Sorry there's been no posting for a couple says, we've had some unreliable wifi. So, this is going to be another long post, but I have plenty of pictures to help you get through it ;)
Thursday morning we woke nice and early, enjoyed our eggs and toast, and headed out to a cool little coffee shop that caught Dana's eye the night before. We all indulged in an iced late to meet the morning caffeine requirement and cool us down at the same time.
After that, we took a bus (aka a red Ranger sizes pick up with a couple benches in the bed and an awning over top) up the mountain to Doi Suthep, the most revered temple in the Chiang Mai area. The road contains a lot of tight twists and turns, so that coupled with insane Thai drivers and diesel fumes, made the drive a little rough, but we were rewarded with the most amazing view of Chiang Mai:
The temple itself was awe-inspiring. It was inspiring to see so many people come to worship and pay respects to their god. There were seated Buddhas lining every wall, candles and Buddhas of all shapes and sizes all throughout the temple, every surface was detailed, from the floors and walls, the support beams, and every door and entrance on the compound.
There were these little bells hanging everywhere, and I just loved them. When I purchased one from the street vendor outside the temple, she said the bells were for good luck.
Other than being fascinated by those who came to worship, I was drawn to the ornate murals that decorated every walk. I assume that they told stories of the Buddha. There was just so much going on in them, it was impossible to fully take it all in!
After we finished exploring, we headed back down to the street vendors to barter for some souvineers and delicious treats. I got a waffle covered banana with a little chocolate drizzled over top, which was good, but still didn't compare to the street cart banana and Nutella crepe I purchased in Chiang Mai. That, my friends, was perfection in a cardboard cone. But anyway, I digress. I picked up a few scarves - when I say a few, I mean 8. Cashmere and silk scarves for $3-$4?!? C'mon! Bartering Americans for the win! *hopefully*
When we had spent enough money, we took the bus of fumes back down the mountain and back to the MD house. We changed into more appropriate attire, and grabbed a quick lunch at our favorite Chiang Mai restaurant, Nature's Way. Then, it was time for elephants!
Another long ride in a luxury van took us through rural Thailand. Really beautiful, lush, jungle and farm landscapes decorate the north, and it was really interesting to see, compared to the cities that we had toured so far. When we finally arrived at the elephant camp, we were a little unnerved. There was no signage alerting us that we had arrived, no welcome center, nothing, except for a little pavilion with a couple of men standing underneith and some elephants hanging out nearby. We were approached by Yen (how it's pronounced, probably not how it's spelled), our Swedish elephant guide. He told us to change into proper mahout attire, which I can already tell, will be all the rage in the states soon: jumbo sized, linen/burlap blend, wide leg, flood pants with a Mexican poncho over top. Hot. After changing, we bribed the elephants into liking us by feeding them bananas.
Did you know their snouts have a thumb-like appendage at the tip? I sure didn't! After rhe bribing was done, it was time to mount the elephants. Just a quick note Ran-Tong Elephant Camp is a rehabilitation center, so no tricks are performed by the elephants, and no states are used by riders. We rode bareback, with just two ropes fastened around the elephant for us to hang on to. Climbing up the elephant is much easier said than done. Needless to say, I had quite a bit of trouble. Also, I didn't realize how high up the back of an elephant really is, so the first part of my ride was devoted to calming myself out of a panic attack. Dana was in the back and I was in the front, which means the neck of the elephant, which means right near the shoulder blades, which means a very uneasy ride, with the thought of toppling over one side coming to you with every step. Once I was able to (mostly) relax, however, I was able to embrace the experience. I was touring this stunning landscape, in a place I never thought I'd be, from the back of an elephant. To say the experience was humbling would be an understatement.
The elephants, with the help of their mahoors (personal caretakers) took us on a walk through the compound, and down into a river. Once in the river, it was a piece of cake to slide down off her back and into the water. Then, Yen gave us little pales, and we bathed the elephants. Well, bathe probably isn't the most accurate, more like "tossed water on them". This made for very happy, cool elephants. Content enough to poop, which is what they did, in the river where we were wading.
