Chaing Mai

Chiang Mai was one of my favorite cities so far. We arrived in the city late afternoon and found a guesthouse located in the old part of the city. The original city was built with walls and a moat for protection. While most of the wall is no longer standing, the moat is still present, and we were only a few blocks away from the old eastern wall, which is now a great place for an evening stroll. After we got settled in, we decided to head to the night market for some dinner.
The night market is a must see in Chiang Mai. Every evening the streets are filled with vendors selling designer and knock-off clothes, jewelry, cosmetics, luggage, shoes, accessorize, electronics, crafts, you name it. There is also rows of chairs where you can plop down for a traditional Thai massage if your find yourself weary after hours of bargain hunting. If you need to refuel while shopping, there is a food market, within the larger night market where you can sit down for some freshly prepared local cuisine, and that’s where we found ourselves on that first evening in town.
Leon wanted seafood, so we found a restaurant that looked busy and grabbed a table. The menu was huge and the selection of fresh fish available was overwhelming. We watched as the locals lined up to carefully select their fresh crab have the critter weighed, and then choose the method of preparation. While I usually like to try to local food, I just don’t have the heart to look my food in the eye before I eat it, so we skipped the crab and we went from some Pad Thai and some yellow curry. The food was delicious and reasonably priced, and we walked off our meal strolling through the rest of the market.
The next day we decided to walk around and see what activities Chiang Mai had to offer. We grabbed some brochures from the hotel lobby and headed to the local coffee shop for a treat and a planning session. We decided to do an activity called Flight of the Gibbon. We had read about it on TripAdvisor and after making the decision to sign up it was time to shop around for the best price. Like almost everything in Thailand, we found that the price for Flight of the Gibbon was negotiable so we started hitting up the local travel agents to see who could get us the best deal. We found a good offer and arranged to be picked up from our hotel the next morning.
Neither Leon nor I is a morning person, so our six o’clock pick-up came really early. We were the first to be picked up, so piled into the back of the van and settled in for the hour long drive out to the Flight of the Gibbons. We filled out our paperwork and release forms, and then went to get fitted into our flight gear. We were each given a harness and helmet, and were told how to use the different clips on our gear. Then it was off to the first platform.
Flight of the Gibbons is a zip-line experience through the rainforests of northern Thailand. You experience the forests from the point of view of the gibbons, and the money goes to help protect their habitat. We zipped through the 18 platforms with our group, then put our feet back on the ground and did a hike to the top of a local waterfall. Then it was a traditional Thai lunch, and back home. We met some great people on the trip, and ended up having a night on the town with our new Nepali friend, Muna.
Chiang Mai was great, and we spent four nights soaking up the city. The temples, the shops, the restaurants all made for a fun-filled couple of days. Unfortunately, the visas in Thailand don’t leave you a lot of time, and it was time to head across the border. We left to continue our journey north into Laos.

Chiang Mai

The Journey North

We left Krabi and took a VIP bus north to Bangkok. From there it was a ride across town in a shared taxi that we called the Bumpy Bus of Bangkok. They crammed 12 people plus luggage into a minivan and headed through town at high speed. The roads were bumpy and each bump sent every passenger flying up off the seats. Fun for me, but misery for Leon, who being much taller than the other passengers was sent crashing into the ceiling at each bump.
After winding our way through the northern bus station, we found the bus to Ayutthaya and managed to hop on just as it was pulling out. From there it was a quick 90 minute journey north to the historic Thai city. We found the P.U. Guesthouse, a charming place with a quirky name, and settled in.
Ayutthaya provides an interesting look at ancient Thailand. Ruins of the past are nestled in the midst of the modern city, and you never know what you might discover on a walk down the street. We visited the highlights of the town, sampled some of the local street food, and checked out the goods on offer at the local market. After two days of exploring, it was time to move on, and it was just a couple hours north to the town of Sukhothai.
Sukhothai is a UNESCO heritage site and has an amazing old town with a large collection of old Buddhist temples. We stayed in the new town, at a local guesthouse. We had a little cottage to ourselves, and a beautiful garden that we shared with four turtles, one cat, three kittens, and lots of fish and birds. It was incredibly peaceful and the family who ran the house was incredibly welcoming.
After resting the first day, we decided to spend the second day exploring the ruins. We took a local bus to the old section of town. Unlike at home, the local bus in this small town was a pickup truck with benches that lined the bed. Locals piled on with huge baskets of fruit and sacks of grain, and it cost less than a dollar for our 30 minute ride across the city.
When we arrived at the UNESCO site, we were surprised at the size of the area. We decided to rent bikes to explore the ruins and the park like surroundings. The weather was perfect, the skies were blue, and we were charmed by the serenity of the temples and the monks in their saffron colored robes.
The small towns were charming, and offered us a different view of life in Thailand. The further north we went, the more stunning the scenery, and we were excited to head to the northern capital of Chiang Mai. We had heard from others that it was a beautiful city, and we were about to see for ourselves just how right they were.

