Last drop of beachy goodness

Well, I'm trying to set a pattern of having my birthday far from home each year. So far only 4 or 5 of my 29 have been away from home... reminds me of my 8th birthday in Mexico when I was sicker than a dog... But I digress.

My birthday was a chill day (duh, we were on an island). We slept in, ate too much, and adventured on mopeds around Koh Jum. 

 

The island wasn't very big and I almost crashed a few times... but it was fun to go fast! I think I want a moped now:) also, because it was my birthday I wore orange stripes and purple elephant pants. And I didn't brush that hair. I wanted to fit in with the other hippie travelers. Don't worry, no birthday weed;)

We rode to the both ends of the island and enjoyed the local cuisine...

 Yes I ordered the one in the middle.

 

Today we left Koh Jum on the Ferry and came back to the mainland. We are staying near Krabi Town and so we took a little boat trip to Railay beach and Pranang beach (don't google that last one;)). There were lots of people there and so the beauty of it was diminished, but it was still an impressive sight.

 

Pranang beach:

 

 

I spent a lot of time in the water just floating on my back and taking in the sight of those cliffs above me. I am in love with the way the water feels, the air smells, and surroundings look. I really like Thailand. I want to come back here again sometime. Cheap travel, great beaches, a plethora of adventures, amazing food, nice people, warm air, tropical fruits... I love it! Oh yes, there are some dirty places, scoundrel people, crowded markets, etc. But wonderful things can be found! 

There are a lot of Muslim people here in southern Thailand. It has been an interesting experience, since I've never been anywhere with significant Muslim influence. We have also seen a lot of Indian food and influence. One of my favorite southern Thailand foods is the papaya salad. Surprisingly it is not a sweet dish, but a spicy and crunchy salad. Love it! 

The curry in Thailand has been incredible. There are some ingredients that are so aromatic and have such lovely flavor combinations that are to die for. 

Also, I have seen far more speedos and perma-wedgies here than I wanted to in a lifetime. I'm kinda glad it's winter at home so I don't have to see any more for a few months at least. The foreign travelers continue to predominately be from Europe. We also meet quite a few Indians, other asians, and middle easterners. 

Tomorrow it is back to Bangkok for us. I admit that I kinda dread the huge city after all the peaceful island time we just had. There is a lot to do there though, and we want to do a little shopping at their big markets before we head home. 

I'm excited to be home in my own bed and back to a normal diet, exercise, and life pattern. But I will dream of the ocean and the air here... especially with the weather they've been getting back home😩

If there is heaven on earth, we found it in the Adaman Sea!

Tuesday.

 Best birthday eve ever! Please don't excuse our goofy snorkel faces. 

 

On the morn of January 17th we set off on our adventure to visit the Phi Phi islands (about a 90 minute boat ride from our island, Koh Jum). As I mentioned previously, we decided to skip the big tour boats and hired our own long tail to get us there. I say "hired" because our boat also came with two Thai men to be our guides, captain, and providers of fresh fruit:). 

 We visited 3 of the Phi Phi islands starting with the high cliffed Koh Phi Phi Leh. That is the island with the famous Maya Bay (where the movie "the Beach" was filmed). We didn't stop there because there were about 500 too many people for our taste. The areas we did visit were gorgeous!! The rocks towered over us and the water.... That WATER!!!😍 it was clear blue and emerald over white sands. And warm and delightful to swim in. We snorkeled at several coves and enjoyed the rainbow fish. We even saw a sting ray. Here are some shots from our first stops.

My best attempt at a dive shot off the boat. Don't mind my behind 😆 

The best adventure buddy!

 

 

 

 

 

One of the most spectacular beaches we visited today was called Monkey beach. Because it was lousy with monkeys! They looked cute at first, but they're sassy little thieves and I ended up shooing most of them away. 

 

But did you notice that pure white sand??! It was soft as fresh snow and so beautiful!

 

Yes, my legs are really that blotchy from rookie application of sunscreen. 

But that water! And that jungle!👌

 

 

Heaven on 🌏 

 

 I wanna live here. In this water. With the monkeys. 

 

Ok, ok, I'll stop obsessing over the water and finish my story. 

After cruising around Koh Phi Phi Leh we circled Koh Phi Phi Don. Our guide offered to take us to go shopping... Pffff! No way would we waste good ocean time! I wanted maximized time to gawk at nature.

The trip got adventurous when our boat broke down in the middle of the water. Our trusty Captain and his liege fixed her right up, with the help of the chopping knife they used to cut our watermelon:). 

At least it was a beautiful place to be stranded for a while.

