Sorry for the long delay. There were tons of pictures to go through. I took about 4000 pictures combined on my DSLR and underwater camera. Plus there were some on my cell phone which is now lost to Lara Croft and Angkor Wat.
These were a fantastic 2 weeks with amazing activities and sufficient downtime to relax and unwind.
My favorites - virtually impossible to select a single favorite - were definitely seeing wild elephants on safari in Khao Yai National Park, photography tour in Angkor Wat, riding elephants in Chiang Mai, and sublime diving in Ko Lanta.
If I were to do it again, I'd have booked the full day elephant experience. They're really great creatures and I would have liked to spend more time with them. I'd maybe travel less as taking a flight every 3 days was pretty draining. However, I don't know what I could have given up.
If I go back to Thailand, I'd spend a week in Chiang Mai with a full day or more with elephants and then exploring the countryside and temples in the mountains. Then I'd find myself a great live aboard to dive the Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock.
But there are so many fantastic places in the world, how I can start repeating before I've seen them all?
Shout out to great resorts and tour groups:
- Lilawalai in Pak Chong (near Khao Yai) http://www.lilawalai.com/ - What a fantastic find! It's not very popular with Americans apparently but more popular with Europeans, particularly Swedes, but the Americans are definitely missing out. The grounds are amazingly beautiful - well manicured flowering trees with charming river and bridges. The staff was fantastic - the manager personally picked me up from the minivan station. It's truly a relaxing stay in paradise (as I've said before). Only downside is the food isn't fabulous. Highly recommended!!
- Tonton tours http://www.tontantravel.com/tours/en/khao-yai-night-safari.html - Khao Yai National park day + night safari - Our guide Beer was great. He was very knowledgeable and quickly picked up on what we wanted to see (private tour after all) and did his best to show us everything. It was well organized, there was enough flexibility to accommodate our interests, and everything we needed was provided - lunch, dinner, snacks, and drinks along the way. Definitely an offbeat thing to do while near Bangkok.
- Angkor Wat Photography http://angkor-wat-photography.com/our-tours/angkor-wat-photography-tour- Our guide Ota was perhaps the best guide we could have dreamed of. He was so knowledgeable about photography and knew all the great spots even in the crazy crowds. But in addition, he was also knowledgeable about the history and cultural significance of the sites which was a fantastic addition. Our pictures were great and our experience was fantastic. I couldn't have asked for more (except of course not to have lost my phone to Lara Croft). Definitely recommend for anyone interested in photography while in Angkor wat.
- Ran-tong elephant center http://rantongelephant.com/rantong-riding-progams/ - This was a great group taking care of elephants. I really enjoyed the elephant ride. My mahout was always kind to my elephant. The tour guide was knowledgeable about Asian elephants. I would have liked to spend more time with the elephant to have experienced washing them but I understand they didn't wan tot force the elephants since they didn't want to go into the water. The group never hit or poked the elephants which was very kind. I would recommend but maybe an afternoon trip or a full day instead of a morning one. But maybe just splurge and get the fancy Pantara experience instead...
- Andaman Dive Adventures http://andamandiveadventure.com/ - What a great dive outfit! The boats were great. The personnel was fantastic - the divemasters were great and they kept the groups small, and the front desk staff was super accommodating - offering to pick us up from the ferry stop and calling around to find a boat to take me to Hin Daeng and Hin Muang when they weren't able to accommodate my schedule. This was probably the best dive organization I've ever used.
- Diamond D'Angkor Boutique hotel http://www.diamondangkor.com/ - This was a great hotel. The staff was super accommodating. I loved having my own tuktuk driver and cell phone. The rooms were comfy. The spa was convenience and not too overpriced. The pool was satisfactory. The food was surprisingly tasty. Would definitely stay again.
Photos to follow - I'll be posting them by location/activity chronologically. I thought about going back to interject them into my previous posts but who's going to go back to see them. So, here's another lap through my 2 weeks in Thailand and Cambodia with mostly pictures, not much text. Enjoy!
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