You know when you’ve built something up in your head so much that it’s almost impossible to live up to the hype?  Well, that’s how I felt about Thailand.  With my longest stay in one country (just under 2 weeks) I was really looking forward to everything Thailand had to offer.  Due to the monsoon-like conditions, about half the time was spent indoors due to torrential downpours.  People said it would rain for an hour or two and then clear up.  They were right about the rain but wrong about the clearing up part, at least down in the south where I was for about a week.

After checking out Ankur Wat in Siem Reap, I decided to start my time in Thailand up north in Chiang Mai.  I decided to spend two full days there, one to check out the elephant sanctuaries and the other to do a hike/trek.  Luckily, the weather cooperated both days as there were only a few moments of light rain.  The trek was about an hour out of the city and was only a group of 4 (another older couple from Australia) plus the tour guide.  It was a long, exhausting day that reminded me a lot of the trek I did in Sapa, Vietnam.  The next day was the elephant sanctuary, white water rafting and short hike to a waterfall.  At the elephant sanctuary, there were 4 elephants (3 adults and 1 baby) that we fed, bathed and played with.  It was pretty amazing to be that close to them and see the gentleness they have with people.  It’s an experience I won’t soon forget.  After the elephants we embarked on a short white water rafting ride down the river.  It was a lot shorter than expected because conditions were too rough along parts of the river.  After the rafting, we did a short 10-minute hike to a waterfall that had a natural waterslide formed from the rocks.  It was a short but really fast descent and actually hit the bottom a few times, no injuries though.  After finishing a few days up north, it was time to head down south for the islands.

After researching the islands in the South I decided to check out 2 on the west side of the country, Koh Lanta and Koh Phi Phi.  Koh Lanta was first and was known for their “4 island tour” that took you around to 4 islands to snorkel and swim around.  Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate as it was really windy and rainy.  We went out to see if it would clear up closer to the islands but it got even worse and we were forced to come back to shore after only a few hours (it was supposed to be a full day tour).  The next island was Koh Phi Phi, which was about an hour boat ride from Koh Lanta and known as the “party” island.  Since the weather still hadn’t cleared up with off and on rain, much of the activities were done indoors (i.e. drinking).  Other than staying in, the other big thing that happened at my stay in Koh Phi Phi was my encounter with bed bugs.  Let’s just say it wasn’t pretty and that I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone.

My last week in Thailand took me to the east side of the island and then eventually to Bangkok.  My last island stop was a small island called Koh Tao.  The weather gods decided to reward the island with some scattered sunshine the first day which allowed me to go on a snorkeling tour.  The next day was sunny with low humidity and I was able to relax and enjoy the beach.  I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my time on the island than the panoramic view below.  It was one of the best viewpoints of the trip, if not my life.

My last stop in Thailand took me to the city of Bangkok.  Since I’d heard mixed reviews of Bangkok, I tried to go into it with an open mind and no expectations.  That went out the window after only about half a day in the city as I took the metro around the city to try to get to the temples.  I’m not sure if I missed the exit or just couldn’t find the right direction but I was done after only 15 minutes outside with the heat, humidity and air pollution.  The humidity in Bangkok was different from other cities as I felt like there was a layer of soot on my arms.  I would have to say the highlight of my Bangkok trip was the rooftop bar I checked out for the sunset.  The picture and atmosphere was more than worth it.

Although my time in Thailand wasn’t was I expected it to be, I still enjoyed my time exploring the country and learning about the people and culture.  Hope you enjoy the 8^th and final edition of my travel videos below.

QOTP: “One’s destination is rarely a place…but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller