Sukhothai

Leaving Chiang Mai after the Yi Peng ceremony, we headed south to Sukhothai, an ancient city known for it's ruins and Loy Krathong celebration.  After 239 baht and 5 hours on a bus, we arrived in the lower region of Northern Thailand. 

The city is divided in two (Old Sukhothai and the new city).  Old Sukhothai was the capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom from 1238 to 1438 and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site with many ruins.  The buddha statues and old wats attract many tourists yearly and the grounds can be explored on a bicycle. 

It was quieter and had fewer people compared to the other major tourist destinations in Thailand, so we celebrated Loy Krathong with mostly locals and Thai travelers-- a nice change from all the touristy sites.  Loy Krathong is celebrated in Sukhothai for several days where the entire old city is lit up and lively until late at night.  The town's population support the week-long festivities in Old Sukhothai where parades, dance ceremonies, live music performances, krathong competitions and light shows are found among a maze of food, cultural and shopping booths. The city looked magical.

Wat Mahathat

 

packed songthaew to Old Sukhothai

 

Kao Tok Pra Ruang (considered a powerful good luck charm from Sukhothai region)

Loy Krathong in Old Sukhothai

Elephants On Parade

Surin

Surin is a town in the Isan region of Thailand known for their annual Elephant Round-up.  After 6 hours in a train from Bangkok, 2 hours in a bus (the train was stalled due to an accident and the bus drove us to another train station to catch an alternate train), and 3 more hours on a train again, we finally arrived in the north eastern area of Thailand, about an hour and a half from the Thai-Cambodian border.  We came for the annual Elephant Round-Up as a stop on our transit to Siem Reap.  There were not many "farangs" in town, so we joined the many Thai travelers at the ceremony.

 

Elephant Soccer

Thai tanned after the beaches

Endless Summer

It's been exactly 2 months since I landed in sunny Oz and what an exciting journey it's been. Despite Melbourne's constant bipolar climate, the season is actually starting to change with a feeling of crisper, cooler temperature than I've felt in almost a year. My chase for summer appears to be on hold as I become more settled in the surroundings of south eastern Australia. 

Being a person who's always had a passion for traveling, but never lived far from home, everyday has been an adventure getting by in a country that has no record of your existence (no credit history or Australian identification).  The best part of this time abroad (other than the fact that it's ultimately just an extended vacation) is that I've been able to gain more perspective into this massive world.  First and foremost, I can definitely see why Melbourne is known as the world's most livable city! There's so much to see and do here (great for the artist, wino, sports enthusiast, etc.) I don't see how anyone could possibly get bored--especially in the summertime with all the festivals, markets and beach.  This city has such a sense of community and Melburnians are proud and happy to share their melting pot culture with travelers.  Whether it's just to sit at Fed Square in the middle of a Monday and watch the Academy Awards on the big screen or stay up from sunset to sunrise walking the streets of the city to enjoy the free music performances, artist exhibits and light shows of White Night, the Melbourne masses come out to support the festivities. 

But spending the past couple months in Australia has also left me appreciating bits of home that I've taken for granted all my life.  Sometimes I catch myself getting a little nostalgic for L.A. and missing family, but thank goodness video chats and care packages are quick fixes.  From the time I landed to now, I'm still completely happy to be here and blessed to have this opportunity to explore at this stage in life.

I can't believe how quickly time has flown in the exciting city, I've been lucky enough to call a temporary "home" and looking forward to more experiences in the months to come! 

Australia Day 2013

 

 St. Kilda Festival

The Cat Empire sunset set

 

Melbs Street Art

 

 White Night 2013

White Night on Princes Bridge

Light Display on St. Paul's Cathedral

Live Music at Flinders Street Station

 Country and Ocean

Khao Sok

 Khao Sok is a 130 million years old beautiful jungle national park that is home to a wide variety of exotic fauna and flora, including the world's largest flower, Rafflesia.  There are many sights to see and activities to do in Khao Sok including jungle trekking, visiting the numerous waterfalls and spending several nights on a floating bungalow in the lake.

We stayed at an adorable family-run bungalow style hut guesthouse, Khao Sok Palmview Resort.  The family was so welcoming and kind, treating us like part of the family. "Mama" and her son Kong take care of everything around the guesthouse and are always around to offer helping hands to their guests.  The bungalows are nothing fancy, but definitely recommended as a place to stay if you're looking for cleanliness, comfort and friendliness with a unique jungle hut feel. 

Khao Sok is a beautiful stop for the nature buff.  I felt the entire area was so different than other part of Thailand I'd seen.  Although it's not far from the main tourist destinations, the isolated jungle and untouched vegetation almost transports you a world away.  It's such a unique part of Thailand that's worth a visit if you're not easily deterred by leeches.  

Khao Sok Village

Massaman Curry

Palmview Resort

Khao Sok Palmview bungalow

Khao Sok family

Paradise.

“If I'd learnt one thing from travelling, it was that the way to get things done was to go ahead and do them. Don't talk about going to Borneo. Book a ticket, get a visa, pack a bag, and it just happens.”
-Alex Garland, The Beach

Worried about keeping to our schedule, we found a travel shop in Ao Nang and made transportation arrangements to Koh Phi Phi and from in advance. However, it is best to wait until you get to Phi Phi so you can make arrangements as you go.  We took the ferry from Krabi at about 9:30am and arrived at the picturesque Koh Phi Phi Don at 11am.  On arrival, we paid a 20 baht fee (contribution to help clean the island) and made our way from Tonsai Bay to our hotel in the middle of the island.  Koh Phi Phi Don is the largest of the Phi Phi Islands and the only island with tourist resorts.  As many know, the Phi Phi Islands are famous for their beauty, beach parties and of course site for the film, "The Beach".  As the movie suggests, these islands are a paradise.  Despite their abuse from the hoards of travelers and backpackers, the islands were everything I'd envisioned Thailand's beaches to be--white sand, warm turquoise sea water, surrounded by limestone cliffs.  This is an ideal destination for snorkeling and scuba diving, as a matter of fact there are several reputable companies that do scuba certification classes (it's a fraction of the scuba certification class costs at home).  We spent the first day exploring the island, relaxing around Loh Dalum Bay, and ended the night at a beachfront bar watching a skilled fire show, drinking a bucket of rum and even partook and limboed with fire.  So fun!

Loh Dalum Bay

Delicious Thai lunch

Tonsai Bay

Fire Show

Buckets O' Rum

Fire Limbo

The next day we did a snorkel full day tour around the Phi Phi Islands by long tail boat (400 baht).  The tour was so much fun!  We spent the entire day, bay hopping starting with Shark Point for some snorkeling.  The water was clear enough to see the coral bed below and colorful sea life swimming about. The tour continued around Koh Phi Phi Don with stops at Rantee Bay, Bamboo Island (a white sand nature reserve where travelers can camp overnight), and Monkey Beach.  Next we worked our way to Koh Phi Phi Leh to spend time at Viking Cave, Pileh Bay (bay that runs like a giant canal between towering limestone cliffs), Loh Samah Bay, and finally the scenic Maya Bay (location site for the film "The Beach").  That night we took a peek in Reggae Bar to see their Muy Thai boxing ring, open for customers to participate in their own fight.

Bamboo Island

Sawatdee Ka

Pileh Bay

Maya Bay

Maya Bay

Reggae Bar's Muy Thai ring

We spent our last day in Phi Phi renting a kayak and exploring on our own.  It was a fantastic way to end our time on the beaches and soak up more sun. 
I wish we had more time on Phi Phi Don.  Although it's touristy, busy and relatively pricey, it's definitely worth a visit.

 

Phi Phi Islands Sunset