Thailand: April 12 - 24, 2026

Love is like an elephant's memory; never forgetting the moments shared, the bonds formed, and the joy felt together.

Group trips are not super familiar territory for me...most of our travels are just the two of us, and the thought of herding kittens was admittedly a bit daunting. I should not have worried though, we were traveling with the coolest cats ever.

Thailand's New Years celebration "Songkran" is celebrated with a country-wide water party. We gathered 6 of our dearest and most adventurous friends (2 Americans & 4 Aussies) and met up in Chiang Mai. The streets had throngs of tourists and locals alike, filling up plastic water guns in giant barrels, and shop keepers standing with hoses and spraying anyone and everyone who passed by. Many unaware tourists quickly learned an important lesson about water-proof phone cases! It was 3 days of being constantly soaked to the bone, drying off in the intense heat, and getting splashed with buckets to start the process over. The energy was buzzing all day and every night ended with a concert in the main street. Locals with buckets of soft clay came along and smeared streaks on foreheads and cheeks. Everyone was fair game in this battle of the water, and we all participated full heartedly!

One day we took a break from being constantly dripping wet, and headed to an Elephant Sanctuary where 130+ gentle giants were saved from physical labor or circus attractions to live out their glorious years on a giant property and cared for by devoted human guardians. Part of our excursion included feeding some of the elderly elephants so we got to work making rice + banana + tamarind balls and cutting up watermelon. Hand-feeding these 6 big old ladies was a truly magical experience and their trunks were so soft as they grabbed the bunches of bananas straight out of your hand.

After our adventure-filled 4 days in Chiang Mai, our posse hopped a plane down to Chumphon and snagged a ferry ride to Koh Tao island. Our villa was at the top of a large hill (or small mountain, depending on who you asked) and we crammed into the back of a truck, nearly falling out the back when we ascended the steep and windy hills. The vista overlooking the Gulf of Thailand from our villa was breathtaking. The private pool and lounge chairs was the perfect spot to recuperate and relax in style. Snorkels were provided and we took a few dips in the water to swim with the schools of fish. Tim, Alesia and Jack were daring enough to rent motorbikes while on the island and scoot around town like true Aussie tourists! Koh Tao had lovely restaurants along the beach and swim-up bars to cool off in the heat of the day. Quite a few of us were sad to leave this slice of heaven after our 5 days of R&R.

Next stop on the tour was to Bangkok - another bustling city with mouth-watering food, shops and bazaars where you could find literally anything, and a night-life scene that was always hopping. One of the days, Miranda and I went to a Japanese Onsen (spa) to get pampered while Maz and Carlos explored temples and haggled with stall owners. Needless to say, we each enjoyed our chosen activities. Another day Maz, Carlos, Tim, Alesia, Jack and I found a Capybara Cafe with rescued capybaras and meerkats. They were bristly, adorable, and huge fans of being hand-fed grass fronds.

The food was impeccable, the Thai's were welcoming, and our group had a wonderful balance of togetherness and independence. Our only regret was that Will, our buddy who is Thai/Aussie, couldn't make this trip, but you were in our thoughts the entire time, love!

See you again soon, Thailand!

Our herd with the herd - Brooke, Jack, Maz, Miranda, Eric, Carlos, Tim, Alesia ❤️

The pink elephant is on parade!!! Chiang Mai Songkran - Miranda, Carlos & Brooke

Maz & Carlos - weapons of mass adorableness

Miranda, Brooke & Alesia - wet & wild

Hungry hungry cappy

Tuk-Tukkin' around town with Carlos, Eric, Brooke & Maz

Koh Tao lovin'

❤️