We rang in the New Year in Chiang Mai, Thailand. 2023 was an incredible year. It started in Italy and took us to Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Cypress, the U.A.E, Oman, Egypt, the U.S., Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. We met amazing new friends. We spent a lot of time with family. New Year’s Eve was low-key for most of the day.…
We have explored a lot of Thailand on our South East Asia tour (Bangkok, Hua Hin, Krabi, Phuket, Ko Tao, and Ko Phi Phi). Northern Thailand was on our list, so we spent a month in Chiang Mai over Christmas and New Year’s. Chiang Mai is a large city with a population of about 1.3 million people. The city is…
Cambodia is the third country we visited on our South East Asia tour. We took a short flight from Bangkok to Phnom Penh. The immigration on-arrival process was fast and easy. Navigating immigration in each country is interesting. The hardest country we entered was Bolivia. Cambodia is either an e-visa or visa on arrival. We did visa on arrival and…
After getting back from Ko Tao, we were exhausted but happy. We had a few weeks left in Hua Hin and made the most of it. Lucas, Henry, and their friends learned about CPR at Elate. They participated in an all-day training session. We had a Friendsgiving. All six families, 24 people, gathered at our friends Helen and Ken’s house…
On our last Friday in Hua Hin, we hiked in Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park to the Phraya Nakhon Cave. Phraya Nakhon Cave isn’t just a natural wonder; it’s a place of historical and cultural significance. The pavilion is dedicated to Phra Phuttha Chai Chanasongkhram, a revered monk, making it a serene space for contemplation and reflection. The cave…
A few families packed up for the weekend and headed to Ko Tao for scuba certification. Lucas, Henry, and Michael got a taste of Scuba diving in Vietnam with a try dive in Cham Islands. Lucas and Henry loved it and asked to get scuba-certified. Michael is nervous about scuba, but he is getting certified too. I am already scuba-certified,…
Our second week in Hua Hin started with a trip to Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT). It is an animal rescue located about 1.5 hours from Hi Hin. It was founded in 2001 by Edwin Wiek with the help of the local people from Petchaburi province. The mission of WFFT is to rescue and rehabilitate captive wild animals and provide…
We flew north from Phuket to Bangkok and met one of our worldschool families at the airport. It was a happy reunion! We rode the three-hour van ride with them to our new home for the month, Hua Hin. We were in Hua Hin in August for a few days scoping it out. It is exciting to be returning for…
Traveling is fun and exciting, but when it is your lifestyle, sometimes you need a vacation. We chose to take a break for a week in Phuket. We booked a resort hotel on the beach in Kamala Bay with our friends, the McDougalls. We were exhausted after our 10-day worldschooling eco-retreat in Krabi, Thailand. We stayed at the Sunwing Kamala…
Phi Phi Don is a small island that is administratively part of Krabi. In the 1940s, the island was inhabited by Thai Malay fishermen. It was also a coconut plantation for a while. Today, it is a tourist destination. People come to Ko Phi Phi to dive, snorkel, and relax at hotels and resorts. A few thousand people are living…