Trunks, Triumphs, and Thai Goodbyes
July 17, 2025
We finally made it to elephant day! Everyone was so eager to meet the elephants, and it was one of the reasons a lot of the kids signed up for the trip, so we were HYPEEE!! We started off by making food for the elephants, which consisted of mashed up banana, rice, and hay! The elephants knew we were coming, so when we walked up with food they all flocked to us! Trudy made sure to get tons of great pictures with the elephants! Parker was quick to learn the trick where you hold the elephant food behind your back and the elephant gives you a hug with the trunk! After we fed them, we moved to the muddy area so they could spray us with mud. We all lined up for a group picture and they immediately started spraying us! We watched them roll around in the mud then went to the river to clean them off. We would splash the elephants with water, then they would spray us back! Lawson must have had a target on her forehead, because they sprayed her over and over again! Once they were bathed, we had a little more time to hangout in the water. Kate swam up to the other side of the river bank to get a closer look at the elephants! Jackson made sure everyone got in the water, by tackling them (including me)!! It was eventually time for lunch, so we had to say bye to the elephants. We went up and had one of the most delicious meals yet! After lunch, Hannah and Lily made up a dance! We spent the rest of the time after lunch playing a few rounds of Dutch cup. Then, it was time to go bamboo rafting! We drove down to the river then got picked up by 4 different bamboo rafts! We got to have a relaxing ride down the river where we saw even more elephants! We even got the chance to try out paddling the rafts ourselves! After rafting, we headed back to Chiang Mai! This was super exciting because we had been talking about shopping at the markets for the past few days! Susan already had a list ready full of gifts for her friends and family back at home! We made it to Chiang Mai and hung out in the pool for a little while then got ready to go to dinner then the markets! We spent about 2 hours walking around the markets. Everyone found such great things! All the boys ended up getting watches. The girls found a bunch of cute skirts and jewelry! We eventually got marketed-out, so we stopped for refreshing ice cream on the way home. Will won our game of trivia at dinner, so he got to get two extra scoops!
The next day, we got up a little earlier than usual to go rock climbing and rappelling! We started the day with a warm up led by our climbing guides, called mingle! After we were a little bit more awake, we split up into two groups to go caving, do a practice rappel, then do a real rappel! The cave was filled with limestone formations that took hundreds of years to form! We also got to see some bats! After the cave, we moved on to a practice rappel. Today, Spencer crushed his fear of small spaces and heights!! The practice was about 20 feet, and the real rappel was 150 feet! After everyone got the technique down, we hiked up to do the big rappel! Everyone crushed the rappel, and any fear of heights they previously had! We had a quick lunch of rice and chicken (a fan favorite), and discussed who we thought would win the Hunger Games. Everyone in the group came to the conclusion that they thought Riles would win! This inspired everyone in the group who hasn’t seen the movies to watch them on the plane! We spent the rest of the afternoon rock climbing! Everyone’s rock climbing skills had majorly improved since the last time we climbed! Caroline’s skills especially improved, she made it up one of the longest routes! Once everyone had climbed all that they wanted to, we went back to our hotel to get ready for dinner and the market again! This time, everyone was prepared with what they were going to buy, and with their bargaining skills! We spent the rest of our baht, then went back to the ice cream shop we went to last night because it was so good-we couldn’t resist! We had Moonup then went to bed, sad that our time here was coming to an end.
We got our bags all ready to go then got in the tuktuks to go to the market to shop for our cooking class! Today we are cooking up pad see ew, omelettes, chicken, and mango sticky rice! We got all the ingredients we needed, then had a few baht left for everyone to get a smoothie! After the market, we drove up to a village where a bunch of Thai maes (Mae means mom here!) were leading our cooking class! We prepared all of the vegetables and meat then played cards while it all cooked up. Soon enough, it was time for us to eat! We were all impressed by our cooking skills (with some major help from the Mae’s)! It was super delicious and we all had full, colorful plates! After the cooking class, we went to the airport to go to Bangkok! We had our banquet dinner across the street at the Marriott hotel’s restaurant, and everyone dressed up for the occasion! We got some cute pictures then had one of our favorite meals yet! There was an assortment of nachos, burgers, milkshakes, French fries, fried pickles, and more all over the table! We didn’t leave a single crumb behind, then walked down to 7/11 for one last sweet treat! Afterwards, we had our last Moonup, where we opened it by writing everyone sweet notes to each other. We talked about our favorite memories of the trip. We were all smiling and laughing thinking back on all of the great times we had, but we were also getting sad realizing we had to say goodbye tomorrow. We ended up going to bed super late, just trying to soak up every last minute we had together!
