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ThaiTrails

    Fresh fruits and sunny weather

    27/03/2017
    by

    I feel like I become wiser every time I go visit my grandparents in Surin, my Thai brushes up, my stomach grows stronger, and my perspective on life changes. Having stayed with my grandparents in Ban Thawan Phrai throughout the years, I am constantly reminded to be grateful for what we take for granted in our daily life, like electricity, internet, AN AIRCON, warm water, a job that enables us to take care of ourself and our families and not least proper health care… The contrast of the way of living is enormous. You won’t see a single person sitting with their eyes glued to the smart phone, never anyone picky when it comes to what to wear, what to eat or where to go. The stress level is non-existent.

    house surin ban thawan phrai

    My grandparents house in the village! It sure looks different than when we used to visit as kids!

    rose apples surin, ban tawan phrai

    Fresh Rose apples “Chompoo” straight from the garden. Yum! My fave fruit. Low in calories and super crunchy and healthy!

    Never been here during mango season before, let alone have I ever picked my own mangoes.

    So good!

    street dogs ban thawan phrai

    My aunties puppies! She is amazing… making sure EVERYONE is taken care of.

    But I think the biggest lesson is the kindness and helpfulness of the people. They welcome everyone that walks in with a smile, they share to the ones in need, even if they don’t have enough themselves. They take care of one another, just like human beings should. They all act as one big family, sharing their crops, fruits and whatever they have to offer with eachother. I swear, it feels like Utopia! We might have years and years of education, but it is obvious that some things, you won’t ever learn in school. And living as priviliged as we do, some of us might never learn. I always wondered why my mom wouldn’t spend much money on us while growing up, but she would always give loads to the kids back in her hometown. As a child you never understand these things, but growing up, getting to witness all the good things she has done back home, makes it all worth it.

    Getting my nature fix

    10/03/2017
    by

    Sorry for not updating you guys lately. It’s been a mixture of preparing stuff to go home and some last-minute hectic stuff that happened before I left for Norway. Long story short I just realized the day before I left that I had overstayed… I’m so glad that I found out already then, instead of being caught off guard. I’ll let you all in on the process later if you guys are interested to hear about it.

    I arrived Norway yesterday and have been enjoying the snow-covered grounds and fresh air.  I also think I’m already in a food coma. I’m staying in Oslo for a couple of days as I have a couple of classes I have to attend before I head back home to Levanger. Today we had a class about Work physiology and it was so interesting, we even touched based on exercise physiology. Tomorrow we are heading to the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences to do some physical tests in the lab. Fun stuff! Now I’m off to do some more work on my paper! Talk later Xx

    Amazing Thailand

    07/03/2017
    by

    I can’t understand why I never went to Pai until now… The place is amazing! I guess you can say that about everywhere in Thailand though. We are so lucky to be living in this country. Being surrounded with a variety of amazing sceneries and not to mention the ease and affordable prices to get around here. You don’t even have to leave the country. Jump on a 1 hour flight and you can go chill on the beautiful beaches in the south. If you want to go climbing, you can visit Railay beach in Krabi and try to conquer the limestone cliffs along the beaches.
    girl in pai thailand sitting on a bench
    The activities to do here in Thailand is endless, and there is no stress being spontaneous. If you’re hungry for something tasty and delicious you can pretty much walk around any corner and find something exciting. Fresh fruits and coconuts will be at the end of every street. Sunsets and sunrise will always feel special. And if you’re looking for some fresh air and to connect with mother nature you can always go north. The stunning trekking paths in the North is some of my favourites. During the winter months, you must take the time to visit the hills of Phu Kradung.
    girl at the market at walking street in pai thailand

    But the best part about Thailand, the one thing that I find in common with every place I go is the people… with their big smiles and kind and helping hearts. I come from a small village here in Thailand where every neighbour is within walking distance. I can turn left and right and I’ll still spot a smiling face, waving hands, people inviting you in for some of their delicious coconuts that they’ve freshly picked. They have so little, but still so much to give.

