What now.....

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We are back in the states for good or for worse.  Mac has a great job opportunity in NM and is there checking out the place.  

Our last days in Thailand were filled with the city-life which is not really our style but good to experience. The heat was smuthering so we spoiled ourselves and got AC(aircon in thai).  We went to the Grand Palace which was like a little disney land.  We weren't wearing the proper attire so we had to put clothes over our clothes which made us even hotter.  We paid homage to the little jade Buddha and marveled at the detailed murals and buildings. 

We also went to a traditional Thai show.  The hand flexiblity was amazing, the costumes so intricate and the narration loud and full of every intonation you can imagine.  

We also went to a floating market with cute Thai ladies selling everything from rice, fruit, pad thai, hats and trinkets all from their boats.  A very unique place.  We then took a boat ride through a water community full of water lizards and weird, pink slugs-like creatures.  

27 hours of travel later, we arrived the same day we departed-hmmmm.  And now we are seeing friends and family and figuring out if we want to go back to the real world again.  We took a 5 day backpacking adventure in the desert with doggies and Lewises which was spectacular, as always, and a great way to avoid the culture shock.  Feel free to keep us informed of any adventures you find that we can or should  go on 'cause that would be a great excuse to procrastinate the rat race.  

Chiang Mai

We are on the last leg of our journey and not ready to come home. Who knows if we will yet........ We have been hanging out in the city a bit and finding it is very hard to get out of here without paying a ton of money for a tour. We have been climbing(of course) and that was great, and a butt kicker for some. Tommorrow, we are going to get our own elephant for a day. We get to learn commands, bath it in the river and ride it. I can't wait. This has been my(steph) dream for this trip and it is going to happen tommorrow!! Yes!!!!!

We took an amazing thai cooking class and learned soooo much. The food we made was 5 courses and just as beautiful as was delicious. Don't worry, we have all the recipes( Now we can have sticky rice whenever we want!!!)

A Random list of Fun:
--massages for under $5.00
--pad thai for 10 cents( a real steal at this walking market)
--a foot massage in the street
--saw a little falcon chase a lizard down a tree and eat it
--we went swimming in the community pool
--contemplation to stay....HUGE
--we have hot showers!!!! Don't take for granted anymore
--Anna stepped in monkey poo
--we all went to the dentist today for cleanings and fillings and such (very cheap and, don't worry, very professional)
--climbed in a cave in a bamboo forest
--we are practicing our acroyoga moves...lots of work to be done

That is all for now. Take care and see you all soon