Speeds do Thailand

Oh my goodness I can not believe so much time has passed since my last post! And that it's already December! Time sure does fly when you're having fun!

Garrett and I are still busy busy over in Korea. There is so much to do and see in the surrounding areas it makes it hard not to stay active. When we first moved over we talked to so many people about all of their different trips to near by countries and couldn't wait to plan a trip of our own. The first place we wanted to go was Thailand and once the plane tickets were booked we couldn't wait for the trip to be here. Let me just tell you- it was AMAZING! There was so much to do, so much to see, and so much to eat :) We couldn't wait to share all of the details of our trip so here we go! 

For the first portion of our trip we went Chiang Mai. We had several suggestions for hotels and things to do in the area and they were all spot on! We stayed at the beautiful Puripunn Baby Grande Boutique Hotel. The staff were so accommodating, the atmosphere was incredible, and the location was perfect for everything we wanted to do. We got in really late on a Friday but we hit the ground running Saturday! 

Our first adventure was the Patara Elephant Farm. We'd heard from several people to try and stay clear of the locations that treated their elephants poorly so we agreed to go to one friends had gone, and that we researched. Patara did not disappoint and their elephants were well taken care of. Our "Elephant Owner for a Day" experience exceeded our expectations. When we arrived at the farm we were greeted by a family of elephants that were being fed. Because the elephants have interaction with people everyday they were so friendly and welcoming to anyone touching or feeding them. We had so much fun just in the first ten minutes we arrived we forgot that we had a full day ahead of us with them! 

We split off in to a group with another couple, and a family of 3. We each got our own elephant to care for, for the duration of the day, along with a trainer that stayed with each of us. I knew we'd get quality time with the elephants but had no idea we'd get our very own to spend the day with. 

 Garrett had a 30 year old female named Ma Bae, and I had Soo, an 11 year old male. 

Throughout the day we learned about the daily care for the elephants and were able to have a hands on experience with their feeding, brushing, bathing, and exercise. We even learned about elephant poop! Elephants have to poop at least 6 times to be considered healthy so it was a big deal to count the poo all day! It was quite entertaining to hear the group counting as the day went on.

Well enough about poop.... check out our super fashionable outfits! 

 

Hugs from Ma Bai

Garrett thinks he is King of the Jungle

Bathing Soo

We gave them a bath so they decided we needed one too! 

Our favorite part, aside from bathing in the river with these huge animals, was seeing the relationship each trainer had developed with their elephant. You could tell they each had a bond and that the elephants really trusted them. Such a great experience.

On day 2 we took a Thai cooking class with Mr. Sutt, at the Chili Cooking Club. This particular class was recommended to us by some friends in Korea. We were told that so many people regret not taking a class while in Thailand so we made sure it was on our to do list- and it was well worth it. Some of the best food we ate on the entire trip was made, by us, at this very class! 

We started by reviewing the cookbook provided and picking out what 5 dishes we each wanted to make. That's 10 dishes total just for Garrett and I! Once we picked what we wanted to cook, we took a trip to the market across the street and got all of our fresh ingredients. This was my favorite part. I was excited to see how to pick out some of the ingredients so that I'm able to shop for them on my own later.

Garrett's favorites were Mango with Sticky rice, and Thai Green Curry. Mine was Pad Thai, and a dessert made with Banana's and coconut milk.  The most unique thing about Thai cuisine is that everything is made by the portion in which it's served- so it's essentially made fresh. The ingredients have strong flavors and the most important step in cooking them is the process in which you add them to your recipe. Thai cuisine isn't just throwing a bunch of things in the skillet and letting them cook together. Each ingredient has a certain time in which it's added- which is important for how the flavors come together. Absolutely delicious!

There was not enough room in our bodies to fit all of this food! Because we were eating all day during the class we used our "lunch break" to walk around the market and burn some of the food off before our other meals. We also popped in a massage parlor to have our first "Fish Massage". When the sign says it's only $3 USD you can't pass it up! Man those things tickle!

