Well, it’s actually been about seven weeks since our amazing holiday in Thailand, but there’s been so much going on that we haven’t had a chance to share! As full time teachers and full time youth leaders/volunteers, it’s been CRAZY! Last weekend we saw God transform student’s lives at our spring retreat (if you’d like to hear any of the talks by our guess speaker Pastor Erin and get a taste of what it was like, click here), it was AWESOME! We came back to a week packed with parent-teacher conferencing, launching our annual 30 Hour Famine Fundraiser (Steve), field-tripping to a spring-filled park, and then speaking at youth group Friday night (me). So now that it’s a rainy Saturday and banana pancakes have been enjoyed, new Nickel Creek songs have been listened to, and our current favorite worship song has been practiced (Sinking Deep), and, especially since it’s one of those incredibly humid and damp spring Shanghai days, I thought a foray back into the AMAZINGLY restful vacation we had in paradise sounded like a good plan!
Our second time to Thailand began just as our first time to Japan ended. We literally flew directly from frigid Tokyo to steamy Bangkok. We had to get creative with the packing (1 shared bag for Japan, and 1 bag for Thailand), but it was SO worth it! Japan was an amazing adventure that we just HAD to experience, but Thailand was the time we had planned for a much-needed rest. A lot of our friends try not to repeat any places in their travels, so that they can experience more of what this amazing world has to offer. Steve and I like exploring, in fact, we LOVE exploring and seeking out new experiences, but, for some reason, we both couldn’t resist the lure of returning to our favorite beach….
We booked the same hotel on the same beach in the same bay that we stayed at two years ago, and we didn’t regret a second of it! This time we were there to relax on purpose, which is something we’ve never done before (even on our honeymoon we had to schedule one day just to chill!). We love being active in our rest, so spending days languishing on the beach was actually a foreign concept to us. Turns out, it's a lot less languish, and a lot more luxury....
We spent our time swimming, reading Sherlock Holmes, kayaking, drinking Thai Iced Tea, journaling, playing paddleball in the pool, Frisbee-ing, eating Pad Thai and Tom Kha Gai, enjoying the sunsets over the ocean each night, and beginning and ending our days with banana pancakes. It was an amazingly refreshing vacation where we were able to take a breath from the new level of craziness that has amped up our schedules since we became leaders of KG this year. We were filled to the brim with joy and peace and wow, it was incredible.
Of course we couldn’t resist doing a few other things while we were there…
Rock Climbing/Cliff Jumping, Cooking Class, and, ELEPHANTS!!! Our day rock climbing over the ocean was one of my favorite days ever! Of course it doesn’t hold a candle to our day with the elephants (see below), but it was pretty fantastic! We took a sailboat out to a nearby island, where we were able to climb up a scraggly limestone cliff, and then jump off whenever we felt like it! The water was unusually deep right underneath the rock face, which made it an extremely safe place to climb without any rope. The water was calm, beautiful, and crystal clear (which I used to make sure I didn't jump on top of jellyfish….I’m sure Steve used it to keep a lookout for sharks!). Steve’s love for cliff jumping propelled him to climb to one of the highest points, and the experience brought him to a whole new level of appreciation for rock climbing (and me a new appreciation of his athleticism ;).
Rock Climbing/Cliff Jumping, Cooking Class, and, ELEPHANTS!!! Our day rock climbing over the ocean was one of my favorite days ever! Of course it doesn’t hold a candle to our day with the elephants (see below), but it was pretty fantastic! We took a sailboat out to a nearby island, where we were able to climb up a scraggly limestone cliff, and then jump off whenever we felt like it! The water was unusually deep right underneath the rock face, which made it an extremely safe place to climb without any rope. The water was calm, beautiful, and crystal clear (which I used to make sure I didn't jump on top of jellyfish….I’m sure Steve used it to keep a lookout for sharks!). Steve’s love for cliff jumping propelled him to climb to one of the highest points, and the experience brought him to a whole new level of appreciation for rock climbing (and me a new appreciation of his athleticism ;).