Today is the last day of our trip. We spent the morning in the city center of Bangkok, at the Grand Palace! We got a tour of the Grand Palace, and got to see the emerald Buddha. We got tons of great group pictures then went to a museum full of past Thai fashion. It was super cool to see how their style changed throughout the years! We walked around the gift shop then went to lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, we got some pictures in a Photo Booth. Sadly, it was time to go back to the hotel to shower off then pack to go to the airport. On the way to the airport, we were all talking about how it felt like just yesterday that everyone arrived! We checked everyone in, then it was time for our goodbyes. We couldn’t believe that we had to say goodbye to our family for the past three weeks. Tears were shed, but that’s how we knew that the past three weeks were special and we would remember them for a long time after this trip ended! Thanks for reading, and thanks for sharing your kids with us!
Service, Smiles, + So Much Mud: Greetings from the Village!
July 13, 2025
We finally made it to the cultural immersion section of our trip, and everyone is SO excited! The kids have been talking about going to the village since the day they landed in Thailand, so we have been waiting very patiently for this very moment!
We drove up to a trailhead where we would begin our trek into the village! We are staying at a different village than me and Tyler stayed at last time, so we were excited to experience this for the first time too! We hiked about 2 miles to a nearby waterfall, and on the way to the waterfall, our guide “Gun” showed us so many different tricks and magic with the local nature and wildlife. He showed us these leaves that would leave a red blood looking tint on our skin when we rubbed it between our hands! Of course, Lily started running around doing the “simbaaaa” on everyone’s forehead! We continued on our hike and made it to our lunch spot, a local waterfall! Everyone jumped right in and played around in the water together. Kate showed us all how to have water powers, by throwing the water up in the air then pushing it with our hands. We all felt like superheroes! After having a delicious lunch full of colorful fruit, and of course rice, we continued on to finish our hike. Once we crossed the bridge leaving the waterfall, we came across some local Thai people plowing the rice fields, preparing to plant rice in them. Uncle Chai, our guide, talked to them and let us have a shot at plowing the fields! A few people tried it, but Will was definitely the best at plowing the fields! The Thai people enjoyed the break because we couldn’t stop laughing when they let him go back and forth a few times before taking back the plow. We walked through the remainder of the jungle and then made it to the road, where the vans were waiting to take us to the village! We cruised over to our new home for the next few days and we were all impressed! There were hammocks everywhere and the girls and boys each had their own houses! Our new crib overlooked some rice fields and beautiful mountains. It was truly amazing. We showered off our hike then came down to the common area to hang out before dinner. We had a delicious Thai dinner and ended the night with moonup.
The next day, we began our service project! We were building three water towers for a nearby village. We all got sombreros to wear while we were building. We originally thought they were for style, but as we started putting concrete onto the structures, we realized they were perfect for catching concrete from falling into our hair and onto our clothes! Riles took charge and started helping Tyler mix concrete to put onto the water towers. They placed three circular concrete structures down, and our job was to bind them with concrete, then paint them! We listened to music while we worked and had so much fun. It didn’t even feel like we were working! We used all of the concrete that we mixed together then went back to the village for lunch. After we ate, we were told that we got to head over to a local kindergarten to play with kids! This was what everyone was super excited about going into the village portion of the trip, so when we told them everyone screamed with excitement!! This was our only opportunity to play with the local kids, because the next three days the kids were out of school to celebrate the full moon! We got to hang out with the kids once they finished school and before their parents picked them up! Hannah instantly became best friends with one of the kids, and they were running around chasing each other the whole afternoon! The boys tossed around the football, and we all played on the playground right outside of their school. Soon enough, it was sadly time to head back. Everyone was sad to say bye to all of the adorable kids, but when we got back we were greeted with a treat: an ice cream truck! We all enjoyed our ice cream cones, and this became an instant hit with our group because everyone was asking when it would be back! The guides gave the kids some make-shift fishing poles, and we passed the time before dinner by fishing! Before we knew it, dinner was ready! We raced down for another delicious Thai meal! They also gave us delicious red drinks that tasted like fruit punch! We mooned up then headed to bed, tired yet fulfilled after a long day of service and cultural immersion!
