Second half of Phuket and first half of Chiang Mai

After we got back to Phuket from the Phi Phi Islands the weather had improved greatly.

It seemed the rain only started after the sun went down. Which was great for the days but did interfere with going out a couple nights.

Regardless, we made the most of the sunny days while we enjoyed our last week exploring Phuket.

One major hiccup that we had to figure out was that Bryce’s MacBook stopped working while we were in Phi Phi and he needed it to do his school work.

We contemplated just sharing mine but when we got back to Phuket he found a repair shop that was 30ish minutes away. Getting a Grab ride was going to cost 600 something baht ($16+ USD) one way, which just felt too expensive.

So instead, we rented a moped for the day.

A grand total of 250 baht ($6.70 USD).

It was a nice blue Honda Click that we had so much fun on we decided to rent it for two more days.

With the moped we got the opportunity to experience much more of Phuket.

The first night we had it we drove to two nearby beaches, Ya Nui Beach and Nai Harn Beach. Both beautiful with blue water, islands not that far out into the water and rocks and trees surrounding it all.

The drive between the two beaches was maybe even more beautiful than the beaches themselves. You have to drive over a hill between the two of them and there is a cliff the road follows above Nai Harn Beach where you have a gorgeous aerial view of everything.

We were on top of the hill a little before sunset, just as the sky was beginning to change and while the sun was reflecting off of the water to create a picturesque view.

We grabbed a quick dinner to-go at our most frequented restaurant there, Jen’s, where we got easily one of the most delicious appetizers ever, cream cheese stuffed garlic bread.

We will for sure be trying to recreate those when we get home. Bryce wants to make his own version stuffed with buffalo chicken dip.

The next day we went to the Big Buddha.

Which involved driving up a rather steep mountain which gave us flashbacks to our moped crash but we survived the way down so it was okay (we did pull over to give the brakes time to cool down though).

On the way up to the Big Buddha there was a break in the trees lining the road and up on a hillside I saw an elephant walking around.

I quickly pointed it out to Bryce, it was so cool to see.

But then we rounded a corner and there were a handful of elephants with those wooden seats strapped to their backs. It was obvious that people were paying to ride these elephants which made seeing them more sad than cool.

We made it to the top, parked the moped and made our way to the Big Buddha.

It is free to go see but women do have to cover their stomachs, knees and shoulders to get in.

You walk into the property on the backside of the Buddha, the street leading to it is lined with vendors selling sarongs, snacks and drinks.

When you round the corner to see the front of the Buddha for the first time it is crazy.

The large staircase leading to it, with snakes lining both sides, really adds to the grandioseness of the whole structure.

The Big Buddha is looking over a gorgeous view of the city below and the ocean surrounding it.

We walked all around it, taking in the sights and looking at all the other statues.

We realized you could go inside so we went in and found more statues and flags of a lot of different countries hanging everywhere.

It was cool to look up into the ceiling and admire the structure of the Big Buddha and all the work and time it must have taken to make it.

The next day we wanted to go out to Bangla Road.

Bangla Road was a 30 minute ride from our place and is a street they close down at night so nobody can drive on it and it fills with bars that you walk between.

It seemed like it would be fun but it was raining that night and the bars were mostly outside so we decided against it and we would try again the next night.

The next night it was raining again and we were torn between going anyway or just finding bars within walking distance to our place.

Neither of us were really attached to going to Bangla Road so we opted to go to bars we could walk to.

We threw on our ponchos and headed out to our first stop to get some dinner.

It was a short three minute walk and we arrived at a restaurant called Sorrentos.

We both decided on a cocktail and spaghetti carbonara, everything was delicious.

After we finished our little dinner date, it was still pouring but we were determined to have a night out. We started our walk to the next street over which according to our map, had a bunch of bars on it.

There certainly were a lot of bars but whenever we would look into one they were all dead.

After walking for a bit in the rain with no luck of finding a place to go we made the decision to go back to our room and just have a fun night in together.

