This last week has been exciting, adventurous, and full of travel. Here is how it went!

Singapore

Our first day of travel, we left Indonesia in the morning by ferry and arrived in Singapore after an hour. We taxied to a safe space to keep our luggage, and then had the whole day to explore the country. I went out with a group to hit a few different spots, and ended up visiting some beautiful botanic gardens, braving the subway, and spending most of the night in Singapore’s local Chinatown. Upon arriving back, a few of us also played basketball, joined by a local, for an hour or so. We rode to the airport shortly after and spent the night there.

Bangkok

Late the next morning, we boarded our flight to Bangkok, Thailand. After arriving, we took vans over to a train station and explored around town. To my delight, our little group found an amazing local restaurant and coffee shop for very cheap prices. Afterwards, we started the 13 hour long sleeper train adventure to Chiang Mai. The ride was beautiful, including views of the jungle, a few villages, and the mountains. I had a great time with my late night talks, new and interesting sleeping experience, and early morning bible time by the window.

Chiang Mai

We made it to Chiang Mai on July 4, and very appropriately blasted patriotic American music on our ride to the girls’ host home: a building with many stories located on top of a wonderful coffee shop, Bella Goose. Everyone found out where to sleep and got adjusted quickly, and then had a few hours free to go about town or stay inside. My group went to a nearby mall and stayed in the coffee shop for a while, a restful time I needed to recharge for the night. This was followed by a time to reconcile with our teams and give feedback, as well as an activity to reflect on our experience in Indonesia. To end the night, we had a 4th of July party for independence day on the roof, with hot dogs, hamburgers, and soda – so American! It was a fun time, and it was nice to celebrate and keep the tradition alive.

Chiang Dao

My next morning consisted of early coffee shop time with friends, a short nap, and more conversation until the squad got together again one last time before the boys and our leader Kailey – Pinkie and the pals – departed for the mountains of Chiang Dao. We said our goodbyes and set off by bus to the hills, where 2 hours later we were met by our hosts who took us to the orphanage we were to stay at. While meeting the kids and exploring my new home for the month, our host made a delicious, hot soup for us, which simply nourished my soul. Our little group reconvened that night, and then hit the hay, awaiting our adventures that were to take place the next day.

This week’s travel experience has been a fun, new, exciting, and exhausting time all at once. I am so grateful for the experiences I have had and have been able to share with others through this time, and I can’t wait to see what the LORD has in store for me here in the mountains of Chiang Dao. Blessings!

Oh- and here are some pictures 😉