Today, we finished putting the concrete on the water towers. Yesterday, we put the base coat of concrete on, so today we just had to smooth out our work so it would be easier to paint on. Last time me and Tyler were in the village, we got to walk through another village where past moondancers had built water towers and buildings, so this work was super impactful knowing it would be here for the next 10+ years! I was also impressed by the group’s enthusiasm and dedication to this project! We finished up our work, then went to lunch. Because the kids were out of school, Uncle Chai organized another great activity for us! We got to go to a local waterfall! We drove up there then walked for a little bit before ending up at a small waterfall! Everyone was missing being in the sun, so this was a great little fix of getting to swim and tan for the afternoon! While we were swimming around and tanning, we were greeted by ELEPHANTS!!! No one could believe the sheer size of the elephants, they are so majestic and cute. We all made sure to get tons of pictures and videos so y’all will be able to see too! Of course, Jackson was running around with his film camera. He has gotten some amazing pictures that everyone is amped up to see once they get developed! We hung out for about two hours then headed back to the village! We had moonup then closed it out by playing a new game: the psychiatrist! In this game, one person is chosen to be the psychiatrist. The rest of the group then makes up a rule about answering questions. For example, all of the answers had to spell out someone’s name, your answer must start with the last letter of the previous answer, and if you lick your lips then you must lie! We had so much fun coming up with new rules then messing with whoever was the psychiatrist! The kids enjoyed the game so much that they continued playing even after moonup ended!
Today was our final day of service work before leaving the village! All we had left to do was to paint the water towers! Uncle Chai also gave us wooden plaques to paint “moondance adventures” on! Caroline was the best artist of the group, so she took charge of creating the sign. We painted a sun, a globe, a wave, a flower, and other designs on it! It turned out so good and everyone was wowed! While Caroline and a few others stayed back to work on the sign, the rest of the group went ahead to the water towers to paint them white before we painted our names on them later. A lot of the white paint ended up on the water towers, but a lot also ended up on everyone! We all walked away from the water towers covered in white hand prints and splatters! We had lunch, then it rained for a little bit in the afternoon, so we got to chill out before painting and our next activities! We played dutch cup, colored in our coloring books, read, and of course, chatted! Even though we didn’t have an exact activity going on, we all had so much fun just getting to spend time with each other. Once the rain slowed down, we went back over to the water towers and started painting! Everyone wrote their names in different colors, wrote down inside jokes, and hometowns! We all painted our hands and put our initials next to them. It felt good looking at our final product, knowing we were having a positive impact on other people’s lives! We went back to the village we had been staying at, and geared up to go rice farming! We put on water/mud proof booties then brought down rice to be planted. It seemed as if rice farming was just a cover for what Uncle Chai really wanted us to do: play in the mud. We were standing in the mud passing around the volleyball, when all of a sudden Uncle Chai started splashing everybody with the muddy water! Susan was his first victim, and she wasn’t going to take this! She immediately went up to him and tried pushing him into the mud! The sight of this had us dying laughing. It wasn’t long before everyone in the group was covered in mud. Lawson seemed to be one of the only ones not covered in mud, so Trudy, Spencer, and Parker all formed a coalition and threw her in! It was 15 minutes of straight laughter! It was so unbelievably funny watching everyone trying to toss everyone else into the mud. We walked down to the river and washed all of the mud off of our clothes and bodies before showering and getting ready for dinner. We ate dinner and had moonup, then Uncle Chai played a game with us where each person had a number and if your number was said you had to say your number then pass it to someone else. If you messed up, then you had to sing a song in front of everyone. It was certainly entertaining! Uncle Chai even whipped out a harmonica and we got so hear a few people try the intro to Piano Man. We hung out for a little while longer then decided to call it a night.
