Thailand recap: Chiang Rai

Going from the beautiful beaches of Koh Samui to the lush mountain region of Chiang Rai was a fantastic transition. Chiang Rai is in the so-called Golden Triangle, the area where Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), and Laos meet.

Our first stop was a visit to the Hill tribes. These women are Burmese refugees and there are four different tribes represented in the village (and I'll be darned if I can remember their names at the moment).









We paid a visit to a temple (need to find my notes for the name). It was rainy and foggy, which might sound like a bad thing, but it gave the temple a magical quality!









We stayed at the Anatara Golden Triangle, which is an absolutely beautiful hotel. The spa services there are amazing! I had a traditional Thai massage and it was bliss.





But arguably the best part of the Anatara is the elephant camp!





We only had an hour to spend, but you can spend a day (or several) with the elephants. You work with the mahouts (elephant trainers/guides) to learn how to command the elephants, feed, bathe, and ride them. We got to ride them and watch them have a bath. It was, without a doubt, the coolest part of the trip for me.

Riding an elephant is wicked fun!


Baby ellies


Smile for the camera!


Bath time!




The last stop on our whirlwind journey was the Four Seasons tent camp. This property is as luxe as they get. Just to give you an idea, it's $2000/night with a 3 night minimum. I wish we could have stayed there! But we had to settle for a quick tour. I still have to edit and upload pics, but it's totally amazing!

After that, we hopped a flight to Bangkok and began the long journey home. It was a quick trip to be sure, but it was a good sample of what Thailand has to offer. I hope to be able to return some day and spend significantly more time there!

Thailand recap: Koh Samui

As I may have said before, I'm not really a city girl. So I was quite happy to escape the hustle and bustle of Bangkok and head to the island of Koh Samui.

First stop? Monkey school! Part entertainment, part training, these cute primates put on a fun little show. The monkeys are trained to harvest coconuts from the trees, so the trainers put them through the paces to show off those skills as well as a few other, well, less useful skills.







This little fella took a liking to me (and yes, that's banana smeared all over my arm)


An hour speedboat ride from Koh Samui is the Ang Thong Marine National Park. We spent the morning there and one of the things we say was this cool rock that looks like a monkey praying.



We also climbed this super steep maze of stairs on Mae Ko Island in Ang Thong for a fantastic view of Thale Nai (or Lake in the Mountain). That's Jennifer, the editor of Destination I Do Magazine below.





Our hotel was the Six Senses Hideaway, where the weather men have it easy.



If it wasn't for the fact that the mosquitoes found me particularly tasty, I would have never wanted to leave.








We visited the Big Buddha. You can make a small donation to the monks and sign your name to a brick which will be used to build a temple there.









Seafood is so much better when it's grilled fresh. Though I feared for the poor chef's eyebrows!



And finally, an elephant ride. Just because it's cool. The mahout (the person who drives the elephant) sang in Thai the whole time and fashioned me a cute little ring out of a palm frond.

Thailand recap: Bangkok

I'm sitting in JFK airport waiting for my flight back to Orlando. My luggage, however, continued its journey in Thailand. The airline has tracked it down and are having it FedEx'd to me. My trip was incredible so it was kind of downer to end it that way!

We landed in Bangkok and hit the ground running with dinner since it was 5pm local time (6am Eastern time). We ate at an amazing place called Sirroco, which is on the 50-something floor of the Lebua Hotel at State Tower. I barely remember the food because I was so out of sorts, but the view was fantastic!



The next morning, the time difference had me up super early, so I took a quick stroll around the hotel and the surrounding area and grabbed a few shots.





Most homes and businesses in Thailand have spirit houses out front. They provide an appealing shelter for the spirits who then protect the home. People leave offerings for the spirits at these houses and they're often quite colorful.







We spent several hours at a cooking school learning how to make 4 traditional Thai dishes. It was a total blast and we made some fantastic food.





That evening we went to Siam Niramit which is a Broadway style show about Thai culture. Sadly, no photos were allowed, but it was amazing display of color and song and I learned a lot about the Thai people. These pics are from the village grounds where the show takes place.







We took a little stroll through (and did some shopping at) Patpong Night Market. You can buy "genuine authentic" (read fake) Tiffany jewelry and things like that at the market. But you can also get some cool local crafts.







The next day we took a boat tour on the Chao Phraya River (River of Kings) and the Klongs (Canals) of Bangkok.



and toured the Grand Palace











and paid a visit to the Reclining Buddha



Tossing coins at the Reclining Buddha - I was told that this is a Buddhist practice which involved performing a repetitive task to allow you to clear your mind



What can I say, it's the little things that amuse me. Like Thai Coke.



We also spent time on Koh Samui and in Chiang Rai, so there's more recaps to come!

Sawatdee Kaa from Thailand!

which means Hello from Thailand! Today's my last day here and late tonight I begin the long (and I do mean long!) journey home. This trip has been absolutely amazing and while I can't wait to get home to my family, I wish I had more time to explore this incredible country!

I have a ton of photos to share with you and I'll probably break them into 3 parts for each of the different regions I visited: Bangkok, Koh Samui, and Chiang Rai.

I'll be back in the office (and hopefully coherent) on May 7, so look for more then, but in the meantime, I'll leave you with this little sneak peek.