In the three weeks after the Nepal trip, I managed to catch-up with 15 friends I’d met on various Flash Pack trips over the past 15 months. And I did this catching up in three different countries. How crazy is that?! I stopped in London on the way home and had an amazing time with friends from four different trips on their home turf, then Danny came to visit in DC, and then I found myself in Brussels where I saw two other friends from trips. I feel so fortunate to have all of these wonderful people in my life, many of whom will be lifelong friends. It’s hard to imagine that if I hadn’t started traveling I probably would never have met any of them. I guess the universe didn’t want it that way!
Then, I was on my next Flash Pack trip, another Chief Insider gig on their inaugural trip to Northern Thailand and Laos. So far I’ve super-liked everywhere I’d been in southeast Asia and had really wanted to go to Laos, which is what attracted me to the trip in the first place. And although I’d been to Thailand a couple of times before, I had never seen the northern part of the country and was intrigued. I arrived in Bangkok wondering if I’d like the group. It’s funny as you’d think the 100% success rate in this department would not leave me wondering this…but every trip I think maybe this time the people will all suck. It’s completely irrational- I know this. This time I snapped a pic of the group during the first dinner and posted it on my Insta story.
I wanted to believe my comment but at that point I honestly wasn’t sure. But as it turned out my “premonition” was correct and 11 days later there were tearful goodbyes (there are since multiple group reunion trips in the hopper).
Our guide’s name is Ae, which is pronounced like the letter ‘A’ but she said her friends call her Amy. A few days later she was only going by Amy with us and she has announced she’s on-board for any and all group reunion trips. I’m used to having great guides on Flash Pack trips, but Amy is really something special and someone I suspect I will see again at some point. I can only imagine that the first time running a trip is pretty stressful for guides but Amy was calm, cool, and collected (and absolutely hilarious) throughout.
It was also a nearly flawlessly executed trip, as if she’d been doing Flash Pack trips for years (Flash Pack makes it a point to differentiate their trips from the rest of the tour companies- their trips are focused on local experiences and adventure activities, as opposed to just checking the site-seeing boxes). Amy also exudes positive energy that is contagious and it was kind of amazing that out of a group of 15 strangers there was not one personality difference or even hint of a conflict at any point. In fact it seemed our personalities were actually quite similar….
We kicked things off with a day in Bangkok where Amy took us on a tour of the local markets and we sampled various local Thai delights. This was very cool as the markets were really local-yocal and places I would have been nervous to (and maybe incapable of) navigating solo.
It was clear immediately that the Thai food I’d had in the past (even on my previous trips to Thailand) was not the real deal…and we also quickly learned that “medium-spicy” is equivalent to “mouth-about-to-burn-up-I-need-milk-now-spicy.” Even our resident Hawaiian, Corey, was impressed with the spice levels (and also loved his first pineapple curry ever, experienced at a local village). Our Bangkok experience was punctuated with a $10 Thai massage (the massages alone are reason enough to visit Thailand), some templing and few Chang beers (the Thailand go-to beer) before embarking on a 12-hour night train journey, headed north to Chang Mai.
I think night trains in southeast Asia get a bad rap as my experience was extremely comfortable and I slept soundly, lulled by the cadence of the locomotion. 
Upon arrival we scampered off the train and dove into the local scene straight away, starting with breakfast at an outdoor market where Amy introduced us to more delicacies (that I had never heard of but thoroughly enjoyed). We relaxed by the pool that afternoon before heading out to the local night market in Chang Mai, where we enjoyed a traditional and scrumptious dinner (this is actually where Corey was introduced to his new girlfriend, Pineapple Curry).
Then, lucky for us, a few of the guys in the group had heard wind of a Thai boxing event called Muay Thai, and Amy arranged for us to go to that night. I turns out that Muay Thai is the ancient fighting technique that was used by Siamese soldiers after their weapons were lost or destroyed in battle and has been developed over several hundred years to what you see in modern-day Thailand boxing rings. I was dubious about this but it was VERY cool to watch!
