Thailand

Thailand was friendly, cultural and eye-opening!  In Thailand we stayed just outside of Chiang Rai, in a little town called Thaton.  The place we stayed at was called "Old Tree's House," (http://oldtreeshouse.net/en/) which was a beautiful place with four bungalows where guests can stay. One day, we went on a longboat down the river to an elephant camp.   When we first climbed onto the elephant it felt like we were at the top of a building and we were hanging off the edge!!  It was frightening, but we had a great time.  We sat on a little bench

 on top of the elephant, which swayed back and fourth as the elephant walked.  We rode the elephants for an hour, and at the end they walked through the river, which the elephants loved because it was so hot.  They were spraying themselves with their trunks, and drinking lots of water.  We fed the elephants corn, sticks, and bananas before we left.  They would reach their trunks out and grab the food!  Their trunks felt all rough and leathery.  It was an amazing experience.

While we were in Thaton,

 we also went on a 20 km trek through the jungle.  Our guides, Renato, SomPom, and Dom, were exceptional.  I never knew there were so many

 things you could make out of bamboo:  cups, bowls, spoons, toys, walking sticks, shelters, toasters, pots to cook food in, and mouse traps!    We hiked to three villages in the mountains:  the Karen, Lahu, and Akha villages.  All the villagers seemed to worship Caroline, calling her a baby (she is 10 yrs old!).  The trek took two days.

         We took a bus to get to our next stop, Chiang Mai!  Chiang Mai was a much bigger city than Thaton.  We stayed at an excellent hotel called "The Castle," (http://www.thecastlerajchiangsan.com). There were lots of temples called "Wats," which were gigantic and covered in jewels.  I noticed that around the temples there were always lots of stray dogs lying and wandering around.  There were also a lot of markets in Chiang Mai, so we went to the Thai market, and the Saturday night market.  We walked through the night market too, but everyone we met said not to go there, because it was too touristy!

  Our next stop was Sukothai, which had old ruins (800 yrs old) that used to be 

   Thailand's first capital.  We stayed at Orchid Hibiscus Guest House, (http://www.asiatravel.com/thailand/orchid_hibiscus/index.html) which was very likeable. We rented bikes and rode around the ruins!  You were actually allowed to go into them and climb them!! 

         

Our last stop in Thailand was Railey, near Ao Nang, Krabi.  We stayed at Garden View Resort, (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/LocationPhotos-g297927-d1009736-Railay_Garden_View_Resort-Krabi.html#19090683) a gorgeous place. Railey was a peninsula that felt like an island because it was only accessible by boat!  They had lots of beaches there and we spent our time relaxing on the beach, swimming, and kayaking!!!

  The only thing I didn't like about swimming was that there were jellyfish, although Philippe was the only one who got stung.  We also saw lots of wild monkeys!  We spent three days in Railey, so it was very sad to leave our beach paradise!!

         We took a longboat back to Ao Nang, and spent one night there at the Sabai Mansion, (http://krabidir.com/sabaimansion/index.htm) before catching our plane to Bangkok, and then Singapore!!!  I would love to go visit Thailand again someday!