Pai is amazing

First of all here is a link to the Sokran festival if you want to see what that was all about.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=AGOBO60C6R0&feature

For the last six days I have been in Pai Thailand. It is a small mountain village on a little river. Everyone rents mopeds and drives around in the mountains and canyons. There is people here from every where. A lady from Hong Kong from the course came up here with me. She is really cool and has spent most of her life in Great Britain. Has traveled everywhere! We met a group of Germans traveling. We all rented mopeds and went checked out the sights around Pai. It is absolutely Gorgeous around here. Really hot, so the waterfalls were refreshing to swim in.

The first night we stayed in bungalows that cost 2 bucks a day right next to the river. They were pretty nice with a hammock and a good view. But there was a pretty decent size lizard crawling around mine in the middle of the night. The next day I found this really nice place right on the river with a nice balcony and amazing view of the mountains. It also has a really nice garden. I asked the owner to show it to me. I figured the price would be to steep. But she was really nice and I explained I was going to be looking for a teaching position. She herself used to be a teacher. She gave it go me for about 6 bucks a night. It is so nice. I went back and got the rest of the group I was with. She didn't give them the same deal. They didn't get as nice as a place, but they get to come hang out on my patio. The lady and her family are really nice and she is contacting some people about a teaching position.

The second day we were here we rented mopeds and went and drove around the pai canyon. Went and swam in some waterfalls, and just sucked in the view of this landscape.

The day after that we went and chilled out at the pool. Really nice pool, with a nice view.

There has also been the occasional beer or two. Talking it up with backpackers and exchanging stories and places to go see next. I actually met a couple from Jackson Wy. that knows my old roommate from college that now lives out there. Small world after all!

This place has music from artist from all over the world. I have never been into jazz. But we went and watched this Jazz band perform and they really jammed out. Also saw a cover band and surprising enough they played alot of Neil Young. I was pretty stoked about that!

The next couple days I will be hopping on the Train down to Krabbi. Krabbi is known for its Rock Climbing and Sea Kayaking. Also going to go to the place where the BEACH was filmed. A friend from the CELTA class has a Time share down there on the beach and said I could crash there for a week. So that will be nice I guess it is pretty close to the ocean and has three pools! So that should be a fun week. After that I will find a job. But everything is going quite well "In the Land of Smiles". Hope everything is going well for everyone.

Another thing, u can look at my picture by clicking on the picture of the pool to the right and that will take u to the website where all my pictures are. Or you can go to http://picasweb.google.com/martin.calkins

Good night and Good Luck

Finished the course.

Hello people. I finished the celta course a few days ago. It was hard work, but i had alot of fun and it was pretty rewarding. The students at the school were alot of fun.

Sorry I haven't updated this blog much. There wasn't to much to write about during the course.

I tried to download some pitures but this computer I am on does not allow it. But I promise i will get some pictures put up in the next couple days.

Anyways, for the last few days. I have been in Chang Mai enjoying the Sokran festival. This is one of the most amazing things I have ever see. (if you get a chance youtube sokran festival chang mai) The whole town is just covered in water. You literally cannot walk out of your guest house with out getting soaked. Roads are just packed with people. People jumping into the lake. Music, dancing, laughing....it is complete chaos. But it is alot of fun. We have been celebrating with some students from or school. Chang Mai has a part of town that is surrounded by a moat and a road follows it. This is where the main celebration is. There is thousands and thousands of people celebrating. The back of pickups packed with 20 thais. Just driving around squirting each other with water. Mopeds packed with 4 people on them!

The locals are so welcome. A number of times I have road around in the back of the pickup with some random locals. They offer you food, beer, soda. Then you just ride around and soak every person you can. It is quite fun.

After a day of getting wet. There are markets where you can get anything you want. So much food. It is really neat walking around these markets. There are so many people, but it is so quiet with soft Thai music playing everywhere. There was a blind band that i stopped to watch for a little bit. 4 blind guys playing really good thai music.

This afternoon a lady from the course and I are taking a bus up to Pai. Pai is a small little mountain village. It is suppose to be really beautiful there. I'm going to get a little bungalow on the river for a night or two there and just relax. There is a mountain biking company there where they talk you to the top of the mountain and let you ride down. I think I'm going to do that! I have to meet with some people about a job early next week in Chang Mai.

I promise I will get some pictures up on here soon!