This morning, we woke up and packed up our things to get ready to leave the village. We were surprised with banana pancakes for breakfast! There were no crumbs left behind, then we went on to start our morning hike! Uncle Chai told us we would be hiking downhill and seeing two waterfalls on our hike! We hiked for three miles and saw the most amazing waterfalls! The first waterfall, we stopped and admired it and took pictures. On the second waterfall, it was near the end of the hike, so we all had to jump in! It was so refreshing after our morning hike, and there were so many different waterfalls to go get showered under! We went back and had lunch, grabbed our bags, then headed over to a resort! We pranked all of the kids that we were camping tonight, so it was hilarious watching their confused faces as we pulled into the hotel. We walked next door to get ice creams and snacks then played cards before dinner. We had the most delicious meal yet, then played a few more rounds of cards before starting moonup. We of course closed moonup by playing little sally walker, and I don’t think anyone could hold in their laughs. We have had so much fun on this trip so far, and we are amped up to be seeing the elephants tomorrow!!
Thanks for reading, and here are some thank you’s from the kids <3
Caitlyn + Tyler
Hannah:
Heyyy mom and dad! Thank you so much for sending me on this amazing trip. U guys r the best! Love and miss you both and cannot wait to see u!!!
Lily:
Hi guys! The trip has continued getting better and better, thank you so much for sending me on it. I cannot wait to see y’all and tell you alllllllllll my stories, love love you.
Trudy:
Hey mom and dad!!!! Thailand is the coolest place I’ve ever been and I cannot wait to tell y’all everything!!! We just finished in the village and tomorrow we go to see the elephants!! Thank y’all so so much for this opportunity and I cannot wait to see y’all so soon!!! Love y’all so much!!
Kate:
Hey mom and dad!! Thailand has been amazing! Thank you sooo much for sending me on this trip! I am having the time of my life and im so excited to see you guys! Have the best time at member guest! Love yall!
Parker:
Hey dad and mom! I am having an amazing time in Thailand. Thank you so much for sending me on this trip. I cant wait to tell you about scuba diving. Love you.
Spencer:
Hey mom and dad! I am still having a wonderful time in Thailand living the dream. I do not want to leave but am excited to see yall. Thank yall so much for helping out with this amazing experience. Love yall
Lawson:
Hey mom and dad! I miss yall so much and I am so excited to see yall in a couple days. Thanks so much for giving me the opportunity to come on this trip. I have had a great time and just finished cultural immersion. Love yall so much!!!
Jackson:
Hey mom and dad, how are you? I’m doing great thanks for asking. Thanks for all the effort you put towards this trip to let me have this experience. love you both.
Will:
Hey mom and dad. I hope all is well. I just wanted to thank you for sending me to Thailand. It has been an experience of a lifetime. Love you guys and can’t wait to see you in less than a week!
Caroline:
Hey mom and dad!!! Thank you so much for sending me to Thailand. We are currently in the village and we get to see elephants tomorrow. I am so excited I love it here so much! I have done so many awesome activities and tried lots of new things. It has flown by and I cannot wait to see you soon and tell you all about my trip. I love yall!!!!!!
Susan:
Mom, dad, and grandparents thank you so much for sending me on this Moondance! I have had the time of my life and done so many new activities! Cannot wait to see y’all soon, bringing many gifts! Love y’all!
Riles:
Hey mom and dad! Thank y’all so much for sending me to Thailand. I have had an amazing time and experienced things that I would have never been able to do without y’all giving me the opportunity to do so. I love you both and can’t wait to see y’all soon!
Wooohoooo!!
