Koh Phi Phi: Round 1

Koh Phi Phi is an island on the West Coast of Thailand located in the Andaman Sea. It has been made famous by the Leonardo DiCaprio movie "The Beach" and the 2004 Tsunami that devastated the island. It would be my first of many Thai Islands! In total, I visited the island of Phi Phi 3 times during my entire stay in Thailand...it's that good! My first time there was with Elliot. We had jumped on an overnight bus from Bangkok to Krabi and then took the one and a half hour ferry to the island! It was everything I expected...Paradise!

This is where we met a group of 7 English guys: Sam, John, Will, Dan, John, Marshall, and Adam ,out on "Holiday" who we quickly made our new best friends! The next three days consisted of Beach Time...

Sunsets...

Chang...

Elliot in a dress...

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Mic Jagger and Mr. Bean Dancing...

Many "Straight Arms"...

and lots of time spent at Slinky Bar!

We only had a few days in Phi Phi before it was time to load up and head east to Koh Phangan for the Full Moon Party!!

Kanchanaburi: Erawan Waterfalls

Our other day in Kanchanaburi was spent out at the Erawan Waterfalls, a series of 7 waterfalls about an hour and a half outside the city. Elliot and I got back on the motorbikes and headed out there for the day with two guys we had met at the hostel. The waterfalls are all staggered on the way to the top of a mountain and there are trails that you can hike to each one all the way to the top. Most tourists only see the first 2 levels because they are brought there on a day tour and only have time for those, which is why we decided to go at it on our own. There are tons of monkeys hanging around the area of the first waterfall ready to steal any food or belongings left unguarded!

We spent the day slowly making our way up the mountain...stopping to swim and climb along the way...

All the way to the top!

Made it to the top...snake count: 0...injury count:0

Great Success

Kanchanaburi: Tiger Temple

Leaving Pai, everyone sadly had to start going separate ways...Ryan and Jo were off for a fast trip through Cambodia, with plans of meeting back up in the Thai Islands. Monica and Leah were off to Singapore where Leah would continue on to Brazil and Monica to India. That just left Elliot and I...We were both planning on heading south towards the islands. With a little peer pressure, I talked him into not booking a flight and heading down by land with me, making a stop in a little town called Kanchanaburi. It's about 3hrs West of Bangkok and is best known for the film "Bridge on the River Kwai," which is based on the prisoners of Japan during WWII who were forced to work on the "death railway." We had gone on recommendations from some people we met at Spicy Pai and were there for two things: to see some Tigers and climb some Waterfalls!

In Chiang Mai there is a place where tourists can pay to go and feed tiger cubs and pose with adult tigers. I really wanted to do it, but decided not to after talking with some people that had gone. They said the tigers were drugged to allow tourists so close and not treated very well. So I decided to pass on it, until...a girl in Pai told me about Tiger Temple down in Kanchanaburi. She had been and highly recommended it, saying that the tigers were really well taken care of and not drugged at all. So we decided to go! Its a huge complex with a section for black bears, tiger cubs, adult tigers and monks walking around, cigarettes in mouth, taking care of them. We spent some time posing with and watching some of the tiger cubs in action...

It was then off to Tiger Canyon...Where they kept the big guys! Each person is escorted by two staff members, one to hold your hand and guide you to each tiger and another to follow you taking pictures.

We decided to pay an extra 500 Baht to get to stay after and see the evening exercises. First we got to "walk" the biggest tiger for all of 5 seconds...

Then they built a not so sturdy cage around us and let the tigers loose. It took them a little bit to get going but will a little encouragement from the trainers with plastic bags tied to sticks they woke right up. We spent about 30 mins watching them chasing the toys, jumping into the water, and wrestling with each other. It was pretty obvious after seeing them in action that these tigers were definitely not drugged!

Being that close to such amazing animals was definitely one of the coolest things I've ever done!

Thailand's Best Kept Secret

Coming into Thailand, I had zero plans and not really a clue of what I wanted to do there besides lay on sprawling beaches on picturesque islands! I hadn't thought much about the northern region, much less ever even heard of the small town of Pai. But usually the best places you go when traveling are the ones you've never heard of but are recommended by fellow travelers. Pai was one of those places. About half way through our journey from Chiang Mai to Pai we all realized that not one of us had any clue of what it was like or what there was to do there. But, we had all been told by numerous people that we had to go there! We had also been told to make sure we stayed at Spicy Pai, a branch of the hostel we stayed in while tubing. So we headed straight there.

It was made up of huge bungalows with bunk beds, just like the last Spicy we stayed in in Laos. The best part about it was the huge hang out area equipped with hammocks and lounge chairs where we would spend most of our time! Immediately upon arrival we all had Changs in hand and about 20 new friends. There was such a cool vibe between everyone there from all of over the world just hanging out!

I had also been told that Pai was the perfect place to learn how to ride a motorbike, because there are long, open roads, with barely any traffic. So, the next morning we all set out to rent some bikes! Jo and I were both beginners and a little nervous. Our friends did terrible jobs of coaching us and just gave us the keys, showed us the gas and we were on our way. Within the first half hour of having the bikes, I almost ran over two pedestrians, Jo crashed her bike pulling into the gas station, and Elliot crashed his being a show off! Not the best start. But after a few shaky turns, I got the hang of it and was cruising with the rest of them!

We originally booked to stay 3 nights in Pai...by the time we left it had been a week. We spent that week cruising around on the bikes checking out waterfalls...

Having Shish Kebab Barbecues...

Many hours of card games...

Checking out Canyons...

and taking in the beautiful surroundings!

My week in Pai turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip. And I owe most of it to these great people!