Welcome to Chiang Mai!

This is the largest city in northern Thailand (2nd largest in Thailand next to Bangkok. The climate here is quite tropical, cool in the mornings but warming to mild-hot in the mid-day before cooling in the evenings. We visited this city because it is known as the cultural capital of Thailand, there are many sites to visit - more temples than any other city and an old city with historic walls. The city is surrounded by lush mountains known as Doi Inthanon - connected to the Himalayas with over 50 national parks.

Celebrating our arrival at the gate tot he old city!

We arrived on a Sunday and went right to our apartment-hotel where we have a nice room overlooking the pool. Alex had painful ears and the cough from Canada, so we went to the hospital - not an great way to start our time here but we had a good experience. The hospital is a large complex with a special section for children, we were seen by nurses and then waited for the doctor. Luckily, the doctor spoke some English and with the help of our translation app we were able to communicate. The medical staff determined Alex has a middle ear infections from her cold and viral bronchitis, they gave her three medicines to take for a week.

Our first cultural adventure was the famous Sunday night market, where vendors line both sides of the street selling everything from food and crafts to household items. Lights glowed everywhere, so many languages could be heard and Thai people roamed alongside foreigners enjoying the treats.

Reflective Reporting about Koi Samui by Alex

Hello blog readers,

My name is Alex and I'm in charge of wrapping up the reporting of Koh Samui. It was warm and hot most mornings, it was sunny and there was a light breeze. By the afternoon there was sometimes a heavy wind, but the clouds in the afternoon helped to cool off the heat of the day.  We loved the weather, it was a perfect way to start our time in Thailand!

Our resort was called Bandara and it is one of the fanciest places that we have ever stayed. Every morning we got to eat breakfast down by the sea over looking the beach. Breakfast was an all you can eat buffet - also a first for us (except for the Mandarin with London family in October). There were many different options of traditional Thai food or Western breakfast food. We tried lots of new things like dumplings, curry, seafood, and new fresh fruits. The fresh fruits were my favorite and there was an endless supply of juices to try - every colour, I liked the pink and green ones but the mango is a family favourite. After breakfast we often went for a wander along the busy streets to enjoy the mopeds passing by, notice the many wires above our heads and look for other things that were similar or different from home.

At the resort I enjoyed swimming in the many pools, my favorite was the largest pool with little elephants where their trunks were fountains putting water into the pool. Too bad we didn't get a photo of this :( - oh well - it was fun to swim under the spray of their spouts and play on the benches in the shade of the trees. One morning we went very early to do some laps and we got a cool Pagoda with mattresses in it - the whole thing looked like a small box with two little comfy bed-chairs. It was fun to lay there to warm up and then jump in the pool!

Most nights we went out for dinner. Sometimes we looked for a place close to the hotel and other times we wandered through the Fisherman's Village or a small market nearby. One particular night we stopped at a restaurant called The Thai Tapas and they had many different options for food, my favorite was a colorful meal with with different dyed rice and food that sparkled because it was sprayed with food paint. We met the owner who was a French man, who taught us about how he dehydrates fruit to make natural dyes for the rice and he Imports the gold, silver and purple edible sprays made out of potassium from France. He put a little bit of gold spray on our hands - which we rubbed on to our faces and it made us sparkle, I never want to rub it off!

It was fun to walk around at night and see all the people and all the lights. There were so many shops to go in and little stalls selling things we might not have been able to see in Canada, such as crafts made out of teak, textiles with elephants, hand carved colorful soaps made-to look like flowers, lots of incense and flower shaped hair clips. We did not buy anything but we did enjoy looking and watching all the people. Everything about Samui was fun!

Samui was a great place to have our first Thai experience and get over the jetlag from 30 hours of travel! We had a wonderful 5 days and even the airport was nice - it was all open-air, with no walls. Good bye Samui - we are off to Chiag Mai!

Love from Alex 

Ang Thong National Marine Park

 

Hello family and friends, 

As our time in Ko Samui came to an end we decided to take a one day boat adventure to Ang Thong National Marine Park, the name means "golden basin". The park was established in 1980 and consists of 42 islands which are robustly maintained and governed by Thai authorities, it costs 300 Baht (about $10) for the day and you can only access it with a tour operator but once there you could book to stay and camp (which we did not). The islands are largely uninhabited, they are rugged limestone embankmenkments covered with trees, lush vegetation and caves. Apparently the novel, "The Beach" was filmed here - a film none of us have seen but one which made this area famous. 

We signed up for a speed boat tour, which included about 30 people on a long boat with three engines racing across the sea. There were people from all over the world on our boat, we met some French, Austrian and Germans - though most people, including the tour operator, communicated in English, it was not the dominant language spoken with lots of pauses as one person did translations for their group. After a quick breakfast and some trip info we made our way onto the sea...  with a plan for many stops across the islands to hike, kayak and snorkel. Our family sat at the back of the boat, we were shaded and comfortable to see out to the horizon but once it got wavy we were pretty wet! Thankfully, none of the seats were reserved so we shifted closer to the captain for later segments of the trip. Our first stop was to kayak - 2 people per sit-a-top boat to enjoy the rock formations. Unfortunately, the wind was already getting strong and it was a lot of work! The girls were champions, paddling in the front like mad. 

Next, we went for a hike on the main park island where there is a visitor centre and we hiked 500 meters straight up a mountain aided by a rope. The footing was tricky and the heat intense but the view was worth it. Even though 500 meters doesn't sound far - every step is effortful so we made distractions with others by humming and singing - sometimes the same song in different languages! People were helping one another up the steepest parts and it seemed like a great accomplishment. 