July 7, 2025
We have been having so much fun diving and hiking, and we finally get to dive into the rock climbing and rappelling section of our trip! Everyone was super amped up about this because they had seen all of the pictures on the website. We got onto long boats then headed out to the beach we would be climbing at. Will continued to show his vast knowledge of music by singing along to almost every song played!! After we got off the boat, and started walking towards where we would be climbing, we spotted a monkey!! The guides told us to be weary of the monkeys because they would try to steal our stuff if we left it out! We went through a quick safety briefing then geared up to climb! We had a bunch of kids mention their fear of heights, so we were all so proud to see everyone give climbing their best effort. Parker immediately impressed everyone in the group by flying up the climb. He even tried one route where there was pretty much nothing to grip on to. We spent the morning rock climbing then had a delicious lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, we walked around the local town and found a cute ice cream spot that we just couldn’t pass up! After stopping for ice cream, we chilled on the beach for a little bit; we played volleyball, read, and tanned. Soon enough, it was time to rappel! We walked to a nearby cave and hiked up and through it (catching some great photos along the way!) and finally made it to the rappelling spot. Kate and Lily led the pack and volunteered to be the first two to rappel! I always admire their enthusiasm for all of the activities we do! Susan voiced her fears about the heights at first then rappelled down the side of the cave like a natural! By the time everyone made it down, it had begun raining. It is rainy season here in Thailand, so this is something that happens pretty much every day here. No one even batted an eye as we knew it was something that would soon pass. We hiked down and out of the jungle and everyone was covered in mud. We were all laughing about the rain and the mud and people slipping-it was such a fun afternoon! We got back into the long boats and headed home after a long, but amazing day. We went next door for an amazing pizza dinner then quickly went to bed, excited for another day of rock climbing!!!
After getting a small taste of rock climbing, everyone was so excited to go back and hone in their skills they learned yesterday. We went to the same beach, but a different climbing spot. We were right on the beach this time, and there were so many beautiful rock formations that we could admire right from the top of our climbs!! Spencer especially made sure to admire the views, and we were so proud of him for doing the longest climb despite his fear of heights!! Lawson came out and completed every single route offered with ease… we could see a future for her in the world of rock climbing! We all got to try some routes that were easier than yesterday and some that were more challenging. Jackson and Hannah were our two rock climbing super stars, and they found a route that they wanted to race on. They raced and Jackson won by just 30 seconds (Hannah’s time being 5 minutes… about 15 minutes faster than anyone else)!! We went back to the same spot for lunch then went back to our hostel for a relaxing afternoon at the pool. We went back to the cafe after the hike for dinner because it was such a hit with the group! It was just what we needed after the hot sun and rock climbing. We went back to the hostel and had, what majority of the group agreed, was our most fun moonup yet! We opened it by playing Little Sally Walker, and Riles whipped out some hilarious dance moves! We then closed it by playing a game of fishbowl… which might have become the group’s new favorite game! Caroline was a natural at it, as she got everyone to guess what word she was referencing the most times out of anyone else! We were all cracking up, and then soon enough it was time for bed again. We all went to bed early ready for a morning run and then a flight to our new home… Chiang Mai!!!!!!
We woke up before the sun rose and I took a small group of kids on a short run to the beach! It was such a great way to start the day and an even better way to get some energy out before a long day at the airport. We ran to the beach and back then got ready to leave Krabi. Even though everyone was super excited to go to Chiang Mai, we were all a little heartbroken inside to be leaving what had become home to us over the past couple of days. We got a quick breakfast at the airport then boarded the plane, where the majority of the group slept. We had a quick layover in Bangkok, where we got lunch, and picked out colors for our new friendship bracelets, then finally made it over to Chiang Mai! Once we arrived, we hung out in our new hotel for a little bit before heading over to a local southern comfort food restaurant. This was the perfect mid-trip meal to break up the Thai food with something that is a little more familiar for the kids. Afterwards, we took all of our dirty clothes over to the laundromat. We were impressed by the way the kids began to pass the time without the luxury of their phones! Trudy taught the whole group how to play spit, a card game, and they all left the laundromat saying it was their new favorite game. We had a great moonup, where we opened it by complementing the person to our left and closed it by complementing the person to our right, then said goodnight! Tomorrow we head out to begin the cultural immersion section of the trip, and everyone is pumped! We are having a blast with your kids and can’t even begin to express how thankful we are to get another 10 days with them!
Thanks for reading! We are having so much fun out here!
– Caitlyn + Tyler
Subway, Scuba, and Thai 7/11
July 4, 2025
Hi hi hi from THAILANDDD!!!! We are so excited that y’all’s kids are finally here and we can’t wait to update y’all with all of the fun we have been having!
The kids arrived super late at night in Bangkok, so we did all of the introductions, then quickly had dinner and did a quick moonup! Moonup is a way for the kids to recap their day while also learning more about each other, and we do it every night here on Moondance. Everyone was super tired from the long travels so they all went to bed ready and eager to get the trip started!
