Railay Beach Thailand

We caught a long boat from outside our hotel to Railay Beach. It was a beautiful ride. The rock formations are so unique to Thailand. When we landed at Railay the tide was out, so it didn't look quite like the pictures. As we walked to the beach, which was on the other side, we came across an area that said there was a lagoon up and over the other side of the rock. It was a straight up climb. We told Sara we were up for the challenge. I'm so glad it wasn't raining or it would have been too slippery and dangerous. We carefully ascended the rock, pulling ourselves up and over large rocks and tree roots to find out that when the tide is out....there is no lagoon! Luz and I stayed at the top (which took about 45 minutes to climb) while Sara went down the other side in search of the lagoon...no luck! Either way, it was great exercise and a great adventure. I'm pretty sure Luz and I were the oldest ones to attempt it. After that we went down to the beach and soaked ourselves in the clear water. We watched people rock climb up the side of the rocks. They had a professional company there assisting people with this excursion. After a bit, we headed back to the other side to catch a long boat home. I took a ton of long boat pictures, which are your typical Thailand pics. We showered and then had dinner and a massage. Also, we made an appointment to get a foot massage prior to our flight the next day.....gotta love those Thai massages and Thai prices!

Little Town of Krabi

She's only three hours away and a cheap van ride from the coastal town of Krabi. It was a very nice drive. Krabi did not disappoint. I picked a resort hotel, which is not my usual preference, but it worked. It was right on the ocean and they had Thai massages :) Funny thing, on our bed was a notice..."do not leave sliding doors open since monkeys will come in". Crazy. Speaking of monkeys, after we got settled we went down to the beach and did a little hike that took us through some jungle and led to a park...monkey park. Well, on our way back the monkeys were everywhere, on the rails, in the trees, and on the beach. We walked by them slowly, I was in front, then Sara, and then Luz. I heard Sara say "Mom" and I turned around and a monkey had jumped on her head...just sitting there....she was so still and calm ( I don't know if I could have been that calm) that eventually the monkey just jumped back off. Obviously people have been feeding them. I just wish people would understand that you cannot feel wildlife...they just become nuisances and then they have to be removed...so sad. Anyways....I almost took a picture, but I thought that wouldn't have been nice :) We had dinner at an awesome Indian restaurant and woke up the next day and went to Railay Beach. BTW...I fell in love with the fresh coconuts and the incredible sunsets!

Yummy garlic naan!

Came across this sweet little pup. I stopped the girl and told her it was refreshing to see a dog on a leash, since all we see are poor street dogs (soi dogs). They are usually fed by someone or the monks, but they are rarely given medical attention; plus the monks do not believe in euthanasia or neutering....such a shame. She found this little guy at temple and brought him home. He was so cute! She was from London and on her fifth year in Thailand teaching English.

from Yangon to Nakhon Si Thammarat

We caught our flight on Nok Air form Yangon to Bangkok (DMK) airport, then Nok Air from DMK to Nakhon. We arrived just as it was getting dark. Sara met us at the airport. She rode her bike almost 11 miles to come meet us, then we had to find a taxi to put all of us in, plus her bike. We had three taxi drivers helping us fold her folding bike to fit it in the trunk. It was too funny and they were too nice!

We got to the hotel that she chose for us. It literally cost us 7 dollars a night each. It was perfect. Actually, funny part was that the room we were in had this huge poster that said Florida! How perfect! This was her town. She was very proud of it and for good reason. She showed us where to get a bite to eat in the morning and then gave us instructions for getting to her school the next day using the songthaew....best deal in town!

Got up the next morning, ate breakfast, and headed over to her school. I had such a great time. I enjoyed seeing how schools in other countries operate and teach. She had the sweetest 3 year olds in her English class. They are taught in English throughout the day, spend maybe an hour with their Thai teacher, and then back to Sara's class. She has a Thai teacher assistant. I was amazed at how much Thai Sara has learned. She is able to negotiate with all the hotels and drivers, since they do not see many tourist in her town and they don't all know English. She was able to go to lunch with us. She dropped us at her house and went to the grocery store to pick up some lunch. We got to see her Thai house, which was great. She is really enjoying her Thai life!

After visiting with her we jumped into the back of a songthaew and went to the oldest Wat in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan. Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan is the main Buddhist temple of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, the largest province in Southern Thailand. It is located on the main sand bar of Nakhon Si Thammarat on which the ancient town and the present town of Nakhon Si Thammarat were built. After visiting the wat we caught a songthaew back to our hotel where we met up with Sara. We went to dinner at a local restaurant. It was delicious. The next day we headed to the bus station to drive to the town of Krabi.

Our last night in Yangon

I wanted to try a traditional tea house but ended up at a hipster tea house. Oh well, food was good, tea was delicious, but I need to go back to find a traditional tea house. We ate at Rangoon Tea House. It was filled with young foreigners who seem to live there, ex pats. After dinner we went out searching for Myanmar Rum. We looked so many places. Out taxi driver even took us places he knew, but no luck. Ends up we were supposed to buy Mandalay Rum. Oh well. Everyone on Myanmar was so nice. They really are excited to see the change in their country, but I know some are hesitant. It's big change and hopefully it will be balanced.

This is the original airport bit you can see its expanding. New construction on both sides. They are building line crazy. So much money is pouring into the country but it's still risky since democracy is so new. 

Our day on Inle Lake

Even with our short visit, Inle Lake sure left us wanting to see more of this beautiful country. We arrived at the airport and took a van to the lake. It's an hour drive through the countryside. Very beautiful. It cost $25 or 25000 kyat one way for both of us. Also once we got close to the lake we had to pay a $10 entrance fee. As we got closer you could see water buffalo in the water or out working the field with the farmers. It was such an idyllic sight. The little town where you catch the boats was crazy busy. We found a tour guide and headed out. The boat took us past people doing the everyday chores down by the lake, bathing and washing clothes. Once we got to the mouth of the lake we saw the famous fishermen who row with their feet. However these guys were staged for our benefit. It was so obvious. Luz and I were laughing. They are really ready for tourists. We visited a lotus silk weaving place, a temple and a floating farm. That was my favorite. It's such an amazing idea.

After our lake tour we caught a bite to eat. We both had vegetable pancakes. They were delicious. The weather was beautiful. Very refreshing compared to the heat in Thailand. Took the bouncy van ride back to the Heho airport and flew back to Yangon. 

Beautiful Bagan

Pagodas everywhere. What an incredible site. Not sure if things will change in the future, but currently toy can tour around all the pagodas and climb on them to get great views. There are over 3000 pagodas, big and small, some more beautiful than others. I can't seethe pagodas structural integrity lasting if people are allowed to scale the walls. Anyways while driving our ebikes through the pagodas we came across a young man selling sand paintings. He ended up being our unofficial tour guide. I think he does this for many, but either way we enjoyed his knowledge and company. He even showed us his village, his family, and his home. We were very humbled. They served us tea and peanuts which they grow down by the river. Also invited us to dinner which we had to refuse. Too much to see and do for one day in Bagan. Our hotel was the best. Right on the Irrawaddy River.

Mingalarbar Myanmar

Wow. What an amazing country so far. Arrived in Yangon yesterday. Toured the Shwedagon Pagado. Such a sacred place for Buddhist. Then we walk to Kandawgyi lake to watch the sun set. Caught a cab to downtown and ate Shan noodles at 999 Shan Noodle. It was delicious!