Our class was over by mid afternoon so we had just enough time to take a nap, freshen up, and head down to the Sunday Market. It was super crowded but worth going just to see what they had. Shopping in Chiang Mai is a fun experience- especially if you love a good deal. You rarely pay the price something is marked for and even when you do it's so cheap! It was definitely my kind of shopping.

Garrett enjoyed the street food

Another fun thing to do in Thailand is get a foot massage. They are an average of about $6 USD so getting one every day after lots of walking was such a treat! A pretty good way to end a long day of being on your feet!

The last big attraction in Chiang Mai we had planned was Tiger Kingdom. This was exactly what you would think- a Kingdom (zoo) full of nothing but tigers. What's so special about that, you say? At Tiger Kingdom you actually get to interact with the tigers. And by interact I mean you get to go in the cage with them, pet them, and take your picture with them. After much discussion of which ones we felt comfortable interacting with, we decided we couldn't pass up the chance to hang out with a full grown tiger, so we went all in. Believe it or not they are not sedated in any way. Every tiger on site has been at the facility since birth, being bottle fed by the care givers, and has never had to hunt for food. Basically like a pet!

                           

As you can tell, one of us was much more comfortable with them than the other. I mean, what's the big deal? It's just an oversized kitty! Garrett would probably say he enjoyed the elephants more but I have to admit that being able to snuggle up with them was pretty awesome. An experience we won't have again that's for sure! 

Tiger Kingdom only took up an hour or so of the morning so we spent the rest of the day site seeing. There were plenty of beautiful Temples to visit, and lots of shops to pop in and out of. We ended the day with another night market that was right around the corner from our hotel. We spent our last day in Chiang Mai walking to the flower market near by, then ending it by being pampered at the hotel spa. Chiang Mai was a success!

 

 

There was a ceremony going on in one of the temples we walked in so we stuck around to witness the event

Women are expected to be covered on their shoulders so robes were available at the entrance if you needed them

The second half of our trip we spent in Koh Lanta. A friend from work spent a portion of their honeymoon there and bragged about the quaint hotel, laid back area,  and nearby food so it seemed right up our alley. Since we did so much in Chiang Mai we wanted the rest of our trip to consist of relaxing- and that's just what we did. We spent the first 2 days sun bathing. The view from the hotel was beautiful to look over into the water over a cliff, and wild monkeys were frequent visitors to our hotel for free entertainment. The beach was just a quick 5 minute walk down the street so we would spend our mornings by the pool, head to town for lunch, then spend the afternoon at the beach. We even did a little shopping at some of the surf shops.

Monkeys hanging out in the trees at our hotel

On our 3rd day we rented a scooter from the hotel so we could drive around the other parts of the island. We spent most of the day exploring, then we headed to the National Park that was back near our hotel. There were some storm clouds all around so we didn't make it far before we got stranded under a gazebo for an hour or so. We were a little tired from our hike up the hills of the park so we didn't mind the break. We were most disappointed that we didn't get to see the large population of monkeys, due to the weather, but we got to see a few so we checked it off the list.

Storm clouds rolling in during our hike. But what a view!

Nothing like being stranded in the middle of a park to watch a storm in Thailand.

I was a little excited that monkey was so close. He came out to play after the storm

We spent our last full day snorkeling. Since this was only my second time to snorkel, Garrett thought it would be better for us to do a private charter, instead of a big group. Let me just tell you- it was AMAZING! We were picked up at our hotel that morning, and brought to the boat where we had one snorkel guide, an assistant, and a boat captain. The boat was all ours. They provided all of the gear, lunch, snacks, and beverages for the day. We spent about 5 hours snorkeling, then they brought us back to our hotel. I've never seen sea life like that before. It was just beautiful. Unfortunately we forgot to pack our Go-Pro (shame on us) so all of the pictures were from the boat. But still beautiful, crystal clear water.

We had this entire little island to ourselves to snorkel and hang out

This was truly one of the best trips, either of us had ever been on. Just perfect.

 The opportunities that we have been given to travel on this side of the world are more than we could ever express our gratitude for. This experience just keeps on getting better and we can't wait for more.

Until next time :)
-The Speeds