HONEYMOON cont'd Part 2 of 4

Here we go, yall- Part 2!

Hopefully, if you've landed here, you read part 1 and are just as excited to continue the journey as I am to share it with you.

If not, may I encourage you to do so HERE so that you don't miss a thing.

**Side note, these honeymoon posts are longer than usual, simply because I have LOTS to share. Stay with me!

Next stop,

C H I A N G M A I, Thailand!

I remember so vividly packing up our bags in Japan and heading to the airport. We were SO bummed to leave and both said we could easily stay another week.

But isn't that how life is? You get so stuck in the present, that you can forget what the future may hold... and let me tell you, our future was INCREDIBLE.

The 6 hour flight from Tokyo-Bangkok, then the hour and a half flight from Bangkock-Chiang Mai was exactly what we needed. We were fortunate again to have an incredible airline (Japan Airlines- can't say enough positive things).

With Serenity, OnGuard, Breathe, and Balance on board, we were prepared to stay healthy and catch up on rest in the air before our next big adventure.

Arriving in Chiang Mai, we found our guide and headed for the resort.

THE RESORT.

Gosh, we got spoiled big time.

We stayed at the Rati Lana Resort and Spa, and it was immaculate. Situated right in the heart of the city, the open-air architecture works around nature and incorporates the idea of "bringing the outside in."

Some of our favorite features: the Koi river that runs throughout the space, the waterfalls in our bathroom, the workout room that's surrounded by lush greenery, and the infinity edge pool overlooking the Ping River.

Our travel day in was pretty relaxed- we used up the rest of our afternoon to get a good workout in, watched the sunset poolside, and enjoyed a nice dinner; easily saying a thousand times "can you believe this?" We never took for granted what an incredible experience we were given and tried to squeeze out every moment to take it all in.

With so much going and doing, our bodies were ready for a "chill" day. However, if you know David and I... we hardly can sit still for long periods of time so our chill day turned into an explore day relatively quick.

I bring you, full Day 1 (and it's an interesting one, for sure):

We met some great people (who were also from the States, and this is rare to find in Thailand) and chatted with them for most of the day while soaking in the sun and enjoying cocktails poolside. They had plans to go see the Old City and grab dinner in town and invited us to join- of course, we're in.

Old City is just that- one of the only remaining cities in Thailand that still has it's original walls and motes intact from it's initial build 600 years ago, and is home to several of Chiang Mai's 300+ temples. Any street, any walkway, any alley will lead you wondering and learning all about the religion, culture, architecture, and life as it use to be mixed with modern lifestyles of historic Chiang Mai. It's practically a living, breathing, thriving museum and we let our imagination and wonderlust take the lead.

We took an Uber (Uber in Thailand = back of a truck for $3) to the Tha Pae Gates and immediately got drawn into buzz happening on the Wualai Walking Street. Each weekend, the city host a festival of sorts- traditional street food, snacks, crafts, music, dancing, shopping, ect. It was packed, and we were fascinated at every turn.

As the festival started to die down, we decided it was time to find dinner. Finding a place to eat in Old City can be challenging- not due to the lack of places to eat, but because there are so many, and they ALL look incredible. Hungry enough, we decided to close our eyes, spin around, and just pick one. Where we landed was a perfectly situated restaurant with maybeee 10 tables and a boutique shop. We ordered pad-thai as a given, and other local flavors to test our tastebuds.

Here's a picture of our dinner spot ---->

Now it was time to really start exploring.

We had no agenda, no map, no guide... it was simply a "let's go that way" kind of never-ending, awe inspiring, mind boggling adventure.

If I were to list and name out all the things we stumbled upon and the significance behind each Wat (Buddhist temple)...well, we'd be here a while. However, to list the 3 "most popular" things we found, I give you:

1. Wat Chedi Luang

2. Wat Suan Dok

3. Wat Para Singh

As for the rest, I'll let pictures speak for themselves. Apologies for some of the poor quality... it was nighttime and I only had my phone to capture the beauty. These definitely don't do these landmarks, the intricate detailing, and grand size of these gorgeous places justice.

Some things to note:

-Buddhism is the main religion, and each temple must have a large Buddha at its core

-Most are solid gold, and are considered extremely sacred. Some you aren't even allowed to take pictures of...

