Thailand
Today is better than two tomorrows
Thai Proverb
Thailand is the ultimate backpacker's destination. It's a rite of passage these days for most travelers, lugging bags down Khao Sahn road amidst the madness. And we definitely did what we could to make the most of our time in Thailand.
We worked on two volunteer projects-- the first was helping a Buddhist Monastery build a new temple and sustainable living community in the jungle near Khon Kaen. The second was working for a zoo in Kanchanaburi-- we spent our days helping to improve enclosures, enrich the lives of the animals, and befriending lions, monkeys, and giraffes. It was pretty spectacular.
We traveled to all corners of the country-- but the Thai islands and the waterfalls of Erawan earn a place of special mention. The islands were blissfully peaceful, and the waterfalls were some of the most beautiful we'd seen. And then, of course, there was the food. Sweet coconut and flaming-hot curries, savory pad thai and tom yum soup-- I could eat Thai food till the day I die, quite happily.
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The Safari Park Zoo
We arrived in Kanchanaburi unsure of what to expect of our time at the Safari Park Open Zoo. A young couple arrived, out of breath, with mud on their boots and a few holes in their shirts. “Sorry we’re late and covered in poo!”
The Mindfulness Project
We were in Khon Kaen because we had volunteered to help with the Mindfulness Project, a Buddhist monastery that was being built in the jungle along with a sustainable community to give housing to the homeless of the city.
Basking on the Thai Islands
A very long over night bus ride took us south to the coast. We caught a ferry in Chumphon to Ko Tao. From there we rented a scooter and were ready to whisk off into the island mountains...
Learning to Cook in Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai is known for all its outdoor recreation. We didn’t do any of that. Instead, we took a cooking class.
We headed to the Thai Kitchen Cookery Centre, where they promptly loaded us into a tuk tuk with a group of other students and whisked us away to the market.
Thailand and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Bus
We hit some of the tourist spots — saw the royal palace, Wat Arun, rode up and down the canal on a taxi boat, and got scammed by a Tuk Tuk driver...
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