Tigers in Chiang Mai

Now that we've ridden elephants, it's time to play with tigers! We got to go to Tiger Kingdom and play with tigers of all sizes! It was a very fun day. My favorite was playing with the babies, they were only two months old!

This little guy just fell right asleep on Kevin's lap! And we got up to leave it started to cry!! Too cute.

The whole gang

Play time

They are such beautiful animals!! But check out those teeth! Eek!

But all these tigers really want are some snuggles and love! They're basically like house pets!!

Overall, a very fun day in Tiger Kingdom :)

Next up, SNAKES!!!

Elephants in Chiang Mai

Hi this is Nathan! I am a guest blogger for today! My mom found a place outside of Chiang Mai for us to go and ride elephants for the day. We got suited up in our trendy denim jumpers and learned a little about the elephants first, some Thai commands the elephants understand, and a little about the preserve's conservation efforts.

I am convinced elephants are direct descendants of the dinosaurs. They are the weirdest looking animals. We fed them some sugar cane for dessert and then got acquainted with our new pets. 

Leah was a little scared at first, but finally got used to it! Claire didn't let go of her dad the entire ride. She eventually fell asleep on top of an elephant.

We used our command, "MAPLONG!" which means "get down" and then hopped on board. Ali's elephant enjoyed squirting me while we crossed the river.

The Elephant Queen

The guide's sister made us Pad Thai, and it was the best we had all trip. They wrapped it in banana leaves which are waterproof and helped keep the food warm!

Ali's elephant got a little frisky with her (an elephant kiss).

We rode our elephants to a mud spa that is supposedly loaded with minerals that are good for your skin and we gave the elephants a massage as they rolled around.

Then it was time for a bath and we washed the mud off!

After a long day, we got to do some Thai reflexology that is supposed to cure all types of ailments...but Ali's celiac didn't go away :-(

Ali said that after our wedding day, this was the best day of her life. Next up...TIGERS!!!

Chiang Mai

After leaving Bankok we finally arrived in Chiang Mai! Such a beautiful place.  

Here are some pictures of our hotel and Nathan, James and Leah.

There taxis are basically a truck with a cover and two bench seats along the side. Pretty sweet!

While we were there Nathan got a custom made suit from his parents for graduation.

They had these fish "spas" all over.  And one of them was internet cafe. So we emailed Stefan while having these little sucker fish eat the dead skin off our feet. I could only do it for a couple minutes. It tickled too much!!

And of course lots of shopping was done :)

We went to this awesome restaurant where we got to watch thai dancers while we ate. The bottom right picture is of two trees that grew together to make an arch.

This is only the beginning of our trip. Much more to come!

Bangkok, Thailand

After Korea Nathan and I flew to Bankok to meet up with James and Kevin.  

We got to go to an English ward while in Bangkok and it was the primary program.  The ward was so diverse! Thai, Indian, African, American, etc.

1 & 2. Eating some delicious street food. Food is so cheap over there. You can a meal for two or three dollars! 3. A tuk tuk, these are there taxis, so awesome!

1. We went on a boat tour where we went to this awesome temple. I am horrible and cannot remember the name of it.  2. Big Buddah. 3. James, Nathan and Kevin at the top of the temple.  4. The climb down, the stairs were soo steep!

1. At the grand palace, men had to have long pants on so Kevin got to rent these sweet MC hammer pants.  2 & 3. You would think this place was made of Gold. 4.  Nathan and I.

Such amazing detail in every building.

The building where the emperor used to live.

Later that night we were off to Chiang Mai to be with Rivka, Dani, Claire and Leah. 

Goodbye!

We're off to Korea, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia!

We'll be doing some fun things like riding elephants and petting tigers.

We will also be volunteering at an orphanage on Christmas day.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and be excited for our next blog post! :)