What I have experienced since last writing:
1) What it feels like to withdraw money from an ATM when one has just won the lottery.
2) Without a doubt the most humiliating time of my entire life
3) Severe numb bum syndrome.
I'll start with number 2.
Before we left Chang Mai we had arranged to do this "activity day."
we had already booked to do this trekking and white water rafting experience. So we were up at 7.30am got picked up, taken to a butterly orchard first of all then elephant trekking and then we had to walk across the "jungle" for an hour but our guide was telling us all these different plant facts along the way which took your mind of the actual walking in the baking hot sun with no shade. There were 3 Canadian girls and 2 German girls but the German girls didn't want to white water raft so we split up after the waterfall. So we arrive at the river (I am uber excited at this point, this is what I have been sooo looking forward too) get all geared up, helmet, life jacket etc. Carry the boat down to the water, the rafting guide or teacher, don't know what he was really, makes sure we all get in the boat. All usual procedure. What no one had bothered to tell us, just a minor detail, was that there was no water. yeah. no water. The river wasn't even a foot deep. I could touch the the bottom with my little finger. /// Now, at this point I'm sure you're thinking, 'oh no, how disappointing, so you'd gone all that way and didn't get to do it' Wrong. The guide/teacher still made us attempt this. Honestly they will do anything for your money here it's unbelievable. So we're trying to paddle even though our oars are scraping the bottom. Every time we even get near a rock our boat beaches and the guide has to get out and pull the boat over the rocks, don't worry we did offer to help but he wouldn't have it, he would obviously rather have us sit and look like idiots. (I hope you're understanding at this point that white water rafting is done in what is essentially a really big rubber dingy so its not exactly going to withstand rocks) To add insult to injury, it must have been the weekend and so the whole way along the river. on either side were the Thai locals in their bamboo huts, hundreds of them swimming and playing in the water. It felt like the whole of Thailand was there to see the show. Picture this: 5 Westerners wearing life jackets and helmets trying to paddle down a river, being pulled over rocks by their guide (who is not wearing any safety gear I might add) mean while in the same river, 2 year olds walking alongside their boat, splashing them. And the whole of the Thai population laughing at them. For an hour and a half.
IT might not sound like it, but it was the most embarrassing experience.
The thing is, although its was so embarrassing (and at some points I wanted to cry), it was also extremely funny. It was so bad you just had to laugh.
So after that we headed home, exhausted unfortunately not from fighting our way through rapids.
I'm in Laos at the moment I think we've been here for about 2 weeks? There's something like 12,000 kip to a pound so it was really satisfying being able to say "shall I withdraw 700,000 or 1,000,000 today " Laos is very strange place. There is a lot of diversity between each town. One minute you're in a small town straight out of the movie 28 days later in which the only people that you come into contact with are the ones offering you opium and weed and other than that you're too scared to do anything in case you go missing for the rest of your life. Next you are in the most beautiful, idyllic haven where everyone is super friendly and kind, where you don't get an hassle as you wonder around contemplating whether or not to spend 30p on a meal or whether that's too expensive (???) And then, well then you end up in crazy town. I'll say no more.
We are currently in Vientiane, the Capital of Laos. We went to a water park today and were the only 4 people there. Quite nice having an entire water park to yourself.
We are off to Vietnam tomorrow.
I'm getting rubbish at writing, it's so hard! But I'll try and write again soon.
What happened to explaining number 1 & 3??? Have you won the lottery or is that just what it feels like as you have soo much money compared to the poor natives??
ReplyDeleteI laughed soo loud at the rafting story!! I had to explain to the office what i was laughing at and that resulted in my choking on my gum and having tears rolling down my face, enough tears to have deepen that river of yours!!!
Another A* installment, well done x x
Ah Soffia you are so funny the white water rafting experience had me crying with laughter have just sent it to everyone in the office cause they have to read it as well.
ReplyDeletePlease dont stop writing it keeps us all entertained and missing your dry sense of humour.
Take care
xx