We let the kids sleep in, then had a delicious breakfast provided by the hotel. The hotel went out of their way to make us the best breakfast ever: heart shaped watermelon, octopus shaped sausages, and more. Let’s just say we started this trip off on a great beginning. The kids went back and played cards for a little bit while me and Tyler packed up, then we decided we should take them next door to the local mall! Everyone was pumped to see what the mall was going to be like here. A bunch of the girls were excited to find a store with Korean skincare. The group was amazed with sea grapes and everyone had to try them! After a great morning of discovery and fun at the mall, it was eventually time to go back and pack up to go to Krabi! We headed to the Bangkok airport and got a great KFC/Subway lunch. It was a great last taste of home before we get to dive into the Thai culture and cuisine! We ate then had some time to kill before our flight took off, so we passed the time by building legos, making friendship bracelets, and playing card games. Soon enough, it was time to board the plane and head to Krabi! I got to sit next to Kate and Spencer on the plane, and we had some alone time then all agreed we were bored and played a quick few rounds of dutch cup. After a flight full of great conversations, more friendship bracelet making, and some plane naps we finally landed in our home for the next week! Everyone was super jet lagged, so we headed straight to the hostel and got dinner then hit the hay. We were all pumped to start real activities tomorrow and let the trip finally start rolling!
The next morning, we woke up amped up to start SCUBA! Riles had an early start to the morning and went on a run with Tyler! The first group of uncertified divers went with Tyler to begin pool lessons, and the other half of the group went to the beach with me while we waited to be picked up. We walked to the beach, of course stopping every few seconds to take a picture of our beautiful new surroundings. At the beach, Will made sure we weren’t going to be bored and brought a football and a hacky sack! We passed the football around and played a few rounds of “death sack”, then it was eventually time to meet up with the other group at the pool! We all got to get in the pool, even the already certified divers, to learn skills and do a refresher course so we were all prepared going into the ocean day tomorrow! Although it ended up being a long day, we were so proud of all of the groups for getting their pool skills done so we could get on the boat tomorrow! We went to the local market for dinner and we were all excited to get to explore and try some local cuisine. We even got to see a fake muay thai fight(it was more of a performance/dance than a fight). After browsing the market, noting down things to buy later, and having delicious meals, we headed back for a great night’s rest after a long day.
Today was a big day! Not only did we get to jump into the ocean, but it was also Hannah’s birthday!!!!!! We started the day with happy birthday hannah, reggae edition, then had a delicious breakfast with fruit and eggs! Today was already off to a really great start. We fueled up then got on the boat and headed out to the Ao Nang islands! We started the day on the boat with some watermelon and relaxed until it was time for us to jump in. We were so proud to see everyone gear up and jump in, despite some fears from the day before! Everyone, especially those who had not yet dived before, came out of the water raving about how cool it was to be fully immersed in the underwater world. We were so proud of Susan who was a little nervous about SCUBA diving then ended up loving it! Our guide said she was one of the best in the group! We had a banana muffin snack, which quickly became a group favorite, then got ready for our second dive of the day. We were amazed to have gotten to see a bunch of seahorses! They hide away in the coral reef, so they can be tricky to spot sometimes. We were also super lucky to have amazing weather: calm seas and a sunny sky! That is a great day during the rainy season here in Thailand. We got back on the boat to hang out in the sun, then the group of divers who were working towards their advanced certification jumped back in the water for a third dive. They continued to work on their buoyancy and air control. Eventually, it was time to head in for the day. We all chilled after their dive, then everyone snuck downstairs to surprise Hannah for her birthday! The dive shop was super thoughtful and got her two cakes and candles to help us celebrate her birthday! We brought her downstairs then surprised her by singing happy birthday! We took pictures then ate the cake! Soon enough, we were back on the dock and it was time to go home. Everyone hung out for a little bit, showered, read their books, then it was time to go to dinner. Tyler and I were super excited about dinner… because we went to an infamous local spot: Big Mamas. Big Mama is a Thailand trip legend, so we couldn’t wait for the kids to meet her and see what she was all about. We went to her restaurant, a local Mexican place, and everyone ordered. After taking everyone’s orders, Big Mama had to bring out her specialty: KARAOKE!! We thought this would be a fun way for the group to get closer and to continue celebrating Hannah’s birthday! We randomized groups and had pairs of people go up and sing as our food continued to be brought out. Trudy and Jackson got on the stage as everyone finished up eating and sang Dixieland Delight, a southern classic. We all got up and started dancing around the stage. Eventually, the whole group was singing and dancing together. We were having a blast when we all of a sudden heard a familiar song being sung. Big Mama brought out a bunch of fun hats and accessories as well as a cake for Hannah’s birthday! The celebration lasted all day and we had so much fun celebrating her at Big Mamas. We had a bittersweet goodbye with Big Mama, then walked home to do moonup. We got to have a more emotional moonup, then had a big group hug! It was super sweet. And, the day wasn’t quite over without singing Hannah one last happy birthday.
