Thursday, July 24, 2014

Color Me RAD!

Color Me Rad came to Winnipeg on Saturday and I jumped at the occasion to run it! It was the funnest and easiest 5K I have ever run!
The colours are made of cornstarch, and it sticks to you really easily. It was funny to see the people who were covered in colours beside people who were all in white and clearly hadn't run yet.
There were young kids and older people running and walking, and it was such a beautiful day for a run! I honestly recommend everyone to try running a colour run at some point. Whether you're a runner or not, it doesn't matter. It's just so much fun!





I can't wait to do it again!

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Winnipeg Folk Festival 2014

I've been going to the Winnipeg Folk Music Festival since before I can remember. It's one of those events that defines the summer and that you look forward to all year.
This is the second year I volunteer at the Folk Fest and I still love it just as much! It's all about amazing music, great people and just having fun. Everywhere you look, there are people letting their freak flag fly.
Here are a few pictures I took during the weekend!







Can't wait for Folk Fest 2015!

Friday, July 11, 2014

Thailand Part 5: Khao Sok National Park and Conclusion

Last but not least... Khao Sok National Park! A hidden jewel in Thailand that I was able to discover thanks to ThaIntro.
It's a national park in Thailand which mainly consists of this big, beautiful emerald lake. We only spent one night there, but it was an amazing experience. On the lake, there are floating bungalows. It was like being in a little cottage village.
In the lake in front of the bungalows was a giant log in the water where we could hang out and sit on and I spent almost all day on that thing.
Needless to say, everyone burned. Myself included. Actually, I may have gotten a minor heat stroke..... And yes, I wore sunscreen. SPF 60, thank you very much!




So here we are, at the end of this amazing trip. I never thought I would have been able to do this alone, but I did and now that I think about it, I wouldn't have it any other way. Every day, I met incredible people, and discovered a new country and experienced things that most 19-year olds don't get to do.
I am so grateful to everyone I met that made this trip as amazing as it has been, I miss you all so much!
I have gained so much confidence from this trip. After you travel by yourself in a country that you know nothing about, and make it through without a scratch, you feel like you can do anything.
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Thailand posts:
Part 1: Bangkok // Part 2: Koh Phangan // Part 3: Kho Phi Phi // Part 4: Chiang Mai // Part 5: Khao Sok

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Thailand Part 4: Chiang Mai

After leaving Phuket, I got on a plane to head to Chiang Mai. It was a short 2 hour plane ride, and in that time, I met a german guy who was sitting beside me and we talked the whole plane ride. He had no plans, so I suggested he come check out the hostel I was staying at and he did! So we made our way to the hostel, which was by far my favourite hostel on my trip. It cost me 3$ a night! There was a little patio in the garden where everyone would hang out and at night we would play music, drink beer and talk. I made a lot of friends there, simply from hanging around the hostel.
Once we got settled in, we went for a walk to see some temples, and came across a parade! It was so random but the floats were incredible. Then we walked some more and found a beautiful temple, one of the oldest in Chiang Mai. I couldn't go in, because I wasn't dressed appropriately (women have to cover their shoulders and knees, but with +35 degrees Celsius, there was no way I was wearing pants.) He took my camera and took picture for me, though.



When you're in Chiang Mai, you can't not go see elephants. This is the place to go for that. And considering they are my favourite animal, I had to go see some! So I booked a tour and the next day, they picked me up and brought me to an elephant sanctuary called Baanchang Elephant Park. Right away, they got us in Mahout (elephant trainer) clothes, and we fed the elephants. Then we learned how to ride them and the different command words. After lunch, we went on an hour-long ride on them! We sat on their necks and let them guide us around the park. After that tour, we went into the water with the elephants to bathe them and had a little bit of a water fight with the Mahouts. It was by far the most amazing experience I've ever had. You can just feel the intelligence coming from these creatures and their personality too!


Having no plans the next day, I decided to walk around Chiang Mai with more friends I met at the hostel. We went and got massages from women ex-prisoners. They have a rehabilitation program in one of the prisons where they teach women how to do thai massages so they have a job when they get out. And by the way, best massage I got in Thailand by far. The next day I headed out with more friends on mopeds to find water falls in the mountain. Even if it didn't seem like we did a whole lot, I still have a lot of fun just driving around and exploring Chiang Mai. We found one waterfall where the water was deep enough to sit in and the water was nice and cold, so I eagerly jumped in!

    
I miss Chiang Mai so much... I made so many great friends and how so many memories of sitting with everyone at night and hanging out, and of course, the elephants!

Thailand posts:
Part 1: Bangkok // Part 2: Koh Phangan // Part 3: Kho Phi Phi // Part 4: Chiang Mai // Part 5: Khao Sok
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