road trip.

Because I’m in a decent sized city and I don’t leave it very often, I sometimes forget that there are some natural beauties to see in the countryside. Just a couple of weeks ago the other teachers and I took a little road trip about an hour northwest to see one such place.

Phu Phrabat Historical Park is dry and barren compared to the green jungle-like regions surrounding it that are more typical of Thailand. The area reminded me a little of southern Utah though these rock formations aren’t quite as vast or stunning as the ones back home. But they’ve been used by various groups of people throughout the area’s history for temples and homes and other things and you can still see the remnants of those uses today; including prehistoric cave paintings, ruined buildings, and old Buddha statues.

We spent a good couple of hours wandering among the rocks and along the trails and at times it almost felt like being at home in the mountains or the canyons. And the weather was beautiful. It had been unseasonably cold for the past month or so (and while I know many of you are still dealing with polar vortexes and the like and this in no way compares, when you come prepared for 80 degrees and you’re stuck with a consistent 60 degrees—no jackets, no heaters, very few socks and no way to ever warm up—well, that starts to feel really cold after a while!) But this particular Sunday the sun came out and finally brought the warm with it, making it a balmy and perfect afternoon for our long motorbike ride, picnic lunch and some light hikes.