Later we went near Bamboo island for some more snorkeling. It was so relaxing just to glide along the top of the water, feeling that perfectly warm ocean around me, while watching the fish and coral beneath. I never wanted to leave the water. I have more sunburns to prove it...

The last adventure was our trip back to Koh Jum. We saw ominous dark clouds as soon as we started the crossing. When we were about 30 minutes from shore the torrential rain started. It pelted our poor captain more than us. The ocean was still relatively calm, so each of the thousands of raindrops created their own perfect splash as they hit the water. It was  lovely! And cold.

We weren't nervous until we realized that our guides were lost. The clouds in front of us had become so thick that none of us could see where we were going. And we definitely couldn't tell which way the island was. One of the guys said (in his heavily accented English) "Hallo!! Koh Jum, where are you?". That boosted our confidence... haha, we were all laughing and of course we found our island evantually. We came home and ate way too much at the local restaurant and watched the sun set behind the Phi Phi islands in the distance.

 

Island paradise

Monday morning we left Ao Nang for our island destination of Koh Jum. It's a fairly small island on to the southeast of Krabi. 

Rena and I crossing the Adaman sea:

 

The main ferry was headed to another island called Koh Lanta, so our bungalow place had to come pick us up in the middle of the ocean and take us to the shore.

Ok, this place is AWESOME! Our lovely bungalow is situated right on the quiet and secluded beach. There aren't 10,000 tourists blasting music and littering my ocean view. The sand is soft and light. The breeze is perfect. We have a hammock on our porch,  lawn chairs on the beach, shade trees, and miles of ocean! We changed our booking from one night to two. We may have to make it 3...

View from the water:

 

View from our porch:

 

Never going home!

  

On the downside, we had to traips halfway across the island in the boiling heat to get cash to pay for our bungalow (who doesn't take a credit card these days!?). It was a sweaty adventure through the more local part of the island:

 

Overall, I think I will be very happy here. We don't have A/C, the shower and bathroom are one and the same, and there's not a place to buy anything decent for miles... But! We will fall asleep to the sounds of the ocean and crickets. Smell the jungle around us. Read in a hammock. Listen to the thunder clap. Wake up to breakfast with the local and super friendly bungalow staff for some good Thai cooking. This place is idyllic.   

 

 

And for tomorrow?? No more crazy your boat packed with excited chaos! Our awesome bungalow village offered us a private snorkeling tour to the Phi Phi islands! These introverts are avoiding the crowds as much as possible and loving it! 

Crabby in Krabi

1/15/17

 I'm not really crabby, I just wanted a catchy title.

 

So... I got my wish for sunshine! And yes, I have a sunburn. I'm 28 years old and I still have not learned the art of proper sunscreen application. Let's hope this one doesn't cause too much trauma. 

Today is Sunday but there isn't a church within 200 miles, so we just laid low and enjoyed time near the lovely Adaman sea. It is pretty here but there are a lot of people. There are masses of tour boats that take people to the neighboring islands for the blue beaches and better snorkeling. We are considering taking a trip out there, but part of me dreads the cheesy tour-trapped feel of being packed on a boat with 20 other wide eyed newcomers with selfie sticks. We shall see.

It's just nice just to be here. The air is warm, the food is good, the scenery is beautiful. I have no responsibilities and no worries at all. I'm grateful for my wonderful friends who are caring for the animals at home and my collegues working extra so that I can be off adventuring. It's quite a luxury to have 2 weeks of holiday. 

About a week before I left for Thailand I had the bright idea that I could sell all my stuff and move to Southeast Asia and live quite comfortably for a few years. I could rent an apartment, cruise on a moped (like all the locals do), be a fruit-eating beach bum, learn a new language, and basically have the life of ease. Sounds good, right? Well it was a fleeting thought. As much as I love this sticky, warm place, I realize more all the time how much I love the Pacific Northwest. And my home! I love my little country life, with my people, animals, and beautiful adventures near where I live. I love the drier air there, the 4 seasons (even the bleak, dark winter), the mountains, and the peace and quiet. Don't worry, I'm not homesick and I'm still stoked about the next week here. I'm just appreciating what I have in my life and realizing that I am already doing what I love.  

 

Sick, sunshine, and Thai cuisine!

Friday:

I have a cold. I see a lot of local people wearing respiratory masks, presumably to protect themselves from germ bags like me. I'm trying to keep it to myself, I promise!

Our last day and a half in Chiang Mai were pretty chill. We ate lots of street fruits, satay, mango sticky rice, and fried bananas. Yes, I'm gonna get chubby. Worth it. 