I had also enjoyed the Lucha Libre match we saw during the Mexico tour, I guess boxing is one of those sports that is captivating in-person but boring on TV (the same as how I experience American football ).
The next day was a big one as we had a Thai Triathlon (aka #ThaiTri) to attend to. This may have been my favorite day of the trip. The Thai Tri commenced with a bike ride through some remote villages (and even passing by elephants!) and continued with a challenging hike to a spectacular waterfall. 
At this juncture we broke script and decided that swimming in the waterfall was a mandatory activity…so we went in, still wearing our hiking clothes and not having a plan for afterwards. Have I mentioned that these are my people?!? 
Our adrenaline-fueled day continued with whitewater rafting through some Class III rapids, navigated deftly by our guides (Capt Ron was the pilot of my boat, and my fellow sailors were Steve, Kristen, and Charlotte- a crack team- and the laughter seemed endless). 
All in all, it was such…A DAY! A rare, all-caps (but not in the shouting way) DAY. I’m quite sure I wasn’t the only one who caught some shut-eye on our ride back to the hotel, still processing the sensory overload.
The next day we were up and out to our next destination, Chang Rai. I hadn’t paid much attention to the itinerary (not shocking) so Chang Mai and Chang Rai were the same in my head and, to be honest, as I reflect on the trip I can’t really tell them apart. Do NOT take my word for it, as I’m almost certain there are many distinguishing features but I was too distracted having fun with my new besties to notice. On the way to Chang Rai we stopped at a few temples, which are definitely memorable, the first being the aptly named “White temple” (also known as Wat Rong Khun). 
And our second stop was the Black temple (also known as Baan Dam and not actually a temple but more of a sprawling, eclectic art museum with a bunch of temple-esque structures and other assorted random things, all created by an artist who lives there). It’s an odd place and a very tranquil space to explore, as you never knew what you’d stumble across next, including phallic symbols everywhere. 
In Chang Rai we embarked on a jungle trek- I loved that there were multiple treks on this trip! Amy had told us that we’d stop and have a picnic lunch during the trek and that it would be “very basic.” Of course that was totally fine and understandable on a trek through the jungle of Thailand. I expected maybe a PB&J sammie and an apple. However, when we arrived at the grassy knoll designated as our lunch spot, it seemed a little early for lunch. Then one of our guides opened a backpack and started pulling out raw food items…not bread and jam type of food items but uncooked rice and raw chicken type of food items. Hmmm….what was the plan here? There was no stove or even a fire pit to be seen. We weren’t too concerned, though, as Amy surely had it under control and didn’t plan to feed us raw chicken to lunch. We than merrily went about our business snapping pics of the beautiful scenery and barely noticing the guides going into the forest and foraging for large pieces of bamboo.
While we didn’t pay too much attention at first but soon we were all captivated watching the three guides prepare the most amazing lunch of all time! Aaron tried to help briefly, but quickly realized he was out of his league with this operation so ended up watching with the rest of us. Really only Amy knew what she was doing enough to be useful. Personally, I was in too much awe watching to think about chipping in! 
In all honestly, it was the coolest lunch experience of my entire life. And this is not my first rodeo with lunch. Our local village guides used slaying knives to cut bamboo from the forest and then deftly chopped it up into various formations. These formations included containers to cook the food in (they even made a rice cooker!), a stove to cook the food on, and even serving dishes, cups and chopsticks.
I swear to you, THIS HAPPENED! I know, I wouldn’t have believed me unless I’d seen it with my own eyes. Also, it was absolutely delicious and perfectly cooked and seasoned food (chicken, pork, rice, veggie salsa, and delicious tea). Somehow they knew exactly how long to keep each dish on the fire for! This was such a fantastic surprise, especially as Amy had totally under-sold it. It turns out she didn’t want to talk a big game, as it was the first time she’d be seeing this lunch experience in execution (minus a trial run she attended a few weeks prior). As Flash Pack insiders we all agreed this should be hyped up for future trips! 
