The Thailand Trip

My favorite part of any vacation, the beach.

Hey, y'all! Remember that one time when I mentioned I was going to Thailand? Well, that happened. And since it's been nearly 1.5 months since I arrived home, I figured it was time to tell you about it.

First, the basics: I went with my friend Val, aka Mrs. Val, aka Mrs. World Traveler. She's lived abroad and been to six continents, so I felt very comfortable taking a trip like this with her. We flew out of San Francisco (because tickets were cheap; also she lives in Anchorage so it seemed like a good rendezvous point) and had layovers in China before arriving in Bangkok, Thailand. We stayed in Bangkok for three days, then flew to Siem Reap, Cambodia, for three days, back to Bangkok for an overnight layover, then down to Krabi, Thailand, (spending time in Ko Lanta and Railay) for five days, then back to Bangkok for the journey home. Essentially a two-week trip.

Highlights:

- English was fairly common in Thailand, and very common in Cambodia. That made getting around/ordering food/etc. easier than anticipated. Cambodia also uses American currency, which was convenient, though they won't accept old-school $20s, $50s or $100s (only the newer kind with the multi-colored ink).

- Everything is pretty affordable. We Couchsurfed in Bangkok, so we had free accommodations, and our host took us to a street food market where dinner was about $1.25 USD. Even at fancier places, I don't think I paid more than $10 for a meal the whole trip. Same for hotels; we didn't stay at the fanciest of places, but our most expensive room (two twin beds, private bath, free breakfast) was $37 USD. Not bad at all.

- Lots of restaurants have a whole vegetarian section on their menu, so finding food was easy. Curries and Indian food were prevalent, but everything I tried was tasty, so I have no complaints.

- Thai massages are magical. We went to the Asia Herb Association and had a great experience. We had tea, they washed our feet, then we changed into pajama/scrub-type outfits and they worked us out. My therapist bent and stretched my limbs, walked down my legs (to apply more pressure, I think? She was about half my size) and left me feeling totally tension-free. Total price was about $15 USD. You can get them for less (like $5) at smaller walk-in places (which we also did), but the AHA massage was better.

- Our hotel in Siem Reap was awesome. They picked us up from the airport, the staff was super friendly/helpful, and the room was clean and cute. And Pub Street and other attractions in town are 5-10 minutes away, walking.


Lessons learned:

- Pay to have your clothes cleaned. I decided I would wash mine in the hotel sink and let them hang dry, and that was stupid. They took days to dry and then smelled musty when they were finally wearable.

- Railay > Ko Lanta. We spent the majority of our beach time in Ko Lanta, where the beach was rocky and quite small, especially during high tide. The vibe there was laidback and fun, but Railay had gorgeous beaches with smooth sand and warm water. Definitely preferable.

- Try not to get food poisoning (not sure how easy that'll be, but definitely don't seek it out). Mrs. