Climbing and Cooking in Chiang Mai!
June 25, 2026
June 22nd
Climbing and rappelling day!!!! We woke up ready to experience Chiang Mai in a new way. To fuel up we had eggs, sausage, toast, yogurt and fruit for breakfast. We drove to our climbing spot and were met by our amazing climbing guides Tobi, Brando and Eeekiel. They noticed we were looking a bit sleepy and taught us a few fun partner handshakes to help get us pumped up! They made us laugh and got us really excited for the day. Next, we tried on our climbing gear. This group knew the ropes from when we climbed on Raliay Beach so they were pros at putting on harnesses and picking out shoes that fit them. For each of our helmets we got to put a piece of tape on the front with our name on it and a goal we wanted to accomplish that day! We had a mix of different types of goals for the day. Lucy’s goal was to “make it to the top,” Mitchell’s goal was to “have fun!” and hysterically Blaine’s was to “have a good lunch.” It was time to walk to our practice rappel site then to our 45 meter rappel. Singing our favorite songs from the trip we hiked to a little cave. We took turns ducking through the doorway and it opened up to a short practice rappel. Our guides walked us through the ropes then we each got to take turns going down. Marion was first to volunteer to go down first! The group did a great job. We used a new rappelling mechanism compared to our rappelling gear in Railay so this was interesting to learn how to use. Then we hiked a little more though the forest to a lookout spot where we could see over the city of Chiang Mai. It was all very green and so beautiful! Then we hiked a few more minutes to a BIG cave that we were going to rappel through. From the opening of the cave we couldn’t see how far down it was. It left a mystery for when it was each our turn to go. William bravely led the way and was first in the group to do the 45 meter rappel! We all took turns cheering each other on from above and below and sang songs while we descended. The cave was jaw-droppingly cool. Yellow, gray, and black rocks surrounded us and it made us feel so tiny! The light from outside bounced off the rocks and they lit up the cave. The bottom part of the rappel was super fun because the rock wall tucked in so our feet couldn’t touch the rock anymore so we got to descend for a few meters like spider man. It was SO awesome and fun to experience. After everyone rappelled we walked back down the mountain to have a yummy Thai lunch. We each had a big bowl of chicken fried rice and vegetables. After resting for a bit it was time to suit up for climbing. We took a similar path up the mountain but this time we entered the cave through a different entrance and went deeper into it. We climbed over lots of rocks and our guides lit the way with their headlamps. We rounded a corner and all of the sudden we had made it to our climbing spot! It was a huge circular part of the cave with an opening at the top. Four climbing routes were set up. Our guides gave us a safety briefing and we jumped right in! Ellie and Marion went first for the group and William joined right after! Everyone climbed a route and did an amazing job!!! William and Lucy climbed all four routes! Mark pulled out the speaker and we all sang songs and cheered each other on while we climbed. When everyone was finished we descended back through the cave and down the mountain to our vans. We thanked our guides and said goodbye! When we got back to the hotel we showered and did a 7/11 run. Then we walked through the city to a nearby pizza place for dinner. We topped the night off with ice cream and an incredible moonup led by our LODs Chloe and Lucy. We got to talk about an impactful story from our lives. Everyone really enjoyed hearing each other’s stories. We went to sleep eager for tomorrow’s cooking class!
June 23rd
Today was our final day in Chiang Mai!! We woke up and enjoyed one last final breakfast and morning huddle in our hotel before being picked up to go on our cooking class excursion. We headed to local markets to gather our supplies for our meal. The group was divided into two teams of six, and we decided to make it a competition to see who could gather all the food and spices the quickest. It felt like Guy Fieri’s Grocery Games Show as we raced throughout the market, sorting through our list, navigating the different sections, and speaking with the local vendors in Thai. Mark’s group came out with an early lead as Marion and Cece led the group to collect all the produce but Anne Slater’s group jumped back ahead while gathering spices. It was ultimately Mark’s group who walked away champions as Team Slater had to work through a sea snake jumping out a bucket and flopping on the group in the middle of their group as they tried to secure fish for the dish. After we had gathered all our cooking supplies we had free reign to finish out the rest of the budget as the kids enjoyed trying authentic Thai desserts and pastries. We then shuttled to the nearby city of Baan Pong to the Huay Laan Homestead for our cooking class. On the way, Mitchell, Chloe and William had a karaoke session in Mark’s shuttle. Upon arrival, our outfitter introduced us to the kindest family who led our cooking class. They divided us up into stations and we all got to work preparing the meal. Ellie worked to separate Kaffir lime leaves from their stems, Blaine diced galangal, shallots and garlic while Laura helped to mash and ground it all together. This was the seasoning Marion used to courageously baste our chicken breast and whole Tilapia. Lucy, Chloe, Cece and Walker helped to separate the rind from the pumpkin for the curry. Mitchell and William whisked eggs and poured them into hand made banana leaf boats over a grill to create small little omelette bites. They were soooo gooood!! While our food cooked we all sat down to roll coconut sticky rice balls for dessert! The food was AMAZING!!! We demolished our plates. After lunch, we had arguably our best dance session of the trip playing “Shake & Pop,” “I Love London,” and a spin on a fun counting game Uncle Chai taught us in Karen Village. Afterwards it was time to say goodbye to Chiang Mai and head back to Bangkok. We drove to the airport and somehow the kids managed to find room for Burger King while we waited to board. After landing in Bangkok we grabbed dinner at a nearby Thai restaurant overlooking the Prawet Buri Rom Canal and went to bed!
