Alive and well!

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't written since I left, I have been very busy and haven't had much access. First things first: Japan was absolutely incredible!!! There were a good number of times when I could almost feel heart palpitations because I was so overwhelmed and in awe. The gardens, temples, shrines, onsens, markets, restaurants, everything was great. I could go on and on but here are the highlights:
Hakone: seeing Mount Fuji!! Plus, that evening the friends of Jack's I went with took me to an onsen (bath-house, think spa). Ahhhh.
Kamakura: Fun shopping (I got a cool looking kimono for VERY cheap) and an absolutely gorgeous temple. Also, a very cool garden where we saw the sun set over the ocean. Breathtaking.
Making pumpkin pies with cute kids! And meeting Jack's crazy fun friends.
New Year's Eve! Went to Kawasaki deishi for midnight. Hoards of people. As in thousands to hundreds of thousands. The cauldron of burning incense, the beating of a massive drum, and the throngs of people gathering to pray and to try the various foods was very impressive.
All day hike across Tokyo! (Or at least almost all the way across Tokyo). Ginza, Tokyo Station, the Imperial Palace (we saw the Emperor and the Imperial family!!!), more crazy shopping streets (especially crazy was the one for teens, stores called AC/DC with pink frilly things, methinks the band would not be pleased), and Meiji Shrine. Beautiful mysterious garden in the twilight filled with more New Year's revelers.
Sushi! All kinds of seafood. Crab brain, tuna, squid, etc. And it was good. Very very good. I promise to post pictures.
Shopping in Asakusa. Lots of people and lots of really cool stores to poke around in!
Hanging out in Kawasaki (Jack's neighborhood). Re-visited the shrine, still tons of people, explored the backstreets.
There were plenty of other awesome moments (including our many viewings of Dr. Horrible's Sing A Long Blog) but there are too many to tell and my time is short. Story time when I get back home! :D

On to Thailand! This is a very interesting, complex, and fun country. Our class has given me a good amount of knowledge and depth into the culture of this country. So far, here are the highlights:
Not falling of out any "see loh" (red truck) taxis. We crammed all 18 of us into one a couple of times. Oh togetherness.
Seeing the markets and older parts of Chiang Mai. There are ruins of walls and temples everywhere. You can hardly go 5 minutes, or not even, down a street and not see some ruin.
Our guesthouse. Garden paradise. I LOVE the library. Open air, wood, floor cushions, with a view of the gardens. Spectacular.
Visiting high schools and Chiang Mai University. One high school was an international school and was like any American high school. The other was public and was very Thai. 30 or more students crammed into a classroom, desks squeezed in up to the blackboard. The teacher using a "chalk and talk" teaching style of writing on the board and going over it word by word, almost all rote memorization. Yikes. Very enthusiastic kids though, very eager to meet us, and say a few words of English. Many calling out "hello!" as we walked by. The university was very interesting (30,000 plus students) and our guides were very nice and helpful. We saw some dorms, the gym, and some commons areas. Everything is a bit rough around the edges, but still pretty. We have dubbed walking on the sometimes-existent, often-not sidewalks "street hiking" because you have to always watch where you are stepping so you don't fall off or end up in a hole.
Muay thai boxing! We went to a dingy gym one evening to see 5 fights. It was very interesting, fun, and not bloody whatsoever. A very different way of fight, lots of "clinches" and knees and elbows. I have pictures and video.
The Golden Triangle! We were there all day yesterday, seeing a bridge to the Burma border, visiting tribal vilages (a mix of very depressing, unsettling, and interesting). If you buy something from the sad old women in traditional dress, you feel like you are promoting their self-exploitation. If you don't buy, you feel like a guilty miser who is not supporting their way of life. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. I even felt bad for taking pictures. We took a speedboat to see the spot of the Golden Triangle where Burma, Laos, and Thailand meet before going to the Lao side and buying some beautiful textiles at the tourist-oriented village there. I did not try the snake-in-the-bottle whisky. Too scary looking and it smelled really bad. I managed to take a picture before running away, I'll post that later. As we drove back on the bus, we saw the sun set over dry rice paddies and rough looking shacks. Somewhat picturesque but rather sad.
Today was our free day, so 7 of us went to an elephant camp! It was fantastic! I got ridiculously excited to see, feed, and ride on elephants. They are so dextrous with the trunks, it is remarkable. The ride was slow and relaxing as we went through forested hills, up a stream, and into the river. Elephants are amazing animals.
Tonight, I'll be going to the Sunday Walking Street Market. More genuine and cheaper than the touristy markets (especially the Night Bazaar). In the next week, we'll be spending more time in Chiang Mai and the surrounding area including spending a overnight in a tribal village, seeing an agricultural site, and spending an overnight in a Buddhist meditation center.
I hope to write when I can, but I have no idea how often that will be. I'm having a great time here, staying with a group at all times (but I feel pretty safe here generally), and really enjoying the food (except when it is so spicy that my nose runs and my mouth feels like a blowtorch is being aimed at the back of my throat (must avoid the payapa salad)). I hope you all are doing well, and I miss you! Feel free to write me notes here or email me: pladson@stolaf.edu. Sawadee ka!