No trip to Thailand would be complete without a visit to one of Thailand’s breathtaking islands. I strongly urge you to skip the overly commercialized Phuket and opt for one of the less developed islands. During our trip, we chose Koh Lanta, which is located in the Krabi Province. Conde Naste Traveller has listed Koh Lanta in the top 10 islands to visit in Thailand. If you are looking for a low-key boho vibe and nearly deserted beaches, then this is where you want to go; and, may I suggest that you make this destination the splurge part of your trip.
To get to Koh Lanta takes some effort, which is why the party crowd has not yet overtaken this paradise. We took a regional flight from Bangkok to Krabi. Once we got to Krabi, our resort staff was waiting for us with a sprinter van. We drove for almost two hours to their private dock where we boarded the property’s speed boat for a 45 minute ride through utter beauty.
We chose the Pimalai Resort and Spa, which is Lanta’s first five-star hotel. It is set in a tropical forest on the edge of white-sand Ba Kan Tiang Beach near Lanta Marine National Park. We stayed in their Chairman’s Villa, which is totally private, beach-side, and has its own infinity pool! The resort itself is a destination. The on-property restaurants are delicious and the spa is top notch! The resort also has an array of activities you can book, including diving, snorkeling (which Chad loved), island exploration, cooking classes, and treks.
I am going to shut up now and let the photos tell the rest of the story (although these pictures don’t do the natural beauty of the island justice, nor do they properly convey the absolute peace and tranquility that this resort provides to its guests; I HIGHLY recommend that you make it to this Heaven on Earth sometime soon!)…
Many children displaying anger may not have any of these drugs, one should consult with the physician to know the Learn More generico cialis on line right dosage of the medicine. You might be viagra on line prescription one among such men concerned with cost and effectiveness of the treatment. The medicine should be consumed with full large glass of water. viagra in india http://appalachianmagazine.com/2020/05/08/purchase-a-print-subscription/ / It the proven medicine for men who wish to have longer and harder erection every time. The nicotine in cigarettes leads to blood vessels price for viagra 100mg to relax and expand, so that an increased amount of blood is reached to the penile organs of his particular body. Chairman’s Villa:
Private foot path to the nearly private beach:
The sunsets were unreal: 
Relax, snorkel, float…
It has been over 800 days since Chad and I were last in Chiang Mai, but the memories of our time there are fresh. We often think back to a moment or a experience we had in this magical little city. It was certainly our favorite city in Thailand, and one of our favorites of all time. Chiang Mai is peaceful, spiritual, friendly, and beautiful. It is a place that stays with you. It is worth a trip to Thailand just to visit this serene city. Allow me to share with you a perfect three-day itinerary for Chiang Mai, Thailand’s principle northern city.
The next morning we were met by our private guide, Nikki, who, together with our driver, would be with us for the rest of our time in Chiang Mai. Nikki, like most of the Thai people, was so warm and friendly. Her goal was to make sure we were having an amazing time, and, she succeeded in that goal. No ask was too great a feat for Nikki!
On our first full day in Chiang Mai, a city tour with plenty of temples were on the itinerary! Chiang Mai has some very beautiful temples right in the heart of the city. If your are going to visit the temples, here are some things you should know. First, bring a scarf to throw over your shoulders. It can get pretty warm in Thailand, but bare shoulders for women is a no-no. Second, wear shoes that you can easily take on and off and which you do not mind leaving outside while you visit the temples. Shoes are not allowed to be worn inside the temples. Third, and probably most important, bring a good pair of socks that you don’t mind getting dirty because you will be doing most of your temple walking in socks!
Now we ready to temple! Temples, or wats as they are called in Thailand, are the backbone of Thai culture. Our first stop was to Chiang Mai’s best known temple, 
We next visited 
We also visited 
We visited some other smaller temples as well:
One of the coolest experiences we had while visiting the temples was a chance to sit with a novice monk and have a monk chat. You can ask the monks anything you want about life as a monk, and it gives the monks a chance to practice their English. While becoming a monk is sort of a process, it is voluntary, and a monk can return to civilian life whenever he chooses. This 
Throughout the day, we had some other monk encounters, like this one:
This may be a good place to tell you about one of the stranger Thai customs we encountered: Thai public restrooms. The Thai are concerned with cleanliness, so, at some of the temples, in addition to paying to use the restroom, you also have to wear what they call toilet shoes. Yes, you read that right, toilet shoes. Oddly enough, toilet shoes are public shoes that they loan you in the restroom facilities that are worn only when using the toilet. You leave your regular shoes outside. Seems kind of opposite of sanitary, right? Also, this is where you become thankful for those socks. Another odd bathroom custom are the signs that instruct you not to stand on the toilet seat and squat, but rather, to sit on the seat. I am not sure why this needs explaining, but I assume that local or indigenous people who do not have indoor plumbing sometimes take a pilgrimage to the temples and are unaccustomed to using an indoor toilet facility. I don’t know; all I know is that I was amused and grossed out at the same time. 
After a morning of visiting temples, we decided to spend the afternoon at a weaving cooperative where we learned about ancient weaving techniques from Thai weavers.
Our next order of business was to get a famous Thai foot massage! Not only was this cheap, it was an hour of pure bliss.
