I’ve been to 7 countries since leaving New York almost a year ago. But, Thailand has been my home. Really Chiang Mai has been home, even though the only full month I spent in the city was November. Actually, I camped overnight at Doi Inthanon. So technically, I never spent a full month in Chiang Mai. That, together with the fact that I’ve mostly stayed … Continue reading Goodbye Thailand!
Sawadee pee mai! (That’s Happy New Year in Thai.) Songkran is the celebration of the new year in Thailand. The year is 2560 BE, Buddhist Era. Thai people spend time with family, visit local temples, and offer food to Buddhist monks. People pour water on Buddha statues, representing purification and the washing away of your sins and bad luck. To show respect, young people also … Continue reading Songkran!
If you had asked me a year ago, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I’d be spending so much quality time with elephants. I’ve spent a total of 6 weeks at Elephant Nature Park so far, and 2 weeks at Elephants World. That’s 8 weeks helping to care for, and bond with the elephants who call these sanctuaries home. I’ve always been … Continue reading Elephants are Still Awesome
I’m on the island of Koh Tao for 3 weeks. We’re learning about marine conservation and coral reefs. More on that later. Today was my first snorkel. After learning a bit about what we’d be seeing, we grabbed our gear and got on the boat. Gear included: wet suit, snorkel mask and tube thingy, fins, fish and coral id sheets, and sheet for recording what … Continue reading First Snorkel
“Our ocean, our responsibility.” My adventures in veterinary medicine continue with 3 weeks on Koh Tao (“Turtle Island”). We’ve partnered with the New Heaven Dive Shop and their reef conservation experts to learn about marine wildlife and conservation. Unfortunately Koh Tao’s namesake, the sea turtle, is endangered and can be a rare sighting. People come from all over the world to dive in Koh Tao. … Continue reading Turtle Island
The students got to swim with two sea turtles and watched them make out. I missed it. But, I got my turtle time when we went to Phuket. The Phuket Aquarium is home to a sea turtle nursery and rehab program run by the Thai government. Day one we checked out the nursery. Those are some beautiful, healthy looking turtles. They’re being raised big and … Continue reading Sea Turtles!
I meant to write this when my students left at the end of January. Then I broke my foot and got distracted. For 2 weeks in January I was the trip leader for another student group. Unlike over the summer, this group was pre-vet. All of the students want to go to veterinary school someday. You’d be correct in thinking I know nothing about veterinary … Continue reading Two Weeks Learning to be a Vet
Back at ENP for a 6th week. Baby Dokrak is getting big. The park is still beautiful. When I said hi to Memphis, the dog, he licked my face. I think he remembers me. In case you’re wondering, seeing elephants does not get less exciting. They’re still magnificent and fascinating. I watched a beautiful sunrise on the first morning. Now that the rainy season is … Continue reading I’m back at Elephant Nature Park!
Pattaya is 2 hours from Bangkok by bus, making it a convenient weekend beach destination. There is literally no other reason to go there. It’s not a pretty city and it’s not a beach worth traveling out of your way for. Pattaya seems to be really popular with Russian tourists. It’s interesting how some places just attract certain people more than others. So many Russian … Continue reading Pattaya for the Weekend
Chiang Mai has been my home for the past 6 months. Every time I go somewhere new, I come back. That seems to be common here. People talk about getting stuck in this city, but not in a bad way. Founded in 1296, Chiang Mai was the capital of the Lanna Kingdom for a few hundred years. Before becoming a unified country, the land that … Continue reading Chiang Mai, Rose of the North
Written while sitting at a nightly, pop-up restaurant on a sidewalk, next to a busy road. Something I’ve noticed about Chiang Mai (maybe Thailand in general), is the night food scene. New York may have mastered the $1 slice of pizza available until dawn, but in Chiang Mai you can get a whole plate of Pad Thai. Food is cheap here, and available everywhere, at … Continue reading Chiang Mai Street Food
Yup, you read that right. Ok, it’s not that new. I got it in August. I had been thinking about this for a while. I thought I would wait until a milestone, like my 30th birthday. Then I quit my job and came to Thailand. I was taking this chance, embarking on a new adventure. I realized this birthday, my 28th, would be the first … Continue reading I got a tattoo!
