active travel – Page 2 – On the Loose Live

My “Best of Thailand” Recap

July 6, 2017January 30, 2018livevigorously

What an amazing whirlwind month it was! So many incredible sights, sounds, tastes and experiences, definitely one of my top trips. Highly recommend Thailand as a destination. If you’re thinking about it, do it! My blog covers all the places I went and most of my activities – just use the search tool to get the scoop on the areas that interest you or do a browse and select Thailand for an overview of all the posts. There’s plenty more to see and explore there, but this was all I could pack into my trip. Let me know what spot is your favorite so I can check it out next time. If you have any questions, just send me a note.

Where I went

Bangkok

Chiang Mai

Mae Wang

Chiang Dao

Thaton

Chang Rai

Sukhothai

Ayutthaya

Koh Samui

Koh Phangan

Railay, Krabi

Phuket

What I did

These are my top picks from my month-long adventures

Best active tours: ActiveThailand

Best beach with restaurants, live music & mellow nightlife: Chaloklum Bay, Koh Samui

Best beach resort: White House, Koh Samui

Best experience: Trekking and mountain biking remote areas of northern Thailand and homestaying with the Karen Hill Tribe

Best food: Chiang Dao Restaurant near the cave – Chicken Tumeric, Chiang Mai & Bangkok Street Food – pork on a stick

Best health & Fitness Resort: Thanyapura Health & Sports Resort See post.

Best nature preserve island: Naugyuan

Best ruins: Sukkhothai

Best scenery: Railay, Krabi

Best town: Thaton

Best view from the room: Cocohut Beach Resort & Spa, Koh Phangan

Best wildlife: Railay, Krabi

Here are some scenes from my last night in Thailand, near the Bangkok airport:

Catching a Pedal Cab

Bankok Street Food

Succulent & Savory Pork on a Stick

Hmm, Is That a Proposal???

Shrine in the Alley

Sleeping Beauty, Night Shift at the Paragon Inn

Tip: The Paragon Inn is a basic, but decent airport hotel. It’s minutes from the airport and walking distance from the mall and street market. Super convenient for getting those last minute gifts and for catching those early AM flights.

Can’t emphasize enough how easy and inexpensive it is to tour around Thailand and have an exceptional time. I’ll share more about what makes it so easy in an upcoming blog post.

A Tale of 2 Snorkels, Thailand

May 7, 2017July 11, 2017livevigorously

Trip 1

By speedboat

Gulf of Thailand

Multi-island, plus viewpoint hike & kayak

Lunch buffet

Fish aplenty

Boat trip length 1hr 40 ea way / 3hrs 20

Grand finale: none

Trip 2

By longtail boat

Andaman Sea

7 island, plus cave

Sunset BBQ

Fish aplenty

½ hour to 1^st island, minutes from island to island

Grand finale: Fire show

Bioluminescent night snorkel

Trip 1

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pros

Our first stop was the island of Nangyuan, a pristine, snorkelers’ paradise. It was fun to hike up to the viewpoint and later to take a kayak and cruise along another island’s shore and find my own secluded snorkel spot.

cons

Over 3 hours on a speedboat with 30 plus other people was a bit much. And as you can see by the picture in the slide show, apparently not just for me. On the way back, there were 4 inebriated passengers (predictably 2 Americans and 2 Australians) who turned the boat into a party boat, drinking up a storm and blaring the music…Guess I’m showing my age here, but none of the “younger set” seemed too enthused by this behavior either.

Trip 2

Snorkeling cave

Inside the cave

Chicken Rock behind me

Breathtaking Railay scenery

Railay sunset

pros

Much more intimate experience with only 6 other people (3 couples) on a longtail boat. Made for some nice conversations and connections. Cave snorkel was incredible with a huge school of fish. Sunset BBQ was lovely. Fire show was an added perk. The night snorkel with bioluminescent plankton was magical. The light is a result of a series of oxidation reactions in the plankton. It was like having sparklers in the water. Unfortunately, my camera had run out of battery for this. (I was a little concerned about backing into some jellies that I might not see in the dark…)

cons

The guides spoke very little English and had to be reminded to hand out masks and snorkels. They could not identify the large white and pink jellyfish we saw, but did encourage us to get back on the boat. I know some jellyfish are relatively innocuous, but they do have Portuguese-Man-of-War here too… The guides did not point out the attractions on Railay when we docked. Having been there previously, I shared the info with my fellow passengers about the critters (monkeys and water monitor) and Princess Cave.

All said, I would do both again. Hopefully next time I’ll have a GoPro pre-programmed!

Railay Rocks!

April 30, 2017October 6, 2017livevigorously

Spectacular scenery, iconic limestone crags of monolithic proportions rising out of the Andaman Sea – that’s Railay.

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When I arrived by longtail boat, I checked into my hotel and took a walkabout to stretch my legs after the taxi (half hour), ferry (2hr), bus (2 hr) minivan (half hour with1 hr delay) and longtail boat ride (20 minute) – phew!