In the evening, we visited my favorite temple in all of Thailand, 
I thought it was going to be hard to top our first day in Chiang Mai, but I was wrong. On our second day, we visited 
Before I tell you about out incredible experience here, I strongly encourage you to read my post about being a 
After a couple of hours of that, we were taken to another part of the park where we were assigned a uniform and an elephant whom we would be responsible to care for that day. Our elephant’s name was BunJin. He was the largest elephant, the only adult male, and the baby daddy to all the other elephants. Needless to say, he was a pretty popular guy. But, even popular guys need to eat and be cleaned, and that was out job! We also learned simple hand gestures and commands in Thai that the elephants knew, like telling them “Didi” which means that he or she was a good boy or girl, that helped us interact with our elephant.
This is my sister, Haroula (Ha-Rue-La), and this is a fun story that would probably embarrass her! Needless to say, her very Greek name isn’t the easiest to pronounce for American people, let alone the Thai! Well, they guy who assigned to help her decided that since he couldn’t say Haroula, he would just call her Colorado! And then, to top it all off, as the day went on, this young Thai boy fell in love with Colorado, so we began calling her Colorado, the Asian temptress. This name turned out to be pretty appropriate as the trip went on!
After BunJin was groomed and fed, it was time to ride him for an hour through a hillside jungle where we would find a pool in which to bathe him in. Have you ever mounted and dismounted an animal that is taller than you standing on your head and weighs as much as house? It ain’t cute, I can tell you that. How do you get up? Well, you climb onto his head from the trunk or you hoist yourself onto his back from his leg. Getting off? Now that is the sexy part.
Don’t we just look like an advertisement for visiting Thailand? If you could only hear the expletives that we were whispering to each other as we were trying to stay balanced on this gigantic creature who liked to look down, chase lady elephants on the trail, and always (without fail) tried to shove himself between two trees because the scratch felt good! Remember, we are riding bare back, so there is nothing keeping us on this elephant but pure balance! Also, he’s got coarse little hairs poking us in the butt, and, as Chad will later learn, a colony of fire ants on his back! 
Alas, we made it to the pool alive! BunJin just walked us right in, rolled over and then demanded to be bathed. 
After splashing around with the elephants for a while, we were treated to a delicious picnic.
This truly was an incredible experience. Nonetheless, I continued to wonder whether riding an elephant at all was ethical. I have read several articles about this since then, and while it is probably best to not ride an elephant at all, the safest way to ride an elephant is bareback and on the neck, like we did at Patara. Also, I can honestly say that I did not see any of the elephants being mistreated, and all the locals truly seemed to care for and have bond with these animals.
On our final day in Chiang Mai, we decided to indulge. We spent the day at the best hotel in Chiang Mai, the 
We next indulged in a nice long massage followed by tea!
We ended the night in one of their fabulous restaurants where we enjoyed a traditional Thai dance and dinner show.
Chiang Mai is like Shangri-La. It has beautiful scenery, friendly people, and amazing experiences just waiting for you. It is a clean, budget friendly city with relatively mild temperatures and serves as the perfect place to start your journey of Northern Thailand. Chad and I truly loved our time there and would like to return to experience the 
The 
Once you arrive, you will take a winding path to the entrance. Just before the entrance are little trails you can take to see the outside of the lagoon.
When you walk in, you will line up based on the package you purchased to check-in. At check-in, they will assign you your towel, robe, and slippers, and give you a bracelet that acts as your locker key and your credit card on the property.
From the check-in, you will be escorted to the locker room where you will choose a locker. You must shower before entering the lagoon. The locker rooms have restrooms and shower facilities, but don’t expect the same amenities as a spa. They have a soap and like one blowdryer, so bring your own toiletries and blow dryers if you need them for afterwards. 
The locker rooms lead out to the lagoon entrance area. There are two ways to enter the lagoon: from the inside pool that has a door that leads to the outside or from the outside using a sloped ramp. There are places to hang your towels and robes inside and outside, but space is very limited. 
Once inside the lagoon, there are shallow and deep areas. There are also saunas and steam rooms as well as swim up bars where you can buy drinks and from where you can get your mud and algae masks. If you plan to take pictures while inside the lagoon, make sure you bring a waterproof case for your camera or phone.
The water temperature is between 98 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit (37-40 degrees Celsius). Apparently, there are 9 million liters of water in the pool that renews itself every 40 hours. It is about 2 feet at its shallowest point and 5 feet at its deepest point. There is no visibility under the water. Because it is so hot, it is important to stay hydrated before, during, and after your visit. Also, the sulfuric water can really dry out your hair, so load it up with conditioner and try not to get your hair wet.
In addition to their exclusive lounge, there is a rest and relaxation area, a gift shop, conference rooms (so you can hold a meeting or event here!), and a full service hotel (as in you can sleep at the Blue Lagoon, which has its own set of perks!).
Also, if you are going to get a massage or other treatment, you are taken to a secluded pool that has these floating beds where your treatment takes place. Every few minutes they dip you into the water to keep you warm.
Although it is majorly touristy and pretty pricey, the Blue Lagoon is certainly worth a visit. I loved that we went during the winter. There is something sort of surreal about being in your bathing suit while the ground is covered in snow, and you are bathing in super hot water while snowflakes hit your face. It was definitely a memorable experience!