June 24th
Our last day together. 21 days flies when you’re having fun!!! We weren’t going to let the sadness of it being over distract us from our awesome day ahead. We had breakfast together at our hotel (where we stayed our first night on the trip together) and then grabbed our elephant pants and were ready to visit The Grand Palace! In the girls van we played Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Taylor Swift. We were already tearing up thinking about this being the end. To cheer us up we played a modified version of Shake & and Pop and I Love London in the van! Meanwhile in the boys van they listened to tunes while looking for the skyscraper from where the Hangover 2 was filmed. When we arrived we saw the BIG walls surrounding the palace grounds. We went down an escalator to go beneath the wall. We ran into a huge group of little students on a school field trip! They were super cute and waved at us. We went up an escalator and just like that we were inside! We bought our tickets and went through another gate. Cece found a couple of maps for the group that we could use! We began our self guided tour and took our time exploring together. The buildings were made of gold plating and glass mosaics. They were beautiful to look at. First we explored the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. We learned that the king changes the gold garments of the Buddha depending on the seasons! The temple was so detailed and fun to look at. Then we continued exploring and came across the Phra Sri Rattana Chedi. The golden bell shape caught our eye. Then we walked all the way around the Phra Mondop. We looked for the mother-of-pearl detailing and found volcanic statues from the 14th century at the corners. Next, we made our way to the very detailed Replica of Angkor Wat and Ho Phra Nak. Next Walker helped lead the way to the Royal Throne Hall! On the way over Laura, Marion, and William found the Twin Gold Chedi and posed like them for a photo! We made it to the Throne Hall and took a group photo. The guards were about to have a ceremony so we decided to wrap up our tour and head to lunch! Just down the street we found a lovely open air Thai restaurant. The waiters gave us super cold metal bowls with ice in them to cool us down. Laura tried the passion fruit juice and loved it and lots of the boys got the pad Thai and blue chicken fried rice! After lunch we walked around some local markets and stumbled upon a gelato spot. Of course we had to get some. With our treats in hand we explored one last souvenir shop and then hopped in our vans to go back to the hotel. This is when things started to really hit us that it was coming to a close ugh!! When we returned back to the hotel we had a few hours to prepare for the night’s flight. The students cleaned their rooms, packed their bags, and also sat down to write a letter to their future selves. After, it was time for one last group dinner!!! We all compiled our craziest Thailand fits and headed off to a nearby burger joint for our BANQUET DINNER!!!! Mark and Anne Slater gave out paper plate awards and we reminisced on our incredible trip. We were dying laughing the entire dinner as we recapped some of our favorite memories. It was a special moment. The food was incredible too! The students all got killer milkshakes to wash down their burgers. Sadly, our time in Thailand was drawing near an end and it was finally time to head to the airport for the kids to depart back home for the States. After checking in for the flights, we had our final moonup with the group. Everyone teared up as we soaked up our last moments together and the trip came to an emotional close. Lots of hugs later we said goodbye for now.
Thank you so much for sending your incredible kids here to experience Thailand with us! This truly was such a special group and we could not have asked for a more positive experience during our first session. We really had so much fun, not just during our activities but in all of the in between moments. Each of them brought something unique to the table and grew in their confidence and vulnerability throughout the trip. It was a joy to share this experience with them. We are confident they will go far in whatever endeavors they choose to pursue. We will always be cheering them on! They are all so talented, caring and smart and had an impact on us in more ways than they know!
Best,
Anne Slater + Mark!
Service, Elephants, and MORE!!
June 22, 2026
Hello Moondance Families!
We started our day with a big breakfast to fuel us for our trek into a village! The fresh guava juice was a huge hit. After breakfast, our leaders of the day Cece and Mitchell, went to a grocery store around the corner to pick out some snacks for the group! We loaded into our vans and began our drive towards the village. We stopped at a 7/11 (of course) to get some of our favorite desserts. As we drove further from the town, the roads got narrower and steeper, and we began to see more rolling hills and bright green fields surrounding us. Our amazing guide pointed out so many cool plants on the trail. First, he showed us how to make a loud popping sound by using our fist, placing a leaf on top, and hitting down really fast. William was first in the group to successfully “pop” the leaf! Second, we came across a teak tree. We each passed down a leaf from the tree, and our guide told us to rub it between our fingers. Soon our fingers turned bright red! He said they use this leaf to dye clothes. We took turns painting war paint on each other’s faces. During our trek, lots of local dogs followed us along the trail. They were so sweet, and all looked like red German shepherd mixes. Halfway through our trek, we stopped at a beautiful big waterfall! Without hesitation, everyone jumped in. The water was refreshing, powerful, and exactly what we needed. We swam around and played one of our favorite games, “shake and pop” in a circle in the pool. We dried off, ate some bananas, and then tried some Rambutan fruit! It has a funky outer shell and a seed in the middle. We have loved trying the local fruit here it’s delicious. We continued on our trek and everyone had a great time hanging out and catching up. We stopped at a Jatropha curcas plant (aka Bubble Bush) and our guides showed us how to blow bubbles from the sap in the stem! We finished our trek and drove a short drive to lunch at a local restaurant. We had some of the best chicken fried rice so far this trip! Then we drove into the village and were welcomed by our host family. Almost immediately, Laura and Chloe met two of the local children who instantly became some of our favorite village sidekicks and tagged along with us for the rest of our stay. Blaine and Lucy did some exploring down to a local farmer’s homestead where they helped to feed his pigs. This farmer also needed Blaine’s help to cut down what was the biggest mango I have ever seen because it was too high up for him to reach. Blaine easily cut down the mango and the farmer let us keep it for dinner the next night. (Blaine made sure to remind everyone the farmer needed his height and that he is 6’4). Next, we all got unpacked while it started pouring rain, as it did about every day at ~5:00 PM. We played cards together and listened to music until dinner time. Dinner was a delicious spread of fried chicken, rice and chicken curry! Our guide shared a history lesson on the village and talked to us about our plan for the water tank project we would be working on. We had our moonup together and went to bed excited to get our hands dirty and begin our community service project!