-You'll notice all the temples look different. That because the style of architecture, materials used to build, and varying colors can tell you the age/ period the temple was built, as well as what "for" (peace, praise, worship, war, family.... the list is extensive)

-Different animals can be seen incorporated throughout. They are there to represent things such as "protection" or "warding off negative spirits"

-At ALL temples, you must remove your shoes and have from your shoulders to knees respectfully covered

Incredible, right??

I don't think we would have ever gotten bored, and we would have explored the city for hours...except...

David got bit by a dog.

A few hours into our exploration, we were checking out another temple, just as we had been doing. By now, we had passed several "street" dogs and "temple" dogs- all of which seemed very use to visitors and didn't even bat an eye. At one temple in particular, I swear Chiang Mai's ONLY pack of unfriendly, but hungry dogs sniffed us out.

David has his jacket tied around his waist, and our leftovers from dinner in one hand. Clearly, the smell of the leftovers is what initially drew them in, and we think the wind caught his jacket and got one of the dogs and he just wasn't having it. He nipped David in the back of his right knee... right on that vein!

At first, we weren't really sure what to do.

The dogs disappeared, and everyone around us didn't speak English.

We made our way back out to the more populated areas and luckily found an ambulance. Through a game of charades, we tried to let the paramedics know happened and we were promptlyhanded a packet of ointment. We weren't entirely convinced this was the solution to our problem, so we used better judgement, cut our adventure a little short, and headed back to the resort.

Fast forward about 2 hours: David and I are sitting in the Chiang Mai Emergency Room, a few days into our Honeymoon, with an open wound...a tad worried about what this meant for the rest of our trip, but hopeful for a great doctor. I'll spare you the details of hospital cleanliness, but I will really praise the medical team. They were so helpful and before we knew it, the language barrier didn't feel so bad. They, too, were acting out questions, pointing & gauging David's pain levels by pictures and charts, and taking his vitals. The main doctor spoke broken English and informed us between now and the next week, David would need a series of 4 rabies vaccines, just to be safe. He was also given pain meds and an anti-biotic....of which, we couldn't read the labels. (We joke now that in addition to doing city tours in Thailand, we also did hospital tours)

Here's a little video of our hospital waiting room visit, and *warning* it gets a tad bloody when we pan over the bite. Viewer beware!

Back at the resort, finally calmed down from the chaos, more than EVER I was thankful we brought a great set of doTERRA oils. In addition to the doctor's recommendations and prescriptions, we used the following oils to help David's bite, healing, and to keep it clean from infection:

Helichrysum- know for rejuvenating skin benefits, it also aids to stop bleeding and possesses internal cleansing properties. This was the MAIN one we used right away, and from then on applied frequently

Melaleauca- also known as "tea tree" oil, this oil is widely used for purifying and cleaning skin impurities. We were happy to have it to make sure the wound stays clear from infection

Frankincense- again, the "King of all Oils" served us (David) well. Great for literally everything, it was another must

Lavender- since Lavender is the oil of calming, we figured we certainly needed it- for his bite, and our systems. It was an unexpected night we needed the calm that it brought us

Phew! What an adventure, and a trooper David was.

Nothing says "testing out a marriage" like a dog bite in a foreign country, am I right?

Now for an extremely FUN story, Day 2:

Day 2 of Chiang Mai is easily, hands down, by FAR, forever-more my favorite day of our entire honeymoon. I say that not as if all others fails in comparison, but the things we did I would never imagine doing ever again in my life all in one day (although, I'm so hopeful I prove that statement wrong). It was an experience for the senses, both mental and physical.

The excitement of what lies ahead for Day 2 quickly allowed us to forget the mishaps of the night before.

WE WERE RIDING ELEPHANTS TODAY!

For as long as my memory serves me, it has been a dream to spend some time with elephants. As one of my favorite animals, you hear nothing but good things about these gentle giants. Their intelligence, their grace, the way they love and protect... I think I would run away and be an elephant if I could.

And today, I was going to meet one. (*cue, internal squeal*)

The Thai Elephant Home will always be a personal eighth wonder of my world. It brings me to tears just thinking of the joy that this place houses- for both visitors and elephants alike. They are one of the only elephant sanctuaries which place the care of their elephants as top priority and ensure they feel right at home. Riding bareback, feeding a well-balanced diet, the nursery care for newborn elephants, and love by all who spend their time there are just a few of the many reasons I'm here to make such a bold statement as they are the best elephant sanctuary in all of Thailand.

