Reluctantly, we left Bangkok yesterday on an overnight bus to Chiang Mai, the hub of northern Thailand. The ride was 12 hours of nodding off to the passing streetlights only to be interrupted by several gas station stops and the loud cackles of the bus driver and friends. At 6 am, we stumbled off the bus like drunken zombies looking for a midnight brain treat. We roused ourselves with some of the omnipresent, cloying Thai coffee. After a necessary but relatively painless stop at the Chiang Mai immigration office, we were met by two volunteer representatives from Warm Heart. These two students, Paul and Jess (not our Jessica), also happened to be Rutgers students who were only too glad to show us the ropes of life in the Chiang Mai province (they have been here for several weeks already). We stopped off at Wat Doi Suthep, a Buddhist temple located atop a mountain overlooking the Chiang Mai valley. The view from the Wat was nothing short of breathtaking and it made for a nice welcome.
The six of us stocked up on food at a supermarket and then made the 1 1/2-hour van ride through the rice paddies and cow pastures to our new home at
Aom Doi. Aom Doi is a series of bungalows outside of Phrao, hosting about 15 foreign volunteers working in the region. We have only just arrived, but have already come to the collective conclusion that this is a small piece of paradise. The combination of beautiful scenery, friendly people and a quiet, yet dynamic atmosphere makes this a place we feel lucky to be living in.
Tomorrow, we will begin our work with the NGO Warm Heart. We will set off for Phrao center at 8am and spend the day discussing and planning for this summer. Since we have had little sleep in the past two days, we are eager to wake up well-rested and begin doing what we came here to do.
1 comment:
Jealousy is setting in.
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