June 17th
Good morning!!! Anne Slater and Mark had some help waking up the group thanks to the local roosters. Everyone gathered together at the long table outside to eat breakfast together. We had eggs, toast, and a big tray of fresh fruit. Chloe and Lucy (our LODs) shared a special service centered quote to prepare our hearts for the day. We were driven over to our service site just 10 minutes from the house. We split into two groups. One group was building the framework for the concrete slab and laying pipes. The other group was scooping sand into bags to be used in the concrete solution. The group loves some completion so we had a race on who could fill the most bags. Still inconclusive who won but everyone did a great job. Up at the foundation site, Blaine learned some of the Karen language from the locals who were helping us with the project. After working hard and fast the group took a snack break! We were introduced to the best rice cakes we’ve ever had. Truly magical. We wrapped up what we needed to get done for the day and were driven back to the house for lunch. Post pad Thai meal, we rested and played card games and Hacky Sack until it was time to leave to walk to the local school! We first walked to a building where the kids were working on weaving and making balls of string. Mitchell was first to volunteer to learn how the weaving machine worked! We met some of the English teachers and the students then headed up to the medicine hut. Some of the kids walked with us holding our hands. Our guide introduced us to grand papa who is 100 years old! We took turns trying natural medicine and passed around glasses of fresh lemongrass tea. Then we walked down to the classrooms to take a peak inside. We got to see the lessons they were learning. Then the bell rang! Recess time!!! We played soccer, played tag, spun around and danced, and explored the school together. The students were precious and so sweet to us! Laura said spending time with the kids was the highlight of her trip so far! Chloe always had a kid holding her hand and another in her arms. William played goalie for an intense soccer game. Blaine got to know one of the local kids who speaks four languages. It was time to walk back home so we headed back, showered and told our stories from the day. We had vegetables, fried chicken wings, green curry and egg rolls for dinner! We played some card games and Walker and Marion played guitar for us. Then our guide came and taught us a singing game. This was a crowd favorite and made us laugh a lot. We gathered together for moonup and shared how special just that first day had been.
June 18th
We woke up early and ready for our big day of making and pouring concrete! We had egg sandwiches and fruit for breakfast. Then loaded into cars and headed to our construction site! We broke into teams of two or three and worked with the villagers to make the concrete solutions. The villagers showed us the ropes on how to make the concrete. We found that the perfect ratio was to mix together three bags of sand with a bag of concrete powder then add two bags of gravel. When the concrete was ready we poured the concrete onto the ground and Chloe, Ellie, Marion, and Laura smoothed it over so that it dried flat. They had great precision and weren’t afraid to get their feet totally soaked in the wet concrete! We brought out the speaker and everyone enjoyed dancing and singing as we worked hard. We took a snack break and had our favorite, rice cakes and tiny Thai bananas. Then we put our gloves back on and got to work fast! We could see that a rain shower was coming so we kicked it into gear and got the job done in double time speed! It truly was a team effort and everyone did an amazing job. Laura set an example for the group by working persistently and positively. Lucy queued some of her favorite hype songs and the group loved them. After a hard day’s work we headed back to the house to have lunch and rest. We had chicken fried rice, potatoes. and the fruit. They were so YUM! Afterwards, some of us took naps while others played Egyptian rat slap. Then it was time to go back to the local school! We were super excited to visit our new friends again. Our two dogs, whom Walker and Blaine named Rice Noodle and Cow, followed us there! When we arrived we split into different classrooms and jumped right in to teaching the kids lots of lessons, games and songs! Walker, William and Mitchell taught the kids the song head shoulders, knees and toes, how to draw people, and Duck duck goose. Cece, Lucy, and Chloe taught the kids the “Macarena” and how to do some fun dance moves. Marion, Ellie, Laura, and Blaine taught the kids how to introduce themselves in English, the ABC’s, and then played tag! Everyone ran around outside for the rest of the day until the students’ parents came to pick them up from school. Sad to say goodbye, we walked home together, our dogs came with us, and we played cards until dinner. We played the games spoons, kemps, and spit! Walker (our dog whisperer) had Rice Noodle (our white and brown spotted dog) at his feet under the table the entire time. Dinner was one of our favorites so far. It was fried chicken wings, cucumber chicken soup, sautéed vegetables and egg rolls. Our guide then came and taught us magic tricks after dinner then our LODs Mitchell and Marion led the group in moonup. We got to talk about our favorite qualities about each other and encourage each other in this way! This day was super special to us and we loved spending time serving this community.
