Crushing it in Krabi!
July 6, 2026
Hello once again! We are back with another trip update following our scuba section, with so much more to share! Over the last couple of days, we have spent time on land discovering the best that Krabi has to offer. On that note, let’s get right into it!
July 3rd
After several early mornings on the boat, the group enjoyed some time to sleep in this morning as the rain softly fell outside our windows. However, the rain did not last long, and the sun came out, so everyone packed their daypacks and put on swimsuits for a little beach time! Today, we visited a popular Ao Nang area known as Monkey Trail due to the long-tailed macaques that inhabit the area. After walking to the trailhead, we were immediately greeted by several of these beautiful creatures! They immediately amazed the group, and Jay led the way forward through the trail inhabited by our furry friends. On the other side, we found what we came for: the beach! We set down our bags in the sand and enjoyed a dip in the Andaman Sea. Lillian, Betts, and Lily bought bracelets on the beach, which in turn inspired the whole group to offer the beach vendors some business. After some time spent in the water, the boys walked down to a floating dock and walked towards its end to enjoy some views beyond the surf.
After several hours at the beach, the group walked back through Monkey Trail and waved goodbye to our primate friends. We strolled along the beach before settling on a brunch restaurant to fill up! The rain returned as we finished brunch, so we spent time at the hostel playing cards and guitar. Beckett and Evan formed a formidable “Kemps” duo, and Lila serenaded us while the rain fell. Lily and Foster nestled up in a nearby hammock, relishing the vibes of music and rain. Soon after downtime, it was time for a pizza dinner at the hostel once again! Everybody savored a few slices of margherita or salami pizza before we walked across the street for an ice cream treat! Soon after, we closed the night with a Moonup led by our LODs Jay and Lillian, where we talked about B+ superpowers (superpowers with a caveat) and some of our biggest fears in life. Then, our LODs passed the torch to Ryan and Madalyn to lead us through our first day of rock climbing!
July 4th
Gooood Morning!!!! We woke up super excited for our first day of rock climbing and rappelling on Railay Beach! After breakfast, we hopped in our shuttle and headed to our climbing guide’s gear shop. We tried on our climbing shoes, harnesses, and helmets, and grabbed a chalk bag for the day. After a quick walk to a nearby dock, a long boat picked us up and drove us 15 minutes to the famous Railay Beach! Everyone was wowed by the magnificent rocks, clear water, and white sand. We walked through the downtown area and onto a winding cobblestone path to Princess Cave, where we’d be climbing for the morning! Jay led the pack and got everyone hyped up for the first day of climbing!!! He pointed out the huge stalactites and explained what they were to the group. Then, we saw two long-tailed macaques, the same breed as yesterday’s monkeys, eating a snack on a fence by the trail. They were super cute! When we arrived, everyone was speechless at how beautiful the surrounding rocks and beach were. Our guides demonstrated how to climb, gave us a safety briefing, and taught us the climbing commands. We put our gear on and got climbing!! Climbing…climb on! Thomas, Jay, and Foster were first to climb, followed by Addie and Madalyn, who went up two of the routes super fast!
Once we were all climbed-out, we jumped in the ocean to cool off, then walked into town for lunch. We ate at a local Railay restaurant with incredible food! We had crispy chicken, sautéed vegetables, and rice. Then, we had some fresh fruit to finish things off! After lunch, Beckett spotted an irresistible ice cream cooler, so we all got an ice cream for our walk back to the beach. On our way back, we were met by a big group of our macaque friends!!! A local was handing out sunflower seeds and gave us some to give to the monkeys. Jay and Thomas put the seeds on their heads, and the monkeys swung down to grab the seeds and eat them! Everyone fed the monkeys, and we got some super cool photos. We said goodbye to our primate cousins, then walked further down the beach to a secluded area near the filming site of Jurassic Park! We swam until our guides came to get us for rappelling. After putting on tennis shoes and headlamps, we explored a cave just off the beach! One by one, we climbed on ladders and made our way through the cave. Exploring this cave was Thomas and Jay’s highlight of the day, if not the trip! We found a little tunnel and took turns climbing through to see the prettiest view of all of Railay! We took lots of photos and were in awe of its beauty. Surrounded by limestone, we continued our climb through the cave. Ryan, Thomas, Madalyn, and Lila found a mini cave to explore along the way!!! A few ladders and ropes later, we made it to the top, and it was time to rappel! The view was breathtaking. Lily, Foster, and Madalyn were the first to volunteer to rappel! They set a great example for the group and showed bravery and poise. Everyone did a great job on the rappel and cheered each other on. As we hiked through the forest back to the beach, Beckett, Betts, Thomas, and Lila started a fun game where we decided what animals each other would be. The forest opened to a new beach where a long boat picked us up and took us back to Ao Nang. In honor of the 4th of July, we went to a burger spot for dinner just up the street! It was a huge hit! Jay, Beckett, and Thomas got active on the restaurant’s Donkey Kong arcade game. They set new high scores left and right!! We walked back to our hostel and held Moonup led by our LODs Ryan and Madalyn, where we continued our conversation about animals by sharing what exotic animals we would have as our pets. To close, we shared our biggest challenges with each other. After a packed day, we went to sleep eager for our second day of climbing!
July 5th
The day after our Fourth of July celebrations, we started up again with a lovely breakfast provided by our wonderful hosts at Glur! Soon after, we loaded into vans and made our way back to Real Rocks to grab our climbing gear, then it was back on the boats towards Railay Beach once again! This time, we were on a new rock face, and Jay and Lillian eagerly clipped in to start us off on our day of climbing. Madalyn and Lila climbed side by side, while Thomas and Jay impressed all of us onlookers down below by completing a 5.10! We climbed for several hours before heading to the beach for a quick dip in the sea. Betts and Madalyn kept the boys entertained in the water by throwing them the football in a game of “Jackpot,” while Foster and Lillian caught some rays on the beach. After some time on the beach, we made our way back to the same lunch spot as yesterday, where we devoured some crispy chicken, veggies, rice, fried eggs, stir fry, fries, soup, and soup! Needless to say, our bellies were packed full!
However, that didn’t stop us from exploring the area and relishing a quick ice cream and smoothie stop! Evan out-ordered everyone with his mango-passionfruit smoothie, and Lillian’s strawberry-banana smoothie looked top-tier. While walking around Railay, Lily and Foster spotted some pink unicorn floaties that only made sense to have for our next stop: the pool! After taking some boats back to Ao Nang, we hopped in a neighboring hotel’s pool with the new unicorn floats to share. Addie, Jay, Evan, Ryan. and Thomas played a game of “Turtle” or “Submarine” (regional differences have led to serious debate on the actual name of the game, and everyone had a different answer). A few hours after we started swimming in this pool, we located another pool in the same hotel and had to take a dip there too! Following our aquatic day, we dined at one of our favorite spots – Cotton Grill. The pool table in the restaurant immediately filled up with two teams of four competing in a serious game of 8 Ball. We chowed down on delicious Thai food once again, then made our way to Ao Nang Beach for a fire show! However, some of our group were fortunate enough to participate in the show too, as Jay and Madalyn were selected as volunteers! Upon the show’s conclusion, Evan decided to teach everyone an impromptu lesson on the basics of a handstand, which led to some longer successes in the upside-down position. We then ventured back to the hostel and closed out our final night at Glur with a Moonup led by Lily and Beckett. There, we discussed our favorite childhood TV shows and shared our favorite parts of the trip thus far before our LODs selected Evan and Madalyn to lead us through the airport!
July 6th
Travel day to Chiang Mai!!!!! We woke up bright and early to head to the Krabi airport. Chiang Mai, here we come!! Everyone got out the door efficiently, and we hopped in our shuttles (wearing our elephant pants, of course!). Some of us napped, and others sang along to some great tunes on our drive. Nugs to our LODs, Evan and Madalyn, for checking everyone in successfully to our flights! After security, we spotted a bakery, and we all ordered yummy pastries and coffee for breakfast! We headed to our gate, and before we knew it, we were boarding. We were so happy to be sitting together again on our flight to Bangkok! Foster and Evan tried a Thai coconut treat that the flight attendants were passing around, and they really liked it! When we arrived in Bangkok for our connection, we had a mission – find McDonald’s. We saw the golden arches in the distance and made our way over! Nugs to Beckett for helping gather everyone’s orders, and to Thomas for bringing everyone spoons for McFlurries!! We ate lunch, then walked over to our gate. On our flight, Foster and Lillian tried sweetened Thai tea! When we landed, we rode in our shuttles to our hotel, and we had a mini history lesson on Chiang Mai on the way! We set our bags down and walked next door to 7/11 for a snack. Then, we played Kemps (our favorite card game) by the pool together. Next, we got ready to go into the Old City to visit Wat Phra Singh!