We changed out of our wet clothes, put on comfy ones and settled in for an evening filled with Beer-io Kart, Jeopardy and funny YouTube videos.

The next morning we were on the move.

We left the apartment we were in and went to a little “private house,” as it’s called on AirBnb, closer to the airport for two nights (the listing said we’d get a free ride to the airport so that was our incentive for staying there).

That first day we walked 15 minutes to Nai Yang Beach which is quiet, gorgeous and has warm water.

We hung out there for a while before heading back to our AirBnb to get some dinner.

Turns out we are suckers for mopeds because we rented one for the only full day we were there. It just makes everything so much easier, you get to see and experience more than if you were walking everywhere.

The next day we explored a bit more and went to a beach on the opposite side of the airport where you can watch the planes come and go while enjoying the sun and water. It is called Maikhao Beach.

Bryce built himself a little “shelter,” as he called it, out of driftwood and vines while I basked in the warm sun.

The next day it was time to leave and we headed to the northern part of Thailand, Chiang Mai.

But unfortunately our flight wasn’t until 6:30 p.m. and we had to check out of our place at 12 p.m. The owner of the AirBnb was kind enough to let us keep our luggage in her office while we passed the time at Nai Yang Beach.

We spent hours in the ocean just swimming around and having fun.

When it was almost time to go, we decided to make a quick stop at a convenience store for ice cream and a cold drink before we walked back to the AirBnb.

As we didn’t have any shower to use after our beach day we went to the airport slightly sandy and in not-entirely-dry bathing suits.

But as soon as we were through the TSA we stopped at a bathroom and changed into dry clothes from our carry-ons.

It was a quick flight, just under two hours, to get to Chiang Mai from Phuket.

Today is our seventh day in Chiang Mai, exactly halfway through, and it has been great.

The sun is always out, our condo is beautiful (although there are signs everywhere saying travelers aren’t welcome, it's not a hotel, so we have to fly under the radar), and we have had a blast.

So far I have spent a good chunk of mornings working while Bryce does school, sleeps in or hits the condo gym.

Then whenever we’re ready we eat breakfast and make a plan for the day.

Usually we go to the store, “Big C,” and get groceries.

Sometimes we will go to the rooftop pool and lay in the loungers.

We watch movies or comedy specials.

The best is when we catch the sunset from the rooftop garden.

That's just the day-to-day life.

A couple nights ago we went to Muay Thai fights.

We had ourselves a little pre-game for it then walked the 15 minutes to the stadium where we got our arms stamped, were walked to our seats and were promptly greeted with a menu from the bar behind us.

We each got a Chang beer and watched the fights.

Bryce and I think that only about half the fights were real.

Some just looked a little staged.

But regardless it was a lot of fun and the real fights were definitely worth the ticket price.

Which of course wasn't expensive for entertainment, around 600 baht ($16 USD).

After the fights we went to a nearby bar, got another beer and played each other in pool and darts before heading back to the condo.

Last night we went to a night market where it is all the local vendors selling their handmade goods, souvenirs and local food.

Chiang Mai and Phuket are both great places to travel to but so far I think I like Chiang Mai a little better than Phuket.

Bryce says he doesn’t have a preference.

We have a lot planned for this coming week.

It is actually the busiest week of the year in Chiang Mai right now.

There are two large festivals starting today and going for three days total.

Loy Krathong and Yee Peng are, generally speaking (I will go into more detail in the next blog), both festivals that give thanks to and honor Buddha by releasing lanterns into the sky and floating candles down the rivers.

We are excited to experience these very important festivals in the next coming days.

Also this week we plan on going to a pub crawl, spend a day at a water park Bryce found and we have tickets to enjoy a day with elephants at a sanctuary.

With everything going on I’m sure our social media and blog will both be flooded with photos this week.

Then, a week from today, we are back to Bali for the last month of our trip.

It is flying by.