Dream's Village

I wish that everyone could have been with me at Dream's village this weekend. It was an experience unlike any I've ever had. I also wish that I could type a short blog that includes everything we did while we were there. So I will do my best to hit the high points.
July 3 is National Election Day so our team went three hours outside of Chiang Mai to a small village where our friend, Pii Dream, grew up. The adventure started immediately. Alicia and I rode in the bed of a truck for about an hour and Shauna joined us for the rest. It was close to one of the scariest moments of my life. We were speeding and changing lanes on hills and doing everything I've always been told not to do! All while I was sitting freely in the back!

When we arrived to the village I was amazed. I've seen mountains before, but I've never seen them like this! The best way I could describe it is what it looks like on the Hidden Valley Ranch bottle. It was perfect - and very green! Her house was everything I hoped it would be. We ate all our meals on the floor, we ate what we killed on the farm, and there was a perfect view of the mountains from my window. After being in Thailand for a month, I was finally given the chance to experience life in a traditional Thai home! I loved being put out of our comfort zone because we had already adjusted to life in Chiang Mai.

Saturday morning we walked across the street to her neighbors house. Dream told us this was her 80 year old neighbor who took care of her when she was sick. She was the cutest thing ever. She had a big stained smile the whole time we were there. It didn't take long for her to start joking about all of her boyfriends.

After meeting with her neighbor Dream told us we were going to go catch fish. We were all SO excited with the mindset that we were going fishing. It wasn't until we got to the field that we realized that what we were doing was much, much different. She gave us all nets and started walking in the field showing us what to do. I'm not gonna lie - it was amazing, and one of the best cultural experiences I've ever had. We mainly caught tadpoles, but also pulled up crabs, spiders, and even scorpions. When we got home we watched Dream and her mom squeeze the guts out of each tadpole and put it in a bowl to eat. Yum?

We also made stops at a few farms. We didn't stay very long, but it was really cool to watch the many workers. Dream made fun of me when I took off my shoes ready to start gathering vegetables.

On the way home we made two stops. Our first one was the highest spot in Thailand. How cool is that?? It was SO cold! Unfortunately, the view was basically staring at a white wall of fog. But how neat is it that we can say we've been to the highest spot in Thailand?!

The second stop was the Wachirathan Waterfall. By far the best waterfall I've ever seen! Then again... almost any waterfall is better than the Wichita Falls. We all put on our stylish ponchos and walked around for awhile before heading back to Chiang Mai.
I'm so glad we were able to go on such an amazing trip but I'm also very glad to be back in Chiang Mai and meeting with the girls that I've met over the past few weeks. We have already spent time with two of our friends from Chiang Mai University. Last night we went to Walking Street Market with them and had a great time.