We had a blast exploring the temples in Wat Phra Singh!!! We popped into different buildings and explored. We couldn’t believe how detailed and shiny everything was. We took LOTS of awesome pictures and posed like the statues! As the sun was setting, we were walking by the Main Chedi. It’s a beautiful gold building, and it looked magical in the light of the sunset. We left the temple and headed across the street to a super fun shop with lots of woven goodies and souvenirs. Many of us bought gifts for our families! Then, we walked a couple of doors down to “It’s Good Kitchen” for dinner! This spot was a group favorite!!! We all got authentic Thai food, and by this point, we are pretty comfortable branching out and trying new Thai foods! Lillian got the Penang curry and loved it, and Ryan chowed on a dish known as the Pad Mama! We hit 7/11 on the way out for a couple of goodies to stock up on before our time in the village. Then we took a shuttle home and got cleaned up for Moonup. Madalyn and Evan led us in a wonderful Moonup on the pool deck, where we shared our pet peeves and what we would miss most if we left for college tomorrow!
Tomorrow, our LODs, Lila and Thomas, will lead the group as we trek into Karen village for our cultural immersion portion of the trip. Everyone is super excited! We cannot believe we are already halfway through the trip! It’s been so much fun getting to know all of your kids, and we cannot wait for a strong finish here in Thailand!
Goodbye for now!
Greetings from Krabi!!
July 2, 2026
Greetings from the beautiful country of Thailand! We have already been here one week and have so much to share! Since we’ve started our trip, we have scuba dived, visited local Thai markets, enjoyed delectable Thai cuisine, played countless games, and shared in endless joy all throughout. Your kids are absolutely AMAZING and we’re so glad you have shared them with us!
6/27
ARRIVAL DAYYYY!!!!! Everyone gathered outside of baggage claim and we hopped in our shuttle to head to our hotel in Bangkok! Everyone was so excited to finally get to Thailand. We put our bags down in our rooms then everyone gathered in the hallway to hang out. Foster and Lillian went to get McDonalds for the group for a late night dinner! They surprised everyone with McFlurries!!! While we ate dinner, we had our first “Moonup” together. This is a time every night where we get together to reflect on positives from the day (we call them “nugs”) and get to learn more about each other. The positive energy and intentionality in this group was evident from this first night together. We went to sleep eager for our first full day together in Bangkok!
6/28
We slept in and headed downstairs for a lovely Thai-American buffet breakfast! The fruit, especially the mango, blew everyone away! Jay tried a shrimp stir fry rice and loved it. After breakfast we had our first Morning Huddle. This is a time in the morning where we share a quote, run through a brief overview of our activities, and get excited about the day! We walked to a nearby mall to explore shops and vendors. First, we walked through a big arcade and a jewelry cart before making our way downstairs to a mini indoor food market! Lillian and Foster tried frozen fruit ice cream and let everyone have a taste! We walked back towards the hotel when all of the sudden we saw someone in the distance! It’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s LUKE!!!!! Our missing piece had arrived and we were SO PUMPED! With our group complete we had a mission to accomplish together: we needed to find some elephant pants!!! We searched through the vendors and found a big rack of multicolored elephant print pants. We helped each other pick out a fun pattern and put them on immediately. Then we walked back to our hotel to play our very first (of many) games of Mafia. Since it is unique to our trip, we have dubbed it “Thafia” (Thailand Mafia). Foster and Beckett fooled the whole group and won the game as our first Thafia members! Following the game, we walked to lunch at a nearby Thai Café where everyone branched out and tried their first true Thai meal. Betts and Madalyn branched out and tried a chicken and rice dish with curry soup. We took our group photo outside our restaurant in our new pants and walked back to the hotel to pack our bags and hop in our shuttle to the airport for the beach section of our trip in Krabi!!! Nugs to Ryan for helping get the group checked into our flight. At the gate, Evan taught Luke how to play a fast paced card game called Egyptian Rat Slap. Then, we boarded the plane, and luck would have it that we all sat next to each other for the flight! Once we landed we were welcomed into our hostel and ate some delicious pizza from the bistro next door. While we were eating, a friendly black cat with a speck of white came to see us, whom Jay named Tux! We ended the night with an awesome Moonup where we shared what we hope to gain from the trip. Betts and Beckett were elected to be our first Leaders of the Day (LODs) for tomorrow!
