Thailand, In Retrospect

(entry is still missing some of my Chiang Mai photos)

I think I will write a blog on Chiang Mai still but I want to look back at before I went to Thailand and revisit my entry 10 Things I Hope To Do in Thailand. Here is the list of things I wanted to do and some commentary on how I completed each of these goals.

1. Teach some wonderful students.

This one was easy. I had a wonderful class that included four grade 6, and twelve grade 5 students. The kids were incredibly smart, artistic, and endearing. I am not posting any pictures of them because I don't believe it is right to post pictures of my students on the internet. I will post some pictures of me teaching where no students are facing the camera though.










2. Spend some time relaxing on the beaches.

This one was more difficult than I thought. I am not very good at just sitting still when there are some many exciting things to see! I spent some time walking the beach in Hua Hin and I attempted to sit on the beach in Pattaya but only managed to sit there restlessly for about an hour. Next time I go to Thailand I would like to head south to some of the islands that have beautiful water and lots of fish!








3. Hold a tiger.

I held a baby tiger in Sri Racha. It was an active little thing. I also got to pet a full grown tiger at the same place.








4. Ride an elephant.

I was able to ride elephants 3 times. The first was in Hua Hin, the second was in Kanchanaburi, and the third was in Chiang Mai. I also saw elephant shows in both Sri Racha and Chiang Mai, and a baby elephant in the streets of Hua Hin. In Hua Hin I fed an elephant bananas and in Chiang Mai is saw elephants paint pictures, play the harmonica, play football (soccer). In Kanchanaburi I saw elephants bathing. I have grown a love for elephants in my time in Thailand. They are intelligent and generally gentle creatures worthy of our respect.






5. See the Grand Palace.

The Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha are definitely the highlight of Bangkok. I would suggest everyone visit them. The beauty will throw you into a sense of awe. There really are no words to describe them properly!







6. Eat some delicious bugs.

I ate bugs on two occasions, at Khao San Road in Bangkok, and the Sunday night market in Chiang Mai. I tried locusts, crickets, and giant water bugs. They really were not as bad as I thought. In fact the locusts I might even eat again if given the opportunity. I also tried frog near my apartment in Thonburi.











7. Go to an open-air market.

I went to many open air markets throughout Thailand. In fact I bought dinner at the night market near my apartment almost every night.















8. See some Buddhist Temples.

Again, there was no shortage of opportunities for this. All I had to do was walk down the street to find a temple. The architecture is so grand and beautiful!














9. Take in the Natural Beauty.

I did this on many occasions. The best to places by far were Kanchanaburi and Chiang Mai. And my train ride from Chiang Mai to Bangkok allowed me lots of time to see the mountains, as did zip-ling outside of Chiang Mai. I think when I wrote this I was thinking more of the white sand beaches but I realized that the mountains drew me more.
















10. Visit Bangkok Museums and Gardens.

I went to the National Museum and National Gallery in Bangkok. I also went to Buddha Mountain which had spectacular gardens! Next time I go to Thailand I would love to try to get to some of the Botanical Gardens dedicated to the King. They look amazing!

















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When I got to Thailand I soon realized that while my goals were a good start, there were so many other things to do! I tried so many new foods, took over 10 methods of transportation, and generally had a good time. I will write more about the highlights soon and add photos to all of my entries! Right now I need to catch a bus back to Brandon. Thanks for following along with my amazing adventure overseas!