June 19th
We slept in this morning before our LOD’s Laura and Walker got us going for our final day of our community service project. After a splendid breakfast we had some time to chill before leaving for the day and spent it playing hacky sack and death sack with what was our 3rd and final hacky sack left. After, our guide briefed us for the day, explaining we would have a busy morning fixing any imperfections in our concrete pour and several other cleanup based jobs around our work site. As we trekked to the location of our service project we geared up for the final push of physical work of the trip. However, as we drew closer to the top of the hill where the site was we saw a huge group of villagers all dressed in their formal garb. At the top they surprised us with a ceremonial show of gratitude by giving us authentic handwoven tote bags commonly worn by the community. We took photos with the villagers and knocked off the frame to the concrete slab to signal the completion of our service project! We hung out with the locals for a while before heading back. Blaine made friends with a young boy who was a master with a sling shot. The kids were especially relieved to get out of more “character building” labor! When we got back to the main guesthouse, our guide had one more surprise up his sleeve. He presented us with painting supplies and a blank wooden plank they planned to hang up to commemorate our stay there. Laura took the lead on our group design and landed on an ocean landscape surrounded by mountains and a sunset. We each signed our names next to thumb print fish in the ocean! William took over the shading on our mountains and created a masterpiece of a mountain range! The whole thing turned out AMAZING!!!! After our painting sesh, we had another delicious lunch and then visited the village church. Here we met the local pastor who expressed immense appreciation for our help in the service project and explained how all the people in this specific village were Christian. Upon our guide’s request, and somewhat apprehensively, Anne Slater shared a few words and created a truly powerful moment for the group. After which we visited the village “papa” or grandfather of the man who offered us his guesthouse. Here we examined historic weapons, the traditional device and technique used to separate the rice grain from the paddy, and all the stories behind them. Finally, we went down to the rice fields themselves where each student got a chance to plow a rice terrace with a power tiller. Anne Slater and Mark were the last duo to go and right as they turned the final corner they were met with a glop of mud to the face from the group. Soon after an all out rice field mud war broke out. It was the ultimate highlight from our time at the village!! To close out the night, we cleaned off and went back to the hill that overlooks the rice fields and played our favorite dancing game called “I Love London” while we watched the sun go down. When we got back to the guesthouse and ate dinner, yet another display of thanks was waiting for us from the people of the village, they sang us an authentic song and presented us with our own formal attire for the night. We responded with a song of our own, Jersey Giant, led by Marion on the guitar. We said our goodbyes, took more photos, and went to bed after a full and rewarding day!
June 20th
We woke up this morning to a fabulous breakfast of banana pancakes however it was quite bitter sweet as this signaled our final meal at the village. Packed our things, said our goodbyes and thank yous and hopped in a van back towards central Chiang Mai. Everyone was sad to leave. On this longer ride Cece, Chloe, Blaine, and Marion played some great tunes for Mark’s van. Our activity for the day was bamboo rafting near a national park. We all boarded onto bamboo rafts three at a time and floated down the river guided by a local man using a long wooden pole to push us along from the riverbed. We were guided by a man with a long wooden pole that he used to push us forward from the bottom. During this peaceful float, the students got a chance to relax and also spot some elephants walking alongside the river! They were huge and it got us super excited to see them up close the next day. After rafting we took a short drive to our hostel which featured bungalows made out of traditional Lana-style Teak. The sky opened up right as we checked in. Everyone got their luggage into rooms then knocked out for a good two hour nap!!! After our slumber we ate dinner at our hostel and enjoyed some fried rice, spaghetti, a “mystery” triangle-shaped spring roll, and incredible fruit! After dinner, Ellie and Mitchell came up with the idea to play a game called “Couch.” Mitchell explained it to the group while Ellie volunteered to be the game facilitator. “Couch” is a game where players try to convince the group a story is true about them when it’s only true about one person! This really put how well we know each other to the test. Laura and Cece were particularly good at the game and created elaborate stories about experiences that never happened to them. We laughed a lot and enjoyed hearing everyone’s funny stories. After Couch, our LOD’s Ellie and William led a moving moonup where we discussed the places we feel most at peace. We went to sleep and prepared for our elephant-filled day ahead!
