At the end of 2021 I took my first solo trip in Thailand. I have been on multiple trips in Thailand but never by myself. But the end of 2021 was a good time as any to take the plunge, especially after the Tokyo and France episodes. By the end of 2021 much has occurred in my adult life and some alone time was desperately needed to not only clear my head but to also reflect and decide on the path I would take moving forward in life.

Breaking the Journey

The drive from Bangkok to Nan will be a long one. At the very least 7 to 9 hours. Giving me plenty of time to be with myself and digest my thoughts. However, I decided to break the ride by stopping at Phitsanulok, the halfway point of the trip. Phitsanulok turned out to really be the highlight of this trip despite stopping with no real plan.

I grew up in a province far away from Bangkok. Whereby I often find myself in local markets and temples fairs. Here, I found myself in a familiar environment. Exploring the perimeter of the town center on foot, I came across multiple antique stores that I failed to remember to document on camera. As I made my way into the center, I found myself at a historical temple, Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat Woramahawihan. Phitsanulok is quite a historical province and that is evident in the history of the temple and the landscape of the city which is dotted with even more historical sites and ruins.

Solitude in Nature

Craving some form of nature, I took a drive towards the equally rich nature side of Phitsanulok. Despite being a relatively high season for travels, the national parks and waterfall I visited were deserted. Having the whole national park to myself I took the opportunity to slow myself down and explored the place through photography. While I didn’t come away with award winning shots I did enjoyed the process and the experimental nature of the activity.

Morning Market

Early next morning I started my journey towards Nan early. But before I took off, I couldn’t resist the urge to visit the local morning market and it did not disappoint. It was crazy to see the price difference between certain foods and dessert between Bangkok and Phitsanulok despite Phitsanulok being a well-developed province with a sprawling metropolitan and busy traffic itself. Moreover, it was also a great way to observe how the people in the city spend their mornings. Generally, Phitsanulok is quite a lovely place to visit and I can truly see myself living there.

Twists, Turns and Sights

The drive to Nan was nothing short of exciting and exhausting. The roads were filled with twists and turns and steep climbs. But the destination was worth the drive. Nan is a beautifully quaint city, and again, a very historic city as well. Parts of the old town is well preserved, and people are, to put it simply, super chill. There are lots to do in this province but all of it requires a 1-2 hour drive because most of the activities are centered around mountains and nature places. A great way to spend time reflecting and activities to which I committed to doing.

These long drives to discover the surrounding nature brought me to multiple spectacular sights. From morning drives to see the sun rise, pink flowering fields, green lush landscapes, ancient salt well within the mountains (we will get back to this in another post and I’ll link it here) and more. Instead of writing about each location, I will let you view them down below.

Life’s Semi-Solid Plan

While the trip didn’t start out as a photography trip, it served as a launchpad for reigniting my interests in photography. Having left my camera in its storage since the end of 2019, this was the first time I picked up and used my it extensively. And coming back to the objective of the trip as mentioned in the beginning, the long drives and alone time did completely shaped my goals and actions to follow.