The only way to travel...is together :)

March - Group Outings

March was a very, very full month with an adventure in each of its’ FIVE weekends. So, I am splitting my March blog in two, and in this first one reliving all of the amazing teacher group trips that we experienced. The first one actually comes in on my top five list of Thailand; Ratchaprapa Dam in the Khao Sok National Park.

The Dam was one of the trips we had been planning on and looking forward too from our very arrival in Thailand. Previous teachers had mentioned how amazingly beautiful it was, so we decided we had to go. But of course, it was one of those trips that was put-off until the last minute. Literally, the last month that everyone was here we made an executive decision we NEEDED to go. (Luckily for the cancellation of a Bangkok music fest, everyone was able to adventure.)

The Dam takes about an hour to get to by mini bus, and then it was another hour or so on a longtail boat to our floating bungalows. It is the most immensely beautiful place I've been too yet. It somewhat reminded me of our lake house in the North Woods of Wisconsin, but with the exception of gargantuan mountains surrounding every corner and smaller bungalows, not secured on land, but floating on the water. We could literally wake up, open our door and dive into the lake. AMAZING! The weekend was full of boating/hiking/kayaking/swimming adventures and, of course, some drinks, music, and a little night swimming as well. :) I really wish we would have made this trip sooner in the year, because then I would have most defiantly returned for another visit. If only there was more time! Maybe on another trip in the future.

The following two weekends we stayed around Surat and had adventures close to home (and on a budget). First, was our Language excursion around Surat. We had a day filled with longtail boats, mangroves, and coconuts....LOTS of coconuts. We learned how coconut oil was made, how to husk a coconut, how to eat a coconut, how to make vinegar and sweetener from coconuts, etc....It was a lot of 'learning' especially because most of us hadn't had our coffee yet. After boating around, we were treated to a BBQ lunch at a nearby resort. It turned out to be a really fun day (and I'm not saying that mostly because we had unlimited drinks and a pool to swim in). Later that night we attended the Surat Bike Show. Yet, another great cultural experience in Thailand. Harley's and biker chicks! Hanging around Surat has its advantages and this weekend did fall short.

Another interesting fact about Surat is that there is a Monkey Training college just outside of town. FUN! We have to see monkeys before we go. It didn't end up being exactly what we had expected, but we ended up having a lot of fun learning about the monkeys' training, riding around on bikes and letting the monkeys jump all over us. Another successful Surat experience.

St. Patrick's Day fell on a Monday here in Thailand. So, there wasn't an extensive celebration, but Annika, our resident Irish lady, taught us a thing or two about the holiday. She made, a surprisingly, good punch, did brilliant Irish themed face paintings and we played Kings Cup with Irish accents. 

On of the last weekends of March was our Un-Official last weekend in Khanom. Annika, Maggie and I had been wanting to make the trip on our motorbikes, so we decided this would be the perfect weekend for it. It was quite and adventure, not one that I would do again, but something that I am glad I was able to experience. Khanom is always great for relaxing weekends, and that's just how this one went. We ended a perfect day of soaking up the sun with an amazing dinner at the Dusty Geiko and drinks and jam sessions at Jam Bay. It was a great weekend with great friends and a great way to end our time all-together in Thailand.

XoXo :)