Exploring Thailand

 School is out for summer! As soon as school ended, we took an amazing adventure to Thailand!

We were lucky enough to spend about two weeks exploring Chiang Mai (in the North), Bangkok, and the island of Koh Samui. But before we get to all that, we have some interesting pre-trip things.

1. Caitlyn is now officially taller than Shannon! Something Caitlyn enjoys reminding Shannon of often. Actually, she likes reminding everyone.

2. The girls finished Years 5 and 8 in early December and started their summer break with some relaxing. Here are some last day of school pictures.  💕

Right after school eneded, we left for Thailand.

We flew Qantas to Bangkok. We have not had many smooth trips on Qantas unfortunately. Of all the Qantas flights we have had here, only one or two have actually left on time. We got a notice before we even got up for the day telling us that our flight was delayed. Thankfully it was the second leg of our trip that was delayed, and we had given ourselves one night in Bangkok before moving on to Chiang Mai. Our plane flight from Sydney to Bangkok had a flight time of about 9ish hours. Shannon worried it would be miserable (we were definitely in basic economy), but after the 16 hours it took to get to Australia, it really wasn't that bad. The girls had seatback entertainment, and Qantas fed us a lot. It felt like they were always coming by with food. And the plane we were on had four seats in the center aisle, so we all got to sit together. All in all, it wasn't a bad flight.

When we arrived in Bangkok, it was dinner time (but bed time in Bangkok). Lauren took note that immigration and customs barely took any time in comparison to Australia and NZ. We just walked right through. She loved that. We had to wait a bit for the shuttle bus to the hotel we were staying at, but the first night went really well. We stayed at a hotel with a huge golf course near the airport.

The next day, we had a nice buffet breakfast at the hotel and grabbed a shuttle back to the airport. Domestic travel in Thailand was definitely a bit different. We went through a check point where they looked at our tickets and passports, and bing-bang-boom we were in the terminal. The girls were starving (the four hour time difference was tough on their stomachs), so we bought some drinks and steamed buns with little piggy faces. Very yummy! 

Little did we know that we still had to go through security and no liquids could be brought through.  :( 

At the Bangkok airport, they do not have one security for the domestic flights, but rather each grouping of gates has its own security check point. Shannon is not sure if she thinks this is a better set up or not. It certainly was very fast to get through security. On the downside there was really no food (other than a vending machine) on the other side of security.

We flew Thai Airways to Chiang Mai. They were not on time, and had no screens with information down by the gate, so we just waited until a plane showed up. They also didn't make many announcements during queuing and boarding, and instead had someone walk through with a print out stating which rows could board. Mike thinks this was to bridge language gaps.

Chiang Mai

The flight to Chiang Mai was a quick and smooth one hour. We got a Grab (like Uber/Lyft) to the hotel, which was in Chiang Mai's old town. Chiang Mai is located 700 km (435 mi) north of Bangkok in the mountainous north. It is the largest city in northern Thailand and second largest city in Thailand after Bangkok. The old city area, where we stayed, still retains vestigates of walls and moats from its history as a cultural and relgious center. And it is home to hundreds of elaborate Buddhist temples. 

We had about five full days in Chiang Mai and got to see a fair amount.  We stayed at a small hotel in old city called Nine Hotel Chiang Mai. The hotel didn't have many rooms, which was kind of nice, as it wasn't over crowded. We had a nice family room which had enough beds so the girls did not have to share. There was a nice breakfast provided each day as well. They served a soup a couple of the mornings that Mike and Shannon absolutely loved, plus a salad, and a main dish which was different each day.  

This is a neat map the hotel had in its main entry of the things to do in the old city:

The hotel also had nice little pool that we used numerous times. We were basically the onlys ones in the pool!

The very first night we were in Chiang Mai, we visited a night market on Wua Lai Road.  This market went on and on and on. You could buy all sorts of things, like clothes, trinkets, art work, food, etc. We arrived at the market early (probably about 5 pm) and wandered around for quite some time. The girls got cool notebooks that had a wooden front that someone hand carved pictures into as we watched, little elephants to remember Thailand, and some fun key chains. Mike purchased his favorite - mango and sticky rice from a road side stand. Shannon and Mike wanted to stay longer at the market, but it was very HOT and crowded. It wans't too long before the girls had reached a limit, so we returned to the hotel and enjoyed the air conditioning.

We spent a lot of our time in Chiang Mai looking at the many beautiful Buddhist temples. They were all so beautiful and intricate. We might have lost count on the total number we saw.

