Ni Hao ,
I can’t believe how fast time has gone by; we are already in mid-October. So far, this month has been pretty eventful. Starting October 1st, China celebrated their National Holiday which is also called Golden Week, and boy did we make our week golden.We went to Thailand!!, which was truly amazing.,We managed to travel to five cities in ten days. Although it was exhausting, it was completely worth it. Out of the five cities/Islands that we traveled to, the two that were my absolute favorite were Chiang Mai and Koh Phi Phi. Both cities were different but beautiful in their on way.
From Bangkok to Chiang Mai, we traveled for 14 hours on a train that was at times uncomfortable but well worth it because of the views. The train had no air conditioning, except for outside air and fans. During our night travel insects, were coming in and it was difficult to sleep because of the loud train and uncomfortable seats. However, in the morning, the discomfort from our night travel was all forgotten. The mountain views and greenery were so beautiful, it seemed like I was watching the Discovery Channel, but in real life.
Once we got to the city, we rented scooters and explored. Although Chiang Mai is away from all the beaches, the high rocky green mountains being cuddled by the clouds was such a beautiful view. The next day, we got the wonderful opportunity to attend the Chiang Mai Elephant Jungle Sanctuary. Elephants are severely mistreated in Thailand and this sanctuary, and many others, allow them to live a free life. During our time in the sanctuary, we were able to feed them, bathe them, and make them a homemade medicine. Seeing the elephants just roam freely as they please was so pleasing.
My next favorite Island was Koh Phi Phi; it had the best of both worlds — turquoise blue oceans and beautiful mountains. During our visit to Koh Phi Phi ,we participated in the Maya Bay Sleep Aboard boat tour, which was an experience I’ll never forget. Maya bay is an island that you can only get to by boat that has Hidden Gem, which is the beautiful sky blue bay. The movie “The Beach” with Leonardo Dicaprio was filmed at that location. During our excursion, we were able to snorkel, kayak, and most importantly, relax. At night, we got to swim with bioluminescent plankton which was quite scary since we were in the middle of the ocean not knowing what was around us. As you moved around the water the plankton shined like glitter particles; it was fascinating. Maya Bay Sleep Aboard is an excursion that I highly recommend to anybody if in Koh Phi Phi.
Overall, my trip to Thailand was totally amazing, and when I get back to the U.S., I will definitely be filling up my piggy bank for my next trip to Thailand. Now that we are back in China, I am looking forward to where will be traveling next in China.
Until next time…