We woke up super excited for today because we were heading out to the Phi Phi islands! It was going to be a two hour boat ride to get to the islands, so we all got comfy on the boat and chilled out until we got there. They brought out sticky rice and chicken wrapped in bamboo leaves, and we weren’t expecting it for breakfast but it was sooo delicious! We finally got to the Phi Phi islands but the weather was getting a little rocky so we diverted from the original island we were going to. No worries at all because we were just happy to be diving! We jumped in and were so stoked to see so much amazing wildlife! We swam around this fake reef made out of box shaped metal and we were so lucky to see a hawksbill turtle! This was super exciting because Caroline was saying on our pre-dive debrief that she was really hoping to see a turtle! We came back up and had the legendary banana muffins! The rain cleared up and we got to hang out on the boat and take some pictures. Soon enough, we were getting back in the water! We dove for another hour then got back on the boat and listened to music the whole way back. We came back to the hostel then quickly showered because we were all tuckered out from the day and went right next door to our favorite pizza spot. It was just what we needed after a long day in the sun! We mooned up and our questions were: what is one of your passions in life and what is a funny poop story. It is safe to say everyone was cracking up! Everyone hit the hay quickly ready for our last day of SCUBA!!!!!
Our last day of SCUBA has finally arrived and we can’t believe how quick the trip is already flying by. We woke up and it was slightly rainy out, but once we got on the boat we drove right into a nice, sunny, and overall great day! We wrapped up our final dives and we are so excited to say that everyone in our group is officially SCUBA certified!!! Lily crushed it and we are so proud of her!! This was so exciting and we were so proud of everyone for jumping in the water and facing some pre-SCUBA fears. After wrapping up our dives, we had a full free afternoon, so we decided to go back to the beach! Of course on the way we had to stop at 7/11 and Starbucks to get some snacks and drinks for the road. We spent the whole afternoon playing in the water and soaking up some more rays and listening to music. It was such a fun way to wrap up our SCUBA portion of the trip! We walked to the local market for dinner and so many people stepped out of their comfort zones and tried some new local cuisine! We were super impressed with all of the kids’ finds. Lawson found some delicious pad Thai that she was not expecting to like but ended up loving it. A bunch of the girls found super cute jewelry for so cheap! We got back in the tuk tuks and listened to music the whole ride home. We got back and had another great moonup. We asked everyone what super power they would have, and Parker said he would love to be able to breathe underwater because he loved SCUBA so much!! We wrapped up the night and everyone rested up for our big hike tomorrow!
We woke up extra early to beat the heat today and headed out to do a hike in the area. We started the morning with some “Party in the USA” to help celebrate the fourth of July!!! It is known for the amazing views, so everyone was super excited to switch up the activities and get to hiking!! We all made a pact that everyone is going to have a positive attitude all day, and I was so proud to hear very little complaints throughout the whole day! This totally boosted the morale and made the hike SOOOO fun! We hiked up and we tried to play a round of speed dating, where you’re paired with another person on the trip and you have 2-3 minutes to answer a question with them then you switch. The terrain was a little intense for it to successfully work out, so everyone ended up just trying to spend time talking to someone new today! It was so amazing to see as a leader and this group is really growing to be one big family. We hiked allllll the way to the top and we were all so impressed with the views. It felt like we were in the clouds. We listened to music the whole way down and danced to the bottom of the hike. We finished around lunch time and everyone felt super accomplished! We went to a local cafe for lunch and everyone was SOOOO excited to have some American food! Everyone got a smorgasbord and not a single person left the cafe feeling hungry. The girls all went to chill in the pool while the boys hung out in the room. We spent time chatting about how our trip has been so far and we were all cracking up sharing stories about SCUBA. We ended this lovely fourth of July with some pizza and a sweet treat from 7/11!