When we weren’t climbing, we were snorkeling around the cove, or relaxing on the sailboat. We loved watching fellow climbers dropping into the water like flies, haha, “another one bites the dust” was a continual tune running through our heads throughout the day :) At the end of our time, we sailed back to our bay, reclining on the deck in complete relaxation in order to give our happy, tired muscles a break. I think I could spend every day that way :)
Cooking class was quite an unexpected adventure for us, especially since we decided to cook over rafting!! We don’t really like to cook, but we LOVE to raft, so I was a little shocked when Steve suggested we change our rafting plans to cooking…aaaand then I looked at the type of rafting it would have been, and quickly agreed…floating down a stream on a rubber boat isn’t exactly our definition of whitewater. Anyway, cooking with our chef, Yaya, turned out to be really fun and definitely delicious. Thai food is our favorite type of food, so that didn’t hurt either. The highlight for me was when the assistants would tell us how much sauce to put in, “two glub-glubs” here, four “bloop bloops” there, haha, it was quite scientific :)
And now, the highlight of all highlights! The absolute supreme crowning moment of it all- our day with the ELEPHANTS!!
We stayed two nights in Bangkok for the exact purpose of bathing with elephants. I really love elephants. My love for elephants was intensified when I went to India, and the more I learn about them and have interacted with them firsthand, the more my love for them grows. After this incredible day playing with the graceful beasts, elephants have even been added to Steve’s list of favorite animals (they are now tied with Great White Sharks, Siberian Tigers, and Red Pandas). It was truly an unbelievably amazing day, which was all centered on the concept of PLAY.
We stayed two nights in Bangkok for the exact purpose of bathing with elephants. I really love elephants. My love for elephants was intensified when I went to India, and the more I learn about them and have interacted with them firsthand, the more my love for them grows. After this incredible day playing with the graceful beasts, elephants have even been added to Steve’s list of favorite animals (they are now tied with Great White Sharks, Siberian Tigers, and Red Pandas). It was truly an unbelievably amazing day, which was all centered on the concept of PLAY.
Steve and I were EACH given our own elephant for the day! And they gave me the BIG one! First, we walked underneath their bellies three times for good luck (maybe the scariest part) and then fed them bags and bags of bananas, whole pineapples (pricklies and everything!), and papayas to get them to like us J Then, the mahouts taught us how to climb up on the elephants from the ground! It was so fun! It’s kind of like climbing up a tree, except that the tree limbs actually help you climb higher!
Once our feet were neatly tucked underneath the giant, flappy ears, our trek began! We went up, over, and around the jungly terrain, practicing the commands the mahouts taught us. At one point one of them climbed up a tree and started shaking a torrent of fruit down. They would throw us the little pods of sweet tamarind. The elephants would flip back their trunks, asking for the treats. We would place the pods in the grabby-part of their trunk, they would bring it down to their mouths, and then immediately swing it back to us, asking for more. We even had a taste of the tamarind, which was surprisingly good! It was sweet and tasty, not sour like the tamarindo flavors in Mexico.
After the elephant’s second snack, we journeyed on to our photo extravaganza! The mahouts basically put us and the elephants in every position they could think of, while our guide snapped endless pictures. Steve dismounted his elephant the normal way, so I was expecting to do the same, when the mahout told me to jump from one elephant head to the other! Whaaaaa??? I ended up sliding down the trunk of my elephant onto the back of Steve’s, all so we could get a circus pose, haha!
We became really comfortable with the elephants surprisingly quickly…they were so well trained and gentle, yet also incredibly strong! We layed on their bellies, got tucked in underneath the ear, and twisted around and lifted up by the trunk! It seemed like the fun we were having with our giant jungle gyms was mutual, as the elephants acted a lot like playful pups!
Next it was time for what we had been waiting for... Our elephants took us down into the water, where “bathing” would come to take on a whole new meaning for us! We started off with a water gun lesson: point the trunk at your partner, say the command, and shoot! Haha, it was hilarious. Next the elephants started to enjoy swimming, and would dive down to get closer to the mud. All of a sudden I would find myself swimming in the river, knowing that a giant beast was somewhere beneath me! The only thing I could do was to wait in suspense and try to find the trunk underneath the water so that I could straddle it as the elephant came back up. Talk about thrilling!
And then came the best part- the flipping! The mahouts would stand on the backside of the elephants, while we were straddling the trunk. They would shout the command, and the elephant would launch us up and over into the water! I remember when, as a little girl, my dad would launch me across the pool. I thought those days were over, but the joy of those memories was re-experienced as I hurdled through the air! It was pure fun. That’s all I can say. We loved it.
Many of you have already seen this video, but here it is just in case you want to watch it over and over like I do :)
Many of you have already seen this video, but here it is just in case you want to watch it over and over like I do :)
Thailand was a blast, and we are already planning our next trip. Some places are just too good to only experience once….or twice...:)