Thailand
November 7 - December 5, 2019
Part 2: January 2 - 13, 2020
PAI
Our first stop in Thailand <3 we knew right when we got into Pai that we would love this country. We flew into Chiang Mai airport from Cambodia and took a three hour very windy bus trip to Pai - 762 turns to be exact!
It was my time to drive, so we rented a motobike for about $3/day and hit the sites. The White Buddha was visible from nearly everywhere in town. We rode through the hills visiting a coffee shop with beautiful views, a Chinese village, rice fields with the longest bamboo bridge in Thailand, and stunning Pai canyon for sunset.
The walking street in town had delicious cheap food of all kinds. And plenty of bars and restaurants to catch live music. On Sundays, a local hostel puts on an epic fire show!
CHIANG MAI
After another 762 hairpin turns we landed back in Chiang Mai to visit some elephants and for the Loy Krathong and Yi Peng festivals.
We found a sanctuary that rescues elephants from logging companies and circuses and spent the day learning about these majestic creatures. We started out feeding them and chopped down banana trees for food. Elephants can eat for 20 hours a day, consuming up to 600 pounds of food! To cool them down from the day's sun we got in the mud with them and then rinsed down in the river. It was an unforgettable experience - but one we would not do again. Although these animals were not ridden, upon leaving we couldn't help but notice the next tour group coming in. This level of interaction should not be supported.
Ironically, we ended in the same hostel and dorm room as our German travel friends that we had met in Japan! Yi Peng takes place on the full moon in November. Lanterns are released into the night's sky to symbolize the release of misfortune from the previous year and make a wish for the year to come. Loy Krathong is celebrated simultaneously for the water goddess. Slices of banana trees are decorated and released down river. It was a beautiful sight to see the sky and river light up.
BANGKOK
Bangkok is a bustling city with a little bit of everything. We visited Chinatown and strolled through the many many rows of markets. Watched a water monitor eat a whole turtle in Lumphini Park and raced through the streets in tuk-tuks (Mario cart stlye!) for a bar crawl to Khaosan Road. Scorpion on a stick anyone?!
RAILAY BEACH
After the heat of Bangkok, we were ready to finally hit the beach. But only after getting on a flight, a bus, and a longtail ride! Some of the best spots are the hardest to reach :)
Railay Beach felt like the Pai of the south. Laidback people, beautiful beaches and stunning sunsets. Super cute dusky leaf monkeys filled the tress. And we went to our first Muay Thai fight - one hell of a knockout!
AO NANG
Just a longtail ride around a cove from Railay Beach is Ao Nang, Krabi. We made a sandcastle, relaxed and didn't do much here.. but enjoy the beach.
KOH TAO
Our German friends were on the other side of Thailand scuba diving. So we decided to join them in Koh Tao! We jumped on a bus and a ferry and a quick 9 hours later we had landed. Justin got his Open Water dive certification and I completed a refresher course after not diving for over 10 years. We fell in love with being under the water. GerAmerica got some motobikes and ventured to John Suwan lookout. And closed out a night with a ladyboy cabaret show! Yes, that video is of a man.
Koh Tao would come to feel like home. We spent Thanksgiving with Susan, Pascal, and Charlie (aka mama wolf), our Master Diver's instructor. This was the first place we were genuinely sad to leave. We connected with the island and the lasting friendships that were made.
Leaving, we had a feeling we'd be back sooner than later..
THAILAND PART 2! January 2 - 13, 2020
KOH TAO
We loved Thailand - and Koh Tao specifically - so much that when we left in early December we made plans with Susan and Pascal to come back! So after traveling to Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Singapore we returned to Thailand. En route to Koh Tao we spent a night in Phuket and Koh Phangan.
All four of us got our advanced open-water diving certificate with our favorite instructor and friend, Charlie! Naturally, most of our time on Koh Tao was spent underwater.
It was quite the trek to get to our next destination, Bali. And started with an overnight ferry to the mainland with 40+ backpackers in a cabin. Gotta love lime green and animal print!