June 21st
For the second day in a row we woke up to an incredible breakfast. Our hostel prepared a huge spread of waffles, pancakes, fried eggs, sour dough, chocolate crepes drizzled in passion fruit, and a beautiful array of fruit. Our LOD’s, Blaine and Cece, set the tone for the day through a sentimental quote from Blaine (who is astonishingly good at generating quotes off the top of his head). Everyone was pumped up because it was ELEPHANT DAY!!!! After breakfast we packed up to leave our hostel and took a short drive to an elephant sanctuary. Our guide told us the history of the elephants in Asia and Thailand and explained how they differ in size and intelligence from elephants in Africa. After he laid out expectations we all worked together to create “Bon Bon’s”!! This elephant snack consisted of mushed banana’s, tamarind beans, grains, and medicine wrapped in a banana leaf. Walker and Chloe got their hands the dirtiest and helped to create our mush concoction. Mitchell discovered a hidden talent when he was handy with the straw we used to tie our Bon Bon’s up. With bags full of elephant food we made the small trek down and across a river to the elephants. We were met by 2 momma elephants, 1 grandmother and 1 baby boy named “Junior.” In this open stable like structure we were able to get up close to these majestic creatures. We fed them our Bon Bon’s and Hao Hao’s (sugar cane), took incredible photos, and painted them with the same teak leaves that we were showed earlier in the week on our hile, and even got some elephant kisses on our cheeks! It was such a surreal experience and a major highlight of the trip!!! To wrap up our time with the elephants we returned to the river we crossed to a small eddy where the elephants followed us for a bath!!!!! All four elephants waded into the natural pool where we slashed them and then cleaned them through rubbing sand onto their hides. While cleaning the elephants a guide grabbed an elephant’s trunk, yelled “SNIPERRRR,” and launched a burst of water at the students. This jumpstarted yet another all out war in the form of an elephant water fight!!! Students manned elephant trunks, launching water spurts at each other and avoiding incoming shots. It was madness and so much fun! We ate a filling lunch full of delicious fruit and fried rice before saying goodbye to the sanctuary. We hopped back in the car and returned to the city. Upon arrival at our hotel we made a bitter sweet goodbye to our guides! They wished us off with the classic goodbye: O Chu O Clai. Which means good luck on your journeys. After settling in to our hotel we stopped by a nearby thrift shop where the kids got looted up! The boys dressed in “Nantucket” theme with pink button downs and jorts while the girls went for more of an eclectic look with a combination of American graphic T’s, basketball shorts, and reflective neon shorts. Marion bought a belt made from a sock! Suited in our new fits we left for dinner at a Nashville hot chicken spot to bring us a taste of home! Armed with chocolate milkshakes from dinner, we took a van to the famous Sunday night walking street. The walking street was full of street vendors selling handmade gifts, live performances, and street food stands. The kids got gifts for friends and family. Lucy found some beautiful scarfs to buy for special events back home and Ellie discovered a stand with an authentic array of jewelry. We headed back to the hotel and had another fantastic moon up before going to bed!
Upcoming: Tomorrow Lucy and Chloe will lead us as we rock climb and rappel outside of Chiang Mai!!
We are having so much fun!
Best,
Anne Slater + Mark
Shoutouts!!!!
Marion- Hello mom and dad I miss y’all so much. Thank you so much for sending me on this trip I have never had so much fun in my entire life. Also happy Father’s Day dad I am sad I can’t spend your day with you but live it up for me. Lots of love and can’t wait to see you all. Love y’all, Marion.
Ellie- Hi mom and dad and rivers and lexy! I love and miss y’all so much and I am so excited to see you guys! T-4 days! Thank you so much for sending me on this trip it’s amazing and I’ve met my best friends in the whole world. This is the best trip everrrrr. Andddd happy Father’s Day dad! I love you so much and you’re the best ever I’m sad I can’t be with you but I’ll be thinking of you the whole day while I’m with elephants. I love you your the best dad in the whole world. Love you guys so much!
Chloe- Hi mom and dad! I’m having so much fun here, thank you so much for sending me here. I love it so much besides the bugs. I’ve made such great friends here and I can’t wait to find a reason to visit them. Happy Father’s Day dad! I truly love you so much and I’m so grateful for you and everything you do for me. I just finished being with the elephants and it was lit insane I had the best time. I can’t wait to see you guys and grandma
Lucy- Hi mom and dad, I miss y’all lots! Happy Father’s Day dad!!!! Thank you for moondance, I really love it. We just finished elephants and it was so cool. I can’t wait to see y’all in the airport, I love you guys so much and I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done for me.
Laura- Hi mom and dad!!! HAPPY FATHERS DAYYY! I can not thank yall enough for this trip and all that you both do for me. I’m so greatful to have you both as my parents. We just feed and swam with elephants! It was so so cool. I’m so excited to hear all about where Dewitt’s been and how grace and Helen are. I can’t wait to see y’all so soon love and miss everyone!!
Cece- Hi mom and dad! I can’t wait to see the whole family soon! Also, happy fathers dad!! You are the best dad EVER! You both are amazing and thank you for letting me go on this amazing trip! I’ve had such a good time and I’m sad to leave but excited to see everyone! Love everyone and cannot WAIT to see everyone!!!!! See you soon!
Blaine- Thank you for sending me on this trip, there has been lots of crazy experiences that I would probably never have seen otherwise. Miss you and love you-Blaine
Walker- Hi Mom and Dad! Happy Father’s Day dad!!! I miss and love you guys and am excited to see you. I’ve been having so much fun. I’ve never experienced anything like this and thank you for letting me go on this trip. Love Walker
William- Dear mom and dad I miss y’all so much. Can’t wait to see y’all when I get home. This trip has been so fun and a flew by so quick. Dad I’m sorry for missing father day I wish I could spend it with you. You have played such a huge role in my life and in making me the person I am today. And I can’t thank you enough I honestly could not begin to imagine a life without you. Anyways I am having a blast in Thailand and I am looking forward to seeing yall soon I love yall so much. Love, William
Mitchell- Hey mom and dad I miss and love yall so much I’m exited to see yall but so sad to leave Thailand. Thank you guys so much for sending me on this trip. It’s flown by because I’m having so much fun. I love my group and all the activities. HAPPY FATHERS DAY DAD. I’m gonna get you some elephant pants or something as a present. Anyways love yall so much, tell Kathryn and Hampton the same. See you guys soon. Love, Mitchell
Trying New Things in Thailand!
