Don't Stop Believing : 2012-08-12

Often it is the people who make a place special. You can go to one of the least exciting places in the world, but have the most phenomenal time, simply due to the people you are with. Thailand doesn’t even make my top five, for favourite places travelled, however it was one of my most memorable countries because of Jaimee.

Jaimee Devlin is a lifelong best friend who flew from Canada to travel Thailand with me. She is one of the most independent, strong willed, open, determined, outgoing, beautiful people that I know. Jaimee and I have such a deep connection and understanding of each other that we are able to communicate with our eyes 18m below sea level. We finish each other’s sentences, know each other’s thoughts, have the same ideas, live life with the same passion but have different tastes in men (ha ha ha). For all the months I have travelled my 30 days with Jaimee went by the fastest. Before I knew it we were hugging goodbye as she headed back to Canada and I stayed behind. During our fabulous time together this is a snap shot of our experiences…

We started our journey just outside Bangkok where we explored a floating market, market on the train tracks and ate enormous amounts of tasty thai food. Jaimee had a friend from London (Paul), who had a local friend (Por) who drove us to the neighbouring province to explore all of the above. Por treated us like Kings and Queens and gave without any reservation. Her kindness is something Jaimee and I will never forget and will one day repay when Por visits Canada.

After returning to Bangkok we connected with some Dutch friends of mine that I met in Laos. They were on their way home to Holland so we ripped up Khosan Road to send them off with a unforgettable last night out. Jaimee and I had our first beer tower and I went to sleep with a cheeseburger. After waking up, from a short night sleep, we packed our bags and headed for a 12 hour train ride to Chiang Mai (CM). In CM we were greeted at the train station by an old family friend, Nolan, who moved to CM to teach for a few years. We spent a day, or so, catching up with him in his cute little home just outside of CM. Thank you Nolan for taking us in and showing us a great time! After many beers and a few old school stories, Jaimee and I headed back into the heart of CM to go on a two day trek in the mountains and explore CM.

On our trek we met loads of awesome people and went elephant riding, white water rafting and saw two beautiful waterfalls. CM is a really cool city with a more authentic thai feel than down south. We found that the locals were much more friendly and the atmosphere much more relaxed. During our time there we met an American, Andrew, who joined us on our next adventure to Pai.

Pai is a funky hippie down just North of CM with tones of awesome organic restaurants, reggae pubs, waterfalls, hot springs and cheap thai massages. Unfortunately I spent the majority of my time in Pai inside the hotel room due to the food poisoning most of us on the trek got. Jaimee was able to rent a scooter and check out some sights but I stayed inside and burdened Andrew with endless questions and life talks. Thank you Andrew, for not only letting me use your toilet, but for your awesome company, unique stories and positive perspective on life.

After recovering from our food poisoning Jaimee and I headed South to Krabi to hit up Railay beach. We spent one day in Krabi, laying on Railay beach, and soaking up the beauty of the Thai islands. Railay beach is a neat little spot, about 45 minute boat ride from Krabi, on an island full of caves, monkeys and white sandy beaches. Definitely check it out if you are headed that direction.

Our next stop was Koh Tao where we spent 3 days exploring another Thai island, eating pineapple until our mouths burned, and being sun gods. After burning ourselves to a crisp we started our PADI open water diving course with Ban’s Diving Resort. We both highly recommend this place if anyone is headed to Koh Tao and interested in diving. It is such a phenomena experience to be under the water and see all the beauty nature created under the sea. Diving is so relaxing, peaceful and personal. It is one of the quietest places on earth and somewhere you can really become one with your thoughts. We have a rockin video of our dive experience that will soon be shared on the faces.

Well…we had used our brains and relaxed for a week so now it was time to destroy both with the crazy, well known, full moon parties. It is honestly 3-4 days (depending on your endurance), of complete madness! We stayed at a fancy hotel where all the other guests were Irish! Almost every single person was Irish, except for the two of us and few English lads. We formed a solid group called team spiral who partied it up together during the full moon festivities. It was a weekend to remember but not one to repeat. Jaimee has all the pictures so if you wanna see the madness just wait for her to display em. With our livers and stomachs destroyed Jaimee and I moved resorts to find somewhere relaxing to recover for a few days. The spot we found, by mistake, was a real gem and exactly what the doctor ordered! After Jaimee left for Canada, I spend my first day alone in over 4 months, just chilling in the hammock outside our little bungalow; reading, writing, sleeping, laying in a hammock and preparing my mind for India. Now that I am in India and personal space is non-existent I am very thankful for that day of peace Thailand gave me, as well as, the unforgettable experiences, memories and laughs with Ms Jaimee Devlin. I love you babes!