Chaing Mai
I have been pretty bad about writing in my journal. It seemed like a good idea at first, but it is turning into a bit of a responsibility. The last few days have been a whirlwind and I will do my best to catch up.
After leaving the train from Chaing Mai we traveled around the city in the most touristy way possible. We drove from a silk factory, to an umbrella factory, to a silver factory, in which each tour shockingly finished within the confines of an overpriced gift shop. In truth it was fascinating, the talent of these workers is remarkable, and skills like these would bring them great wealth in the US, as opposed to their $10 per day salary here. After the factory tours we headed to an elephant park to watch elephants perform a show. It was a bizarre circus of sorts without the clowns, and cotton candy. The elephants kicked soccer balls into nets, played the harmonica and painted (probably better than me). This was all placed under the banner of animal conservation which I am a bit suspect of. The final activity of the day was visiting the temple of Doi Suthep, which is easily one of the most breathtaking pieces of architecture I have ever seen. It is covered in gold, and believed to house the ashes of Buddha. We tend to have a concept of buddhism in the US as simply a practice, or philosophy, I am beginning to see it more as a religion, just as any religion with its balance of traditions and rules. As amazing as this was the highlight was actually climbing the 300 stairs up and realized the rest of the group was as out of shape as I was, this would prove to be quite reassuring for the next days trek.
We returned to the hotel and agreed to meet in a few hours to discuss the trek for the next three days. I set my alarm on my brand new alarm clock for 10 minutes before the meeting, and when it went off I did what I do best. Hit the snooze button and fell back to sleep. When I woke up an hour later I realized I missed the meeting entirely. The moral of the story is don't use a snooze button for the first time when you actually have somewhere important to be. I was able to gather information from the rest of my group and found out that it was a meeting worth missing. I went back to sleep and caught up on two days of missed rest.

Hilltribe Trek - Day 1
If I had discussed this trip with you before I left you know how much I was dreading my hike through the jungles of Thailand. I was filled with some anticipation and excitement but mostly fear and insecurity. I try to play off hippy Gary, but the truth is Gary can be a real priss, and this trek was starting to sound better in theory than in application. I considered canceling it about a thousand times, but decided that this was a good opportunity to see what I was made of.
I made it through the first day with ease, and I write this entry under a dirty mosquito net on a sleep pad caked in dirt, raised only slightly above the ground, loving every moment of it. We are in a guest house staying with a native tribe. I feel like a bit of an invader, but I know these groups are used to tourists. The land is magnificent, covered in rice fields, and trees and far as the eye can see. The air is fresh, and the only sounds I hear are crickets, dogs and water buffalo. I couldn't even take a picture because it was impossible to capture the sheer beauty of it all. I feel so blessed and fortunate to be here, I am not sure why I deserve it but I am endlessly grateful. The evening was spent playing music on a broken guitar and drinking moonshine made from whiskey.

Hilltribe Trek - Day 2 and 3
Day 2 began the majority of our hike, four hours up and down the mountains, in 100 degree weather with 70 percent humidity. Needless to say at the end I smelled amazing. It was difficult to say the least but I managed to surprise myself, I made it through almost entirely with out a complaint, partly in thanks to my brothers recommendation of rehydration salts. If you ever go hiking those things are magic. We finished our hike with an elephant ride through the jungle - this was easily the scariest part of the trip thus far. I am not a fan of heights, and we sat on a wobbly bench on top of a ten foot elephant, climbing 70 degree angles. We ended up with a new tribe, and walked through a missionary school, the children were adorable and I was only upset that we didn't get to spend more time with them. Our guest house was only slightly cleaner than the last but it didn't matter. I took a bucket shower, which qualified as one of the greatest washing experiences of my life; just me, a bucket of water, a scooper, and a bottle of Dr. Bronners soap. The night was much like the one before, alcohol, and music, but our entire group stayed up; this was my best night here so far. Everyone was filled with a sense of exhaustion and pride, two emotions that are much more fun in the company of those who share them.
I woke up at 5:30, and walked down to the river. It was nice to be alone for the first time in days. The rest of the group woke up a few hours later, and the remainder of the day was riding a bamboo raft down the river, and driving back into town. Tonight we will watch a Thai Boxing match.
P.S. Squat toilets beat seated toilets by a land slide.