In the last post, I mentioned how if you want to be someone you've never been, you have to do things you've never done. Here's my testimony of how that turned out. :)
Before deciding to go to Thailand, I was talking to God about going somewhere completely different. My heart wanted it so badly, but I gave it to God. Then he closed the door for me, put someone in my life who had eyes to see that I was physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually burned out, and laid it on her heart to suggest a retreat place in Thailand.🥹 I also contacted my sister who had just moved back to Japan, then another sister in Wuhan, China who I wanted to visit, and planned a trip. God's hand guided the whole thing; I'm amazed looking back on it.
A brand-new experience: Went to the bank and used Chinese to exchange RMB into Thai baht and Japanese Yen. That was awesome. :)
July 24, Friday, I left Xiamen in the morning and flew to Kunming for an almost 2-hour layover.
Then I landed in Chiang Mai, Thailand around 3:30 pm.
Chiang Mai is in the north of Thailand.
Before arriving, I downloaded the Grab app, which is used for taxis. I also got an eSIM for both Thailand and Japan with Airalo, and it worked wonderfully the whole time. Many reviews recommended to purchase 2 separate eSIMS, rather than an all-including Asia one, and I think it worked out better. Thailand is extremely easy to travel in. So many people wait at arrivals at the airport, ready to help. Taking a taxi from the airport to your destination is a breeze with the Grab app. It amazed me with exact, clear, pictured instructions on how to walk to the taxi-boarding stop. It said something like, "when you come out of the terminal, turn right, walk to exit 8, turn right out of the exit, walk down the left sidewalk....and it had pictures with every step.
I talked with the taxi driver on the way to my destination and he gave me helpful advice.
My home for the next few days.
I came to the retreat with no agenda, just to be alone, be in nature, and refresh my soul and spirit through spending much time with God.
Like Elijah seeking shelter under the juniper tree, may you find refuge, rest, and restoration.
Cold water?! What even? I was pleasantly surprised about this. I miss cold water sometimes.
Here's another part of the God-story. Because my Father is all-knowing, he sees what we cannot. And he also greatly cares about the little things that matter to us. Before I came, I talked to him about how I'd love to meet someone that I could go to a waterfall with, just because it was a couple hours away and I wanted to split the taxi fee with someone. But if not, I was completely fine to go on my own.
The retreat serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so July 24th I went to the dining hall. I noticed a lady sitting alone so I sat with her and from the first second of talking, I knew she was a true bosom sister-friend. I mentioned to her about some places that sounded fascinating, and even though she's visited this place before, it's been years, so she immediately searched for groups on Facebook, contacted a guy, and within an hour, we had planned a tour for the next day. How efficient we women are. 😂
July 25th, the tour guide picked us up at the retreat and we drove around an hour to Mae Taeng District. Along the way, we stopped at a couple places but decided not to stay since they were paid attractions. The main things we wanted to do were bamboo rafting and the Sticky Waterfall. I saw the chicken in the wild and the huge spider on the wall in a bathroom.
Compared to the bamboo raft ride I took in China, I liked this one much more. As someone who values God's nature, calm, and anything that relaxes my nervous system, this raft ride checked all the boxes. Corrie, sister-friend, and I connected on the deep heart level while enjoying the really slow ride. :)
After the river, the driver took us up the mountain to Bua Tong Sticky Waterfall in Chet Si Fountain National Park.
It's amazing to be able to walk straight up the waterfall, mostly freehanded, because it's almost entirely made of calcium carbonate. As mineral-rich spring water reaches the surface, it loses carbon dioxide, causing dissolved calcium carbonate to come out of the water and coat everything in a hard mineral layer.
Over time, it built up into travertine, a type of limestone with a rough, porous surface which allows the feet to grip the rock. The mineral water makes it difficult for algae to establish themselves on much of the climbing area. So cool! God's designs the most interesting things in creation. 
The English translation 😅
The most refreshing lunch of watermelon and coffee. 😋
Corrie and the driver waited for me while I followed this path to see where it led.
