Day 15--Leaving Chang Mai

Roosters don't start crowing at the crack of dawn. They begin to crow well before dawn even breaks. Along with the symphony of crickets, frogs, and other jungle creatures, the sounds of nature were everywhere that night and morning. We bid a very sad farewell to our village family and made our way down the opposite side of the mountain to a river. This morning, we were going to raft down the river in traditional bamboo rafts. I was definiitely excited for the journey!

Duang once again volunteered me to drive one of the rafts. It was my own Huck Finn adventure come true. The intermittant rapids made the trip very entertaining. The journey was a real life "jungle cruise". There were calm and quiet moments followed by the thrill of small rapids. Once we approached the climax of our journey and the fastest rapids, everyone but Ben (the British kid) and I were escorted off the rafts. I unfortunately lost me steering pole in the big rapids because my guide made me sit down on my raft when I wanted to stay standing. After an hour and a half of our jungle cruise, we arrived out our mini-van for the ride back to Chang Mai.

Checking out of the Eagle House was sad for me. I really enjoyed Chang Mai and the helpful staff. The room I booked was large and had great a/c at a bargain price. With the free pick up at the train station, it was such a good deal. Duang offered to give me a ride back to the station in the afternoon after I was done taking one last walk around the city.

I walked around the old city and discovered an impromptu concert at a Wat. The locals welcomed me to observe the Thai classical instruments in action. The concert symbolized the artistic community that lives in Chang Mai. Soon, I made my way to the Wat Chang Mai. The Wat Chang Mai is the oldest temple in the city. I ignored the vendors of amulets and trinkets and just wandered around the complex. I had a great time observing the monks and gazing at the frescoes that depicted the Ramayana and the life of the lord Buddha.

On the recommendation of a local, I had lunch at a little stand across the street from the Chang Mai museum. It was a noodle soup dish with pork and fish balls in a warm broth. That is Thai comfort food for less than a Dollar. After wandering the city, I made my way back to the Eagle House for my ride back to the station. Duang had me jump on the back of his motorbike with my travel pack on my back. We zipped and zoomed through the city and before long, we arrived at the train station. Learning from last time, I knew I better grab some snacks and eat before the train. So, I went to the trusty 7-11 across the street for some snacks and then pulled up a chair in front of the 7-11. There was a street vendor selling some kind of spicy food and rice. After my meal, it was once again time to board another night train. This time I was returning to Bangkok.