From Mountains to Sea to City

I LOVE this country 🇹🇭 so much! It really does have almost everything. The peace, quiet and fresh air of the mountains, the warmth, awe and nurturing of the sea and islands, the reverence of the temples and monks, the friendly and genuine people, the fresh and delicious food, etc. I resisted coming to Thailand for many years because my perception was “everyone” goes to Thailand. Now, I completely understand why. You can go from being one in a sea of tourists (which I recently experienced in Koh Lipe), to being one of the few westerners (which I also just experienced in Hat Yai). You can go to high end department stores (which I just did in Bangkok) to exploring wet markets and getting glimpses of my newly realized “spirit” animals darting around (which I also just experienced in Bangkok). I feel like whatever experience you are looking/longing for, you can find somewhere in Thailand.

Mountains

So, after I had spent time up north and R introduced me to things I hadn’t done/experienced there before, and after we took in the fresh air of the mountains, we travelled together down south to an island called Koh Lipe. This was co-creating of an experience at its finest. I was longing for a small island where I didn’t need a scooter to explore and chill out on, and R had heard about Koh Lipe and had always wanted to go. So . . . . go we did!

Sea

Koh Lipe is often referred to as the Maldives of Thailand. It is “the southernmost island in Thailand, located in the Andaman Sea, 60Km from the Thai mainland and only 30Km from Langkawi, Malaysia. It’s part of the Adang Archipelago, a group of more than fifty islands, and on the border of the Tarutao National Marine Park, one of the first parks created in Thailand in 1974.“

The water is clear and warm, you can see both spectacular sunrises and sunsets on the same day, I heard the snorkelling is good and the diving is plentiful. It was a great little island! Unfortunately, based on my perception (which might be completely different than anyone else’s), I feel like Koh Lipe has gone past “the tipping point”

Before I left Chiang Mai, I was talking to someone about the effects of tourism on a place. We were discussing how great tourism can be for an area and how it can really help people. But, often once a place gets popular and known, it sometimes gets to a point where the authenticity and character is sacrificed to draw in more people which it often can’t support. There’s a fine line where it goes past the tipping point and tourism ends up damaging the place instead of supporting it. Ko Phayam (which B-Rod and I visited earlier in this trip) feels like it is pre-tipping point. For me, Koh Lipe felt past tipping point.

I won’t lecture on what I think the solution is . . . . as I really don’t know. I won’t say that I”m not part of the problem . . . . individual humans can make big impacts in both helpful and unhelpful ways. So I’ll just say that I make attempts to be as responsible as I know how to be at this moment to respect the environments I visit and try to leave them a little bit better than how I found them. I’m also open to suggestions of more ways to do this if you have some!

Now . . . let me tell you the gratitude I have for Koh Lipe in the ways that it supported me. I’ve never been to the Maldives, but the water was as clear as some of the beaches I’ve been to in the Philippines. The beaches were plentiful, so despite the abundance of people (it was also high season after all), you could still find a spot to sit, watch the water and swim, and there were still even spots that required a bit of a walk (though yes, you could easily walk around the island with no motorbikes required) so you could still find quiet space. Lots of people talked about the diving and snorkelling being good, but with the limited days we had and being with a non-water person, I was happy to just be on the beach and swim.

Sights from around the island

Koh Adang

One day we took a long boat over to the island of Koh Adang. Koh Adang is a part of the Tarutao National Marine Park which means development for the purpose of tourism is not allowed (Koh Lipe is the only island in the park that has permission for tourist development). The only ways to stay overnight here is to camp (getting camping gear from the national park ranger station), rent one of the 16 bungalows run by the park, or stay at the only resort on the island where electricity is only available from 6pm until 6am. This was my kinda place!!

There are waterfalls and a few hikes, but we chose to do the hike that provides 3 viewpoints towards Koh Lipe. I vegged at the top most viewpoint for awhile before racing down to catch a quick swim (with the only other person on the beach at the time) before our boat came back to pick us up.

I wasn’t so sure Koh Lipe was a place I’d come back to, but after being on Koh Adang, I’d come back to stay here AND to try some diving in the area.

Eventually it was time to go back to the mainland.

After my crappy night bus experience in Malaysia, I vowed no more night anythings for awhile. But then R talked about taking the night bus from Bangkok to Chiang Mai when she went back (it was full, so she wasn’t able to) and I remembered how awesome the night train B-Rod and I took. So, while she flew back to Bangkok, I decided to take the train and meet up with her the next day.

I had a bit of time in Hat Yai which was interesting. I was only there for less than a day, but it sounds like there’s a few things to see in the area (waterfalls, caves, coast). I just basically wandered around and noticed how though there were many Malaysian and Singapore tourists, there were only a handful of north American visitors.

City

I really like Bangkok. I’ve visited it a few times now and I just always feel a good vibe when I’m here. I met up again with R in Bangkok and it was interesting wandering around with her because again it was experiences that I hadn’t done before (though shopping is not one I need to do often! 😆). I also stayed in a new area. It was interesting to compare this with where B-Rod and I usually stay. So . . . you know those images of Bangkok being seedy, a bit sleazy and over the top? I don’t really notice that in our usual area (though I do know they’re there). This new area in the heart of the city . . . . those things were constantly in my face. Definitely not my fav part, but there’s still something about the city that I quite like.

R & I went to museums, a few malls, some markets, rode public transportation and after R left I found a park I’d go back to next time I’m here. So instead of too many words, here’s a capture of Bangkok in pictures.

As I sit here into the first few minutes of 2023, I can’t help but feel so incredibly grateful for this intuitive trip/journey I’ve been on . . the beach for Christmas?! Bangkok for New Years?! F@&$ YEAH!!

Having said that, I’m also feeling like the time to return to North America (for now) is coming close. I’m heading to a silent retreat for the next week on the outskirts of Bangkok (because what better way to start the new year then to really tune in and get clear on intentions and . . . that’s just how I roll), then leaving the country immediately afterwards (because I kind of have to, but that’s another story)

But before going radio silent, I just wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year and as someone who I deeply respect often says . . . I wish for you all that you want for yourself in the New Year and more! Happy 2023!!! ✨💖✨