We traveled to Thailand with a stopover in Seoul Dec 22-31. What an amazing trip! It was nice to experience different cultures with ancient history, good cheap food, and excellent service. We had ~12 hour flight to Seoul and then a 12 hour layover that we made the most of. Our tour guide was Jonathan and he taught us about history, culture, and K-pop. We visited Gyeongbokgung Palace + folk life museum, Bukchon Hanok Village, Insadong markets, Gongpyeong historical sites museum, Jogyesa Temple, and HiKr higher ground pop culture center. Phew.
Then we flew 6 hours to Bangkok and stayed at a Doubletree with a great breakfast buffet. The first day (Sunday) was Christmas but it didn't feel like it since everything was open and the festivities were limited. We visited the Grand Palace, Wat Pho Temple, Temple of the Emerald Buddha. We thought about visiting the Reclining Buddha too, but we were templed out. John got ripped off by a tuk tuk driver (but only about ~$1 loss) and we took a ferry along the river. We visited the Chatuchak weekend market where Alex bought a pair of shorts for $7 since he didn't bring any(?) and he bought a souvenir wood elephant. Julia had some boba and later mango sticky rice. Then we went to the fancy mall Siam Paragon to enjoy the AC and figured out how to take the air train.
On Monday, we were picked up by our tour guide Ken for a 3-day tour west of Bangkok. We went to the Maeklong Railway Market where vendors sell right on the tracks and Ken had us try some unique street food. Then we went to the Konong Ton Khem floating market and took a boat through the canals looking at wares. None of us were too into markets. Then we went to Kanchanaburi, a medium size city near Myanmar, and we walked over the Bridge Over the River Kwai and saw the war cemetary and the Death Railway Museum. It was very interesting. Japan used POWs, mostly from Australia and UK, to build the railway to Burma. We stayed at the Good Times Resort on the water in Kanchanaburi and the kids enjoyed the pool and free breakfast buffet.
On Tuesday we went to Erawan National Park and climbed all 7 levels of the waterfalls. It was about 3 miles and not too hard. We also traveled on the Death Railway for a bit and visited a cool cave. We had planned to go to Hellfire Pass and the museum there but it was closed for the holiday.
On Wednesday we traveled with Ken to the Summer Palace, a European style retreat for royalty. Then we visited many many many temple ruins in Ayutthaya. This is the ancient capital. We also had a tuk tuk ride and an excellent lunch. After a minor snafu around which airport to go to, Ken dropped us at BKK and we flew to Chiang Mai.
On Thursday Alex slept in while Joanna and Julia went to a wonderful vegan cooking class at Mai Kaidee+Morning Glory. We learned probably 12 recipes. They were all easy but so delicious. Meanwhile John took a Grab motorbike (like Uber) to the Doi Suthep temple up on a mountainside. Then, we met up for lunch and John and Joanna got foot massages. For dinner, we walked over to the nighttime market, stopping at the old town walls and a few temples along the way.
On Friday, we went to the Elephant Rescue Park where they have 8 elephants who were formerly in circuses or logging camps. The elephants each have their own handler. We got to feed them bananas and sugar cane. Then we walked with them while they munched on different vegetation. And then we bathed them in the stream. They were really personable - playful, gentle, funny. The operation may just be a commercial tourist trap but the elephants have a nice life. After lunch, we rested at our hotel, El Barrio Lanna, and then had dinner at a vegan restaurant. On the way back, we took the main shopping street and Julia bought a pair of earrings and we all shared a ice cream like dessert. Late, we flew back to Bankok and stayed at the airport hotel. We took an early flight to Seoul and then back to Seattle. The return trip was much faster and the jet lag more manageable. We even managed a New Year's Eve party at Trish's. While we were enjoying our travels, Maeby loved her babysitter Ella and a visit from Grandma and Grandpa.
John created a nice summary video:
