We departed the hotel for a daybreak flight out of Chiang Mai to the coastal territory of Krabi. We took an Air Asia flight which was somewhere between a Southwest and Spirit. We transferred to a private coach to our hotel, 8icon in Ao Nang, arriving before check-in. We got lunch at a small street restaurant and were able to check-in after eating. After a short nap, we ventured down to the beach to check out the surf. The conditions were cloudy and windy which resulted in rough waters. We walked along the beach enjoying the passing patches of sunlight. On the way back to the hotel we stopped for some Indian food when the heavens opened and we learned why this is called the wet season. After dinner, we stayed in the hotel room while ... read more

For today’s adventure, we hired a driver to take us to a few locations around Chiang Mai off the beaten path. The itinerary included “sticky falls”, hiking to a waterfall, and visiting a temple on a hill overlooking the city. Our driver met us at 8:00 AM and we hopped in the back of his pickup. The drive to url=https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g1951349-d1760401-Reviews-Bua_Thong_Waterfalls_Nam_Phu_Chet_Si-Mae_Taeng.htmlBua Thong (“sticky falls”) was a little over an hour. The falls are located in a small national park with some cabins, a small market, and a lot of cyclists. We took the path then the stairs that descended beside the falls all the way to the bottom. We changed into our bathing suits and investigated the falls. The falls have a unique property that the water has a lot of minerals in it that have been ... read more

We woke early to depart Bangkok and fly to Chiang Mai. The domestic flight is only an hour long. We stayed at the Rustic River Boutiquejust outside the old city walls of Chiang Mai. Upon checking in the lady at the front desk was very friendly and helpful. She gave us an overview of the area, food recommendations, and a few activity excursions that we could try. Kristy the planner already had researched a place for lunch. We got settled then headed out for lunch. We walked the narrow streets of the city out to url=https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g293917-d3179026-Reviews-Khao_Soi_Lam_Duan_Fa_Ham-Chiang_Mai.htmlKhao Soi Lam Duan for some lunch. The restaurant is an unassuming roadside greasy spoon, just our kind of spot! The interior was quite modest and reminded us of a Thai Sunshine General Store. The proprietor of Lam ... read more

On our first full day in Bangkok, we woke at the crack of dawn. We grabbed a quick breakfast at the café associated with our hotel. The breakfast was pretty standard western style eggs and toast with “sausage” that turned out to be more hot dog than anything else. Tara Place offers free scheduled tuk-tuk service to a few locations. We took the 8:00 am to the Grand Palace . The Palace does not open until 8:30, but we waited in line. Getting there early was definitely the right call. We enjoyed a relatively peaceful and serene tour of the grounds. The temples and structures of the Grand Palace are exquisite. The amount of detailed craftsmanship that went into constructing and maintaining these buildings over the centuries is awe-inspiring. There are millions of tiny tiles that ... read more