A neat silver temple. Only Mike was allowed to go inside this one.

Shannon's favorite temple was Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. It is a temple on the outskirts of town on Doi Suthep mountain. It sits 1073 meter high, and you can see downtown Chiang Mai from the temple. The temple is said to have been founded in 1383 when the first stupa was built and was expanded over time, with more extravagant shrines.

When you first arrive, you must choose one of two path up to the temple - 1) what they called a tram (but what would have been called a funicular in Europe); or 2) you climb 306 steps to the top. Mike and Caitlyn took the tram, and Shannon and Lauren took the stairs.

so many stairs

There were so many beautiful things!

It was so hot, an ice cream break was necessary before heading back down

When you visit the temples in Thailand, it is important to be dressed appropriately. Everyone had to ensure their shoulders and knees were covered. You also have to remove your shoes before entering the actual temple space. 

Long walk back down the steps

Another fun experience in Chiang Mai was riding in tuk tuks. Tuk tuks are motorized three-wheeled rickshaws that take folks the cities. The name comes from the sound their engines make as they splutter through the streets. We really enjoyed the breeze you can feel when tooling around in a tuk tuk. Though we did not always appreciate the smell of their exhaust. One of the last days we were in Chiang Mai, we discovered that you could use the Grab app to request an eletric tuk tuk. All the fun, with none of the smell! Here is a video of a tuk tuk ride plus some pictures.

In Chiang Mai we also visited a cat cafe, which Lauren says was one of her favorite things we did there. For the rest of us, the experience was only ok as it reeked of cat urine. Unfortunately for Lauren, the visit was relatively short. Most of the cats were sweet enough though. However, the cats with red bows were known to bite!

Other fun Chiang Mai experiences were a visit to the Elephant Poo Poo Paper park. It is an eco-friendly outdoor park that explains the process behind how they turn elephant poop into paper. Shannon was worried that perhaps the kids would feel too grown up to enjoy the poo poo paper park, but we all had a lot of fun. And despite loud protests of "I will NOT touch poop!" the kids got involved and enjoyed the process.

The reality is, by the time you touch it in the process, it is no longer poop. They have already dried the poop, made it into a poop stew where it's boiled and cleaned, and once it's into a pulp, they dye it different colors to make all sorts of things. You're not really hands on until the end. Anyway, here are some images of our time there.

The same day we visited the Poopoo Paper Park, we also visited a hill tribe village. This place seemed to be a bit of tourist trap, but it also did actually look lived in. We didn't take many pictures, because it felt a bit exploitive. It gave the kids a chance to see how some of the hill tribes live in this area of Thailand. They also met some women who are part of a "long-neck" village, where the women wear rings around their necks. We saw some kids who looked as young and three or four already wearing rings around their necks. Below is a picture of the rings worn by some of the women. As you can tell from the look on Lauren's face, their rings were not light!

The Karen are a tribal group who have historically lived in the hills on the Myanmar side of the Thai border. Many Karen have fled Myanmar over the past few decades due to political unrest. Those living in Thailand are largely there illegally. Karen women wear heavy brass rigns around their necks. Our guide said that this practice began, because it protected their necks from tigers. Not 100% sure how true that actually is. The girls were upset that this practice was reserved only for the women.

We also visited a butterfly and orchid farm. This was not Shannon's favorite things that we did (maybe no one's), but it wasn't a bad way to spend an hour. 

Next we visited a bee and honey farm. It was interesting, but also seemed like a cash grab, as they were basically just peddling a bunch of honey products.

Finally, we also took a trip about an hour north of Chiang Mai to the Bua Tong (Sticky) Waterfall. This unique waterfall is created by a calcium-rich spring that leaves mineral deposits on the rocks that (generally) prevent algae from growing. Your body's natural heat and friction cause the mineral deposits to become even more sticky. So it is suggested that you climb the falls with your bare feet. It was crazy just how easy it was to walk on the falls.

There were places where the falls were less sticky, and algae was able to grow. Because of this, and due to some pretty steep sections, there are places where there are ropes to help you make it up and down the falls. It was a really cool experience, and frankly a little mind-bending that you could walk so easily on the wet falls. We really enjoyed the experience, and best of all, there is no fee for admission to the park. 

However, the ability to spider-man up the falls, may or may not have given certain family members a little more confidence than they should have had. In a desperate bid to explain why they should be allowed to climb the falls without parental supervision, someone slipped and fell pretty hard. We very narrowly avoided a visit to the ER and another broken bone. Thankfully kids are more rubbery than adults. We were able to help the arm heal with a good brace and a couple day's rest.