It ended up at this pool of blue water, and I forget why it's special, but the area is considered sacred because it's some kind of garden for the gods.
This guy impressed me with his kindness and patience in waiting for us 2 women the whole day. :) On the way back, he stopped by this shop to get us mango sticky rice.
Look at this immaculate pool. Since I've been extremely swimming deprived, I spent as many hours in it as possible - it might have as well become my second home. 😂😂
The best: mango sticky rice
July 26th was Sunday. Here's a Thai breakfast. Corrie and I found a church we wanted to attend, so I suggested we each take a motorcycle taxi since it's the cheapest. (I think other than the waterfall day and one other time, we took motorcycle taxis everywhere else.)
Definitely took my life into my hands as I rode to church in style. 🏍 😎
Near the parking lot, a car hit the back of the motorcycle as we were passing and, and even though the driver beeped, the car didn't slow down. Thankful to God for protection that day and that the car didn't hit the 🏍 and me in the middle.
This sermon touched on something my heart really needed, as I had 2 conversations with 2 different people about the same topic.
After church, we rode motorcycles again to this outdoor cafe to enjoy a peaceful lunch.
I really love Corrie. We shared another heart talk over lunch and enjoyed a great time.
When we left, my sense of direction told us to go right. Corrie's GPS confirmed it. So we kept following my internal GPS which led us to walking over 10 minutes the wrong way. 😂😂 Poor thing isn't used to much humidity (for she lives in Mongolia and it's more of dry heat), and she was about to fall down dead, even with her umbrella. It was the funniest situation because her phone was about to lose total battery and mine was overheating.🤣 So what was supposed to be a short walk to our destination turned into half an hour.
Then later on in the night we were once again following my internal directions (I have no idea why 🤣) and of course ended up going the wrong way. I told her my sense of direction is off - brain isn't working properly-, and she said, "Yeah, I thought it was so ever since you drank that coffee." 😅😅😂
Then later on in the night we were once again following my internal directions (I have no idea why 🤣) and of course ended up going the wrong way. I told her my sense of direction is off - brain isn't working properly-, and she said, "Yeah, I thought it was so ever since you drank that coffee." 😅😅😂
Every moment spent together, cortisol levels lowered drastically while oxytocin and serotonin levels rose. 😀
In the late afternoon, we late-minute-decided to go the Sunday Walking Street Market. Great decision. Of course, we rode motorcycles and met up at the arrival spot. First thing we did was meander around the food stalls. Conveniently, long tables are set up in the middle for visitors to eat at.
My dinner: seaweed roll, shrimp roll, mango sticky rice
Afterwards, we walked slowly down the street which was packed with people and vendors selling miscellaneous items. Even one massage place had a set up, giving foot and full body massages.
It started raining later on, so we stayed under a tent till it stopped, then finally headed back after walking quite a bit more.
Around 10:30/11 pm I decided to go a convenience store for a drink.
Nothing like the bestie giving me inspiration. 😄It was the most peaceful walk, and I didn't feel a bit scared, worried, unsafe, or stressed.
July 27th, Monday, Corrie and I had a hike planned, but that didn't stop me from doing a little early-morning exploring.
Coffee from a drink stand
After breakfast, Corrie and I took an hour-long taxi ride to Monk's Trail.
This adorable fluffy dog was sleeping near the entrance.
Huay Kaew Waterfall is part of Monk’s Trail (Wat Pha Lat Trail) on Doi Suthep Mountain. The trail starts at the waterfall and goes through the forest toward Wat Pha Lat, which is a temple built into the mountains. The small entrance fee for the park is totally worth it because you can spend all day hiking the mountain. There are some places to enter the waterfall too. It's not an easy stroll through the woods. Much of the beginning of the trail contains more mountain climbing areas. The waterfalls provide free water-bottle refilling, and I recommend bringing more food to enjoy an all-day hiking trip. 👍
Hiked over the river and through the woods to see more waterfalls with fewer people.