June 16, 2026
June 12th
We woke up early to beat the heat and prepare for our climb! At morning huddle, our Leaders of the Day, Chloe and Lucy, shared an awesome quote and got everyone pumped for the day. We hopped into our shuttle, and as we were crossing a bridge, Blaine saw 3 monkeys and pointed them out to the group! We arrived at the trailhead and after a quick huddle, we began our hike. Lucy led the way and set the pace for the group. The beginning of the hike started off quite steep. Marion cheered on the group and kept everyone laughing the whole way up! They all did an amazing job staying positive and pushed through! After hiking 3.7 Km, we made it to the very top! The view was jaw dropping and so worth it. Everyone couldn’t believe the 360° view. We felt like we were on top of the world! We could see the ocean, rolling mountains, bright green farmlands, beaches, and the streets. It was awesome to see where we had been staying for the past few days from a new perspective. After taking LOTS of photos and eating snacks, we began our descent. This group was speeeeedy! On the way down, Blaine pointed out a bright orange millipede and the group huddled around it. We played some tunes on the way down and then took a shuttle to lunch. We enjoyed a mix of Thai food and french fries at an ocean-front restaurant. We shuttled back to our hostel and spent the rest of the afternoon challenging each other in ping pong, playing Egyptian Rat Slap (a quite intense card game), and strumming guitar! When we were scoping out a fun local spot for dinner, William pointed out a cool restaurant just across the street, and we decided to go there for dinner. It was a hit – especially the authentic tropical drinks! There was a pool table near us, so of course we had to play. Blaine and William beat Marion and Ellie. With full bellies, we walked back to our hostel and sat down to start moonup. All of the sudden, a local little boy named Khan came into the middle of our circle and started passing out Uno cards! He knew this crowd likes to play games. He couldn’t speak English, but it was really special to spend time with him. He stayed with our group for moonup! After, the group went to sleep to rest up for our big full day of rock climbing and rappelling!!!
June 13th
Woohooo!!! Rock climbing day! At morning huddle, the energy was super high. Everyone was PUMPED to check out a world renowned beach. Our LODs, Ellie and Blaine, queued some hype music for our open air shuttle to the climbing shop. We picked out our helmets, harnesses, chalk bags, and climbing shoes! We walked to the dock and jumped on our boat. It was absolutely beautiful. We walked through the little beach town to our first climbing spot. Once our guides gave us a safety briefing, Ellie was first to climb for the group! Everyone cheered her on from below and she did an amazing job. Blaine climbed second! The LODs did an incredible job showing the group the climbing route and what it looks like to find good holds. Laura, Cece, and Chloe didn’t waste any time. Every time they came down from finishing a route, they switched over to trying a new course! Everyone did a great job and tried multiple routes. Bravely, Marion was first to try a route that had a cave element to it. She paved the way and the rest of the group tried after her. Walker and Lucy were our fastest climbers of the day!!! After everyone climbed, we jumped in the ocean to cool off. We dried off and walked into town for lunch! We had crispy chicken, green curry, chicken nuggets, and fries for lunch. So delicious. Then, we walked back on the beach and swam and played spike ball. We dried off, grabbed our gear, and walked down the beach by where Jurassic park was filmed! We found a secret beach then began our hike to our rappelling spot. We climbed through a HUGE cave. Boo! Lots of bats were our welcoming committee! We put our headlamps on and climbed through the cave to a really beautiful lookout spot. We took so many cool cave photos and then climbed a few ladders to our rappelling spot. The rappel was 45ft, and Laura and Marion were first to rappel! The view was INSANE!!! William and Lucy had a speedy decent, and Mitchell bravely hopped down like a rappelling master! We then hiked down to the beach, where our long boat picked us up and drove us back. When we got back we showered and got ready for dinner! We hopped in our shuttle and headed to a local Mexican restaurant. We shopped at a few local trinket stands before sitting down at our table. When we arrived, the restaurant played some music to welcome us, but the music didn’t stop when we sat down. “Big Mama,” the owner of the restaurant, threw a big dance party for us while we were there!!! Everyone was on their feet whenever we weren’t eating! Ellie and Chloe helped Big mama with the music queue. We did a big congo line and the Macarena! This was truly one of our favorite nights of the trip. To keep the fun rolling, we stopped by 7/11 for dessert. When we got back to our hostel, we had a great moonup and talked about all of our favorite parts of the day. We went to bed eager for our second day of rock climbing!
June 14th
This morning, our LOD’s Marion and William got us PUMPED UP for rock climbing day two with an amazing quote from the group’s consensus favorite band: The Eagles. Our climbing spot this day was surrounded by local shops and vendors. From the top of our climbs, we got an insane aerial view of the beach framed by the limestone mountains. It was unreal!!! After our morning climb, we grabbed some lunch at an authentic spot with our climbing outfitters. Blaine was ecstatic to try some more Thai food and helped everyone finish their plates! The rest of the day was ours to chill out and explore! We settled back on the beach and set up a proper beach camp. Here we got the speaker going while we played spikeball, tanned, and explored nearby caves. Everyone was happy to have some R&R time. Next we meandered our way towards the “walking street” and checked out some of the artisan vendors and souvenir shops, before landing on a dinner spot. William was very happy to take advantage of the new football we got during this time. For dinner, we had a fusion of flavors ranging from hamburgers, to pizza, to fried rice, curry, and even acai and yogurt bowls. After we finished grubbing, we made our way back, where we caught the end of an incredible Krabi sunset. The girls were happy to have an exhaustive photo shoot, while the guys tossed around our new football and played some hacky. We got SO MANY good pictures!!!! As the sun faded out, we retreated to an ice cream shop and took down some local dessert! Finally, we caught a ride back in a long boat. During which, we had a house music dance party lit by the boat’s green trolling light! This capped off another incredible day in Krabi… but it turned out not to be over yet! As we pulled onto the beach, we caught the final seconds of the fire show. We booked it over the show where Chloe, Laura, and Ellie were able to set off floating lanterns into the sky! Cece got an insane video on her camera!!! It was an incredible way to cap off our magical time in Krabi!
