On the Road Again

After five months in Lampang, we are once again living from our bags. We haven’t been very good bloggers lately. That’s partly because we’ve been keeping busy with many things, but it’s also because we’re coming home so soon.

After we moved out of our apartment and said our goodbyes to our dear landlords, we only got as far as the Thai Elephant Conservation Center where we participated in the Homestay program. It was a two day, one night program where you “learned how to be a mahout.” We didn’t think we’d enjoy it much. I feel guilty riding elephants. I’d much rather help them from afar, but we actually had a great time. We had lovely elephants – Wanalee (12) and JoJo (17). They are both brilliant elephants and are the stars of the show. We have a video of us and the elephants, so be looking forward to that :)

After the TECC we went to Chiang Mai just in time for Songkran (Thai New Year). Can I just say…crazy…absolutely crazy. Three days were spent either on the moat or next to a facet where we filled up buckets of water and threw them on ANYONE that went by. Everyone else returned the favor. Songkran originally was a much less intense holiday –you would go around gently blessing people will drops of water on their arm. Now, instead of drops of water, it’s entire buckets of water. Often containing ice…Not only were you soaking wet from head to toe the whole time, but everyone around you was drinking, dancing, and laughing. Crazy I tell you! Crazy! (But fun).

After Songkran we needed a little recovery time so we went on a road trip with our good friend Josh to Nan. Nan is a smaller town that’s very relaxed. The first day we got there we were just driving around the town and we saw that many people were going into a temple so we decided to join them. This ended up being an amazing experience and they were sooo incredibly happy to have “farang” (foreigners) in there.

The next day we went to a national park that was far up into the mountains. The air was so much cooler and cleaner up there. There were some stunning views.

After Nan Monte and I got on a night train and went to the ancient capital of Siam, Ayutthaya. Many people say that if you can’t make it to Angkor Wat, then you should at least go to Ayutthaya. It was too bad that the Burmese came through long ago and destroyed much of these temples, but what is left is stunning. We met up with our friend Millie who lives at an elephant camp just outside the city. She took us all around to see the sites, both by road and by boat. What a great city!


Then we took a short train ride to Bangkok and had some down time before our next night train down south. We went to visit the biggest reclining Buddha in Thailand. Absolutely beautiful. We saw no signs of protesters whatsoever. In fact, had we not read the news, we wouldn’t even know anything had happened.


Next stop, Koh Tao Island to get our open water diver certificates! We fell in love with diving and can’t wait to continue! Now we are on Koh Phangan and are having a great time relaxing on a beach that has spectacular swimming. Today we rented a motorbike and explored the island which turned into an adventure after getting a flat tire in the middle of nowhere…good times.

Tomorrow our plan is to head out of the gulf of Thailand and onto the other side to a national marine park. Then, to Malaysia! We will be there until May 18th and can’t wait to explore one last country before our return to reality.

Leaving Lampang

April 8th marks the last day in our apartment in Lampang. How well this room has treated us. From our window we have a view of the city and a temple. Sitting in our window sill over-looking the city and mountains…just watching life exist…a life that is different than my own. Irreplaceable.

I never experienced culture shock in Thailand like I did in India or Cambodia, but there are so many things that are different…so many things that are both wonderful and almost strange…

...driving on the other side of the road… doing laundry by hand and hanging it to dry…businessmen drinking whiskey at lunch…people drinking beer in food courts…bringing your own alcohol to bars and clubs…straws given for every beverage purchased…instead of “how are you,” people ask, “Have you eaten recently? What did you eat?”…a “go first, look later” mentality while driving…seafood flavored chips and crackers…double pork burger with cheese flavored chips…no public displays of affection…people always wanting to know what you’re carrying in your bag(s)…the worship of nature…building roads and structures around trees…tile flooring everywhere…showers having no stalls (you can shower while on the toilet if you wished!)…no bathtubs…temples of immense intricacies……deep respect for elders…people wai-ing each other…wai-ing trees and mountains…little Saturday…a love for holidays and festivals… people smiling at each other…all the time…finding value in happiness…a disinterest in foreign cuisines, resulting in their own cuisine’s decadence…everyone stopping what they are doing at 6PM to listen to a song in honor of His Majesty the King...

The list could continue. This is a wonderful country and I understand why so many people “get stuck” here. While Monte and I are excited for the next steps that lie ahead, Lampang will be missed. Packing up our apartment was bittersweet. It was our first apartment in a foreign country, our home away from home.

Our next step? Wednesday we will stay at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center to take park in the homestay program. We’re doing an evaluation on the program and will get to play with elephants too :) Then it’s up to Chiang Mai for Songkran, Thai New Year, where it’s customary to throw water on all individuals you see for three days straight…Then? We’ll get our PADI open water diving certificates on Koh Tao, then head to Malaysia for a couple weeks, then we’ll fly home on May 20th!

Feelings of excitement, reminiscence, happiness, and sadness surround us…