Bangkok

After Chiang Mai, we flew back to Bangkok. It was quite the change from the calm atmosphere of Chiang Mai to the hustle and bustle of Bangkok. We stayed in a nice part of town, near fancy malls and foreign embassies (to include our own). Our room in our hotel was on the 27th floor and had an awesome view of the Bangkok skyline. Shannon felt very spoiled by this hotel stay, and something as nice would not have been possible in a first world country. The hotel also had neat little details, like an "emergency popsicle" line. Outside of one the hotel's restaurants, they had a red phone that kids could pick up in popsicle "emergency." It would ring until someone picked up and the child could say "I'm in need of a popsicle" and someone would bring them a free popsicle. I'd never seen anything like it. 

Much of our time in Bangkok was spent visiting fancy malls and enjoying the air conditioning where we could. It was SO hot. We found a Duck Donuts, which we usually enjoy visiting when we spend some time at the beach at OBX in North Carolina. We just happened across their store in one of the malls. It was such a welcome surprise. The donuts were delicious. We also visited a Madame Tussauds Wax Museum there. The girls delighted in taking "us-ies" with famous (wax) figures. However there was dissapointment that there was no Taylor Swift to take a picture with.  

We also went to see a movie, the new Wonka, while in Bangkok. It was an intersting experience. The girls had never been to a movie in a country where they had to subtitle it so the locals could understand it. Also, there were at least 30 or more minutes of previews, many of which were NOT remotely commensurate with the rating of the film to be viewed. Shannon yelled at Lauren to shut her eyes more than once during the previews, which included a violent film with lots of blood in the trailer as well as a creepy zombie film. Another experience that was different was that there was a two to five minute tribute to the King of Thailand before the film started. We were all supposed to stand for the duration of the tribute, but a few people didn't. It was definitely a different cultural experience. Though Shannon wonders in some way how different it is from saying the pledge of allegiance or the playing of the national anthem before sporting events.

We also visited the Grand Palace in Bangkok. It was a complex established in 1782, and holds royal and throne halls, government offices, and the temple of the emerald Buddha. It is very pretty and intricate. We had left early so we could see it all, but due to it still being very hot and the kids being a bit templed-out, the experience wasn't jolly for everyone. So our time there was a bit more limited than the grown-ups would have prefered.

We also visited the Chatuchak Weekend Market while in Bangkok. It is the largest market in Thailand with more than 15,000 stalls and 11,000 vendors. The market has been open since 1942. There were just rows upon rows upon rows of stalls. It was incredible to see, and tiring to walk through.  It was so much fun to explore this market, to bargin with the vendors, and bring home treasures. The girls were able to purchase many sun dresses, each only about $3 to $5. Mike was even able to remember where the stall was that sold one of Shannon's favorite mugs (that he brought home many years earlier). We purchased some new mugs to remember this trip by. 

Lauren looking at one of the many clothing stalls

Yet another Bangkok highlight was swimming in a roof top infinity pool of our hotel and having tropical drinks to beat the heat. 

In Shannon's opinion, the coolest thing we did in Bangkok was a Thai cooking class. We went through a company called Tingly Thai. In an afternoon session of maybe three hours, we made four dishes: Tom Yum Kung (hot and sour prawn soup), Pad Thai Kung (with prawns), Panaeng Curry with chicken, and mango and sticy rice (Mike's favorite). All of the food was delicious. Our instructor was great - though Mike and Lauren struggled greatly with her accent. The kids were able to do basically everything. It was HOT when we were all cooking, but it was still so worth it. One of the things we would have done differently had we known was to have not eaten lunch before the class. There was SO much food, and we couldn't fit it all in. 

all the food prepped for our arrival

Lauren making Tom Yum soup

Caitlyn Making Tom Yum soup

finished Tom Yum soup

Pad Thai

Lauren and Wes working with the mortar and pestle to help make the penaeng curry paste from scratch

Mike's favorite mango and sticky rice

Shannon thinks this experience was made so much better, because we shared it with friends! The Winklers met us in Bangkok, and we spent that last evening in Bangkok with them before heading to Koh Samui for a few days of beach fun together. Everything is better with friends!

