Home Again

I swear I wake up in a new city every morning. Here's a map of our travels:

I'm not complaining though, really. Now I am REALLY excited to do housework and chill. So nice to be home!

(Also, it's freezing. 68 degrees last night!)

I lied a little.

This is the last Thailand post. We just wanted to share a few last photos of the people we will miss the most:

1. Prawech and his wife. They have been involved with the BYU program for years, and they made us feel so at home when we first got to Thailand. We had a great goodbye dinner with them a few weeks ago.

2. Mae Nontakorn: Andrew's mission "mom" treated us SO well when we went to Bangkok. We love her so much.

3. Manop and Anna: My bosses at work. They are such great examples of hard work and humility. Anna fed me every day and taught me so much during the summer.

4. Tee and Ian! Our travel agents all summer. Also our best friends. Also our favorite cooks. We couldn't have done this summer without them.


Ok, that's it. It's really over. 2nd week of school for Andrew, and last week of second vacation for me! Life goes on, but we are so much better after this summer in Thailand, and I'm so grateful for that!

Whirlwind Tour

Andrew's mom, Jody, and her husband Bill came to Thailand to help ease the pain of saying goodbye. We embarked on quite the vacation together!

Our adventures started in Chiang Mai. We finally went to the elephant camp I've been wanting to go to all summer. It was fabulous. Those elephants are just SO smart.

We did another cooking class, zipped around town in songtaews, tuk-tuks, and motorcys, flew through the jungle on ziplines, and played with snakes (AGAIN).

And we had a GREAT time! The picture of Andrew pointing at the blue board shows a picture of him at the same snake farm earlier this summer! He asked if he could get in for free since they were using his photo for advertising, and they said next time. Really?

Next we headed to Luang Prabang, a French-influenced Laotian city. It was like stepping back in time 100 years. We had such a great time relaxing and wandering around the city. 

And then we went back to my favorite spot: Phi Phi Island. We took far fewer photos this time so we could enjoy the moment.

We are so glad Jody and Bill were able to come and see this place we love so much! We had a great time with them, and we were able to say goodbye to ALL of Thailand!

Chiang Rai

Only 2 more Thailand posts!

Our last trip with the students involved renewing our visas in Myanmar. We turned it into a weekend trip and stopped at some sights along the way.

First was the White Temple:

Andrew thought that was the best no-smoking sign he had ever seen. The White Temple is relatively new. It has a large mural inside depicting Heaven and Hell. The mural features some familiar characters: you'll see Spiderman, Kung Fu Panda, Star Trek characters, Transformers, etc. We aren't too sure why they are there--surely enjoying Kung Fu Panda can't mean you're going to hell. Right?!

We also visited a geyser in the middle of a parking lot.

...Where we find this giant. (Becca stepped on it accidentally a few moments later. I thought for sure it was big enough to see, but I guess not!)

So we did.

After a brief shopping stint in Myanmar, we enjoyed a nice, expensive, unsatisfying breakfast on the river. But at least we got a cool group shot.

Then we floated along the Golden Triangle to a little island in Laos.

The Golden Triangle is at the intersection of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, at the most northern point of Thailand.

Rambo, from our trek. He liked our students. I mean, who wouldn't?

This helps you understand. I was a little disappointed we didn't get to stand in ALL THREE at once. No one told me the actual triangle was in the middle of the river.

At the top of another temple in northern Thailand.

I loved doing that.

Such beautiful vistas in Thailand.