{Day Six Continued}
After landing in Phuket we caught a shuttle to our hotel, explored for a bit, booked a reservation to see some elephants the next day, and then got ready to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
Of course we stopped for a cocktail or two on the way to the beach, but the celebration there really was the highlight. When we arrived hundreds of people were lighting and sending off paper lanterns with a wish for the new year. After a few failed attempts and with some help from the locals we managed to send one off successfully. Fireworks started at midnight filling the lantern spotted sky. The crowd was an odd mix of foreign families frantically avoiding the drifting fiery lanterns drunken college boys failed to send off successfully, and locals celebrating the new year, and surely enjoying the entertainment brought by the crowds. While the beach was swarming with people, the experience was still somehow surreal. Celebrating NYE in Thailand with close friends is something I’ll never forget.
We closed out the evening with one last cocktail on a beachside bar, a crape from a charming little street lady, and a scooter taxi back to the hotel.
{Day Seven}
Day seven in Thailand, which was also the first day of the new year, was all about elephants. We left in the morning and made our way along the beach to attempt elephant trekking. So here’s the deal with elephant trekking. We were assured that the place recommended by the hotel treated their elephants nicely, and the people who worked there were kind enough and treated us well, however I can’t say it’s something I’ll ever do again. It was incredible to be so up close and personal with the animals, but seeing them all geared up takes away any warm and fuzzy feelings the experience could bring. For anyone looking to spend a day with these creatures, please look for an elephant sanctuary rather than an elephant trekking encounter.
A late flight out of Phuket meant we had the afternoon to explore. For me that was a fish pedicure, one last Thai massage, and a very indulgent lunch. A few hours of blissful relaxation before heading back into the city.
A string of national holidays in October leads to a number of long weekends in the beginning of fall and a lot of opportunities to explore the country. One of these holidays is National Foundation Day which is a celebration of the founding of Korean as a nation. While this year I’ll be doing some adventuring outside of the country, last year I used the the extra day off work to explore Nami Island {one of over 30 islands in Korea} with a friend.
Towards the end of the day we went off the beaten path a bit and discovered a quiet area on the edge of the island by some water to watch the sunset. As we started making our way back to catch the ferry home we realized that those “balloons” from the tree lined path were in fact little white lanterns that magically lit up the trail as we waited in line for the ferry. A perfectly charming ending to a long and exciting day.
Day four in Thailand was mostly a travel day with the morning spent in Ao Nang and a long ferry ride over to Ko Phi Phi. We made it to the island for sunset, a bit of beach time, a late dinner and some island exploring. Getting off of the ferry, Ko Phi Phi was already very different than the main land of Krabi had been. It felt more touristy, yet still like we were in a different world. There are no cars on the island, and it’s made up of twisty and turny brick roads filled with people, shops, and carts. It took nearly our entire stay there just to feel like we knew our way around. While it didn’t feel quite as authentic as our stay in Ao Nang had, it was a cute island none the less and certainly had its own highlights. Small yellow flag garlands welcomed us above all of the main streets, the beaches were out of this world, and the tree house bars were really exciting.
Just over a year ago I ventured out on an unexpected journey. I decided to give up a fantastic job that was quickly blooming into a lifelong career, a charming little apartment in Chicago, and, really, a life that I’d been planning since the age of nine.
bbm travels 