I am finally back in Chiang Mai! I never thought my little room/apartment would feel so nice.

So for Friday July 3rd and Saturday 4th, I was trekking with a program that my company calls Curious Gibbon. Tourists can come to Pang Soong Lodge, do a 6 hour trek on the first day, that leads you through the 'pristine forest' ( I will just be calling it a jungle from here on out), and you get to see 15+ waterfalls. The next day you go on a three hour trek from the lodge to the base camp for Flight of The Gibbon. Flight of the Gibbon is the most popular zip wire/ropes course in Thailand. The first day, I got to be introduced to leeches for the first time. Oh my gosh. I never thought I would be scared of something so small. And since it is rainy season, they are everywhere! If you wear tall socks, you are generally safe, and good to go, but you still have to take them off of the socks when the get onto you. Ewwww. Other than the leeches, it was so cool to be in a forest as tense - and with so many plants. I have never seen so many different trees. Once we got to the top of the ridge we were trekking on, there were even pine trees. Pine cones in Thailand is something I never would have guessed. The humidity was killer, but otherwise it was so much fun. The second day was trekking in the same kind of area - and then Flight of the Gibbon was awesome. I have never done a zip wire before, so it was super cool - and so high off of the ground! I didn't take pictures, but one of my co-workers did, so once I get them, I will put them on facebook.

For all of the other days at Pang Soong Lodge, I got to help Zimbo, a professor from a university in Bangkok, set up a biodiversity monitoring database for the lodge. My boss is trying to track all of the animals and plants that are around the lodge and on all of the trails we trek on. It rained for three days straight, so there wasn't much trekking, but it was fun to here all of Zimbo's stories from when he was studying elephants in India, monkeys in Borneo, etc. A group of American students ( two of them are one of my co-workers cousins) also came up to volunteer and help rebuild some of the trails, so it was fun to hang out with them.

On Wednesday and Thursday I went to the resort like I usually do to teach at the resort. The staff decided to take me out to dinner. We went to a restaurant where there is a pot of hot coals in the middle of the table. Once you sit down, they put a little grill on top of the coals - and the grill has water around it that starts boiling. Once your table is all set up, you go to these super long tables where there is all sorts of raw meat, seafood, and vegetables. You pick whatever you want and take it back to your table. You cook the meet on the grill ( you can take it off whenever you decide its ready) and you boil all the veggies in the water. It was crazy. And the place was so busy. I had never seen anything like it. I am so sad that I didnt get pictures of it.

I got back to Chiang Mai, got to relax for a few hours, and then was off to Bangkok to see Kacey and Emily. It was sooooo amazing to see friends! We had a blast exploring the big city. I have been in Chiang Mai - that has more motor bikes and tuk tuks, and two stories buildings than anything else - for so long, I forgot what big buildings and traffic was like. Bangkok and Chiang Mai are like day and night. It was so cool to see.

I am taking today off so that I can rest for a day , and then its back to work tomorrow! I only have two and a half weeks left! Its crazy!

Happy early Fourth of July for all of the Americans!
I am currently at the resort that I teach at – and tonight I got to make dinner! Last week we were talking about falang ( foreigner) food, and I said I would cook spaghetti and chicken if the staff thought they would eat it. So today I got to go to the market, buy a whole bunch of fresh veggies, some chicken, and spices (they already had a pack of pasta for me to cook!) and head to the kitchen! It has been forever since I have cooked a meal! It was so much fun! And I was even able to make my own spaghetti sauce that I thought tasted surprisingly good. The staff didn’t think the dish was spicy enough (I am not shocked, most Thai people love spicy food), so sprinkled a lot of chili on top of the garlic bread and sauce, but otherwise I think it went over well.
I am going to be super busy the next few days! Tonight is a good-bye party for Alena, one of the other Track of the Tiger interns. We are having dinner at Just Khao Soy – the restaurant that Track of the Tiger owns. Friday I am going up to Pang Soong Lodge for the “Curious Gibbon” Program, which is a six trek around the lodge on Friday, and then a trek to the Flight of the Gibbon on Saturday. Flight of the Gibbon is a ropes course and zip line in the jungle and is supposed to be really cool – so I am excited to get a chance to do that! I am staying at the Lodge from Saturday until Thursday to help with a group of American students that are coming, as well as two men that are coming to study the biodiversity in the area around the lodge.
I will be going back to Chiang Mai on Thursday morning, and flying to Bangkok Thursday night to go meet two of my friends. I will be there until Sunday night. Other than the craziness that I am sure Emily, Kacey, and I will get ourselves into, we are also planning to visit the palace and a lot of the temples in the area around our guest house.

Once I get back, it will be the 12th of July! I cannot believe time has gone so quickly! I will only have about two weeks left in Chiang Mai!