August 3, 2014
In just 10 days I will be making my way to Thailand for my first trip into Asia. I have been wanting to get to Thailand for some time now and this trip has been in the works for about 9 months. I will be joining a group of strangers for this adventure and I am really looking forward to meeting them and seeing how I get on with them. As is true for most trips, the planning is a big part of it and the time just before departing seems to go the fastest. Just some last minutes things to work out and I'm all set!!!
The itinerary is set and all hotels, transportation, and some meals are all set. I will be trying to use this site to journal my trip as it goes along. I see a lot of blogs out there and wonder if it something that I could do (like a lot of folks, it seems). I don't know that I always have exciting things going on to fill a blog but I think this trip will be something to talk about, so I'm giving it a go!
Itinerary
Bangkok - natural staring point for Thailand. I'm looking forward to this because my impresion is that it can be a bit crazy along with a sense of history and spirituality which is an interesting mix in my mind. We will have dinner at Baiyoke Tower (75 floors up!), see the Grand Palace and Wat Po, take a boat ride on the Chao Praya River, and check out the old city.
Chaing Mai - one overnight train ride and we will be in the north of the country in Chaing Mai where we will spend three days. Here we will see some more Buddhist temples, local markets, the Doi Suthep mountaintop temple, get thai massages, and see the Doi Inthanon National Park for some treking and visiting some villages.
Lampang - Time to see the elephants! We will be visiting the FAE Elephant Hospital to learn everything about this great animals.
Sukkothai - former capital of Thailand, we will spend two days here to see the beautiful countryside, villages, and ruins by bicycle.
Kaho Yai - in the central part of the country we will spend three days in the National Park where there are many activities to choose from - hiking, waterfall visits, caves, and wildlife viewing. This should be a nice place to relax and enjoy nature.
Siem Reap, Cambodia - I guess when you are in the area you have to go to into Cambodia to see the Angor Wat. After a bit of a drive and getting through customs, we will cehck out town for a bit. Over the next two days we will be able to see the sunrise and sunset over the jungles surrounding the Wat and enjoy the Kampong Kliang River's floating villages.
Then, its back to Bangkok. I've got a couple days there before I have to fly back to Switzerland and I'm not sure what I'll do yet.
Any suggestions?
I am truly looking forward to this trip. I have no idea about what to expect and that is a bit exhilirating. I am sure there will be times I am uncomfortable because of the wicked heat and humidity, travel conditions that are not the same as what I'm used to, or perhaps because of the people I'm with. To think of this can be daunting, but I am sure for every uncomfortable moment, there will be numerous amazing memories. And that is the basic purpose of traveling, I think: to get out of your comfort zone and come through it a better person.
