Where do i start.
In my travels so far, I spent the most time in Thailand (six weeks in total with a quick break to Laos in the middle to renew my 30 day visa – another post to follow on that incredible country). There is so much to see and do with many different highly recommended places. Buckle in, this post may be a bit longer to share all the amazing things I did and saw (photos here don’t do this country justice). I flew from Siem Reap, Cambodia to Bangkok with plans to see Northern Thailand first. So I guess I will start there.
Bangkok was more of a stopover as I only had two days to spend there. I arrived late night and went straight to be where I proceeded to sleep 13 hours. Also it was pouring down rain, so a good excuse to stay in bed. I did yoga in my empty hostel and got ready for the afternoon of exploring. I walked through Chinatown markets, got my first of MANY pad Thai dishes, walked through Lumphini Park to spot giant Monitor Lizards, got lost in some local neighborhoods while making my way to Benjakitti Park. This was by far my favorite thing in Bangkok! It had wonderful views of the skyscrapers surrounding green space with an elevated walkway winding through the giant green space. I went at sunset, it was so beautiful. I ended the evening in the Silom neighborhood (with many LGBQTA+ friendly bars) where I had some drinks and watched a ladyboy (AKA Drag) show. The next day I booked a tour of a few temples in the city. I was the only one on the tour so I had a private guide. We visited Wat Pho and Wat Arun, both stunning. I walked to the famous destination of Khao San Road where there are hundreds of bars and restaurants catering to tourists. I had some more pad thai (shocking) at a food stall and met a lovely Australian couple. We tried fried scorpion (not my favorite snack…) from one of the many vendors walking around with lots of unique bugs to eat. I made my way home to get ready for an early flight to Chang Mai in the morning.
Mai and pai.
Northern Thailand is known for its lush regions with rice fields, elephant sanctuaries, amazing regional food, among many other things. I got into Chang Mai early, headed to a coffee shop to get some “work” done, ate a delicious pad see ew dish, walked around the old part of town to familiarize myself with the new city, and found a yoga studio for an evening class. USpace Yoga was a great studio, and I knew I would be sore the next day.
There is a plethora of options for elephant sanctuaries right outside of Chang Mai. Based on recommendations, reviews, and research, I choose the Elephant Rescue Park to spend half a day hanging with the giant and gentle creatures. I was picked up early in a minibus, met the other travelers I would be spending the day with, and headed to the jungle. We changed into clothing that would aid in making the elephants comfortable (similar to what a trainer wears). We spent the day with four female elephants ranging from 13 to 55, with very different personalities. While the young one did some tricks with our hats, the eldest was my favorite. She was calm, protective and endearing. We first fed the elephants bananas. This was to get them used to us and to like us. Food is the way to their heart; I can really relate to that. No food, no friend – that is what our guide kept saying. We then walked through the jungle with them to see them in their natural habit. It was freaking incredible. I kept wanting to just touch their tough skin and be close to them. Also, to get some good selfies with them. We then got into the lake to bathe them. I had such a great time and cried when it was time to leave.
Next was Pai, a small hippy town north of Chang Mai. The two-hour journey from Chang Mai on a minibus is one of many hills, turns, and nausea. The girl next to me was throwing up in a bag. I feared for my life and had to shut my eyes many times. A very popular activity in Pai is called tipsy tubing. It is where hundreds of people (usually quite tipsy) link up and ride on black inner tubes down a muddy river with drinks in hand and a DJ party at the end. It is something you have to do while in Pai. I had a blast. I met several wonderful people while flowing down the rapids, met later for…wait for it…pad Thai, and danced the night away.
A few gals I met the previous day, Selina and Miriam, and I decided to spend the next day renting motorbikes and exploring the outer regions of Pai. This was my first time driving a bike and to say I was nervous was an understatement. After one minute of test driving, the rental man said I was ready to go. EEEEEK. We mapped out our day and were off. We headed to the Big Buddha statue, spent a long time in the Sai Ngam hot spring, explored the Mae Yen waterfall, stopped to replenish with curry fried rice, rode to the popular bamboo bridge designed for Instagram, and ended the day at the Pai Canyon known for its stunning location for sunset. I made it without any bike wrecks or issues. We did go quite slow, but after my history with car accidents, can you blame me? While I only had a short time in northern Thailand, it was everything I hoped for and more!
A time for healing.
I have a confession to make. After almost six months of traveling…I am exhausted. Constantly moving from place to place, telling your story repeatedly to other travelers, living with only travel size toiletries and minimal clothing that fit in a backpack, spending hours on trains/buses/planes/ferries/cars/tuk tuks/any type of moving vessel you can think of, learning new currencies and phrases in different languages, and continuously planning activities and things to see in each location can wear on you. I know I sound privileged and I totally am. But this lifestyle can be a lot, and it got to me. Not enough to stop traveling, but I needed a reset. I am telling you all this because I booked a two-week yoga and healing center retreat in Koh Phangan to ground me and hopefully revive me.
Wonderland Healing Center is exactly what I needed and more. It is a resort tucked away in the nature in the middle of the island that focuses on yoga and different healing activities. Everyday there are about seven different events to participate in from yoga to mediation to targeted workshops to sound baths to bonfires. I was primarily there for yoga, and let me tell you, I DID A LOT. In addition, I took my first aerial yoga class, I learned techniques of meditation, I discussed different views on the philosophy of the mind, I ate delicious vegan food, I learned how to belly dance and the basics of Huy chi, and I snored during a sound healing session. Some days I did 4.5 hours of yoga and didn’t leave the resort, other days I ventured outside to explore the island. I went to an ecstatic dance session, I visited a nude beach, I watched the sunset with the sand in my toes, and I got a massage on the beach. I did all these things while meeting the most wonderful people. There were so many like minded people at the center that I immediately connected with. We had deep conversations and laughed until it hurt. I have new friends from Hungary, Scotland, Australia, England, India, Israel, Germany, Mexico, and USA (even SEATTLE – such a small world 😊). After I left the retreat, I told many people about my experience, and they booked their stay right away. As a walking advertisement, I should be paid…looking at you Wonderland. In all seriousness, my time there was amazing. While I couldn’t wait to get away and eat chicken and drink a cold beer, I also didn’t want to leave. But it was time to spend time at different beaches and islands.
