This trip was something else. To begin with, I had a situation that required me to change my entire holiday plans, and I wanted to cancel my entire trip. My grandmother and LS, in separate conversations, encouraged me to make the best of what I could still do. So, off Thailand I went.
The forever delay to get out of Korea. I was sitting on the plane for 2 hours before our departure to Bangkok. I took short naps during the waiting period. Lord knows I wanted to ask what the problem was, but that would have taken too much energy. I probably would have known if I grabbed the notice letter when we arrived, but I knew it didn't concern me, so I didn't bother. π
Let me rewind back to before I boarded the plane. As I was waiting to board the plane, I kept looking at the destination name, Bangkok- Don Meung. Clearly, I knew I was flying to Bangkok, but the airport name seemed unfamiliar. I googled searched and found out that Bangkok has two international airports, and I made my plans from the wrong airport. π whoops... The other major international airport had a metro station connected to it, but the one I was flying into didn't. It takes about 30-40 minutes to get downtown from the airport. Mind you, I have a 20:15 flight to Chiang Mai, Thailand, and I arrived 2 hours later than my expected arrival, 16:50. Wouldn't it have been something for me to tell you the story of how I got stranded in Bangkok? π€ Lolz. As a traveler, I know better, but apparently, I was up for pushing limits. Fast-forwarding to my arrival in Bangkok. I got on the bus that goes downtown. I felt like I could see a few things in Bangkok. Little did I know that traffic was HORRIFIC there. It took about 1 hour and 8 minutes to get where I got off. That’s what I get for trying to be cheap. While on the bus, I asked the bus attendant my best option, and she said get off and take a taxi. I did what she recommended. So, I'm slinging my suitcase around Bangkok, trying to find a major area so I can catch a taxi. By this time, I had 53 minutes until check-in closed. A 10-minute walk later, I finally caught a taxi. (40 minutes til check-in). I'm checking my phone's clock every 2 minutes, wondering how far away we are, and mentally figuring out what my new plans would be if I get left in Bangkok. But I'm sure you already knew I made it just in time, with 7 minutes to spare! π Since I didn't get to really see Bangkok, I'll have to make a trip back.
Now to the good part(s)... Chiang Mai, Thailand.
I arrived late in the evening, and after I checked into my hostel, I found some energy to look around the city. Anyways, to the next morning... the elephant tourπ. Oh, what an amazing experience and life lessons I learned. I got to take care of my own elephant for a day. Meet my friend, Don Dee. You wouldn't believe the things he shared with me. Elephants are known for wisdom. ☺
During my time spent with him, he reaffirmed how we need to take things slow in life and not rush. We miss out on things and dismiss valuable time and moments. TRUST. In the beginning when I first fed him, I was distant, literally and mentally. When you don't have trust, you won’t get the full experience with someone or something nor gain value of the time. When I first climbed upon his back, he was patient with me. I was a little nervous, but he guided and assisted me up top. His walk with confidence made me confident in him with no worries. The walk was peaceful. I took in the moments and enjoyed the scenery around. Once we made it to the pond, I gave him a good scrub, cleaning the dirt (he threw upon himselfπ) off him. This was very entertaining. We had lunch and free time after. I enjoyed the other two women that were in my group. It was refreshing to chat about life and traveling. The time with Don Dee came to an end, and I had to say good-bye to him and my trainer. That experience was exactly what I needed.
Once I arrived to my hostel, I cleaned myself and headed out into the "old city" for more adventures. I walked for hours, wandering into different directions, finding temples all around. I took a tuktuk (1. to say I've experienced it and 2. cause I was tired of walking) to the night market. There I found locals selling all types of crafts. If you're ever traveling to Chiang Mai, this is the best place to get souvenirs. Be warned! You'll spend a good amount of money because of the prices. I had to remove myself from the scene. π€· Another experience I had was the Thai massage. It was different but much needed.
I wasn't a fan of extremely long layovers until now. I had a 10 hour layover in Malaysia, so you know I had to make my way to the city. π€ Malaysia is not what I had expected. It's a little complex, but manageable. The city is amazing and wonderfully constructed. The people were kind and generous. (My opinion is created from the two men I had full conversations with.) So I'm walking trying to find a specific metro station, and I find the "I ❤ ️Kuala Lumpur" sign. As I'm about to take a selfie, a local asked if I would like for him to take a picture. I said sure, I'd appreciate it. After that picture, I enrolled myself into Malaysian History 101. Before he began sharing info, I found out he's a country music player in Malaysia. He has his own band,and they do music covers and perform at events. He wants to travel to Texas, Tennessee, and Kentucky. After our long conversation, he showed me the direction to the metro I needed to go to. I also found out what places I need to visit when I return. My other encounter was with the taxi driver. I was at the twin towers when it started pouring down raining. I was determined to go to the other tower and needed a lift. I asked him how much it would be, and he gave me a price. (Usually, you don't want to be in a taxi where the driver doesn't turn the meter on.) I accepted, and we headed to the tower. In the midst of waiting in all the traffic, he asked me was it urgent for me to get to the tower and was I hungry. I told him not really, that I may eat at the tower's restaurant, but I have a flight to catch soon. He informed me that the tower was closing in 15mins. I insisted that we give it a shot. Once we got to the tower, he said he'd wait for me out front just in case. He had trusted me to leave his taxi and return, because I hadn't paid him. I came back with the expected news of the tower being closed, and he ask where did I need to go now. By this time, I just needed to head back to the airport, so the train station is where I needed to go. He gave me another reasonable offer. I was not in the mood to walk nor be in the rain, so I accept. I'm scrambling through my purse, trying to collect the fee. More than mid-way through the ride, I discovered I was literally "50 Malaysian cents" from exact change. When we arrived at my destination, I told him I was short. He lowered the price by 10RM. I gave him that exactly, and he gave me 10RM back. I was sitting in his taxi confused. He told me to take it and get some food. I declined, but he insisted that I take the money. Nothing but God. Always know that there are good people everywhere in this world!
Until the next adventures.... π€
Check out my video with more photos and recordings of my adventures!
