Written by JaneIt’s been way too long since I’ve done a blog post. Now we are living in Chiang Mai, Thailand! We lived in Danang, Vietnam from May 2016 to June 2017. We moved to Chiang Mai in August 2017 and we are loving it! We live in the Santitham area in an awesome apartment that has a big pool and small fitness center. Once we saw the pool, we knew we wanted this apartment. We have been enjoying Chiang Mai. There are lots of vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants, which is one of the main reasons I wanted to live here. There are also plenty of organic shops, produce, and restaurants, which we love! Brandon and I have been working six days or more per week, so we have not done a lot of adventuring yet. Also, it’s rainy season here, so it’s not ideal weather for chasing waterfalls and going on long drives. We have been hanging out with friends, eating out, and relaxing at our pool. We’ve been to the movies a couple of times (We saw It and Baby Driver). We’ve been to two Chiang Mai FC soccer matches, which were fun! The soccer stadium is walking distance from our apartment. We took a drive to Huay Tung Tao Lake near the city. It’s a manmade lake and very nice with the mountains as a backdrop. Since it is rainy season, we got poured on while we were there. We took shelter under a small hut on the edge of the water. When the rain cleared, it was a beautiful day with an awesome view. It was peaceful to be in nature and have a break from the city. We also saw a small water snake swimming near us in the water! Brandon befriended a couple cats while we were there. When some friends visited Chiang Mai, I went with them to the Huay Keaw waterfall on Doi Suthep (Suthep Mountain), the mountain just east of the city. It was a decent hike and well worth it! We found a small swimming hole in the waterfalls and relaxed there for a while. The waterfalls were awesome! The view from the mountain was beautiful. One of the great things about living in Chiang Mai is that it’s a popular vacation destination. We have already seen many friends who were visiting Chiang Mai while we’ve been living here. It’s great to meet up with friends on this side of the world. We always welcome anyone who want to visit us! Hint hint ;) Phuket TripOur dear friend Matt visited us in mid October for a week. Matt currently lives in China, so it’s easier for him to visit us in Thailand. We hung out in Chiang Mai for a couple of days and then went to Phuket (pronounced “poo-ket”) for three nights. Phuket was awesome! Even though we were only there for a couple days, we really enjoyed it! We stayed on Kata beach. Brandon found us an awesome hotel that was a two minute walk to the beach. From our balcony, we could see the mountains close up. On the first night, we got to our hotel in the evening, so we went to dinner near our hotel and relaxed. The next day, we rented umbrella covered lounge chairs on the beach, relaxed, and swam all day. Brandon rented a boogie board and tore it up in the waves. The waves on the beach were very big and the current was powerful! The water was very blue and clear. It was very nice to be on the beach again! In the evening, we watched the sunset over the beach from our hotel’s rooftop pool. Then we went to Patong for dinner and to see a Muay Thai boxing fight. Matt had not seen a Muay Thai fight before, so we all wanted to go together. It was a fun night! We really enjoy watching Muay Thai boxing matches; those little fighters pack a mean punch! The next day, we booked a full day group excursion to the Phi Phi Islands. The reason I wanted to go to Phuket was to see the famous Phi Phi Islands. A van picked us up at 7:30am from our hotel and took us to the marina. Then we headed out with our group on a speedboat. The speedboat was a pretty rough ride for me because of the waves in the open ocean. The view from the speedboat was amazing! The open ocean was surrounded by islands, mountains, and karsts. After an hour long ride, we made it to the first stop, Maya Beach. Maya Beach is famous because of its beautiful bright blue and clear water and also because it is where the movie “The Beach” was filmed. Maya Beach is in a small cove and it was jam packed with other speedboats. Our boat dropped us for 45 minutes to swim. The small beach was completely covered with other tourists. I didn’t mind it because I have really wanted to see this beach for a long time. The water was a bright blue that I had never seen before. It was ridiculously beautiful. The water wasn’t super clear but I think it’s because there were so many people and boats that the sand was churned up. Maya Beach is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, despite all the other tourists. Next, our speedboat drove us to another beautiful cove with crystal clear water. We didn’t stop to swim. We just drove in and out to see it. Then our speedboat anchored and we got to snorkel for about 30 minutes. The water was super clear and we got to see many colorful fish. Afterwards, we stopped for a buffet lunch with an amazing view! Our last stop on the Phi Phi Islands was a white sand beach. Our boat dropped us off to relax and swim for over an hour. Brandon snorkeled, while Matt and I chilled in the water. The pictures don’t do the view justice. It was beautiful! Afterwards, we said goodbye to the Phi Phi Islands and headed back to Phuket. The van took us back to our hotel and we had our last dinner together with Matt, who flew back to Shanghai late that night. Brandon and I flew back to Chiang Mai the next morning. It was a great trip!
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AuthorsJane and Brandon Archives
November 2017
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