Can’t wait to send more updates, we are having so much fun!!!!
Here are some shoutouts from the kids!!
Riles: Hey Fam! I love and miss y’all! Thailand has been so fun and scuba was super sick. I can’t wait to see y’all in about 2 weeks! Make sure to tell Winn I love him before he heads out west. I love y’all and will see you soon!
Parker: Hey mom and dad I’m having so much fun. Scuba diving was so cool. Today we are going on a really hard hike. I can’t wait to see you.
Caroline: Hey Mom and Dad!!! I am having so much fun in Thailand and it is SO cool here. I successfully scuba dived and it was so much fun. I love all my new friends and my leaders are the best ever. Thank you so much for sending me. I hope Katie LOVED canyonlands. We went on a hike today and the views were stunning. MOM remember to return my nuuly on time. Your the bomb. I have been very adventurous with my food choices and have eaten very interesting things. I cannot wait to see you. I love y’all. Tell Lauren I miss her. LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!
Kate: Hey mom and dad!! Im alive! This trip is amazing and I love my group! Scuba diving was literally incredible and i’m officially advanced certified! Tell baker and Andrew I said hi and that I can’t wait to see them! also tell Elizabeth to pet Molly for me! Have so much fun in Charlevoix. love yall and p.s. I’m never leaving!
Lawson: Hey mom and dad!! I miss y’all so much. I am having so much fun. I got my advanced scuba certification. It is so pretty here and my group is great. See you in 2 weeks. Have so much fun on your trip, and tell Barrett and Watson hi for me. Love yall!!
Lily: I finally equalized, aren’t you proud 😇!!! We started the trip in Krabi, so for the first couple
of days we went scuba diving, it was insane. I love you all so so much and am having the best time, tell dad I got some good music for him.
Trudy: Hey Mom, Dad, and Peden!!! I’m having the best time ever!!! We went scuba diving and it was the coolest thing I’ve ever done!! It took a while for me to equalize but I finally figured it out. We just did the hardest hike of my life but it was so worth it and felt so good! Oh also I have sun poisoning which is quite unfortunate. We are having the best time and we’re about to go rock climbing and then leave Krabi and head to the village which I’m so excited about. Thank y’all so much for this opportunity. I’m so so grateful and I love y’all so much!!!
Susan: Hey guys! I miss y’all so much and I am having the best time here! I scuba dived and by the time you see this I will be rock climbing too! MAE MAE I cannot wait to here about your trip and tell you about mine! DAD you are going to be so impressed with everything I have done and so so jealous of all the views and food! MAGGIE I miss you so so much and wish you were here I cannot wait to show you all the videos of the scuba diving! GRANDPARENTS thank you so much for helping get me on this trip. I love y’all and cannot wait to tell you all about it! Overall,I miss you all so so so much cannot wait to see y’all and love y’all1
Hannah- HEY GUYSSSS! I’m having a blast! No need to worry at all. Time is flying by and I can’t wait to tell you guys everything! My birthday was so much fun, definitely the best one yet!!! Love u guys lots and can’t wait to see u
Spencer: MOM!!! We out here in Thailand having a freaking blast! The views are no joke. No need to worry about me I’m having the time of my life. I am now scuba certified so will be able to go with you dad. Hope y’all had a good 4th. Miss and love yall
Jackson: MOM!!! “We’re out here in Thailand with the beautiful views.” It’s an inside joke. Love and miss y’all.
Will: Hey Mom and Dad. I hope all is well. I’m having a great time in Thailand, it’s very unique. Right now we are staying in a beach town called au Nong. There are these giant rocky cliffs right next to our hotel. We have been scuba diving the last three days and it was actually really good. I saw a giant 4 foot hawksbill turtle which was awesome. We just got back from a 5 hour hike which was pretty steep. Anyways, love you guys. Bye
Safe Arrival!
June 29, 2025
Hello Thailand Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely in Bangkok! The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from their adventure!
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next week. This will allow you to follow along with the trip. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!
-Moondance HQ