Actually, it wasn’t bad at all. It’s extremely easy to get around in Thailand. My full day of travel was coordinated by 1 agency for $33. Travel agencies are almost as ubiquitous as 7-Eleven’s here. Tip: It can be worthwhile to check with different agencies if you are looking for a specific itinerary and time. Some offer more choices than others.

I’ve been touring up and down Thailand for 3 weeks and the only wild things I’ve seen so far are some unruly Americans and Australians, feral cats, bats and myna birds. Accessible only by water, this tiny peninsula is literally crawling with wild things. And I’m not just talking about the rock climbers who flock here from around the world. Here there are macaques running amok, water monitors skulking about, squirrels flying overhead, and apparently some dusky langors in hiding too. You just follow the boardwalk from the pier in East Railay and head for West Railay Beach. When you make that right, you are in what I call monkey alley.

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Tip: Pay close attention to your belongings (monkey’s steal) and keep an eye out for movement on the rocks. Monitor lizards blend in well, but you can detect them with a keen eye. They are a bit noisy going over brush, tree limbs or leaves so keep your ears open too.

Awesome, right? I know! And all within the first 20 minutes of my arrival. Next to a conspicuous “Danger” sign was a rope climb / hike to a vista point that beckoned to me. I’m a wee bit leery of heights and hence not the biggest fan of rock climbing though I’ve done it before. This looked a bit sketchy…To be continued…

Dry Creek Falls hike, Cascade Locks, OR

January 24, 2017July 31, 2017livevigorously

Another trail misnomer as Dry Creek Falls are quite wet indeed and a quick, convenient and refreshing excursion.

The trailhead is near the Bridge of the Gods in Cascade Locks, a city in Hood River County, Oregon. Cross the road and head for the signed Pacific Crest Winter Trailhead. When you reach Moody Street (~.1 mi), go under the freeway and veer right then straight onto the gravel road and left at the trail junction. (A bit anticlimatic to start, but you’ll be disappearing into the trees before long.) The PCT Dry Creek on a wooden bridge. Instead of crossing that bridge take a right and head up toward the falls, which is only .2 miles away. Head back on the trail the same way you came.

Take a leisurely stroll on the friendly trail or get your blood pumping with a quick, out and back trail run. Enjoy the woods, ferns and streams along the way. (Fall colors and wildflowers depending on the season.) If you work up a sweat, look forward to dousing yourself in the 75-foot waterfall that cascades over the colossal wall of columnar basalt. You may want to bring water shoes, the bottom is rocky and difficult to navigate in bare feet.

Below the falls you’ll notice remnants of an old water control structure that once provided water for the city. Dry Creek remains a municipal water source here. If you’re up for something longer, you can also explore the PCT where it crosses Dry Creek on that wooden bridge and then just head back the same way you came.

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Distance round trip : 4.4 miles

Difficulty: Easy

Rating: Nice!

Spokane Quickie

October 31, 2016March 18, 2019livevigorously

First impressions: Fantastic fall foliage, clean, bike-friendly city, easy to navigate, nice parks, incredible vistas, great centennial trail, rainy.

Arrived at the small airport at noon, rented a car, and headed directly to Spoke ‘N Sport. Pete set us up on a couple hybrids for our quick tour of Spokane. Just a half hour after landing, we’re pedaling through Riverfront Park, meandering by Gonzaga University where the fall’s display was in its full glory.

Despite the brisk, wet weather, there were many runners (one stud without a shirt), bikers, and skateboarders about. In addition to nature’s displays, the city also features many outdoor art sculptures.

20161029_145551 — Monroe Street Bridge, built in 1911

A little history:

Built in 1911, the 896 foot Monroe Street Bridge spans the Spokane River, which flows at 7,946 cubic feet per second here. The Spokane River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 111 miles long, in northern Idaho and eastern Washington. At one time, Spokane was internationally known for its fishing, including Chinook, steelhead and coho salmon and, above the falls, a huge population of cutthroat trout. Sadly, those days are long gone.The Little Falls Dam, built in 1911 had only had a rudimentary fish ladder and the Long Lake Dam built in 1915 didn’t have one at all. In 1939, the Grand Coulee Dam blocked the Columbia, which sealed the salmon off from the entire Spokane River and thus destroyed a dietary staple and way of life of the Spokane Indians and many other tribe’s.

20161029_141651 — Another lovely view of the Spokane River from the Riverfront Park bike trail

We managed to get in some great views of Spokane Falls, Riverfront Park and cruise an upscale neighborhood on Summit Road before the rain became more insistent.

20161029_150623 (1) — Moose sighting along Spokane’s Riverfront Park Bike Trail

Very enjoyable afternoon spent in Spokane. Would like to return and explore some more and do the Centennial bike trail to Coeur d’alene and back.

Coeur d’alene was next on the agenda, but the overly-manicured waterfront park, upscale shops and restaurants didn’t appeal in the pouring rain. We kept driving and happened upon the charming gem of Sandpoint, Idaho, where we spent the night.