Monday, December 24, 2007

Christmas Eve in Chiang Mai

It's Christmas Eve. I'm sitting in an internet cafe in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It is marvelous! Our first day and a half in Chiang Mai included:

-Foot massage (if you follow this blog, you likely assumed this would be on the list!)
-Market shopping (MORE to come! Chiang Mai has the best night bazaar!)
-Quadding through the Chiang Mai jungle-like land (so much fun!!!)
-Whitewater rafting (my first time- the only downer was that by the time we got on the water, the sun was tucked behind the mountains, so it was rather chilly...but still a great ride!!)
-Seeing plenty of elephants (though we will spend Wednesday at the Elephant Nature Park- giving the elephants a bath, feeding them, spreading a little TLC to the big guys)
-Eating delicious curries, pad thai noodles (my favorite), accidently and painfully downing a disastrous chili (ohhhh the suffering!), mango salad, and fresh fruit shakes
-Offroading in the back of trucks as the general mode of transportation

Another highlight has been our home here in Chiang Mai- "The Juniper Tree". It is a wonderfully cozy retreat center- a getaway spot for missionaries in SE Asia. We're staying in a lofty little cabin-like house. There are likely 50 others staying here as well. Tomorrow we will enjoy a Christmas dinner together. What a blessing this place is! Quiet, secluded, clean, quaint.

That's all for tonight. Warm wishes for a cozy Christmas from Thailand...

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