Thailand is known for fantastic beaches flanked with several limestone cliffs. It's also one of the best places to scuba dive/snorkel in the world. Above is picture of Railay Beach, one of several amazing beach sites in Thailand. The water looks so inviting :D
#2 Market Stalls
Market stalls and street vendors are everywhere in Thailand, especially in big cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai. Whether it's food, souvenirs, or clothing, I look forward to shopping at one of these while I'm there.
#3 Thai Cuisine
No way am I going to McDonald's or some chain when I could be having this. This ties in with #2, street vendors serve up great Thai dishes like Pad Thai, Kuteaw (noodle soup), or, If I feel daring, fried grasshoppers or scorpions! Thai food is known for its Spicy and Tangy flavors, something very out of character for the traditional Connor. Bring it on
#4 Animals
I really look forward to seeing and working with exotic animals like Asian Elephants and Gibbons. With a brutal wildlife trade and environmental destruction, many animals like the Asian Elephant face threats of extinction. Animal Sanctuaries, like Wildlife 1, are working to help animals previously experiencing horrible living conditions or who've been threatened to be killed or traded illegally. I'm glad I can assist in helping their cause.
#5 Temples
Buddhist temples (Wats) are everywhere in Thailand and Cambodia. I'm excited to take part in experiencing their reverence and beautiful architecture.
#6 Hill Tribe Villages
In Northern Thailand communities and tribes reside in the hills, such as the Karen and Hmong. ISV will be taking us on a 2 day jungle trek to see some of these tribes on the way!
# 7 Adventure
ISV has quiet the adventure tour planned. Snorkeling/Scuba diving, sea kayaking, river rafting, jungle treks, and climbing/rappelling are a few of the crazy things we'll be doing in the 2nd half of the trip.
#8 Volunteering
Although much of my point was already made in #4, I'm just as excited for the volunteer portion as I am for the adventure portion. Still in the early stages of development, Wildlife 1 needs a lot of infrastructure work to be done. When it's all said and done, it'd be cool to come back to Wildlife 1 someday and see the physical contributions our group made to the place.
#9 Meeting Other Students
A couple months ago I happened upon the ISV July 5th departure group, and I'm glad I did. It has been very helpful hearing and sharing thoughts, concerns, and advice with other students. In 2 days I will meet them in person, I'm eager to meet them all and share great experiences in Thailand and Cambodia.
#10 Angkor Wat
Of course this made the list. A UNESCO World Heritage site and a gold medal winner of Hillman's Wonders of the World, you could say Angkor Wat is one of those "must sees" when visiting South East Asia. Angkor Wat is the center piece of multiple Wats built in the 12th century by the Khmer civilization.
I hope I see these same types of pictures posted by you on your trip!
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