Say Yes!

Anna Keeton Start Date: Nov 25, 2018 - End Date: Mar 24, 2019
  • Bangkok, Thailand
  • Koh Lanta, Krabi, Thailand
  • Chiang Mai, Thailand

My Travel Story

by: Anna Keeton Start Date: Nov 25, 2018 - End Date: Mar 24, 2019

Say Yes!...And that is exactly what I did this year. I decided it was time to say yes and go for it. Things had been looking up and my best friend and I had been talking about taking a big, adventurous trip for years now. We decided the timing was now! Tickets were bought, lodging was booked, and everything got set in place. Even my budget was looking great. Thailand here we come! Now here we are about two and a half months out and things have gotten tight. Life has been happening for what seems nonstop. An unforseeable cost here, another one there. It keeps adding up and digging into the budget I've had in place for the trip and life costs for while I'm gone.

This is where the "say yes" really comes in. The full quote is from Tina Fey and it says "Say yes and you'll figure it out afterwards." When trying to come up with ways to make some extra cash in addition to work, from donating plasma to wrapping my car in advertisements, I came across this quote and the irony of it has not been lost on me. I said yes and now I'm figuring it out afterwards. Opting out of the trip would be a last resort as it would leave my friend in a bind having planned this together and a lot of what has already been spent is unrefundable. I realize it is the holiday season and this is a big request, but any help would be greatly appreaciated. What I would love to do with this campaign is dedicate 10% percent of all the money that is donated to the Daughters Rising organization. It is an organization that I have come to know about through the planning of our trip. It helps indigenous girls get out of poverty and trafficking through education and employment opportunities.

One of the places we are staying is in the jungles near Chiang Mai and supports the Daughters Rising organization. All their proceeds from activities and lodging go to help the girls they have working for them and the group itself. The place we are staying at is called Chai Lai Orchid. It is a pretty neat place. They are also an elephant rescue that takes in old and abused elephants that have been used for riding and tourism. It is a safehaven and a new start for both humans and animals alike. It would be really neat while experiencing an entirely new culture to be able to give back a little to the community as well. 

If you are interested in donating or if you would just like to know a little more about what all we will be doing while we are there, I am going to include those details below.  

This is going to be a three week backpacking trip, so we will be packing light and staying in some hostels. The trip will start off in Bangkok's Chinatown during the Chinese New Year. We chose this area specifically because of the celebrations and parades that will be taking place. Being as fully submerged into the culture as possible was a big deal for me in planning it. While in Bangkok we will explore some temples, night markets and floating markets, and the street food. If this is your first time hearing anything about Thailand, food is a big part of their culture and society. There are some neat food shows on netflix that feature Thailand that I suggest watching even if you do not ever plan on visiting the country yourself. They are neat! 

Another area of the country we will be visiting is in the south to an island near Krabi. The beaches and oceans of Thailand are some of the most beautiful in the world. We are staying in a small fishing village with the locals in a hut on stilts on the water. Yup, you read that right! It is a tin and wood hut on stilts over the ocean. We chose this area because it has yet to be commercialized for tourism and is a glimpse into the past of this area of Thailand. The people renting it out to us are going to teach us some authentic Thai cooking and hopefully we will get to see some old ruins and exciting sea life while we are down there. 

I already told you a little about where we are staying in the jungles of Chiang Mai, but here is a little more. There are a lot of activities to do while there, and as I said before all the proceeds they get from us doing them go to the Daughters Rising Organization. These activities are hiking through the jungle to hidden waterfalls and ancient temple ruins, visiting the indigenous hilltribes, bamboo rafting down the rivers, and helping take care of the elephants they've rescued by feeding and bathing them. We will also spend some time in the city of Chiang Mai itself. 

To top off the trip we will head back to Bangkok via an overnight train and spend our last remaining days there. It is our hope to catch a paper lantern festival and a muay thai match. These are a big part of the thai culture and it would be a shame to leave without seeing atleast one or the other. This will be the first time I have really had the chance to take in another culture in the world and learn from it first hand. I have been on mission trips in the past,  but I was young and not at an age to really get much out of the experience. I'm excited for the experience, for all that I am going to learn and how it will make me grow!

  • Bangkok, Thailand
  • Koh Lanta, Krabi, Thailand
  • Chiang Mai, Thailand

Updates

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  • Thank You!

    Thank you!
    I would like to give a very big thank you to the two people who have donated already! I cannot express how much it means to me!