The Summer of Beaches, Islands and Mountains

Being new on the international school scene, the end of the school year took me by surprise.  Saying goodbye to newly made friends was so difficult for me.   I don’t like goodbyes and I had to say goodbye to a good number of people who I had really enjoyed getting to know.  Also, most of my colleagues were heading back to their home countries or some exotic places around the world.  David and I decided that this summer would be the best time to explore Thailand.  In our 25 years of marriage, we have never both had time in the summer to just take off and see where the road took us.  In May, we purchased an economical car, created our wish list of destinations (to be referred to from this point on as “The Summer of Beaches, Islands and Mountains”) and started researching.

What you need to know about this time of year in Thailand:  Between May and September/October, Thais experience the rainy or “green” season.  That means that one can expect rain anywhere from a huge downpour/wind storm all day, for just an hour, or no rain at all.  Rain or not, it is generally still hot and humid.  This reminds me of a conversation I had with an Aussie 4^th grader early last year. Like me, it was his first year living in Thailand.  We were talking about the seasons and he asked, “When will it be winter?”  I said, “Honey, there really isn’t a winter here.  There are three seasons:  the hot season, the rainy season and the cold season.  But it really isn’t cold during the cold season.”  His mouth dropped open and his face scrunched and he said, “You mean it’s ALWAYS going to be this hot?”  It was hilarious.  The good news is that it IS hot here.  I have never had to wear a down jacket (although we have seen some Thais wear down jackets), a sweater or closed toed shoes.  If I didn’t have to dress up for school, I could live in shorts and capris.  I can swim outside almost every day of the year.  I have never had to turn on the heater in the car.  In fact, there are no heaters in the cars here.  And when it does storm, it is AMAZING!  Huge storms with lightning, thunder, gale winds that knock planters over, etc.  My friend Susan says that on days like that, she cranks up the air con, they put on some winter clothing and eat chili for dinner.  As long as they don’t go outside, it seems like winter to them.  Most people do not travel through Thailand at this time of year because of the weather.  However, this can be the perfect time for visitors who are traveling on a budget because hotels/resorts WANT YOUR BUSINESS!  So starts the first of many road trips during The Summer of Beaches, Islands and Mountains.

The next few posts will be dedicated to educating you on some of the most beautiful places to visit in Thailand.  If you do not come away with an urge to travel this way, you are probably dead.  Ha!