Later, on another island, we visited Ko Mae Ko, which means mother island and we saw an emerald saltwater lake that is connected to the sea with underwater caves. This was also a steep trip up but with the aid of concrete stairs and boardwalks! As long as you held on all the time, it was not dangerous and the climb only took about 20 minutes. 

The snorkeling was a bit of a bust because the wind had continued to build all day but the girls still got to wear snorkle masks for the first time and do a bit of swimming in a beach/bay area. We also enjoyed walking the beach to make use of the rope and tire swings - chatting with people from Australia and Tasmania who are living in Thailand to teach and learn Thai. All in all, it was a great day - so fun to be outside, to see new things while learning more about this beautiful place! 

 Hello Everyone,

Today we went on a fun cultural tour around Ko Samui island. It was so nice to drive around the island and see life in action. The roads are narrow and winding - they are also busy bustling places where business is conducted through market stalls or small shops. We saw a lot of people everywhere, there are many tourists - especially in the areas where there are cafes and beaches. For the day out, our family took a car to 5 attractions: the Big Buddha statue, a mix of three religious temples, Grandmother and Grandfather Rocks, Chaweng Beach, and a mummified monk!   

At the Big Buddha site we saw lots of small temples, people burning incense and praying, and a monk. There were lots of people there on the morning we visited. The Big Buddha statue was built in 1972, and has been a main tourist attraction every since. At the parking area there were many shops selling local crafts and textiles everywhere. Then we wandered to the statue which was up a steep set of stairs, so we had a nice breeze, even though it was hot outside. The view from the statue was great, you could see coastline in both directions and the turquoise sea. As we walked the perimeter of the statue you could ring bells that had deep sounds - they were almost like large gongs with wooden wands. 

When we went to the next temple, we were only expecting one. Instead, there were 3! One was a traditional Buddhist temple, the other was a Hindu temple, and the last was a Chinese temple. The temples were "floating" out on the water. On the sides there were big fish that you could feed. The picture we are sharing is of the main statue of Guanyin, with 18 arms. She is the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion. There are elements of Thai and Chinese traditions in the temple design. This temple complex is called, Wat Plai Laem and it is considered a living and active temple where people come daily to pay respects to Guanyin and Buddha. 

Further along the coast are the Grandmother and Grandfather rocks which were a really pretty destination of granite rocks by the ocean. The rocks have a sad tale behind them ... the Grandmother and Grandfather went searching for a wife for their son but on the journey the weather capsized their tiny boat and they ended up on the shore where their bodies were turned to stone. The rocks overlooked the ocean, with other islands in the background. After taking in the view we enjoyed some locally made ice cream.

Our second-last stop was Chaweng Beach. This is definitely a party beach with loud music and a beach bar. We only stayed for about 10 minutes, but we got to dip our toes in the ocean and take in the scene. The sand was definitely nicer than where we stayed but the party vibe was a bit much for my mom and dad! This seems like a place our cousins, Demetria and Christina (or any 20-something person) would have a lot of fun!

Lastly, we visited a mummified monk. It was really cool to see. The monk, Luang Pho Daeng, died in 1973 while meditating. His body has not really decayed, and he is still rocking hair and teeth. At the temple/museum, the monk sits in a glass case. He is still wearing his orange monk robes, and a pair of sunglasses! :) 

Picture from: https://www.limesamui.com/activities/mummified-monk

Love Bella from Thailand xoxo

Fire Show on the Beach

We really liked the fire show on New Year's Eve - it was an explorsion of flame and human strength with agility! Now it seems like everytime we go walking in Fisherman's Village (a major tourist hot spot near our hotel) we see more fire shows. We thought you might like to learn a bit more and see an example!

According to our searching: 

"The history of fire shows in Thailand can be traced back to traditional Thai festivals, where fire was a central part of celebrations and rituals. The art form has evolved over time from traditional displays to full-fledged performance art." 

New Year's Eve Celebration on the Beach!

Hello family and friends, 

Happy 2025! We rang in the New Year at our first vacation hotel on the beautiful island of Koi Samui. We have a nice 'family room' right off the lush pool area with breakfast in the oceanfront restaurant every morning. We arrived in time to have a nap before the festivities on the beach started - and we celebrated with about 400 other people! The buffet was a city block long and there was tons of sea food, it was nice to eat with our toes in the sand. There was live music all night and the highlight was a fire show, which seems to be very popular here! We did not plan to stay up till midnight, we were VERY tired but we had a little key mix up and were locked out of our room so we ended up seeing the fireworks go off at the hotel and across the bay. It was pretty cool because the sky lit up all around us for about 15 minutes - then, just when you thought it was over, there was a sign that came to life with a slow burn to say - HAPPY 2025! I'm really glad we ended up seeing one year roll over into the next and it was weird to think  everyone in Canada was still in 2024. 

p.s. you can't put magnetic room keys near electronic devices (like phones)

 Hello Everyone! 

After a SUPER long day of traveling, we have arrived safely in Thailand! Our flights were smooth and everything went great. Flight number one was 15+ hours. We got of that plane and then boarded our last flight of the day for 6 hours. Thankfully, our hotel was about a 10 minute drive from the second airport. 

As you can imagine, we were all pretty tired when we finally arrived. We all got pretty good sleep our first night, which is good. The time change is crazy!! All the napping on the plane was very helpful though.   :) 

The weather here is beautiful and we are just about to enjoy a swim in the hotel pool. Around two thirty we will head to the airport to catch our flight to a Thai island of Koi Samui where we will be staying. 

Hope everyone is enjoying the rest of their break! 

Bella and family 

🌴🌞🩷