That night was our last in Thailand before we’d crossing the border to Laos and it was spent in the village of Change Khong, in a very special accommodation- the Lanjia Lodge. The lodge is located high on the hilltop over the Mekong river (where we’d be spending some QT in the following days) and revenue from the lodge supports local community projects in two hillside villages (the Hmong and Lahu villages) whose people work together to care for the guests. The lodge consists of several large, rustic wooden homes, each with large decks where we enjoyed home-cooked meals, sprawling views, and a sunrise that transcends descriptors. It was so worth getting up at 5:30am! 
We all gathered on one of the balconies that evening and enjoyed many Chang beer and many laughs together- the village people really do go above and beyond to take care of their guests. We later learned they had ridden a motorbike to the nearest store (which could not have been that close) two times to get more Chang for us! In fact, between the 15 of us, we managed to consume 86 Chang that night! Even Amy seemed impressed (if that’s the right word?) and she phoned the boat we were would be boarding the next day to make sure they had enough beer on board. Told you she was an awesome guide! The Night of 86 Chang encapsulated:
The next day it was good-bye to Thailand and I left feeling like I had so much of a better sense of the heart and soul of the country than from my few times visiting the beaches in the southern part of the country. The beaches are of course spectacular but there is so much more natural beauty I had never seen and the local village people we met were all incredibly kind and welcoming. 
Thailand definitely has their act together with tourism and it’s very easy to travel around, or at least it seemed that way having Amy figuring everything out for us. Steve even gave Amy complete control to order for him, at every single meal. I don’t think he looked at a menu the whole time but loved every meal, even the “medium-spicy” ones. He followed up after the trip saying it was a rude awakening being back to real-life and especially having to decide what to eat again.
After crossing the border we met our Laos guide, a friendly local named Tui who complimented Amy perfectly with his kind smile and we boarded the vessel that would take us on a two day trip down the Mekong river. This was one of the most relaxing two days of my life as we watched the banks of Laos pass by from the confines of the comfortable boat, operated by a local husband and wife couple. We even had a Laos cooking lesson on-board and had our first tastes of the Lao dishes we would come to love. 
We stopped for the night in the riverbank village of Pakbeng, which seemed to be a popular spot (maybe the only spot?) for boats doing this journey to stay for the evening. 
Our accommodation was adjacent to the local establishment, the Happy Bar, where we enjoyed Lao Beer (Chang Beer was so yesterday) and pool with some locals while Bob Marley tunes played in the background. Amy’s favorite is Buffalo Soldier and it seemed particularly appropriate as the animal is a popular cuisine in Laos. Buffalo blood is even a delicacy here! Very few parts of animals are wasted in Laos, where the average annual salary is less than $1,000.
During our second day on the Mekong we stopped to explore the Tam Ting caves, which were created in the 15th century with more than 4,000 wooden figures of Buddha inside natural limestone caves nestled into islands. It’s unbelievable to think about the craftsmanship from so many years ago and especially how well it has survived over the years. 
Tim Tang is a representation of the natural character and ancient spiritualism of Laos, a world that exists with peace and not conflict and where spiritualism exists in nature not just humans, including the water spirit of the Mekong. After two days on the river we all agreed that it’s an incredibly special and spiritual place and we felt lucky to share the experience with each other.
We arrived in Luang Prabang, where we would be spending our final three nights of the trip. How was the trip winding down already?? This one really flew by. But there was still much fun to be had! Luang Prabang is a town in northern Laos built on a peninsula between the Mekong and the smaller Nam Khan River. Our accommodations, The Grand, included beautiful views and we were all very happy to be settling in for three nights. 
