Not that I have much to say, but I would like to take again these pages to write a bit about my life and the things that occupy me.
Tonight I went to a charity dinner for Setem. They are one of the best NGOs that I know. And to my surprise I met my cousins Colette and Boro and Sebas. 😊
It was in a vegetarian restaurant, which is a nice touch (Ecocentro, around Cuatro Caminos in Madrid). A very enjoyable evening.
Anyway, let's see if this takes off.
We are in Sukhotai. And it's been love at first sight!
This morning we escaped early from Tak, which we didn't find quite exciting —though certainly hot! And after a short while, a completely different world opened.
Beautiful views, super-nice people and a place that feels like you are being continuously pampered. Plus, historical places that makes you feel in an Indiana Jones's movie.
So glad we came. And still many temples to explore. Looking forward to the next days :)
The south is too hot for me, and that even in the “coldest” time of the year.
We are in Tak now, it's late at night, and the heat and humidity makes it uncomfortable. I don't want to imagine it tomorrow under the sun!
Maybe not three good things anymore, but let me write a few words about lately.
Today we went to an elephant's hospital in Lampang. Then to the Thai Elephant Conservation Center, but not for the show, only to see the elephants. The hospital I liked, but the other one I didn't particularly enjoy it. They had elephant rides (booh!) and also the “trainers” had a stick that ended in a hook. Disgusting.
Going back to Lampang, we found a vegetarian restaurant using google maps. It turned out to be a local one, they didn't speak english at all, and communication was hard. But we did end up eating a good vegetarian meal with drink plus buying some noodles for later, all for less than 100 bahts. Which is almost too cheap, and certainly not like the tourist prices. We didn't know what we ordered, but being vegetarian and tasting good was more than enough.
Again missed a day. Yesterday I was too tired to write anything, I just collapsed at the cabin.
Three good things from yesterday...
Moving out of Chiang Mai and getting to see more nature when going to Pai, plus being able to walk confortably on a street (the walking street while the night market was going on).
Meeting and talking to very nice travelers while going to Pai, especially two independent girls that had traveled a lot and were planning to keep on traveling for a long time.
The very tasty mango sticky rice (though very sorry for the girl that was clearly overworked...).
And three good things from today:
Seeing the Big Buddha close to Pai and the sights from that height.
Getting my first Thai massage. They are strong!
Writing right now at the porch next to Sara, over some mat and pillows, with the quiet sounds of the river and the night.
Let's see three things to keep on momentum.
I had a very cute moka with the face of a bear on it.
Today we went to a special place recommended by some random person online, to have a vegetarian Khao Soi. It took as a bit to get there, but the place upstairs was worth it. Laid-back, guitars to play, lots of vegetarian plates, and the Khao Soi we had was very good. Also, we met a cuban and italian couple that had just moved to Chian Mai, he will be teaching english, and they had a very nice little guy named Pietro/Peter that was walking around and looking at us.
I took my first tuk tuk and the driver was quite funny. I think I overpaid by about 20% (120 baht for a 5-10 min ride at night), which is not bad for what it could have been. He also had his tuk tuk tuned with lights and so on.
That's three!
Yesterday I didn't write anything, so today I'm going to talk about both days.
Ok, just three good things.
Watching all the krathongs in the river and the lanterns in the sky. I like to see them as the wishes that people make, or the grudges that they let go with them (according to some other source I read).
Mango with sticky rice.
Making a buddhist gong hum in a loudish way with my hands.
Well, yesterday (and today too!) was the festivity of Loi Krathong and Yi Peng in Chiang Mai, which were our original excuses to come to Thailand. So they were particularly round and nice days!
A couple of cool things:
The weirdness of the White Temple, especially the big paint inside the main temple, with all the occidental pop references.
Making and lightning a krathong.
But the best thing no doubt has been discovering Khao Soi, a delicious plate from the north of Thailand, that we got in a restaurant close to the Clock Tower.
Enough to convert me into a foodie!
The three good things of the day to remember.
The ones chosen by Sara today:
Watch kids playing at the harbor, including hide and seek at an open space.
Feel like inside an aquarium while snorkeling.
See incredibly beautiful views on the cape and... cute elephants everywhere!
Mine:
Have enjoyed the cafe place (with air conditioning at a critical time!) that is also a second-hand bookshop managed by a nice and fun expat.
Snorkeling again, seeing plenty of cool fishes.
Getting a Thai massage (by Sara 🙏😊).
Managing to drive a motorbike and got to reach a nice beach.
Sara catching her first wave ever at the beach.
The amazing sea life (colorful fishes, morena, starfishes...) that we could see while snorkeling.