The Land of Smiles

I can definitely say I maximized my time spent in Thailand. I had such a good time and there's so much to say about it, but here's a list of some of my favorite parts:

1.) The Grand Palace- Even though it was 106 degrees the day we went, I'm glad I had the chance to see the Grand Palace. We had to rent sarongs outside the gates to cover our legs and had to wear shirts with sleeves to cover our shoulders. The buildings were gorgeous and the details were amazing. People from Thailand respect their king to the fullest. It was common to see mini shrines outside buildings and homes with flower chains draped on them. We even took a tuk tuk (open air taxi) to and from the Grand Palace.

2.) Food- Thai food is delicious. The first meal I had was chicken pad thai off the street for less than $3. It was made right in front of me and definitely beat Sy Thai in Birmingham. There was tons of western food which was a nice change from Korean food. I had lots of fresh fruit (the mango was my favorite) and fish. Every night at our hotel on Koh Phangan they would catch huge fresh fish and BBQ it right on the beach.

3.) Koh Phangan- Koh Phangan was the first island we went to. After a ten hour overnight bus ride, three hour boat ride, and lots of waiting in between, it was a relief to be surrounded by white sandy beaches and turquoise water. The island is off the east coast of Thailand and is the host to the Full Moon Party which brings me to the next thing on my list of favorites...

4.) The Full Moon Party- This beach party only happens once a month so I was lucky to attend. DJ's lined the beach, there were fire dancers and jump ropes, body painting, glow up accessories, and tons of neon. Even though it was pouring rain the majority of the night, it was so much fun dancing in the moonlight.

5.) Khaosan Road- Khaosan Road is the main tourist area in Bangkok. We stayed at two different hotels right on the street and were instantly surrounded by other foreigners, tons of shopping, delicious restaurants, and rooftop pools. I even became an expert bargainer!

6.) Travel Agents- Thailand was the first country I've traveled to and didn't have a plan. We had hotel reservations for the first two nights in Bangkok, but that was about it. I had heard from friends that it was easy to find travel agents that are helpful and will get you good deals, and they were right. Since Thailand heavily depends on tourism, every other store was a different travel agent company. We shopped around for a bit, trying to find the best deal and luckily we came across a great one. The agent booked all of our travel arrangements (taxi/bus/boat) to Koh Phangan, hotel on the island, and even offered to let us keep our luggage in her office (we didn't do that though). The other agents right in our hotel(s) were just as helpful.

7.) People- One of the best parts about traveling is meeting new people. I was surprised by the number of Europeans and they were just as surprised to find out we were from the US. I envied their European lifestyle. They believe in time off work to relax with family and in return they'll receive more effective work and better attitudes. I was also ashamed to only know English. I felt like every person from a non-English speaking European country knew at least three different languages. For example, we met an Italian family of three on our (long) journey to Koh Phangan. They had a five year old boy who already knew Italian, English, and Spanish. Also, the exchange rate for the pound to baht was extremely high so it makes sense for them to travel there. We definitely missed the backpacking memo. When changing locations, we were always surrounded by backpackers. I felt a little ridiculous rolling around my huge suitcase, but I guess Thailand is a popular backpacking destination. Most people we met had been in Thailand (and surrounding countries) for at least a month and had plans to do more traveling around SE Asia. Their stories inspired me and made me want to [win the lottery] and travel more.

8.) Snorkeling (or lack there of)- While on Koh Phangan, we went on a private boat and had the chance to explore more of the island. Unfortunately, there was a storm rolling in so the water was a bit cloudy for snorkeling, but we still went to three different beaches, went hiking, and swam at the bottom of a waterfall. The beaches were straight out of a postcard. The turquoise water, white sandy beaches, and bright, blue skies were unreal.

9.) Koh Samui- We stayed on Koh Samui only for a night, but it was nice to check out another island. This island was a little more family oriented and touristy, but we stayed in a little beach bungalow and enjoyed relaxing on the beach.

10.) Airports- I went to four different airports in a matter of nine days. The Koh Samui airport was the cutest airport I've ever seen. It was all outdoors, nicely landscaped, and had a little trolly straight out of Disney World to shuttle us around.

11.) Massages- The first "massage" we got in Thailand was from the fish doctor. You stick your feet in a tub full of fish and they eat the dead skin off of them. They weren't very hungry when we went and it tickled a lot so it's probably better I didn't have a lot of fish nibbling on my feet. I got a thai massage, two feet massages, and a facial. Amazing.