We dove right into the local Lao culture by playing a game of “pentaque” that night, which is a game similar to bocce or boules. The French had brought the game to Laos and it has remained popular, one of the many European colonial influences that is still reflected in the Lao culture today. We got some lessons and split into teams for a tourney, which was a lot of fun (and just a smidge competitive).
Dinner that night was a traditional Lao BBQ, which was so much fun! You pick out your ingredients amongst a bountiful selection of vegetables, meat, fish and spices and cook them in a BBQ kept hot by embers. Corey was familiar with this cooking technique from Hawaii and helped us to get passed our initial “how does this work?” hesitation by tossing everything on and watching it cook away (he also helped us figure out when it was done). It was such a fun and delicious meal and was punctuated by non-stop laughter among the group. 
That night I recall looking around the table at my new friends and feeling incredibly lucky. There was nobody else I would have wanted to be sharing the experience with than the people around me, even though I hadn’t known any of them just a week prior. 
Our last two days of the trip flew by and we explored Lao Prebang, including Mount Phousi which takes about 350 steps to summit with the reward of panoramic views and a golden stupa and temple. 
There were also markets to explore and cheap massages to be had in Luang Prebang and the night market was particularly bustling. Our last full day was an early one when we participated in the traditional giving of alms to local monks, which takes place at sunrise when about 200 monks process down the main street of town, collecting their food for their one meal the day. Our offering was sticky rice and as the monks silently processed by we sat on small stools (you can also kneel) and gave each monk a small portion. The monks ranged in age from the very old senior monks to sleepy looking children and it was an incredibly spiritual experience.
After our own breakfast (that consisted of much more than sticky rice) we were off for our final trek, this one to another a waterfall. We met our local guide in the village, as it is a tradition to use a local guide as a way to support the village who maintains the trail. Our guide was 75 years old and we had a hard time keeping up with him at times! 
The hike wound us through the Lao jungle, through some villages and the occasional buddhist shrine. At one point we came across a little family run cafe that boasted a log crossing challenge. Yes, please! Five of us gave the challenge a whirl (if you can make it across the log without falling in you are rewarded with a Beer Lao, if you fall off you must buy a Beer Lao). We had a demo where the proprietor made it there and back with no problem and even while balancing a beer on his head. How hard could this be?
Let’s just say the five of us all ended up with a Beer Lao…and we all had to pay for them.
The water was extremely refreshing,though, and it was well worth cooling off and for the laughs (my attempt was absolutely horrible, embarrassingly so!). Afterwards, the young daughter of the owner showed us how it’s done, and scampered across and back with no problem at all. Appropriately humbled and giddy from the beer, we finished our trek to be rewarded by the incredible Kuang Si waterfall. Laos and Thailand are not fooling around in the waterfall department! We swam in the waterfall pools enjoying the cascading water and even figuring out how to get between the rocks and the waterfall to view the falls from behind. And, if you stood under the water the right way, it was also an excellent shoulder massage!
Our final dinner was at a lovely restaurant overlooking the Nam Khan river and we savored our last bites of our favorite Lao delicacies, including sticky rice, papaya salad (medium-spicy, Amy warned), fresh fish, and of course buffalo (I didn’t try the buffalo but others loved it). Nobody wanted to go to bed that night as it felt like an admission that the trip was ending…so we stayed up talking and laughing until our stomachs hurt (so much laughing on this trip!), and until there was no more Beer Lao to be had. 
After the trip, Kristen posted one of my favorite quotes on Facebook, “I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.” That quote was on the front of my travel journal when I studied abroad in Perth, Australia in college…my first time going to the other side of the world. It rung true then but also seems particularly appropriate for this trip, 20 years later, seeing the moon in Thailand and Laos with this group of people. 