Koh Samui

Koh Samui is an island off the east coast of Thailand located in the Gulf of Thailand. It is the third largest island in Thailand and has many beautiful beaches that are ideal for relaxation. We stayed in a hotel on BoPhut beach, which is known to have calm water, ideal for swimming with kids. Shannon wanted to spend our beach time on Koh Samui, becuase this is the island she visited over 20 years ago during spring break during her graduate studies in China. She also liked the idea of Koh Samui over Phuket or the other beaches on the west coast of Thailand, because the tsunami risk in the Gulf of Thailand is slim to none. The trip to Koh Samui was a very easy hour plane ride on Bangkok Airways. The tickets were a little pricey (compared to other domestic travel in Thailand at least), because Bangkok Airways built the airport in Koh Samui and have no competition on this route. Bangkok Airways is a boutique airline, and the service was definitely nicer (even though the plane felt older) than Thai Airways. The flight over was aggressively on time (maybe even early to leave the gate).  

We had a lovely stay right on the beach in a cute family room with bunk beds. Our friends the Winklers had the room right next to ours, so it was so easy for the kids to spend time together. We spent the majority of the time here at the beach or in the pool, which was awesome!

The only other thing we did while we were in Koh Samui was visit an elephant santuary. Thailand is famous for these, but it was very overwhelming to try to choose which one to visit. There are lots of questions on what is "ethical" when it comes to elephants. It is no longer considered very ethical to ride the elephants (like Shannon and her friends did in Koh Samui decades ago--- well Shannon chickened out and never rode it, but.....). So we had to decide, is it ok to touch them? Is it ok to bathe with them (as many tours do). There were so many options (particulary in Chiang Mai), and all of them claiming to be the "most ethical" and the ones that take the best care of the elephants and don't exploit the hill tribe people.

In the end, we decided not to visit the elephants in Chiang Mai and instead wait until we were with the Winklers in Koh Samui. The elephant santuary we chose allowed you to feed the elephants and touch them, but that is it. No bathing with them or riding them. We're still not sure it was 100% ethical, but are any zoos? It was neat experience nonetheless. Unfortunately, Caitlyn didn't feel well that day and was unable to come to see them with us. She stayed behind while the rest of us took a short trip to the Samui Elephant Sanctuary. There we helped prepare vitamin balls for the elephants and some treats that had rice and bananas in them. We were able to feed them watermelon and bananas. It was a HOT and long day though. It seems like all the tourist experiences in Thailand think you need it to be a half day or longer on these experiences. We actually left the experience a bit early skipping the meal portion, because we were just so tuckered out. 

Lauren making vitamin balls

Feeding her watermelon

Shannon and the girls wish they had a bit more time at the beach. It was very relaxing to just take it easy, and the water was so warm. The beach we were on was just perfect for swimming. However, our time in Koh Samui came quickly to an end. We had to say goodbye to the Winklers (until our next beach vacation maybe in 2025) and head back to Australia. Lauren declared that we must be home for Christmas, so our time in Thailand was a bit shorter than Mike and Shannon would have liked.

Our flight back to Australia was crazy delayed. First the flight was delayed by 2 hours. Then the flight crew removed a passenger for being disorderly. It took at least a half an hour for them to find the person's checked baggage and remove it from the plane. We were finally cleared to leave once again, but shortly after that a flight attendant fell ill, and we had to return to the gate. Well first we had to wait for the airport to find a gate for the plane to return to, and then we had to wait for the medical personnel to arrive and remove the flight attendant. Then another (drunken and "sick") passenger was removed after they desecrated a bathroom. We then had to wait for a cleaning crew to clean the bathroom and for the person's baggage to be found and removed.  Thankfully it was all so ridiculous we could do nothing but laugh about it all as we had a long, overnight flight back to Australia. The delays also caused us to miss our flight from Sydney to Canberra. In the end though, we only ended up arriving back to Canberra a couple hours later than planned.

Once back in Canberra, we had to do some grocery shopping for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The plan was to have some friends over for Christmas Eve, so we baked a bunch of cookies to decorate with everyone. Unfortunately, poor Lauren ended up with the flu, and all the Christmas Eve plans had to be canceled. We just spent a very quiet holiday at home.

Mike napping wearing the Santa hat Lauren insisted we buy from the grocery store

The girls putting together a Kit-Kat cabin (instead of a gingerbread house). So many giggles as this was made

Our little tree

Lauren all dressed up and trying to pretend she wasn't sick on Christmas Day

We feel so blessed for all the travel we have been able to do while posted to Australia! This trip was so much more special thanks to the friends we met up with while in Thailand. So thankful for these special memories this posting has enabled us to have.