What's up everyone. Have you ever travel solo? I just found out recently that travelling solo has a lot of good things happen to me. I will describe you what I think along the way with my story on Chiang Mai journey. By the way, my name is Boy and I'm from Thailand so language is not a problem for me to speak with local.
First thing that is great for travelling solo is you always stay with yourself. Whatever you do, you do it by yourself. If failed thing happen, it's because of you and you cannot blame anyone. Have you ever notice that sometime you blame people around you even they may not wrong. I just aware of this truth when I took a wrong bus after got out the airport and went o to an unknown destination. Luckily, the bus driver told me how to continue my journey to my planned destination. I think local here is kind and friendly.
It's my first time to stay at the dormitory hotel without friends or family. I have to always think how to keep my stuff safely and use "Public" shower room. This is a challenge for me but it's fun and good experience after you passed it. I can still remember that during I was reading a book at the lounge of the hotel, I heard an US girl talking with her family about WWOOF, she said something like she can live on her own here by doning organic farm with WWOOF program, she does not need to use a lot of money. I wonder what is it so I google it. (Sorry to that girl that I overheard).
For people that may not know about this, it is like a non profit organization that you can join and stay with local for free by helping them on organic farm as a return. But that's not the point here, I just want to share that staying with public area can make you broaden your vision. In my case, I know new thing and it makes me think that one day, I may have a chance to travel and live abroad with only small budget from this program.
I visited a dog cafe for a first time in my life. It's quite interesting but when I was there, it's feeding time so dogs were tired and not active as they should be. The price was quite expensive as well. Anyway, it' fun and good experience for me (again).
Nice place to go
Next chapter please 😁
So Interesting
Actually, my trip was not end here. I joined a Voluntary camp to grow Sakura trees on the mountain after this. Please tell me if you want me to tell about this story on my next chapter. 😁
[Picture from a camp, she is a little girl that joined the camp with me]
This place is also a restaurant which cook ingredients that grow organically from this royal project. I need to eat this !!!
This food is all mine. Do you think I can finish them all again ? ......No, no this time. I need to pack the leftover to eat later. 55 (55 pronounces "haha" in Thai)
Hong Kong Kale with oyster sauce. (You can taste a true crispy of fresh vegetable from this menu)
The price is not that expensive. I paid 380 THB (around $11) for all of this.
I was lucky that there is a group of professor visited this royal project for knowledge sharing on that day so I asked a staff there to join and they allowed me.
I feel like this trip make me a lot more brave, I talked with more people as the situation force me to gain information. Although, I did not exchange a contact with them but it can create a good feeling, they help me to enjoy the trip. I also help them to buy products and share information that I know. I feel like I'm growing up from this trip.
I know one more thing from this trip that my travel style is not solo. I know from the feeling that I like the trip which I can create a memory together with my family and friends. I always thought that the solo trip is so cool, fun and make you grow. It may be true for some people but I know, it's not for me [But making you grow is true for sure]
I really want to encourage you guys & gals to try this once in a lifetime [But need to be somewhere safe for you!!!] so you will gain a new experience. Finally, I want to say I'm really appreciate to all people that I faced in this trip. You created an awesome memory and experience for me. This is a trip that I will never ever forget.
Another video to let you see the crystal clear water with living fish. Actually, I saw rare turtles as well but it's quite far, my picture is quite blur so I did not upload it here.
I really love this place. I will post a lot of pictures here.
The pink color is from flowers of this tree (Rose apple)
Next morning, I visited the peak of the mountain with a local car including traveler from other hotel. You can book a car by telling hotel staff the day before. This peak calls "Kew Fin" [กิ่วฝิ่น], a lot of people wait to see the sun rise in early morning.
This two feet represent the territory of 2 provinces, the left one is "Lam Pang" and the right one is "Chiang Mai" they divide by using the mountain range.
I walked through this route in darkness when the sun light still did not shine but you have people a long the way with you. Those people helped me to take a picture of myself with the view as well. You can make friend anywhere and anytime because I still can, although I'm very shy.
Back to the hotel (home stay) to have breakfast buffet, they did not have much menus but they were delicious. I ate a lot of eggs.
I checked out from the homestay and went to a van station to go for another special place. At a van station, they have a little museum to explain a history of this village. (That billboard explain about waste recycle.
The (owner) van driver yesterday took me to a Royal project foundation "Teen Tok" [ตีนตก]. He told me a story along the way and where I should see in this place. One thing is a rare turtle that I mentioned. This place is a learning center for local people, restaurant, coffee shop and the Home stay !!! Their home stay is so interesting as you see in the first picture of my post.
I posted a video here to let you see how beautiful this place is. [Click a video below]
If I know this earlier, I must spend another night here for sure. It's so green, I must feel like live in the jungle and wake up in the morning like a Tarzan.
I recommend you go Mae Hong Son too!
I would like to eat that crispy pork.
Early morning on the next day, I hurried to Warorot Market where a local van station located. I need to talk with local around there to ensure I go to the exact meeting point. This is a second thing that is great for travelling solo, I need to get out of comfort zone because I am normally very shy.
Oh, I forgot to tell you that I book a van via the facebook page here. In case that you want to follow my trip. The van driver came to the meeting point at sharp meeting time. The benefit as I go solo hence I am the one who sit in front with the driver. I try to get out of comfort zone again by talking with the driver along the way. He told me a story of forming this local van system, at first, local people anti him and thought he is an investor who will take benefit from them so he need to prove that his intention is trying to connect traveler with the local area and that can improve villagers income. .........Yes, I am talking with the founder of this biggest local van system !
You never know what you will find or who you will meet on the journey. After talking for a while, he can remember me as I need to use his service again tomorrow to go back in the city. I also knew from him on the new destination that you will never know if you did not talk with the local expert. For example, the first picture of my thread is a royal project where a rare species and one of a kind turtle inhabit!!!
My destination for tonight is Mae Kampong Village that locate in a deep mountain range but it's so natural and cold. You may heard that Thailand has only one season which is summer. But here, It's so cold at night and I need to stay solo (alone)!!!
There are a lot of home stay here. I chose the one that has a stream beside the house. Because I can spend my time close to the nature and chill out. I visited the local waterfall by talking with the home stay staff and they contacted local transportation to take travelers around the village.
I wandered around the village and had a coffee to enjoy the view from the top of the village. Several coffee shops here as well. I looked for a local Northern Thai food but I found out later that my home stay had it and the price is reasonable so I ordered food with them for dinner.
I would like to explore the village a little more before heading back. This one is a bridge on the tree, it is a spot for tourist to take a picture. This belongs to the coffee shop, you can use it for free if you buy coffee.
Late evening, I went back to the home stay and had dinner. All food is only for me. Yesss!! (Actually there was more food than this picture, I may ordered too much) Hotel staff served a watermelon to me after the meal. I can finished almost all food but my stomach was very full!!!
Get back to the room. My room has a tree trunk inside. Quite small but safe and sound. It's so cold at night, it makes me think again that if I did not prepare well for the trip, I may get fever or even freeze at night and no one know. It's quite scary but this thing makes me can think more.
I love homestay.
So greenery~~