Ayuthaya and Sukothai

Krabi

Our trip to Krabi wasn’t quite as smooth as our previous bus trip. This time we took a private bus instead of a government bus. The fares were cheaper, and we soon discovered why. Though the seats were nice and comfortable, there was no bathroom, which makes a 6 hour bus ride seem really long. There was also no food, although they did stop at one of their restaurants so that you could give them more money to eat their food. Instead of going straight through to Krabi, the bus would stop along the way, picking up and dropping off local passengers, extending the journey by two hours. When we finally arrived in Krabi, we were ready for dinner, a shower, and a good night’s sleep.
The next day we went down to breakfast and asked at the hotel about local sea kayaking trips. We had read in our travel guide that the area was known for kayaking and it was something that we were both interested in trying. Our hotel had brochures from all the local companies so during breakfast we read through them and decided on a full day trip with kayaking in the morning and snorkeling in the afternoon. We booked the trip for the following day, and then went out to explore the town.
We found a great little local place for lunch. The local places tend to have the best food and the best prices, but they don’t usually have menus and the ones that do don’t have menus in English. Our method is to find a spot that is busy, look at what people are eating, and when we see something that looks good, point to it. The locals find it very entertaining that a couple of farang (foreigners) are interesting in eating the real local food, not the westernized versions that you often find at the larger places in town.
After lunch we walked to the bus station. Not wanting to get stuck on a private bus again, we wanted to book our ticket at the government station a few days in advance. Our book said that the station was 4 Km away and we thought it would make a nice walk. We got a little bit lost along the way, and 4 Km turned into 5 or 6. When we finally arrived at the bus station it was 6 pm. We walked up to the ticket window only to have it shut in our face. Apparently we would have to come back tomorrow.
We took a taxi back from the bus station, and when we were dropped off we were greeted by the hotel manager. Our kayaking trip for the next day had been cancelled due to weather. A huge storm was expected to hit the coast, and they were predicting rain for the next five days. Bummer! Undaunted, our hotel manager suggested a company that ran half day kayaking trips in an inlet about an hour away. The inlet would provide protection from the storm. We were disappointed to miss out on the snorkeling, but we still wanted to try to kayaking, so we agreed to the half day trip.
The next morning our guide picked us up at 8. We rode around and picked up a few more kayakers, and then headed about an hour north towards the inlet. They gave us coffee and tea while we filled out paperwork and got fitted into our life jackets. Then we settled into our kayaks and off we went. It took awhile for Leon and I to get used to paddling together, but we devised a system that worked and then we were really moving.
The scenery was spectacular. All around us these huge limestone cliffs rose out of the water, creating a pathway for us to paddle through. After about an hour of kayaking we were through the cliffs and into a mangrove forest. The going here was a little rougher. The mangrove forests are very dense and you have to manuvere your paddle around the branches above the water and the roots below. It is easy to get caught on a branch and tip. The passage ways are very narrow and there are a lot of sharp turns. Along with the challenges, the mangrove forest also brought some pleasant surprises.
There are two types of monkeys that live in the forests near Krabi. The gibbons are small, black tree dwellers. They rarely come out of the trees, but fly through them singing. We were lucky enough to see one swinging over our heads. The long tail macaws are much more social. They came down to share our snack of fresh pineapple and watermelon. One hopped aboard our guide’s boat, and then swam to our kayak to get more fruit and some fresh water. He helped himself to Leon’s water bottle, and then caught a ride on the front of our boat to the edge of the forest, and then hopped off to join his family.

Krabi

The Beach

We took an overnight bus from Bangkok to Koh Pha-ngan. In India, our experience with buses had been less than pleasant, but we had been assured that the buses in Thailand were “five-star all the way” so we decided to give it a go. We arrived at the bus station a little later than we planned, and didn’t have time to grab a meal before boarding the bus. We were hungry, so we made a quick stop at the bus stop Dunkin’ Donuts and took some pastries to go.

While I wouldn’t call the buses five-star, they were pretty nice. We were greeted at the door by the bus stewardess, who looked just like a 1950s airline stewardess with her little uniform and hat. She showed us to our seats and we settled in for the journey. Shortly after we left, she started the movie; a ridiculous French film that I couldn’t bear to watch. Halfway through the entertainment, it was juice boxes and boxed lunches. In the morning, we were given moist toilettes and coffee to wake us up before transferring to the ferry. The cost of the ferry was included in our bus fare. We spent the three hour journey roaming the deck to enjoy the view and napping in the comfy seating area. All this for the bargain price of $21 per person. Greyhound could take some lessons here.

Our hotel in Koh Pha-ngan was the perfect beach retreat. We had a secluded bungalow with a front porch that overlooked the pier. A hammock provided the perfect place to read a book or enjoy the spectacular sunsets, and a kitty that we named Honey came by every morning and evening to sit with us.

Our first day in Koh Pha-ngan we went to visit sunset beach, famous for the monthly full moon parties. The sand was white and soft, and the water seemed almost too perfect to be natural. The water was crystal clear blue, warm, and had not a single wave. We laid out an enjoyed the sun, with an occasional dip in the clear waters.
The next day in Koh Pha-ngan we went on a longboat trip around the island. Our first stop was a waterfall. We landed on the beach, and hiked about 1km to the falls. There was took a dip in the cool waters and climbed to the top of the falls to enjoy the spectacular view. Our next stop was Bottle Beach, a pristine area that can only be reached by boat. The remote island has no roads, and it is possible to lie on Bottle Beach as the only visitors. We were supposed to end our trip with snorkeling at Ko Ma, but a huge storm forced us to turn back. We hurried through the torrential downpour, huddling together to try and keep warm and as dry as possible. The rain stopped just as suddenly as it started, and we stopped at a nearby beach for snorkeling. Then it was home for a buffet of green curry, yellow curry, and sweet and sour vegetables.

Our fourth day on the island, Leon and I rented a scooter to explore the island. We had originally planned to head to Ko Ma for some snorkeling, but winds were high and the waters were rough. Instead we decided to explore the few roads that exist on the island. We found a great local restaurant, and saw some prawn farmers hard at work. It was interesting to see the local villages scattered between the areas that are dominated by the tourist industry.
Having seen the entire island, we decided to head across the country to see the Andaman Coast exploring the north. We found a bus the Krabi that left the following morning. As we boarded the ferry, we were relaxed, revived, and ready to explore.

Koh Pha-nagn