    I’m all in positive thoughts now as I’ve finally booked my tickets to go see my family in Surin once I come back from Norway. I’ll be accompanied with my two aunts from Norway, one born and raised in Surin, should be nice! I have a feeling this month will be a good one. <3

    WONDERFUL Wonderfruit

    26/02/2017
    by

    Wonderfruit might not have the best lights, the biggest line-ups, but it does have that little something that other festivals rarely manage to obtain. The perfect setting, the vibe, the feeling of getting together and connecting with everyone and everything. All the thoughts and ideas that has gone into the art installation and stages, into picking interesting personalities to host talks, and the artist that only someone who are deeply into music will know. I had never heard of any of the artists performing at Wonderfruit this year, but there was several of them touching people’s hearts, including mine.
    follow me to wonderfruit

    couple looking in eachothers eyes

    girl at stage at wonderfruit

    It’s typical that I saved my outfits for the party days… where we obvously didn’t bring the camera. Lession learnt to next time, fun outfit on the first day tooo AND take photos in the beginning of the festival instead of pushing it to the last day. We enjoyed ourselves too much. <3

    friends together at festival

    chicken food stand cocotte

    girl in sunglasses at wonderfruit

    girl holding beer in beer tent

    girl laughing at festival

    girl wearing yellow playsuit

    meat on a platter at mad moa

    girl in lights at wonderfruit

     

    laser structure at wonderfruit

    art installation at wonderfruit

    cool thai stage in lights

    edn stage at wonderfruit

    neon stage at wonderfruit

    guy standing under night flower light

    girl getting food at wonderfruit

    girl wearing clourful backpack

    rain forest stage at wonderfruit

    buakaw high kick

    guy doing muay thai

    There was so much passion and love into every detail… It’s not often you walk around completely contempt with what you have and are.  Fully fed, with a grin on your face, wanting to greet, smile and be friendly with every person you see… Once you enter the gates of the festival, it’s like you leave every worry from your daily life behind, it gives you a sense of freedom for four days straight. There is no rules, no laws, no work, no one looking over your shoulder. Easy. Even the small things, like where to eat, where to go… it’s all gone. I loved walking around finding hidden spots to chill around the grounds, people randomly sleeping in the she shade at every hour. Everything is good.

    So folks, if you didn’t go this year- you missed out. BUT there will be another chance for you guys in December. On a sidenote, if you guys aren’t up for camping in the heat and the boutique camping is sold out… we found a gem located only 12km away from the festival for only 590 baht a night. It was nice waking up fresh for the next day, and also Uber can pick you up for close to nothing.

     

    Live.Love.Wonder

    16/02/2017
    by

    Pics are from last year and are all from my old Iphone- this year around we’ll be bringing the dslr for at least a day, so expect some amazing photos.

    LOVE.

    Still not done showing you guys the amazing sights of Pai, but now I’m off to Pattaya for some fun times at Wonderfruit so we’re going to have to save that for later. Last year I only got to go for two days so this year i’ll be making the most out of my time. There’s so many new structures and art work that I need to catch a glimse of while I’m there, and this year around I’ll definitely join some of the talks and classes. I’m scared tho…as Cocotte, El Mercado, Peppina (the list goes on…) is gonna be there. If I remember last year correctly, all I did was hang out at all the food stands and ate my way to party at the Quarry at the end of the night. Wonderfruit is all about the good vibes and releasing your stress and connecting with all and everything.

    Agh, let the adventures begin! <3

    The perfect sunset in Pai

    13/02/2017
    by

    handsome man at yoma hotel pai

    Who’s this handsome guy…

    pool at yoma hotel pai

    Loved chilling by the pool area, the view is perfect overlooking the hills and rice fields.

    girl in bikini at yoma hotel pai

    Get one of these private villas in the background, you’ll get a clear view of the sunrise in the morning <3

    couple kissing pai yoma hotel

    couple at sunset looking into eachoters eyes yoma hotel pai

    //Bikini-H&M//Swimmers-Thomas Royall//

    couple at sunset at yoma hotel pai

    girl in bikini at yoma hotel pai

    This photo is taken at Pai Island Hotel a 2 minute walk from Yoma Hotel. Seriously, go there to have a cup of single bean coffee. I had a cappuccino and it was the smoothest one ever.

    The first night during our time in Pai we stayed at Yoma Hotel located only 5 minutes away from the city center. The view is stunning and the pool is located in a perfect position to chill and watch the sunrise or just gaze at the beautiful view.  The lighting  is perfect for photos during sundown to catch the flares, amazing! As you can see we totally took advantage of this, oops. I opted for the villa as it had more privacy and a clear view. I also loved the glass balcony doors in the morning. Open the curtains and watch the sunrise over the mist from your bed.  All the rooms have a nice outside area so even if you don’t want to spend the extra, Yoma Hotel is a great choice. It’s also only a 2 minute walk to Pai Island Resort which is picture perfect!