Thailand

Leaving Vietnam, we went to Thailand for the next two weeks – Chiang Mai, Khao Sok and Khao Lak. We were fortunate that we were joined by our close friends the Daniels for our time here, as well as my girlfriend Suzanna who joined us for the second week. It felt amazing to be reunited with them all, and the time in Thailand was a highlight of the trip for all of us. To put it mildly, we were so grateful to them all for traveling such a long distance to be with us.

In Chiang Mai, we enjoyed a mix of different activities – visiting temples and exploring the city, feeding for / caring / riding elephants, zip lining in the jungle, cooking with a local family, biking around the old city, and visiting with a hill tribe / exploring their farm. Chiang Mai was bustling and fun to explore, including the night market, but the up close interactions with elephants was the highlight for everyone. Bananas eaten out of your hands, bathing the elephants, just being able to be around them in such a peaceful and beautiful environment, the whole day was so memorable and fun.

Leaving Chiang Mai, we flew down to Phuket, and from there drove a few hours up to Khao Sok. We stayed on floating lodges on the lake, surrounded by limestone cliffs and untouched jungle. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets, tons of kayaking and swimming, and exploring the jungle and caves, including close encounters with monkeys! Wish we’d had a bit more time here, as it was so quiet and beautiful.

From there, we drove down to Khao Lak, along the Adaman Sea. We slowed things down a bit – we enjoyed a few wonderful days of diving and snorkeling on the Similan Islands, and also a day of kayaking through the limestone karsts of Phang Nga Bay, but managed to carve out a few days of pool / beach time as well (which allowed time for Muay Thai classes!).

Tremendous sadness to leave our friends at the end, we loved every second of our time together, and Thailand was beautiful and welcoming. On to Laos…

Elephants: