Dear family and friends,
Since my last post, Janny and I left Chiang Mai in the northern region of Thailand and headed southwest to the Central Plains to Mae Sot, a sleepy and small town where a lot of people pass through to get to Umphang. From Mae Sot to Umphang was a 5.5-hr adventure through the twisted, winding mountains on the back of a small truck filled with 20 people, and 4 more on top of the truck with the luggage! I was flying off my seat and holding on for dear life every minute of the way, and trying to look out a small opening of window space to keep my bearings (and breakfast) from escaping me. But we made it to Umphang, a small town in higher elevation, and stayed in a really beautiful cabin-like guesthouse. The next day we took a day trip to the Tee Lor Su Waterfall, a huge, 3-tiered waterfall that's the biggest in Thailand and one of the best in the world, and we had to raft to get there as well as some trekking. We were with an extremely knowledgeable Thai jungle guide and a delightful German couple, and rafted through the limestone cliffs along the amazing river. We soaked in some hot springs and relaxed by the waterfall for a while, and it was beautiful. Hopefully the photos (most by Janny, the wonderful photographer) can share a glimpse of the wonders I have seen.
After a few days in Umphang we traveled back to Bangkok, where my flight back to Hong Kong was waiting. I'm here at the Hong Kong International Airport, waiting for my flight back to the United States. I'll be home for 6 full days, mostly to repack and organize my Colombia trip, and to see some people who I've really missed. ;)
This trip has been really incredible, and the top 3 things I will miss in Thailand:
1. Food (sweet green mango, banana shakes, rice soup in the morning, green curry, coconuts)
2. People (new friends, people met along the way, Thai guides, locals, everyone was so wonderful!!!!)
3. The rivers and islands in Thailand (especially Koh Surin and the Khao Praya)
After this is Colombia, where you will probably find my next blog post! I'm so incredibly excited and nervous to be staying for one month in Bogota and hopefully around the whole country when my research is completed. I am looking forward to doing some volunteer work there as well, and who knows, I may end up staying there forever!! =)
Cheers, and I hope my blog for Hong Kong and Thailand has reflected just a taste of this memorable journey for me.
a moth on my finger
rainbow!
the limestone cliffs
just flowing along...
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