We have been trying to get to Phitsunalok since May of this year, but have encountered a lot of road blocks. So finally, last week we said, ‘This is it. If we don’t go now, we’ll run out of time.’ We didn’t have the phone number or email of our contact there, so we just booked a room and set out on Saturday morning for a little adventure across Northern Thailand.

Before we set out on our adventures, we always pray first, asking God to lead us, guide our steps, protect us and give us opportunities to meet new friends. Today this was even more important, as we were setting out on a scouting trip, looking for ministry opportunities and locations for outreach for DTS and beyond.

We’d been on the road a couple of hours, when Sean asked, “What town is this?” I noticed a sign that said ‘Phrae’ (pronounced prayer, but drop the ‘r’ like an Australian). And a little alarm went off in my head. Hmm, What are we doing in Phrae? I’m not sure this is on the way. So we stopped and discovered we’d missed our turn off, due to construction and lack of signage, and we were headed north again! Following the directions we’d been given by the gas station attendant (they still have those here!) we ended up in a little town called Den Chai. And decided that we needed to visit it on the way home.

So, we weaved our way out of Den Chai and finally found the turn that would take us south to Phitsunalok. At this point my husband decided to give me a heart attack. We’re zooming down the highway and he yells, Whaoh!! I was zoning out, singing with the kids, so I about jumped out of my skin. “Did you see that!! A huge python. Dead. On the side of the road. Can we go back and look at it!” Um, no. I’m not u-turning to go and look at a dead python.

We arrived in Phitsunalok around 7pm, got checked in and took the kids for a swim and then to dinner. They were totally wired after sitting in the car all day, so our gift to them was allowing them to dance and sing karaoke while we ate. Thankfully, there weren’t a lot of people in the restaurant, so they were also able to run wild and burn off all that energy.

On Sunday we got out in the heat and explored the city. It was a lot bigger than we expected, and a lot hotter. The kids weren’t very tolerant of sitting in the hot stroller while we walked, talked and prayed. But God directed our steps and we came to an amazing play ground (American style equipment). We stopped to let the kids could play a while, then we went into the library, which also had an awesome kids section.

This kind of trip really takes on a different dynamic when you have kids. We wanted to explore as much as possible, to get a feel for the area. But we couldn’t go as far for as long as we had hoped. So, with sleepy kids in tow, we walked back to the hotel and rested and prayed some more. Sunday evening, Sean went out by himself, exploring a little further, seeing a little more.

Monday, we packed up and were on our way by 10:30am. We had a plan, and hoped it would work out. Den Chai for lunch, waterfall for fun, then home. We made it to Den Chai and we’re excited to see that the train stops at this town (good info when you’re planning a team outreach). So, as we ate noodle soup, we asked questions about the town. We discovered there used to be a church there, but now there isn’t. In Phrae (just 20 mins away) there are 2 churches, so most people have to travel. This town looked like it used to be a booming place, but now it’s a little old and tired. I’d love to know more of it’s history.

Next stop: waterfall. We passed through a small village called Don Fai, also the name of the waterfall. There were no signs to help us navigate, and the google map we had indicated that it waterfall was straight ahead, so we kept following the road. Just outside of of the village, it became a dirt road, leading to the rice fields. Sean plowed on, determined to get to his waterfall. We stopped in a beautiful spot overlooking the rice fields so that Samantha could play with the hundreds of butterflies that had made this area there home. Silly us, we forgot to bring the camera! The road narrowed, became muddier and bumpier and narrowed some more. I don’t think a car had been this way in a while. Sean is Mr 4WD, so he wanted to plow on, but I didn’t want to be stranded with a couple of kids, so I called ‘U-Turn!’ The only question was, “Where?” Mr 4WD figured it out, of course.

We made it back to the highway disappointed and disillusioned with google maps! Sean discovered later that there was a right hand turn before the end of the paved road that led right to the waterfall.

As we approached Chiang Mai, we decided to take the kids to the Night Safari, to give them an opportunity to burn off all their pent up energy, and to say “Thank you for being awesome little travelers!”. At the entrance, Samantha was able to feed the deer that roam free in the fields, and also hold and feed a lemur. As soon as we were inside the zoo, Timothy was off and running. Everywhere. Climbing and running. He was hilarious. We visited the petting zoo: highlight was playing with a 12 day old porcupine who loved feet and wanted to eat my shoes; scariest part was running after Timothy as he made a bee line for a very hungry Lion cub, that wanted to make Timothy his dinner. I’m not sure why they have a lion at a petting zoo, but they do.

So, by the time we got home at 8pm, the kids were sound asleep, and we got a little down time to ‘debrief’ and chill out.