This entire week I had the pleasure of taking a vacation in
Thailand with my good friend Emily (see pictures below). Because it was a
whole, glorious, week of exciting adventures, I’m going to mention the
highlights below, on a day by day basis.
Tuesday: Chang
Mai
After our quick morning flight from Kuala Lumpur to Chang
Mai, Emily and I decided to go a bit off the beaten path and visit the
little-known “Sticky Waterfall”. What makes this waterfall sticky has to do
with the limestone-it is present in such a way that the surface does not get
slippery when wet: rather, it provides a rough surface that has traction and
actually tingles under your feet a little bit. Because of this property, you
are able to walk up and down the waterfall (in the water) without slipping or
being pushed around by the water. It’s a really remarkable feeling to be able
to confidently step down the smooth rocks that compose a waterfall and not have
your feet slip at every step but grab the rock as if it were dry dirt.
Wednesday: Chang
Mai
Because Thai food is so delicious, we dedicated our
Wednesday to learning the art of Thai cooking. Our guide for the day, Yummy,
took us to a local market to teach the differences between coconut cream and
coconut milk, purchasing curry paste, and selecting fresh ingredients for
cooking. After this stop, we made our way to the school’s organic farm, where
all their herbs and produce are grown. Yummy demonstrated the major flavors
present throughout Thai cooking and let us smell, touch, and taste each one in
turn. Following this instruction, we were led to the outdoor cooking area to
make our own curry paste, fresh! We proceeded to cook (and of course, eat!) the
following dishes:
- · Tom Yum soup
- · Curry (red, green, yellow depending on your choice)
- · Chicken and basil stir-fry
- · Pad Thai
- · Mango Sticky Rice
It was a delicious day and we left feeling stuffed!
This was followed by a late-night adventure to the temple on
top of a nearby hill, to view the sunset from high. Unfortunately, we saw a
bunch of rain rather than a glorious sunset, but it was still a fun time spent
with our new friends from the Netherlands.
Thursday was Emily’s favorite day-Elephant day! We were
treated to a day of observing and interacting with elephants at a nature
reserve. These were creatures rescued from human abuse who came to live on the
reserve for the rest of their days, surrounded by patient and loving people,
with absolutely no use of forceful control. Instead, the mahouts (elephant
trainers) would use food and words to convince the elephants to move around or
to interact with the visitors in a very natural looking place. We got to feed
the elephants and give them a bit of a bath, as well as enjoy some traditional
Thai food ourselves. While those who know me well are probably astonished I
paid to spend a day interacting with elephants, I enjoyed the experience and
appreciate how much respect the creatures on this reserve are given. 
Saturday: Phuket
On Saturday, we got a private kayaking tour of the Phang Nga
Bay, including a ride through the waves on a Longtail boat. During this
adventure, we were brought through semi-caves created by dried shells, into
private pools to view the fruit bats in flight, and gorgeous lagoons to swim in
the warm water. Unlike a lot of the tourist companies we could have booked
with, this one allowed us to actually do the paddling, and subsequently to see
parts of the myriad of islands that other groups are not privy to. It was
wonderfully relaxing to be out on the water paddling through the waves and experiencing
the natural beauty. In addition to this bliss, the guide had packed us a picnic
lunch on the beach, complete with vegan Thai food and fresh mango for dessert.
Equally as exciting (and arguably as relaxing) we arrived at
our beach hotel resort that night to the news that we were upgraded to a
panorama suite! Both Emily and I were practically running giddily through this
suite, as neither of us had experience as to proper etiquette in a place as
fancy as it. We even had a Jacuzzi with an ocean view! Needless to say, this
was one of the hidden highlights of our trip.
Sunday: Phuket
Sunday I made a monster out of Emily by introducing her to
motorbikes. I had tried them once before myself (see Langkawi) but am a nervous
driver overall. Emily, on the other hand, hopped on and within 2 seconds was
driving like a pro and loving every minute of it. With her at the wheel and me
being the ideal ride-on passenger/navigator, we made our way to Phuket Town,
the older part of the island with some boutique restaurants and cute shops. It
also is the home to two HUGE weekend markets, which we had a good time
perusing, especially for the food selections. We also decided to splurge and
take advantage of the low labor costs to get some professional pedicures, a
delightful ending to a fun and crazy day.
You're an ideal navigator???
ReplyDelete