June 15th
This morning we bolted out of bed to catch our ride to Krabi airport, as this travel day took us to Northern Thailand and Chiang Mai! Blaine and Ellie cracked their best jokes and riddles the whole way there. Our LOD’s, Walker and Laura, were super helpful in helping us check the group in for our flight. Also in the airport, we ran into another group of high school students traveling in Thailand that we had previously met at our Muay Thai fight! Chloe and Ellie were so excited and grabbed a photo with them. During our layover we refueled at McDonalds then flew to Chiang Mai. Upon arriving at our hotel, we bumped into the other Thailand group and the students were so excited to see each other! We got settled in and then went to a historic buddhist temple. Here, we interacted with monks, explored the sacred grounds, and got great photos of this enchanting sanctuary. Next, we grabbed dinner at a highly recommended spot and then headed back towards our hotel. On the way back, we stopped at a market place and saw local crafts, street food, and got enough souvenirs to fill a suitcase! Mitchell walked out of there with some new shades!! Mark, Anne Slater, and Walker tried some banana dosa and it quickly became our favorite food ever!!!!! We walked back to our hotel and got to bed after a very successful travel day!
June 16th
Mitchell and Cece will be our LOD’s as we depart our hotel for Karen Village and four days of serving their community!!!!
Best,
Mark + Anne Slater
Exploring Bangkok and Diving in Krabi!
June 12, 2026
June 6th:
Sawasdee khrap, Sawasdee kha, or “hello” from Thailand! This group has been laughing since the moment we met them in the Bangkok airport! Our first night we decided to take a spontaneous trip to McDonald’s for dinner to fuel up for our next day of exploring Bangkok together. We got back to the hotel and had our first Moonup together!
June 7th:
We woke up ready for our first full day together in Bangkok! We had a yummy Thai breakfast with some eggs and bacon, too. The fruit here is some of the best we’ve ever had. After breakfast, we played a game called wavelength. CeCe volunteered to be the first to go for the group! We then ventured out to check out the local markets. Blaine and Walker spotted some super cool elephant pants and bought some. A few minutes later, the whole group was getting their own colorful pair! Walking in style, we headed over to a local cafe for an authentic Thai lunch. Lucy tried the pad Thai with egg net and loved it. With full bellies, we packed our bags and went to the airport for our flight to Krabi. Mark and the girls sang Shaboozy in their shuttle while Anne Slater and the boys cracked jokes the whole way there. On the flight, Chloe asked the flight attendant how to say thank you in Thai and taught the whole group! Mark challenged Ellie to find the word “compose” in a magazine and within minutes she found it! Now Mark owes her a treat at 7/11. We were warmly welcomed at our hostel in Krabi with some wood fired pizza and fell fast asleep in our super comfy bunk beds!
June 8th:
The group woke up eager to get going for our first day of scuba diving! After an amazing breakfast, our leaders of the day CeCe and Walker lead us in a morning huddle (our daily rundown of the day). Then the divers in training headed off to the training pool! CeCe, Blaine and Chloe aced their PADI e-learning review! Meanwhile Marion, Mitchell and Anne Slater (our already certified divers) played ping pong and swam in the pool at the hostel! Marion brilliantly named this trio the “Chibe (chill vibe) Squad.” After some games, the Chibe Squad headed to the pool to do a refresher course and met up with the rest of the group. We had a delicious lunch all together! Chicken and pineapple lime rice with a bit of Thai spice and some banana muffins. After lunch, everyone split into their dive groups again and jumped back in the water to continue learning. William learned how to do the underwater bubble blowing technique and showed his diving group! Meanwhile, the Chibe squad got some fun Thai snacks to try, explored a nearby beach called Ao Nang, and shopped around the local shops together. They even checked out a fun spot for dinner for the group. After diving, the group went to dinner in Krabi town together and topped the night off with a dessert run at the 7/11 around the corner and an awesome moonup!
June 9th:
Next up, first day of diving in the ocean! The group ate breakfast, and our LODs (leaders of the day) Marion and Blaine got everyone hyped for the day! This started with playing music for the group on the speaker in the shuttle, then continued into them leading a dance party on our dive boat, the “Tiki Queen.” We headed to our first dive site called Koh See. Diver down! We jumped in the water and began our first dive! The group saw lots of eels, sea urchins, BIG schools of fish, and starfish! We got back on the boat and drove to our next dive site called Koh Ha. We saw sting rays, lion fish, and so many clown fish! On our boat ride home, Mitchell helped keep the vibes high by queuing some great tunes. We headed home and jumped straight into the pool at our hostel. We played Star, Marco Polo, and attempted to make a human whirlpool. After drying off, we listened to some reggae music and Marion and Blaine helped us make a plan for the night. Night market here we come! We shuttled to a local beach by the Landmark Night Market and played spike ball, hacky sack and took LOTS of cool pictures! We even saw a big rainbow!!! The group headed into the market to explore. The girls quickly hopped on some toy cars while the boys checked out the Thai retail and food stands. Weaving through the stands the group scouted out some yummy dinner food. The group got to “roll” their own ice cream for dessert then went to the beach for moonup. Mark and Anne Slater then surprised the group with going to watch the Muay Thai fight that the group had been asking to go to all week!!! Ellie and Laura met one of the fighter’s families and gave lots of high fives to the fighter’s little brother!
