Our first stop in Thailand was Phuket - a half island with one side stuffed with bars and tourists and the other a dirty grimy town. Never the less surrounding islands were crazily beautiful and we lived in the best place we ever have.
This city is to this day our favourite. Filled with western comfort at cheap prizes, nice people, buddhist tranquility and fantastic food as well as beautiful surroundings this place has it all. We will be back some day.
For Thanksgiving we had a few days off which meant we could escape WIFI! So of course we found ourselves a hut in the middle of the jungle, spending the holidays exploring waterfalls and escaping packs of wild dogs...
We decided to arrive in Bangkok a week before our flight out. Huge mistake. Bangkok as a giant puddle of trash, smog and air so humid and hot you can barely breathe. We took shelter in the malls most of our time there.
For the past year we've answered "Chiang Mai" whenever people asked for our favourite spot - so we decided to go back and stay for a while! This time for the flower festival and Chinese New Year.
It took us 4 different shady tuk tuks to get out to Buti and Willows farm but it was amazing to stay with real hill tribe members and with Willow, who has more stories to tell than anyone we've ever met!
Like everyone else we loved little, quirky Pai, where half the visitors are wrapped in bandages from scooter accidents on the windy roads. Roads that lead to canyons, waterfalls, rice fields and strawberry farms.
Wat Umong, Buddhist temple, Thailand 30.01.16 - 02.02.16
We finally manned up and went on a meditation retreat. After 3 days of meditating 8 hours a day, eating only before 11am and sleeping in a room smaller than our bodies, we found the outside world to be exceptionally loud.
