Thailand 2018 - Recap — Living Big Travel

You know the classic Cyndi Lauper song ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ well that song was basically on repeat in my mind throughout the entire #LivingBigThailand 2018 trip. 12 women joined from all corners of the US for our inaugural trip to Asia. We started the trip together in Chiang Mai, then made our way down south to the island of Koh Lanta.

There are too many inside jokes, laughs, and stories to fully give justice to the bigness of this adventure, but for the 12 amazing women that joined for this adventure, these photos are for you and I hope they take you down a special memory lane

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To really understand Thailand, the Lanna culture of Northern Thailand, and Buddhism we spent time with a husband and wife team of local guides to introduce us to these topics that are foreign to many Westerners. We learned about Buddhism from a young Monk, visited temples, offered alms to monks, and watched the sunrise from Chiang Mia’s most sacred temple.

No trip to Thailand is complete without indulging in ALL the street food, a wild tuk tuk ride, a visit to a Thai massage spa, the little red truck taxi’s, shopping at the local market and more.

Mama Pea invited us into her home to share her favorite family recipes. (PSA: if you had a friend on this trip you should be expecting an invite from your friend for their homemade Thai curry, laab and more

We had the pleasure of visiting the Elephant Nature Park. Here elephants find a home and safe refuge from the tourist trekking camps and illegal logging that causes often fatal affects on their bodies. Aren’t they the most beautiful creatures?

One day we trekked to Doi Inthanon National Park with a team of local guides, who are also Karen tribe members, for an amazing nature hike and ‘picnic lunch.’ Check out the photos of this amazing lunch, made up of ingredients (and serving utensils!) foraged from the forest, food cooked over a fire and prepared on the trail. Amazing. And amazingly delicious.

And what better way to end a trip – the beach! We spent a few days on Koh Lanta for sunshine (even a rainy evening swimming in the ocean!) snorkeling, Thai massages on the beach, coconut cocktails and more.