June 10th
For our next day of diving, at breakfast our LODs Ellie and Mitchell shared a special quote and made sure the group was packed and ready for the day! We shuttled to our long boat that took us to the “Tiki Queen.” Our first dive was at the dive site Koh Yawasan and our second was at Kol See! On our second dive Chloe and CeCe saw a HUGE green turtle! Meanwhile, the Chibe squad saw lots of sting rays, sea snakes, and parrot fish! William and Walker’s group lots of coral grouper and needlefish and Lucy, Ellie, and Laura’s group saw barracuda, bannerfish, and snapper! Another very successful day of diving! We ate lunch on the boat ride home. Green curry chicken! So delicious! When the group got back to our hostel, we started playing hacky sack, then out of nowhere, it started pouring rain! We ran to the outdoor living room, and Ellie taught the group how to play Egyptian rat slap. Everyone loved it! The rain continued, so we ordered pizza and had a big game night. After dinner, we played an intense round of fishbowl, where Mitchell took over as the clear MVP. We topped off the night with a special moonup and went to sleep early before our final day of diving!
June 11th:
The next day, our LOD’s, William and Laura, got everyone excited to really soak in what was our final day diving! On board the “Tiki Queen,” we set off on a longer journey than we have been making to one of the best dive spots in Krabi: the Phi Phi Islands! To hold us over before our dive, the crew prepared us a traditional rice and chicken leaf wrap that was a huge winner with the group. We settled on Kon Bida Nok, a smaller islet, for our first dive and were blown away. We saw sea urchins, cucumber, lizardfish, prong-horned lobster, and even two massive black-tipped reef sharks!!! After our first dive, we fueled up with some banana muffins and then went back out to Hio Klay, a reef just off central Phi Phi. During this final dive, Marion and Mitchell mastered underwater backflips, Mark and William saw a rare spotted eagle ray, and everyone got super cool photos and videos on our GoPros! On our way back to the pier, we all enjoyed the best weather of the trip, tanning on the boat’s bow. Later that night, we got dinner at a local restaurant where a few students happily ordered chicken nuggets and fries! Finally, Walker opened up moonup with a song on the guitar before we got some sleep for the night!
Upcoming:
Tomorrow, Chloe and Lucy will be our LOD’s as we stay on the mainland and take on Krabi’s Dragon Crest Peak!
Best,
Mark + Anne Slater
Shoutouts!!!
Hey mom and dad, I miss y’all so much. I’m having the best time of my life and I have 10 new best friends. Tell my friends to take care of cheddar. Love y’all fam tell my friends I said sup F’s and W’s
Love, Marion
hey mom and dad I miss you guys so much. I lowk had the worst nose but I survived scuba diving, I love Thailand and my group. give holly a hug . love you so much, Chloe
Hi mom and dad! We’ve only scuba dived so far but the islands are super cool. I definitely miss you guys a ton and can’t wait to see you but I’m having a good time here! Give Viv a hug for me and tell her I have a surprise. Also, tell RJ I say hi and that I kind of miss him . Love you all and see you in a bit!
-Cece
Hi mom and dad! Thailand is so cool! We just finished scuba diving and it was so fun. We saw two sharks today! Everyone in my group are the best I love and miss y’all so much.
-Laura
Hi mom and dad! I love it here. My group is so fun and funny. It’s so fun. We went scuba diving for three days and I got certified and I saw sharks. It was so cool. I’m putting the Grateful Dead cards to use! Rivers and Lexi I miss y’all, Lexi I miss getting yelled at and what up Charlotte and Fuller Files. Love y’all and miss y’all! Excited to get caught up when I get home and hit up Chastin creamery. Don’t have too much fun without me.
-Ellie
Dear mom, Thailand is fun. We finished scuba diving. I saw a shark today and eels and we are staying in a pretty area. Tell the family I say hi and love, Blaine
Dear mom and dad, I’m having a blast in Thailand. My group is great. I’m diver certified. It was super fun. It’s kind of scary. I can’t wait to see y’all when I get back home. Miss y’all so much love y’all.
Love, William
Hi mom and dad! I’m having lots of fun in Thailand. We finished scuba diving, which was lots of fun. My group is amazing and fun. I love you guys a lot and can’t wait to see you guys soon. Tell Miller and Bridger I miss them too love y’all!
Love, Lucy
Hey Mom, Dad, Hampton, and Katheryn. Thailand is a lot of fun. We just finished our scuba diving today. The food is really good. Miss y’all but having so much fun!
-Mitchell
Hi mom and dad, Thailand is amazing my group is awesome. Scuba diving is the coolest thing ever. I saw a shark that was like 4 feet. It’s super hot all the time but our hostel has AC. I love and miss you guys!
-Walker
Safe Arrival!
June 6, 2026
Hello Thailand Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely! 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
