Nine Months in Chiang Mai: Explorers Yet Again

Hello everyone! Nine months of living, traveling, & working in Thailand. This month I had a very special visitor … my younger brother David! He had a long break from university and spent around 3 weeks in Thailand. Most of the month of January was traveling and spending time with him. We made soooo many memories. Reconnected, laughed, explored, talked. It was wonderful. Let’s get into what we did exactly …

Bangkok & Chiang Mai

We spent only a day in Bangkok but managed to fit a lot in. We went temple-hopping, ate incredible Thai food (including one meal at a Michelin star restaurant!) and visited beautiful parks. David loved the city life (a bit more than me lol) and said he could totally live in Bangkok. He didn’t have any jet lag and was super hyped to be in Asia. Good vibes!

We came to Chiang Mai for NYE and went to a fun party with my friends. The next few days were spent exploring Chiang Mai … the old city, the mountainous outskirts, my neighborhood. David kept mentioning how cheap every meal was (same as my mother did) and it was funny to see him shocked every time the bill came.

We went to the sticky waterfalls, a very cool reservoir in the mountains, the famous temple Doi Sutep at the top of a cliff, and so much more. David loved walking through the narrow streets of the old city, taking in all the surroundings and Googling every question he had about the history. I was reminded that David is a walking Encyclopedia and loves learning new things, especially about new cultures. This makes him the perfect travel buddy!

He really leaned into Thai culture and we had so many wonderful chats about the customs, lifestyles, morals, and traditions of the Thai people. There are so many nuances that you can only understand when visiting here, and we talked a lot about my experience as a foreigner and how different Thailand is to our upbringing. Being with him was a reminder of home that came just when I was feeling homesick. His presence was just what I needed to feel connected to home.

Pai Fiasco

I had to work so David took the bus to the mega-beautiful, mountain hippie town of Pai by himself. I met him on the weekend. At first, all was good. David rode a motorbike through the mountains, loving the freedom of flying through the stunning landscapes. It’s a surreal feeling when you drive through these mountains for the first time, and I’m glad he got to experience the euphoria.

I met him on Friday, and he went to an amazing live music bar where the band was ROCKING out. We were vibing and having fun, and then we went to the bed. Cue, the fiasco. David got a horrible stomach virus, and was completely out for a few days. At first I thought it was food poisoning, and I wished I could trade places with him. Then I got the stomach virus, and same with my boyfriend. So, it was most definitely contagious, and then I was careful what I wished for lol.

I felt horrible for him, especially because he had to cancel a huge scuba diving trip that he planned months before. Unfortunately, this is life, but thankfully David was incredibly positive and forward-looking. We took a beat, and figured out our next steps.

Khao Sok National Park

Everything turned out okay, as it always does. David even spent a few days in Phuket by himself and got to scuba dive in the stunning Phi Phi island waters! I spent a few days sick in bed, then flew to Phuket (& took a couple buses) to get to the remote, stunning national park Khao Sok. Towering limestone formations, thousands of them, jut out from the seafoam green water, untouched. Dense jungle surrounds a lake, with hundreds of unique animal species inhabitating the space. It’s a special place!

We stayed overnight on a floating bungalow in the middle of the national park. We kayaked, swam, ate, and cruised through the water on a longtail boat. No phone service, and completely remote. Perhaps the craziest part was a hike to a huge cave in the dense jungle. It was 800 meters in length, and we saw bats, snakes, spiders, and all other sorts of creepy crawlers. I was freaking out, but trying to play it cool. At some points the water level was high, so we had to swim through this creepy cave with WHO KNOWS WHAT in the water with us.

One thing about Thailand is that they won’t ask you to sign any waivers or brief you on safety or anything at all. Our guide was even bored at one point and we saw him playing Candy Crush on his phone. We couldn’t stop laughing at that. Imagine, I’m scared that a poisonous snake is going to bite me in the pitch black cave and our guide didn’t have a care in the world. That’s Thailand for you!

Khao Lak

We emerged from the national park sweaty, tired, and in desperate need of R&R. Khao Lak, an island a bit south of the national park, provided us just that. We splurged and stayed at a super nice hotel right near the beach. We sipped cocktails, had a stunning sunset swim in the calm ocean water, and ate good. The beaches in Thailand are AMAZING. Every one I go to I’m amazed by. The water is so blue, so beautiful, it’s truly paradise.

Saying goodbye to David was really sad for me, and I got really emotional. He is truly one of my best friends and I will never forget this time we got to spend together. It was such a blessing to travel with you. Love you bro!

Back in Chiang Mai

The rest of January was spent celebrating Lunar New Year, exploring outside the city with my boyfriend and friends, working, and continuing training Muay Thai!

I just need to talk about the weather for a second. I understand why January is high season in Thailand because the weather is PERFECT. Cool in the morning, sunny all day, not too hot. Wow, every day is such a blessing when the weather is this incredible. I’m not ready for the heat again!

Missing everyone at home. I know it’s freaking freezing, but enjoy the snow! I really miss the snow and snuggling under a warm blanket by the fire. And I miss all of you too. Thanks for reading this extremely long post. I hope February is a great month for you all …

xoxo Gracie