6/29
For our first day of scuba instruction, Beckett and Betts led our group in Morning Huddle, motivating the whole group for the start of the day with Betts offering a quote about leaving our comfort zones! We split up into groups, and all diving newcomers made their way to the dive shop and then onto the pool to start their dives. Thomas wowed the instructors with his natural scuba prowess, and all of our dive instructors complimented the group’s contagious energy! As one group dove at the pool, Beckett bested Anne Slater in a tight game of ping pong before them, Lila, and Addie met the others for a poolside lunch of chicken fried rice and a refresher dive. After wrapping up at the pool, it was back to the ping pong tables where Evan, Thomas, and Beckett faced off for matches that would have made Marty Supreme look amateur. After some downtime, we made our way to a traditional Thai restaurant for dinner. Nugs to Lillian for trying red curry and Thomas finding a new love in pad Thai! Once we filled our bellies with delicious Thai food, we made our way back to the hostel for Moonup, where we shared our death row meals and talked about favorite childhood memories. Since we had time remaining before bed, we capped off the night with another game of Thafia (Thailand Mafia), and Lila and Evan fooled the whole group and won as the Thafia members!
6/30
We ate breakfast at the hostel once again before Thomas and Lila led our Morning Huddle. This time, we got excited for the next big step in our scuba adventures: ocean dives! For most of our group, this was their first time diving in the ocean, and there was so much to see! After about an hour out from the shore, we plunged into the warm Andaman Sea for our first set of instructional dives with some play time interspersed throughout. Beckett, Lila, and Addie saw an octopus, a triggerfish, a lion fish, and two razor fish! The whole group saw plenty of clownfish, calling to mind memories of Finding Nemo. But, perhaps the coolest sighting goes to our snorkeler, Lily, who saw four(!) blacktip reef sharks! After about 40 minutes of diving, everyone resurfaced and enjoyed a yummy banana muffin treat! Once we were reenergized, we put our gear back on and went down for another instructional dive. This time, Jay, Evan, and Ryan spotted three spectacularly patterned cuttlefish!
After surfacing, we treated ourselves to a well-earned lunch of green curry, pad Thai, and steamed rice! We made landfall soon after, and raced back to the hostel, changed clothes, and went to the beach! The girls decided to do some exploring on the beach and saw lots of hermit crabs, then the whole group got involved with a game of Shake and Pop and I Love London! Madalyn took home the award for most technical dance move, whereas Ryan’s move brought out the most laughs. Then, Betts and Madalyn wowed the group with a cheer routine on the beach! Woohoo! The boys then turned on their competitive edge with a game of Spikeball and a race that ended with a close finish between Beckett and Jay. As the sun began to set, the group set their sights on Ao Nang’s very own Landmark night market! The girls all splurged on matching striped woven hats originally spotted by Lily and Lillian, and the boys decided to start buying gifts for those of you reading back home. For dinner, the kids each chose their own path and found food in the night market! Most of the group enjoyed fresh gyoza and other dumplings. Lillian bested everyone with her dazzling dessert choice of a chocolate covered strawberry kebab – it had everyone drooling! Upon arriving back at the hostel, Lila and Thomas led Moonup, posing questions about what sea animal we would be and who we look up to as role models. To close out the night, Ryan narrated a game of Thafia in which the civilians won for the first time this trip!
