Mt. Rainier. The largest mountain in the Pacific Northwest. In the two years I lived in Seattle, it looked over me, laughed at me, and dared me. The last week before I left Seattle to go to grad school, I finally summited that beast. One of the coolest things I’ve ever done my life, and one more thing I get to cross off my bucket list.
Here’s a bunch of pictures I recently discovered going through my old stuff.
I recently stumbled upon a bunch of pictures from my 2010 summer internship at Apple.
That summer, spent half my summer in Shanghai. Aside from working a lot! I had to chance to be in China (my first time) during the World Expo.
Here are some  pictures from that experience:
I recently visited SF for work…and it reminded me to do a share a quick post on a really fun trail run I did a few years back.
In 2010, in my short time in California over the summer, I decided to go on the famed Dipsea Trail, one of the largest trail races in the country. I didn’t do the race, instead I just ran through the course and back on the same day – a Double Dipsea. It was fun – 7 miles to the beach, and then the 7 back to my car. Saw some nice sights, and  got lost a few times. For those in SF and wanting to go on a solid trail run, I found it enjoyable.
Thailand is a fun place. We know it was famous for its beaches, but we were happy to explore the countryside and the great outdoors. By doing so, we really  got to experience Thailand, and get a feel for the warmth of the people.
A few surprises for me:
Quick Summary of the Trip:
Our favorite part was the elephants. If we were to come back, we’d probably spend more time (at least a few days) volunteering at the Elephant Sanctuary.  It would also be great to go further into Thailand to Chiang Rai.
My last day in Thailand, was spent it hanging out in public; in the market, in the park.
First, I went to the famous Chatuchak Weekend Market (TripAdvisor). I was  awed by all the things that were sold – very crazy. Along the same lines there was some awesome ice cream and street food :). This place is MASSIVE.
Second, I went to Lumpini Park (TripAdvisor). It was alright, but it pales in comparison to Central Park. I could see myself going for a jog there if I was there longer.
Overall, Thailand was a blast. Highly recommended.
Leaving Chiang Mai, we have one more full day in Bangkok. Instead of going to temples and seeing the “historic” things, we decided to see the more modern parts of the city.
Escape Hunt (TripAdvisor). It’s new in Bangkok, and a fairly new concept for people in Thailand, but it was very well done. The owner comes from Europe (I think London), and puts together a pretty fun whodunit, Sherlock Holmes activity. You won’t have to worry about knowing any Thai, it’s completely set to an English audience. If we had a similar activity like this in the states (or in NY), I think it would do very well.
VIP movie – This, I believe is a Thailand only experience. I read about this luxury movie experience (link), and decided to go to one of their many malls that support this. At the Siam Paragon mall (TripAdvisor) (BTS: Siam), we went to the Paragon Cineplex. It was really neat. We got a 15 minute massage, cappuccino, and a dessert before the movie. Then for the movie, we got to sit down on a chair able to recline all the way back, with flavored popcorn and a large soda brought to our seat. It’s a combination of a movie + a business first class airline seat. Highly recommended. Just remember to pay respects to the king and queen at the beginning of the movie (similar to the national anthem at a ballgame in the states).
Check out their crazy malls. They have a lot. Just go to BTS: Siam, and you can look spend hours looking around. MBK Center (TripAdvisor), Siam Paragon, Siam Center and Siam Discovery (TripAdvisor). It’s quite an experience…I don’t think you get to see malls like that in the states.
Last, their crazy rooftops. At 60+ floors, with a wide-open rooftop, it’s a cool chance to see the entire city. The two famous ones are Moon Bar at the Banyan Tree hotel (TripAdvisor) or Sky Bar (TripAdvisor). They do have a dress-code, pants and close-toe shoes. Though, if you have sandals, they will let you borrow some “spare” shoes they have lying around.
Our last full day in Chiang was spent with the monkeys. We saw some TV specials on this, and thought it’d be interesting. Flight of the Gibbons (TripAdvisor) is another adventure, where the day is spent ziplining through the rain forest. Pretty neat, you do actually get to see some Gibbons up close, though not as many as I would’ve liked. But, still pretty neat.
After ziplining, we still had some time, and when we got back into town, we decided to go up to the nearby mountain temple, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep (wikipedia). Here you can get a pretty good view of the entire city.
My favorite part of the trip.
Elephant Nature Park (TripAdvisor, wikipedia), is  a sanctuary for domesticated Asian elephants. They have received numerous awards, been in tons of documentaries, and have been written about all over the world. The founder, Lek, is pretty amazing and we were fortunate that we got to meet her while we were there. They’re trying to change the country’s culture and tradition about the treatment of these amazing creatures. I didn’t know Elephants were so smart, it’s incredible.
When we come to Thailand again, this is where I’d come back to. And most likely  do one of their 7 day volunteer experiences. For those coming to Chiang Mai, I would highly recommend spending at least 2 days (including overnight) here in Elephant Nature Park.
Our 3rd day in Thailand, second in Chiang Mai was spent adventuring.
We spent the morning rafting their best river (at the time, only class 4s, later in the year they have class 5s). And in the afternoon, we ATV’ed around the countryside. We used this outfitter, Chiang Mai Adventure, that we found out from the place we were staying (TripAdvisor).
It was a lot of fun. It  reminded me that I need to find more ways to ATV and white water raft in the states.
At night, we checked out the Chiang Mai Night Market (TripAdvisor). Interesting, and something fun to do at night. Though, I wouldn’t necessarily plan anything around it.
Khao Soi is a dish that’s a speciality of Northern Thailand
NOTE: I made the one pictured, and it was delicious
After one full day of Bangkok, we had to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. So instead of more common beach destinations (Koh Samui, or Phuket), we traveled to Chiang Mai (wikipedia). The former capital of the Lanna Kingdom. I’m not much of a beach person, and I generally prefer adventure, outdoors, and mountains. And here in Chiang Mai, there is an abundance of all that.
The first day was mostly spent walking around the city. Doing so, one can notice that there’s a number of these Thai cooking classes.
We went to this one, Asia Scenic Thai Cooking School. It got good reviews in both Lonely Planet and in TripAdvisor, and figured we couldn’t go wrong. And, it was great. Most of these cooking schools have a full day option, where you go from morning till late afternoon, cooking 6 different courses or so. We chose to just do the evening course (3 dishes). The nice part about these cooking classes, most will pick you up from your lodging and drop you back off.
Lodging:
We highly recommend this place, Chiang Mai Thai House (TripAdvisor). It’s a convenient spot in the city, and the travel manager was for me, very helpful in planning our time in Chiang Mai.
