Kio Mae Pan

So, as you may have noticed, there is a "Pt. 1" in the title. Yesterday was quite the doozy of a day and we have lots to show, but due to the 20 image limit of FindPenguins, this day will probably be split into 3 parts.

The day started with our complementary breakfast. Not included in the picture was a yogurt cup, a banana, and a sizeable portion of fried-rice. We didn't end up getting to the rice during breakfast so we attempted to communicate if we could have a to-go container. We did seem to make a breakthrough in the language barrier as we received a little box that we scooped the rice into. We then headed back to the cabin to sunscreen up, and then checked-out and started our drive to the Doi Inthanon National Park.

The place we stayed at was just outside the park boundaries, so getting in was no issue at all. The park has many trails and waterfalls throughout it, but the first stop we wanted to make was to see the main attraction of the park, the Pagodas near the peak. So we planned to see that first, then go to the peak, and then on the way down, stop at whatever trails or waterfalls we liked. That rental car of ours definitely got a workout that day, as we had a 40-odd km drive uphill to get to the Pagodas (and a bit more to get to the peak). We arrived at the Pagoda parking lot and hopped out of the car and into the back of one of the free shuttles from the lot to the Pagodas.

When we first arrived at the Pagodas, it was looking pretty clear, but as we marched up the staircases, a cloud of fog seemed to roll right in. This is where having the rental car came in handy, instead of having only a certain amount of time at the Pagodas, we were able to be patient and really look around as we waited for the fog to clear up. After climbing up and down the staircases to the Pagodas and looking inside them, the fog finally seemed to clear. It was still a bit hazy in the distance, but the view was still astonishing! We basically retraced our steps since we saw everything once in the fog and then again once it had cleared. Once we were all finished at the Pagodas, we took the shuttle back to the parking lot and puttered up the rest of the mountain to the parking lot at the peak.

We walked up the path, which was pretty short, and reached the highest point in Thailand. There was a shrine, as well as a little box that had coins in it. We overheard someone else mention you put a small offering there as it's meant to be good luck. So we pulled out a Canadian nickel and flicked it in the box. From there, we went back down to the parking lot, sat down, and enjoyed the leftover bananas and rice from breakfast (along with some snacks we had from the Elephant Sanctuary).

Now it was time to work our way back down the mountain and go on some trails!Read more