7/1/2026
Our LODs Foster and Ryan were super helpful this morning in getting everyone out the door regardless of the relaxing rain coming down! When we got on the boat Lillian and Foster helped queue some upbeat songs for our boat dance party! They helped everyone get hype for our last day of instructional dives before we were awarded our Open Water Certifications at the end of the day!!! Divers down! The water was super warm and felt amazing. We dove down and explored the reef where Jay, Evan, and Ryan saw a big hermit crab and Thomas and Foster saw a HUGE lionfish. When we got back on the boat we were given fried chicken and rice wrapped in little palm leaves. They were delicious and gone in minutes. After resting and rehydrating we started to gear up for our second dive of the day! Everyone did a fantastic job on their last instructional dive and earned their Open Water Certification! We ate an amazing lunch of red chicken and potato curry with rice and vegetables. This was a fan favorite for the group! We drove back toward the dock and hopped on a longboat to taxi us there. We shuttled back to the hostel, and the rain came down at the perfect time as we needed a little rest. The girls made friendship bracelets while the boys read and played ping pong. Thomas and Beckett got into a neck and neck ping pong match while the rest of the group played the card game Spoons, where Addie emerged victorious!
We walked across the street to a really cool spot for dinner. They sat us at a table that had a pool table right next to us!!! The boys started a game of pool while the girls looked over the menu at fun fruit sodas to order. After a super yummy dinner, everyone joined in the pool game. It started as a 3v3, then team captains Jay and Beckett each added more players until soon the entire group was standing around the table. The waiting staff let us choose music and Lily and Foster helped queue some music to dance to as we finished our tight pool game, where Jay’s team came out on top! We walked back to the hostel and Foster and Ryan led us in an incredible Moonup, where we shared our dream concerts and talked about our best friends. Additionally, Addie and Evan were selected as the LODs for our final day of diving!
7/2
Before our last day of diving began, we enjoyed a breakfast at the hostel with balloons and a special crown for Addie, our birthday girl! We hopped in the vans shortly after, making our way back to the boat for our final day of dives. With visibility up slightly from yesterday, the group was soon peering into the underwater world and discovering beautiful fish once again! Thomas saw a juvenile sweetlips fish and performed his humane duty to our lovely Earth’s beautiful bodies of water by bringing up some fishing line and a sunken pair of sunglasses. Madalyn saw a huge clam shut as she hovered safely above it, and found lots of hidden treasures that tourists had dropped over the years. After resurfacing, everyone once again enjoyed a delicious boat treat of banana muffins and taking some much needed rest. Eager for some refreshment, Lily, Betts, Foster, Lillian, and Addie all jumped off the boat and splashed into the sea below. Soon after, divers were back in the water for their second go of the day. On the second dive, Evan and Ryan spotted an octopus, lionfish, pufferfish, giant clams, and a school of clownfish – definitely the most diversified viewing yet! Everyone popped back up, and we enjoyed a delicious lunch of red chicken curry with vegetables and rice. It was gone in seconds! As the boat turned towards the shore, our guides congratulated our group for adding nine new divers to the world beneath the sea and encouraged us to keep exploring our world’s bodies of waters.
On our way home from diving, we shared how sad we were to be saying goodbye to our amazing scuba guides! They made us laugh, were patient with us, and always made sure we were having fun. When we returned home from diving, Lila, Luke and Anne Slater passed around the guitar while some of us played cards and the rest made bracelets and journaled. Lila left the group wowed when she effortlessly played “It Ain’t Me Babe” for the group! Eight of us got into an INTENSE game of the partner card game called KEMPS. This was many of the group members’ first time playing, and we can say, without a doubt, this is our new favorite group card game. Beckett and Evan beat everyone with their incredible secret strategy to which none of us have figured out yet. Next we hopped in a Grab (Thai Uber) to head to the best celebration dinner spot in Krabi: Manana’s Mexican! The manager, Big Mama, wasn’t working tonight, but as soon as the staff told her our Moondance group was there, she came to surprise Addie with a birthday flower bouquet and got a group Macarena dance going!!! We danced, sang, and enjoyed a birthday fiesta with lots of yummy food and big sombreros! In no rush to be anywhere, we enjoyed our walk home and got together for Moonup. Addie and Evan (our two native Ohioans) lead us in a fantastic Moonup where we talked about our food hot takes and what advice we would give to our younger selves. Today was so special and we’re so thankful to have the gift of celebrating Addie’s 17th birthday with her here!!!