After some time hanging out at the river, it was time to head back. Luckily, this meant switching places on the elephant, which made for a much more enjoyable ride. Also, we were able to mount from higher ground, thereby maintaing our standards for poise and grace (which were low to begin with). During our journey to the dinner pavilion, we were able to see about 10 more of the camps elephants just hanging around.
Once we arrived back at the pavilion, we changed back into our dry clothes and were treated to dinner, a delicious curry called Kai Soi, which is Chiang Mai's traditional curry, and only available in the north of Thailand. I devoured mine, suspect chicken leg and all.
Then, it was time to say goodbye to the elephants, and make the long journey home. I was exhausted and not feeling the greatest - probably that suspect chicken - so I cleaned up, packed, and went to sleep, while the other three went out for some food and one last trip to the night market.
Still with me so far? Thanks! Cause we have another day to go! But much less eventful, so I'm almost through.
Friday morning we woke up early and headed to the airport to catch our flight to the islands. While waiting for the plane, we caved for a little taste of home: McDonalds egg mcmuffins and a hash brown. It was so American and delicious, in spite of the worst coffee I've ever tasted served along side.
We were really sad to leave Chiang Mai. Seriously, the city is so welcoming, it moves at the perfect pace, the food is incredible, and the landscape is breah taking. We barely scratched the surface of what Chiang Mai has to offer, so the day I return won't be soon enough. That all being said, or sadness was tempered with our first sights of the Andaman Sea islands.
Our first stop was Phuket at the Mer Jarr hotel, which was only a few minutes walk to the beach. And what a beach that was:
After feeling enough of the heat, we went back to check out the hotel pool. Oh. My. God. This pool. It's a rooftop salt water infinity pool with a view straight out over the beach, surrounded by mountains. In other words, where we will be spending all of Tuesday when we return to Phuket and this hotel.
We stayed and watched the sunset, and enjoyed dinner poolside.
We had to get an early ride to the ferry this morning, so we turned in semi-early. The ferry this morning took us to Ko Phi Phi Don, where the movie The Beach was filmed (never saw it). The ferry ride was two hours and was hot, even rooftop. The views, however, were stunning. Seriously, why don't more people vacation here?? The Caribbean is gorgeous, but this...
And our arrival on the pier?
You all know I love my camera filters, and you'll find none in these photos. That's exactly what the colors are like here.
The only downside was that we didn't have a hotel planned, knowing we would be able to wing it. We had a few places in mind, but they escaped us as we were, again, hassled as soon as we disembarked from the ferry. So, we picked a place and went. 😑 The guest house we chose is up a brutal stairway on a hill, which nearly caused my arthritic knee caps to quit entirely. Then, the room has a small collection of creatures living inside of it, including some ants on the toilet and a lizard in the bathroom. To add insult to injury, my pillowcase had bird poop on it, and the AC in Melanie's and my room doesn't exactly work. This is a big bummer coming from some great places (even MD House, which cost the same). But, it's only one night, and we're already laughing about it.
Anyway, redemption of Ko Phi Phi was found, again, via water and the beach. And this shark lamp in our room:
Smaller than the beach on Phuket, this one is littered with backpackers.
After getting fried, we headed back to the guest house and searched for a place to stay on Ko Lanta, which is our destination tomorrow.
If you made it this far, thank you. This was a bitch to rewrite after the first one deleted. I know my posts tend to be quite longer than my traveling counterparts, but I'm already the old one of the bunch, and would hate to forget any part of this life changing trip. Even with the frustrations we've encountered, I feel blessed every day that the four of us were able to embark on this journey through paradise.
-Julie, covered in sand and sun ☀️🌊
P.S. I've been averaging 2 smoothies a day for the last few days, so I've mixed in some coconut, just to spice things up.
Also, Thai-English is hilarious:
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