As I reflected on what made this group so special, it occurred to me that despite all being adventure travelers in our 30s and 40s, there were other commonalities that transcended the obvious ones. First of all, every single person in the group is hilarious. Just really, really funny people. So much laughing! I can’t highlight the laughter on this trip enough. Also, every person was genuine, kind, and open-minded (only a few of us had been to southeast Asia before) and they wanted more than to check the travel box and have some good Instagram posts (good Insta posts wouldn’t hurt though!). Really, though, the group wanted to know the local people, embrace the local experiences, and absorb the local culture. And together, with the help of Amy and Tui, that is exactly what we did.
I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to experience the country while it’s still seeping with raw beauty and history, literally everywhere you turn. It’s rare to experience the authenticity of a place (both the good and the bad) before the tentacles of tourism creep in and alter things. Kind of like finding that elusive ‘sweet spot’ time to visit Cuba.
We toured around bustling Yangon the next day and even had our first street food experience, which was delicious. Thankfully Josh knows the spots to try- not sure I would have been that adventurous on my own (and there were still some menu items I was not adventurous enough to try). 
We were up and out the next day, flying to the city of Bagan, of which I knew nothing about. This was our first experience with Myanmar domestic air travel and I soon realized that it’s really more like riding a bus than flying. The flight times are all “ish,” and there doesn’t seem to be an actual set time. Also, you get a sticker of a certain color, which is how they tell which fight you are on. And, you will almost always stop somewhere along the way, for just enough time for some people to get off and others to get on. It’s very efficient in that way, and they seem far more concerned with getting you there in one piece – keeping the eye on the prize… I like it. Doesn’t this boarding pass exude confidence? 
So, Bagan is Temple Central– I’m talking about more than 2,000 temples! They are literally EVERYWHERE you turn, giving the spot a truly ethereal quality. 
These temples are not new construction, either. Most were built between the 9th and 13th centuries and it is estimated that there were once 10,000 of them! Today most are just to look at and only a few dozen are restored and kept up. We went on a templing bike tour, which was a great way to take in the beauty of the place as well as navigate the dusty, rocky roads between the pious icons. It definitely could not have been easy to haul around the materials needed to construct these massive structures back in the day. I could barely haul myself around! (Luckily I could just blindly follow Josh).
We took in some additional Bagan beauty (as if we needed it) with a sunset boat cruise. I’m not sure pictures can really capture the beauty of Bagan: 
Next, we hopped back on the airplane-bus travelling to another stop along the route…a small town called ‘Heho’ (yes, the Naughty By Nature song was in my head incessantly). Upon arrival, we embarked on a breathtaking trek through the surrounding mountainside dotted with cabbage patches and, of course, a few temples. 
We stopped in one of the villages for lunch hosted by a local family, in a traditional two-room hut that houses their entire extended family. We could see the food being prepared over a single flame, and later we all agreed that it was one of the best meals of the trip. In true Burmese fashion, the village people were all super-friendly and seemed fascinated by our group (I don’t blame them- with representatives from seven countries, we were a motley crew). After lunch I enjoyed hanging out with three little guys, and despite not speaking the same language… it’s amazing how the common language of silliness brings people together. 
The next day we were off to an elephant conservation camp! This was a highlight of the trip for many, myself included (despite not having known we were doing this in advance- love it when every day is a surprise). So…the elephant situation in Myanmar is very sad. There used to be tons of logging taking place there and the country actually has one of the world’s worst deforestation rates. Additionally, there was gross mismanagement and corruption in the logging trade, contributing to the country’s ongoing conflicts. A national logging ban was implemented in 2014 and since then, the logging has decreased significantly…which has actually been a very bad thing for our elephant friends. So, the elephants were a critical component of the logging industry- hauling all the wood around, as elephants do. But elephants being used in this way are bred and used as worker elephants. Problem being that worker elephants can’t just stop working and go back to the wild. Doesn’t work. So, there’s a huge population of endangered elephants that are kind of left high and dry now that they aren’t logging anymore. To further confound the situation, there are unfortunately still some bad eggs out there- hunting elephants and using the majestic animals for personal gain (aka making money on things like elephant rides). It’s a sad state affairs.