Mid-afternoon, hunger came upon us, so we hiked back to the entrance and walked down the main street for a while. Thailand LOVES coffee, no doubt. All we saw were coffee and drink shops. Corrie said, "do these people even eat food?!" 🤣😂😂
I picked a yogurt mango drink from this shop...
and Corrie ordered one from this shop.
We sat outside and purely just enjoyed the nature.
A sign in the taxi we rode in back to our place.
Tuesday, July 28th, we choose to spend the final day exploring nearby Chang Moi.
The whole morning and partway into the afternoon, we walked in and out of shops, just relaxing and having a marvelous time. Mid/later-afternoon Corrie suggested we eat our lunch/dinner at At Khua Lek Cafe & Restaurant, situated along the river. Along the way, I picked up beef noodles from Rosyiam Bar, a family owned street shop, and combined it with the egg from the restaurant.
I really miss this food. 😋
Afterwards, Corrie wanted to have a foot massage, so while she did that, I wandered around Chang Moi, noticing different sights than before.
Siamaya Chocolate. They have very unique flavors, like Thai Tea chocolate and banana chocolate.
Museum of Broken Relationships: The most unique museum I've ever seen. I didn't walk through but just read the sign on the lobby wall. It contains donated memorabilia from people all over the world, each object symbolizing the end of a relationship. And not only is it continuing to collect items, but other branches are opening.
My favorite kind of vehicle shop. 😎
A most comforting and sweet verse: "He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved." ~Psalm 62:2
My flight towards Japan (actually to a 6- hour layover in Shanghai, China first) left at 12:30 am on July 29th, so while waiting at the airport, I drank this milk tea.
I can't describe the depth of blessing and refreshment this getaway gave me. God knows the heart need when all we have are heart cries and longings. And you know, God brings people into life to answer the heart cries at the right moment. This sister is one of those precious souls.
We met so randomly, from two completely different places—she’s from the Netherlands and lives in Mongolia, while I’m from the other side of the world and live in China. And somehow, from the moment of meeting, we chatted as though we have existed as close friends our whole lives. Our personalities clicked immediately, we live single, independent lives, and our sense of humor together is unmatched. 😂
What I treasure most about her, though, is her heart for God and the world.
She is a strong woman, a woman of vision. She has done so many incredible things in her life, (with many of the same passions as I) yet so much of what she does will only be known by heaven. Talk about inspiration, I want to be like her. She's not famous. You could look at her and simply see an ordinary woman following God on the journey of life. But there's something beautiful about that kind of life.
A life that doesn’t need to be seen.
A life that doesn’t need a name.
A life that simply says, “Lord, wherever you lead, I’ll follow.”
And there's something else so special about the timing of our friendship. During our days together, she started navigating something new (has to do with a man 😉) and asked for advice. I feel so happy I get to be along on this journey with her. We talked extensively about hopes, fears, and contradictions within ourselves, about things that are difficult to explain to other people, about feelings many people can't/won't understand. What also refreshed me was that our conversations didn't run on a "Bible formula" or a "Christian answer," but we listened to each other and understood the emotions, relationships, uncertainty - all very real human parts of life that we each deal with.
A life that doesn’t need to be seen.
A life that doesn’t need a name.
A life that simply says, “Lord, wherever you lead, I’ll follow.”
And there's something else so special about the timing of our friendship. During our days together, she started navigating something new (has to do with a man 😉) and asked for advice. I feel so happy I get to be along on this journey with her. We talked extensively about hopes, fears, and contradictions within ourselves, about things that are difficult to explain to other people, about feelings many people can't/won't understand. What also refreshed me was that our conversations didn't run on a "Bible formula" or a "Christian answer," but we listened to each other and understood the emotions, relationships, uncertainty - all very real human parts of life that we each deal with.
God knew exactly that we needed each other right at this time. I'm deeply grateful for this great gift of friend/sistership.