dolma kora

Day 23: Chiang Rai [Feb 27, 2015]

Woke up at 4:30 am to greet the sun rise over misty mountains of Laos from Phu Chee Fah! Watching the sun rise and set does something to my spirit. I find it very spiritual in that moment - greeting it for the warmth and light it provides our planet Earth as it rises above the horizon and giving thanks as it sets below the horizon. 

It is in this moment that nothing else matters - taking time to appreciate a sacred natural phenomenon and to realize that this is THE most important thing to our existence on planet Earth. 

Day 22: Phu Chee Fah [Feb 26, 2015]

Travel day from Chiang Ria to Phu Chee Fah. 

Day 21: Chiang Rai [Feb 25, 2015]

Travel day from Nan to Chiang Rai. 

Said good bye to this monkey today! River, my Nan travel buddy, is on his first big trip. He is from England and he is backpacking with his dad. He kind of misses home, but is warming up to Thai food.  

Day 20: Nan [Feb 24, 2015]

Nan - Old Living City: I had such a pleasure visiting this unique city for two nights. Nan is not your usual backpacker destination town. It doesn’t have a farrang road, nor are the menus in English. Foreigners make up only 10 percent of its annual visitors.  

It sits near Laos border filled with unique temples built by its past kings which attracts local Thai tourists from around the country. This city prides itself in its cultural and environmental heritage, and preservation. 

I spent my day biking around the city, visiting temples, locating places to eat, and enjoying beautiful wooden Laana architecture. I also spent some time in the afternoon visiting Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA) office learning about their ecotourism campaign. Thanks to their kind staff for taking the time to talk to me about their organization and city with enthusiasm and kindness – I felt welcomed and could sense their pride in their home and heritage. 

Day 19: Nan [Feb 23, 2015]

Day 18: Chiang Mai [Feb 22, 2015]

Day 17: Chiang Mai [Feb 21, 2015]

Day 16: Pai [Feb 20, 2015]

Spent my day, I mean my afternoon, hiking through jungle up to Mae Yen waterfall. Felt exhausted at the end of the day, but super happy! 

Losar Tashi Delek!

Day 13: Pai [Feb 17, 2015] 

Travel to Pai in the deathly mini-van up and around the windy mountains road. 

Day 10: Ayutthaya [Feb 15, 2015]

Bike around temple ruins, eat, bike some more and eat some more!

Day 9: Travel day from Kanchanaburi to Ayutthaya [Feb 14, 2015]

Day 8: Kanchanaburi - Eve of Valentine's day [Feb 13, 2015]

Day 7: Erawan National Park [Feb 12, 2015]

Day 6: Erawan National Park [Feb 11, 2015]

Day 5: Kanchanaburi [Feb 10, 2015]