Okay, so I have to say, there is something incredibly regal and captivating about elephants when you’re interacting with them, and especially when looking them in the eyes. The way they look at you….you almost feel like you should bow down to them. And, they just exude this wisdom- you can tell that they totally get everything that is going on. It’s fair to say I will never think of elephants the same way again… these animals are really something special. 
Our home for the night was an awesome hotel that was boat themed and the next day in true fashion we embarked in two water vessels for a spin through the waterways that make up Inlay lake, consisting of extensive “floating villages” and beautiful views. 
We stopped for lunch at a restaurant in a floating village, clearly trying to cater to whatever tourism comes through. And I clearly blended right in as a local.
Our home for the evening was a beautiful and rustic lodge in the very remote village of Samkar. Since we’d made good time, apparently, Josh was able to take us on a walking tour of the village (in the past it’s already dark when groups have gotten there). As Josh led us through the dirt roads and villagers came out of their homes to greet us, and the children running around seemed especially fascinated to see us. Josh spoke to a few of the villagers and learned that for many it was the first time they had seen light-skinned people. Wow. Somehow that possibility had not occurred to me. 
On that note, many of the women and children Myanmar apply a mud-paste substance called ‘thanaka’ to their faces. It’s said to be good for the skin, serve as sunscreen, and make their faces appear lighter. It’s almost impossible (based on my efforts- may actually be impossible) to find sunscreen in Myanmar that doesn’t have bleach in it, as their goal is only to lighten their skin. I wondered what the Burmese would think of the concept of a spray tan? 
We enjoyed a beautiful sunset and the next day boated on over to a town called Phekone, swinging by a few waterfront temples on the way. 
We enjoyed another beautiful sunset and the next day traveled to Pan pet village for another scenic trek (life is very rough). There we met some villagers, including women wearing brass neck rings…who most people have only seen photos of in National Geographic. So, in eastern Myanmar there are many women in the Kayan state who wear these rings (although apparently it’s far less popular than it used to be). The rings give the impression that the women have extremely long necks, but they actually just compress the shoulders downwards. 
Nobody knows for sure why these neck rings became a “thing”- explanations range from keeping evil spirits out, to protecting against tiger bites, to making them less attractive and less likely to be taken into slavery. A woman we met has four children and 8 grandchildren and only one granddaughter has chosen to wear the rings. She has until age 18 to decide if this is for good, because after that age you add rings and your neck becomes physically unable to hold up your head without the support. So, it’s a lifelong commitment. 
We headed back to Yangon the following day and wrapped up our trip with a bicycle tour of the town of Twante. We took the ferry to the other side of the river to get there from Yangon, a reverse commute to the masses of villagers heading into the city to sell their wares. Apparently the ferry was a gift from Japan and has been a life-saver for people residing in the villages. I can’t help but think that a bridge might be a nice next step, but I don’t see that construction starting anytime soon. 
In Twante, we cruised around the streets and stopped for lunch at a local establishment. We also visited a village pottery studio and I added pottery-maker to the list of careers that I will not be pursing in the future. 
I don’t know what happened…but somehow it was the last night of our trip, all of the sudden! It felt like we had just met in Yangon! We enjoyed a final meal together and reflected on all of the magic we’d experienced together. 
I was glad to be staying an extra day and I used that time to visit a Burmese photography exhibit in the stunning former headquarters of British colonial rule, the 
As I walked through the formally abandoned building, rich with beauty and history and packed with tourists and locals alike- I thought about why we were all there. We knew it wouldn’t be perfect inside, but it was somehow the imperfection we sought. We knew it had been the site of tragedy and injustice and tears, and we didn’t want those stories to go away or be glossed over. We wanted to see it, and feel it, and let it in… and maybe even let it change how we thought of the world, just a little bit. As I made my way to the exit, and thought sadly about going to the airport, I realized it was the magical country of Myanmar that had done exactly that.