Since pictures truly do say a thousand words, I'll let that be the case here because if you got me started on all the details of this experience, you'd never hear the end of it.

I can't totally deny you some details though, so the absolute top 10 highlights are as follows:

1. We met our elephants and gained their trust by feeding them whole bananas and bamboo as soon as we got there

2. My elephant's name was Ruby, and she was pregnant with a baby (fun fact: she delivered soon after her and I spent the day together- welcome to the world, her baby- Lucky). David's elephant was Bon Choo, and the most snuggly elephant- wanted to be by your side, always.

3. We ended up getting a private tour- just me, David, and our elephants (AWESOME)

4. We rode our elephants up into the rain forrest and I was shocked that no hill was too high, or no slope was too steep for these animals to get around. Elephants are working animals in Thailand and are often used to help farm the hillsides.

5. No lunch will ever top this one: we ate pad-thai that was made by locals wrapped in a banana leaf to stay warm, while overlooking the landscape of Chaing Mai as our elephants casually grazed the vegetation. To clean up, just feed the elephants the banana leaf and away we go- no littering or trail left behind.

6. To prevent ourselves or the elephants from sunburn and bugs, we coated our bodies with natural clay mud found at the top of the mountain... and so did the elephants!

7. We rode down the mountain to the river to clean up, and play! (hands down the best playdate I've ever been on)

8. Riding back to the sanctuary is the definition of "the scenic route"

9. Saying goodbye is really hard, but you'll get a great big elephant hug and a kiss to make it all better

10. You'll walk away a changed person, guaranteed.

**Bonus**

11. You may now refer to us as Tarzan and Jane :)

Ruby Kisses!

Ruby says "Thank You"... although I wish I could tell her thank you a million times

I would be lying if I said I didn't shed a tear leaving these beautiful creatures behind physically, but grateful they will forever live in a special pocket of my heart.

So you would think that elephants would be enough of an experience for a lifetime, and I would agree with you.

Unexpectedly...and totally unplanned, on the way back to the resort our guide asked if we wanted to spend and hour or so at the Tiger Sanctuary since it was on the way.

...duh.

At this point, we were open to the idea that our honeymoon would have those unexpected moments, and that we would look back and ask "did that really happen" a good bit.

So within 45 minutes of saying goodbye to elephants, David and I found ourselves hugging 2 Giant Bengal Tigers, and playing with twin baby White Tigers. There are times I still can't believe it either...

Ok Ok... so you think for SURE that's got to be enough for one day... and naturally, I would agree. Except one thing was becoming apparent... this was definition of "unexpected adventures" and we were living out the movie "Yes Man"... literally saying yes to it all.

As fate would have it, upon returning back to the resort we saw our friends from the states in the lobby! They said "hey, we're going to the night safari in an hour- want to join?"

By now, you can probably guess what's next...

One hour later we were in another Uber, showered and refreshed headed to something called the Chiang Mai Night Safari with our new friends.

Night Safari... what in the world.

We decided not to Google it, and just see where this takes us.

It didn't let us down. Think of everything you know about a zoo, and flip it. Chiang Mai's night safari is just that- a zoo, but the animals are the ones that run free. Sure, some are in habitats behind glass (typically the smaller ones), but for the most part the animals are in open-air.

We took a ride through the enclosure via tram, where we saw everything from "animals of the night" to "predators" and "animals of the safari."

This included petting Zebras, and feeding Giraffes & Elk.

I guess we could say this honeymoon day can be summed up with "elephants, tigers, zebras, and giraffes...oh my!"

(Sorry the pic is blurry... unfortunately the tram never really stops)

And, on that note...I end our time in Chiang Mai.

One of the most incredible places on earth, that I had never heard of before we left now holds some of our special memories.

As always, thankful for oils and supplements that keep us healthy, even in the midst of a dog bite... (see, now you know why I carry them with me everywhere...you truly never know!)

Stay tuned for the next part of this honeymoon journey, part 3!

Any guesses where we're headed?

Naturally,

Nicki and David