Over the next few days, we will continue exploring Krabi and put our rock climbing skills to the test! We cannot wait to share more of our trip moments with you! But, before we go, we both want to say a huge thank you for sharing your kids with us. They have each brought immense joy and laughter to our trip and we are so glad that we will get to know them more over the next few weeks! For now, we wish you all the best back home!
Best,
Anne Slater and Luke
P.S. – Your kids wanted to share some words for those of you reading back home. We hope you enjoy some shoutouts!
Hey!!!! Miss y’all love y’all having fun!!!!!!!!
-Lily Frankenberg
Hi!! I am having so so much fun! I love my group so much! Miss you Mom & Dad and thank yall for giving me this opportunity. (ARDS) plus mc miss yallll sooo much & Hank! Can’t wait to hangout with yall when I get home!!!! Literally best trip evaaaa! Love yall❤️❤️❤️❤️
-Lillian Hogue
Heyyyy!!! Miss yall SO much!!! Hope you are not having that much fun without me but you should be jealous Thailand is AMAZE!!! Hilton, me and Anne Slater are bonding so be jealous… thank y’all so much for sending me here- yes I am moondance Unc but it’s okay!! Tonight we went to Mexican YAY!! And we have seen a lot of what we were all wondering if I would see. See you guys when I get home!! Mark, Amelia, Weezie and JB I miss yall okay Bye❤️❤️❤️
-Foster Hutchens
Hey Ma and pops. Love you guys so much and I am so grateful yall gave me the opportunity to go on this trip. The group is great! I hope yall are having fun in Mexico can’t wait to see you soon!🫡
-Beckett Concors
Hiiiiii! I miss you guys so much. Having an amazing birthday out here. So grateful for everything I’ve been able to do. Having an amazing time. Love you😘😘
-Addie
Hey guys I miss and love you all so much. Thank you mom and dad for sending me on this trip I’m having so much fun and I love the people I’m with. I’ve scuba dived!!! And it was so awesome. I’m only one week into this trip and I’ve already made memories that I’ll remember for a lifetime. I miss you and love you so much Oonah.🍎🍎🍎🍎🍎❤️❤️❤️❤️
-Ryan
Hi to anyone who’s reading this! I am having such a great time here and have made some of the best and deepest connections ever. This is the most diverse and fun group of people and leaders I’ve ever had for anything! All the places here are fun and different so it’s hard to get bored. I’m proud to say that I have forgotten about a phone until I typed this and I will have no regrets putting it down. I found a new book to read called the silkworm and it’s good so far! Being scuba certified is also a great feeling….. love all of you and hope yall are having just as much fun as me!!❤️❤️🧌🧌
-Jay
Hiiiii I am having such an AMAZING time here!! The food is SOOOOO good and the scuba diving was so fun! This group is lots of fun and everyone is such a blast to be around! My leaders are also really fun and nice! Thank you mom and dad for sending me on this trip, I am so grateful!! Don’t worry, my stomach has been very good (so far). Tell Quinn I miss him!! I love and miss y’all and will see you very soon!! Can’t wait to share all of the funny and exciting stories!
-Madalyn
Hi guys, I’m having an amazing time and we just got scuba certified. Miss you guys and am looking forward to seeing you
Love,
Thomas
Love you guys so much.
Actually having the most fun ever.
Don’t worry I haven’t lost too much stuff yet.
You are the best for sending me here.
Bringing home so many new experiences.
Officially a certified diver!
You are amazing parents thanks so much.
Love, Evan
Hey mom and dad!! Miss yall so much!! Thailand is amazing and I love my group and scuba diving was so awesome and not scary at all. Tonight we went to get Mexican food at this restaurant and it was sooooo fun! Cant wait to see yall in Nantucket! PS tell my friends I miss them and that it’s so pretty here in Thailand!❤️
-Betts
Hi mom and dad, I miss yall so so much and I’m also having so much fun. I love my group and we all have lots of different things we have been able to do! We went to Mexican food tonight and although it was not as good as Tex Mex it was still amazing. They have a guitar here and my leader Luke is very good at playing! I love y’all so so much and I’m so grateful to be here and for y’all! Love y’all!
-Lila
❤️ P.S. Mom thank you for giving me East of Eden I just started reading it it’s really good so far
Safe Arrival!
June 27, 2026
Hello Thailand Families!
We heard from our leaders 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
