Travel blogger Amanda Kendle recently visited Nan following the Australian Society of Travel Writers conference and discovered three unforgettable experiences in a place she previously knew little about. Amanda shares her discoveries on her blog, "Not a Ballerina." Here's an excerpt from Amanda's blog post, giving you a glimpse into her adventures in Nan.

For me, travel is often less about the destination itself and more about the experience of being in a different, new place. Nan was a beautiful place with very few Western tourists, and the unique experiences I had there made it truly special.

Absorb the beauty of the temples of Nan

Nan, Thailand, has countless temples, and since we were only there briefly, we could only see some of them during our city tour by tourist bus. However, we had time to spend more time at some temples, and on our very first day in Nan, we visited Wat Phra Tat Chat Haeng. There, we could write wishes on posts attached to the Bodhi tree – I love such rituals, similar to the ema wooden tablets that you can inscribe in Shinto shrines in Japan.

On our second day in Nan, we visited Wat Phumin, the city's most famous temple. It's a beautiful temple with impressive paintings and murals on all the interior walls – I was fascinated by the stories hidden within these images. At the center is a truly imposing four-sided Buddha statue, and in a slightly more secluded building, a rather gruesome depiction of hell. What impressed me most, however, were the murals, which depicted all sorts of everyday scenes from the time the temple was built several centuries ago.

I remember to be grateful when I travel.

A few days earlier, back in Bangkok, I heard rumors about the floods in Nan and that it was uncertain whether our trip could even take place. Some of our plans had to be changed, as some of those affected were still busy with the cleanup after the floods. Had I not inquired, I probably would have missed this. Therefore, I am all the more grateful to our wonderful hosts, who managed to make our trip unforgettable despite the natural disaster.

On our last morning in Nan, we got up quite early to go into town and give alms to the monks at 6:00 a.m. It's a special experience, and I've heard that in some parts of Southeast Asia it's become a major tourist attraction. So I was very grateful to be able to do it here in Nan as one of the few tourists – in fact, we didn't see any other foreign tourists at all.

Meeting people – both travelers and locals

By the time we arrived for our last dinner together, I had gotten to know all the group members so well that I knew I would miss them terribly when our trip came to an end the next day!

We also experienced some special moments getting to know the locals, and my favorite of these—indeed, one of the most beautiful moments of the entire trip—was at the Hong Chao Fong Kham Folklore Museum. We were shown how to make flower cones as offerings for the temple by folding banana leaves and arranging flowers. The folding was quite tricky—you could call it Thai origami—but I was determined to learn it and spent a long time sitting with Aunt Pat, the owner of this beautiful Lanna-style house, having her demonstrate the technique again and again.

The stay will certainly remain in my memory, and together with Phrae, I can highly recommend this part of Thailand to anyone who wants to escape the overcrowded tourist spots and experience the unique Thai culture.

You can find the full article on Amanda's blog: not a Ballerina.