Thailand Retreat Recap

We just returned home Monday night from our most recent trip to Thailand (which included a week long Everyday Paleo Retreat in Chiang Mai put on by The Trip Tribe) and I am so filled with joy. Joy to be home. Joy to be rested. Joy to have had the opportunity to once again visit Thailand which is pretty much my favorite place one earth besides California.

It’s been almost two years since our last trip there in which I spent 6 weeks researching and cooking all over the country for the purpose of writing Everyday Paleo Thai Cuisine and it was so great to return with a new perspective and purpose. I love Thailand – the food, the people, and the experiences in this country are like no other and when I’m there, I feel so alive, so nourished, so free. Where else can you go that everything you eat is the best food you have ever tasted, beauty and excitement is around every corner, culture shock abounds but in such an astounding and spectacular way, and the rules you can never break back in the states can all be broken (can you say riding in the back of pick-up trucks are taxis – just for starters)… This trip was no exception and since this was our second trip to Thailand, we did not have any nervous expectations or fears, and I wasn’t there to research or work so we were able to just go and enjoy.

Our first few days were spent in Bangkok, acclimating, resting, and eating. I will admit however, the word “resting” and “Bangkok” don’t really go hand in hand but we did manage to get some sleep to recoup from the crazy long trip. On Saturday the 8th we flew from Bangkok to Chiang Mai and our Everyday Paleo retreat put on by the awesome Trip Tribe began! We had two attendees for the trip which was a big change from the 21 attendees we had at our retreat last May in Italy but it was still absolutely amazing. We were able to spend some serious quality time with our two guests and had life changing experiences together that bonded us as friends forever. Life works in such mysterious ways and I love how folks come into my life always for a reason and I know now that Elliot and Rina are meant to be family and our trip together in Thailand was destined. We ate together, cooked together, bathed elephants together, took death defying Tuk Tuk rides, got lost and laughed all over Chiang Mai, talked late into the night about health, wellness, happiness, and life in general, watched Muay Thai fights, had wonderful massages, and learned a lot about each other in such a short few days and gained more knowledge about how this amazing universe works all the way across on the other side of the world.

Here are just a few pictures that capture the week we had together in Chiang Mai.  I hope you enjoy!! Also, in the comments below, let me know where you think we should go next? Where do you want to join me and my family for our next Everyday Paleo Retreat?