We finally got some sunshine this last day, which has been nice. After washing our clothes 2 days ago, they were still damp this morning! And they smell funny! Gross. I'm going to come home stinky. Haha, it's just so humid! I'm definitely going to find a laundry service next time I need to do the washing. 

We are currently on our way to Krabi, where we are REALLY hoping to get some sun. I have been in Thailand for about 5 days and I still glow in the dark! The 3 days of rain haven't helped. 

Here are a few more Chiang Mai photos

 

   

 

Natalie the klepto monkey

Mangosteen: most amazing flavor of them all! 

 

Saturday January 14:

My cold has hit harder. I'm really dragging, but luckily we have time to relax! The beaches here in Ao Nang are pretty, with the high rocks that dot the water and the long tail boats.   We want to go see some islands at some point, but for now it is warm and beautiful right here.

 

 

 

Today we went to Krabi cookery for Thai cooking lessons! We made 10 different Thai dishes, including curry paste from scratch and the amazing mango sticky rice. I was surprised by how simple is was to make some of those delectable Thai dishes. The key, I believe, is to find the right ingredients, which aren't always easy to find in America. For example, galangal, fresh turmeric, keffir lime, and tamarind paste. It was heavenly tasty food:) 

 

 

Chiang Mai oh my!

Something surprising to me since arriving in Thailand is the amount of foreign travelers that are not from the United States. We have met more people from Holland and other European countries than we have Americans. I feel so lucky that English is pretty much the universal language here. The Thais, Chinese, and Europeans all find common language with English. I'm not complaining:)

 

We mostly ride around in covered pickup beds and tuk tuks.

 

We arrived in Chiang mai on Monday around noon. It was really refreshing to be away from the bigger city, even though Chiang mai is not small. 

The first item on our list was to go visit the Tigers. They were so beautiful! It was a once in a lifetime experience to pet and play with them. We weren't allowed to pet their faces, which is understandable;)

 

 

These fellas were gorgeous!

I am making a list of all the fruits I'm trying. Some are fabulous, others just ok. Here's the list so far...

Mango, pineapple, "red pepper", jack fruit, ground cherries, persimmon, bananas, guava, papaya, passion fruit, dragon fruit, coconut, watermelon, strawberry, jungle apple (yummy!), unknown "chihuahua" fruit, mangosteen, pomelo. 

The most unique was the durian fruit. My favorite has been the super sweet pineapple and mangos. To die for!!

On Tuesday morning I woke up feeling kinda ill. I think it's a little cold or something. It wasn't enough to keep me from our jungle adventure! It was one of the things I most looked forward to when planning our trip. 

We woke up early to more rain... but it was mostly done by the time our truck arrived at the trail. The jungle hills are so beautiful!! I felt like we were part of "the Jungle Book". 

 

 

 

 

We stopped for lunch at this water fall. We helped our guide (whose American name is Chicken) make the food over tiny little fires.

The villagers all have to participate in the rice growing effort in order to have enough to eat for the year.

 

We (Rena, another American duo, our guide, and I) hiked until about 15:30 to our Karen village hut. Let me tell you, it is just a hut. No electricity. And the toilet is... special.  Mosquitos galore. Camp beds. Hopefully no fleas in the bedding.  And I LOVE it!!! I think Rena might have some choice words for me later.... and will likely monitor my trip decisions more closely;)

THIS is the view from our "bedroom" 😍:

 

And this is our "bedroom"

 

Oh yes, Chicken made me a jungle wreath

 

It was fun to walk through the Karen village and interact with the hill tribe. They live in simple huts and have very few necessities. 

 

 

Our night was cool and damp. The jungle sounds and smells were nice, with the rain on the roof and the insects outside. The morning came really early with the rooster starting at about 3am and the chickens clucking under our hut soon thereafter. 

My second jungle hat from Chicken:

 

Our guide (Chicken) with our little hiking group:

 

After the 2 day hike we did some very wet bamboo rafting down the river...

 

Ok, so the most amazing part of the last few days!!! Elephants! I've never been close to one before... and today I rode one!!! Meeting them was kinda surreal. They are so interactive and grabby with their trunks. We fed them sugar cane, bathed a young one in the river, loved on them, and rode through the river and jungle. I'm used to riding horses (as you know), so the elephant movement was so strange to me. It's slow and kind of like riding a wave. They walked down some slippery hills and didn't have any problems at all. And they respond to voice commands with impressive obedience. Makes my horses look naughtier than usual. 

 

  

 

 

So far I am in love with Thailand! The last few days in the country were the highlight so far. The elephants were so beautiful and funny. The jungle was fresh and lush. And chilly... I'm excited to sleep in a drier bed tonight:)