we were blessed to see many muddy waterfalls. We also came across an elephant in the middle of the river when we came around a bend in the river. This made me very uneasy as the guide on our trekking trip had told me a story about him rafting and an elephant chasing after him, hitting him off the raft with his trunk. The elephant didn't chase us, although it did give a nice stare, before it was shooed off by a guide. (We wish we had pictures to upload, but we don't.)

Today we spent the day travelling to a few more temples and to some factories where variuos things are made: thai silk items, paper umbrellas, lacquered woodwork, and rugs. It seemed to be this was a way to get tourists out to a village to buy things that were overpriced. Needless to say, we bought nothing, however it was nice to see the process of how things are made.

Tomorrow will be an easy day. Just relaxing before catching our train. We are heading to the islands down south...can't wait to see the beautiful beaches.

Until next time...
Leslie and Robert