A beautiful evening run

There are some days that are too good to pass up.  While many people think that the sunny and tropical weather of Thailand is quite a blessing, for someone like myself who enjoys running, it can be quite a drag.  I usually have to wait until well after dark when the weather drops down into the... 80's before I can go for a run that is enjoyable.  

Due to a recent cold front that has moved through Southeast Asia, and actually been responsible for killing dozens of people, I was able to go out on a run that could be considered too cold for comfort.  While I realize that complaining about 64 degree weather is quite silly, especially in January, but for someone that has lived in Hawaii and now Thailand, 64 degrees is downright chilly.

I shivered for the first time in a long time.  It was amazing.

Mahidol Sports Science 10k

The Mahidol Sports Science 10k, was a race that I was sorely under-prepared for but still managed to have a great time at.  I had not run in about two weeks, but was still able to drag my lazy butt out of bed to go for a run with a great team of co-workers.  While the course was... scenic... and quite... random, it was still a beautiful morning, and with the weather hovering around 63 degrees Fahrenheit, it was one of the coolest runs that I have had the chance to take here in Thailand.  

I think there is a real awesome thing about a photo right after you finish a race of any distance.  You are in pain, you have just eaten more bugs than anyone else who might be asleep, you are covered in sweat, but still on that post-run high.  May as well get you before the real pain and soreness kicks in.  

I really cannot make sense of the race course.  The nice thing though is that it was a full 10k, which seems to be rare here in Thailand, as most of the courses seem to be estimated, and not measured accurately.  I am also pretty happy as I went into the race thinking it would be a "lap" race, and never once had to retrace any steps.  I cannot tell you how much most runners dislike the idea of running around in circles just to add distance onto their total run length.  

It was a great run, with a very confusing, but fun course, and I would totally do this run again.  Full points in my book!

Plus, the chance to run in 63 degree weather in Thailand should never be passed over.

Geocaching Kamphaeng Phet

Whenever you see a bunch of tourists fishing through the leaves while trying to avoid any potentially lethal animals, they might be geocaching.  Recently my friend Eddie and I have been into trying to raise our total find numbers and thankfully, all of the UNESCO sites in Thailand are riddled with caches.  We had a fantastic time wandering the ruins and looking for little boxes hidden among the cobras and leaves.

Well, maybe cobras.  

For the sake of my imagination, I am just going to guess there are cobras everywhere in Thailand.  

One of the best things to do at a historic site is to rent bikes and tour around the area.  This totally beats walking for a few reasons:
1. Most of them are flat.
2: It is a lot cooler than walking.
3. You can run over shit on bikes.

There is something pretty amazing about wandering around ruins from  a long-past time and just enjoying the cool breeze (which is rare in Thailand) as it comes through the trees.  While Kamphaeng Phet is quite out of the way for just about anyone visiting Thailand, It really should not be discounted as a premier tourist destination.  The best part is that since it is quite out of the way, there are not a lot of people there.  For most of the places we stopped on our biking adventure, we were the only ones wandering around.  It makes for a much better experience in my opinion as we did not have to fight busloads of tourists for any vantage points.

Not to mention the cobras...

Just kidding, these kind of cobras...

Sadly, we did not see any cobras... Oh well

Elephants!!!

Sometimes you just need to get kissed by an elephant.  There is no way around it.  You just need a big smooch on the cheek.  Thankfully, when that urge arises there are a lot of elephants in Thailand.  

Sometimes a hug helps too.  I mean, who would not want a hug from a wet baby elephant on a muddy riverbank in Thailand?

This is an elephant informing me that I really need a shower.  I must have been extra stinky that day!

Don't let the cuteness fool you, they will steal any and all food.  They may look innocent, but their trunks have the skills that rival an inner-city pickpocket.

They also poop... A lot.  We rafted back down the river and I got a great shot of my friend staring at one of many elephant-made islands dotting the river.

Reaching Chiang Mai

Sometimes you just need to sick a large mammal on an unsuspecting tourist.  After driving for two days, I was experiencing that sort of a withdrawal.  We had signed up for a night safari in Chiang Mai, which basically was a bus that had no sides driving around the park.  I absolutely love when people sign up for animal interactions, but are terrified of the actual animals. This lady behind us was hilarious.  The animals would walk up to try and get fed, and let's just say she was far from happy.

Sucks to be you!

The best part of this though was that my wife got to make a new friend.  I am not sure if it was on her bucket list to scratch the chin of a giraffe, but if it was, achievement unlocked!

Needless to say, he is quite an attention whore though.  This guy had the tram trained.  Feed me or I am moving on.  He would stick his awkwardly long neck inside the stationary tram and proceed to beg in a similar manner to a dog.  Talk about skills!

While the night safari was quite interesting, we also got to stop by a temple on the way up to Chiang Mai earlier in the day.  The weather was beautiful, and while the temple definitely had a tourist feel to it, it was beautiful none-the-less.

Dragons say "Rawr!"

Pikachu Dance Party!

When life presents you with an impromptu Pokemon dance party, you kind of just have to go with it.  To make it very clear, we did not go searching for this level of awesome, we just happened to be in the right place at the right time.  Apparently, for children's day, the mall put on some Pokemon themed events, one of which had 5-foot-tall Pikachu's waddling around and dancing with pretty good synchronization to bad music 
If you are a fan of Pokemon, or weird themed dance events, this post is for you, you are totally welcome. 

It all started with an attempt to psych up the crowd.  While that did not work, you can see that there were a lot of people who had either way too much time on their hands or were quite curious about what the hell was going on.

Then all Pika-hell broke loose...

The best part is that the party was so wild yesterday that they actually broke the stage.  Just let that sink into your mind.  They broke the damn stage and sent people to the hospital because of Pikachu.  That is honestly one of the most insane things I have ever written.  Just... wow... 

I tried very hard to get Darth Vader to participate in some form of crossover, but he would not put on the Pika-hat.  While this is sad, I am still pretty sure that there are not many people in Pika-hats who have taken selfies with Lord Vader.  Win for us!

There and Back Again: A Drive Across Thailand

It is very hard to explain fully what it is like to travel across the very vast reaches of northern Thailand. I would venture a guess that there are many quaint small towns dotted across the plains, and the land slowly gets more and more beautiful as the mountains start to appear. Having lived on the outskirts of Bangkok for the last few months, I had all but forgotten what hills and mountains even looked like. It actually came as a big surprise when they started to appear on the horizon.

While I might make the drive across Northern Thailand only once, as it is a very long drive, I am very grateful that my friends and I did it. We were lucky enough to have a few friends drive, and we spent the night halfway between Bangkok and Chiang Mai on both the out and back trips. The area in between is beautiful and full of historic sites and ruins that would serve as a perfect backdrop to any Indiana Jones movie. 

The following blog posts will try to highlight a few of our favorite spots, with a lot of photos of elephants, geocaching, biking, and other randomness. I also got my first ever "fish pedicure" - an experience which I doubt will be happening again anytime soon