Blue waters and palm trees.
Haad Rin Beach is known for one thing and one thing only, the full moon party. This is a giant beach party that happens every month during, you guessed it, the full moon. While the party has a bad reputation for many reasons, I wanted to see it for myself. It is full of young people from all over the world ready to ingest things and dance under the night sky until the next morning. There are intense fire shows, loud DJs, cheap bucket drinks, and body paint everywhere. It is unlike anything I have ever experienced. Most people don’t sleep, stay up to watch the sunrise and get quite unruly. I did not…but I still had a great time.
Koh Tao was one of my favorite islands I visited in Thailand. It is just an hour ferry ride north of Koh Phangan and much smaller. It is known for diving due to its incredible underwater ecosystem and turquoise waters. I decided not to get a diving certificate because of my fear of what is that deep in the ocean and pesky eardrum issues. Instead, I planned to relax on the beaches, explore the many viewpoints, and try out some of the yoga studios. Gail, a kind and witty Brit I met at Wonderland, and I had four full days to spend together on the island. We had so much fun. We watched the sunset every night at a beach bar followed by fire shows, we took a difficult Muay Thai class with Pankom gym. The owner Sam would turn out to be a good friend of ours. We tried Thai pizza (curry pizza that is way better than it sounds) at Chuchu Thai Restaurant and ate delicious duck fried noodles at 995 Roasted Duck, we went to John-Suwan and K viewpoints with motorbikes, I got my first bamboo tattoo (you were going to find out sooner rather than later mom) at 3 High Tattoo and saw some incredible things while snorkeling around the island (including a shark). My time in Koh Tao was incredible for so many reasons. Gail was the main part of that, and I can’t wait to see her again in Central America or London.
Krabi is on the western side of Thailand and offers a long stretch of beautiful beaches and nature. I stayed at a hostel overlooking the bay on Railay beach (a quaint beach that is only accessible by long boat) based on so many traveler’s recommendations. I spent the afternoon reading at the pool, met some fun people doing a pub quiz and booked a snorkeling/sunset boat tour for the next day. I ran into Ardit, a lovely man from Kosovo that I met in Haad Rin and we shared many delicious meals together. Tay, a lovely kiwi, and I met on the boat tour and instantly connected. We watched part of a Muay Thai fight and enjoyed some cold beers after. The next day we planned to attempt a difficult hike (which is an understatement) to Railay Lagoon between two limestone cliffs. It is difficult not because of the distance, but because you are holding on for dear life with a slippery rope while cascading down muddy cliffs. It was terrifying and thrilling at the same time. We took a swim in the lagoon to temporarily wash the dirt off. We were so dirty at the end (my clothes are stained) but it was worth it.
Rainforest adventures.
Khoa Sok National Park was never part of my Thailand itinerary, however, I love ALL national parks and after many recommendations I booked my bus and got my hiking boots and mosquito repellent ready. Day 1, I headed into the park (a quick walk from the CoCo hostel) and solo hiked several different trails along the river and through the jungle. Day 2, I booked an overnight stay at a floating resort on Cheow Larn lake. Along with 20 other travelers, we made the hour long journey to the lake and took a boat ride to the center of the lake. It was stunning, with huge limestone cliffs, palm trees and bamboos surrounding the lake and stunning blue water. We had lunch at the floating resort, went for a swim, and hiked up a waterfall. After dinner we watched the sunset on the kayak and enjoyed some beers while playing card games. There were six of us that gravitated towards each other during the tour (lovely Germans, French and Dutch friends) and we set our alarms for the next morning to watch the sunrise over the cliffs on the kayaks. Worth the early wake up call.
The jen essentials for thailand.
- Pad Thai (I was scared I may turn into a noodle by the end of the trip)
- Motorbike (on the smaller islands, bikes are the best way to explore and see the remote beaches)
- Grab app (if you aren’t renting a motorbike, grab is the next best option and SO CHEAP in most places)
- Bathing suit (I spent several days looking for a new bikini because I wore mine out with all the island hopping)
- Yoga mat (the beach is my favorite place to practice yoga)
- Waterproof bag (mostly for tipsy tubing or snorkeling adventures to secure important things)
- Fire shows (where there is a beach, there is a fire show – interesting to watch!)
- Sea sickness medicine (sometimes the only mode of transport is long boats, ferries, and speed boats and waters are rough after 3pm)
- Baht (cash is king in Thailand)
- LAUGHTER (the beautiful people I met in Thailand brought me so much joy)
Wrap it up jen.
I have so many amazing memories from this country. I met people that will be forever friends, discovered beautiful places, ate flavorful food, and so much more. Six weeks was a long time to spend in one country (and extremely difficult to put all the goodness in a short blog post) and yes by the end of the trip I was ready for something new. However, I wouldn’t change my time there.
While Thailand is very touristy and some areas are therefore more expensive than the others, there is a reason for that and now I know why. Thailand has something from everyone, especially if you like Thai food. I think Thailand is anyone’s THAIpe of country, not just mine.
Up next: A river cruise down the boarder of Laos!
Signing off for now,
Jennifer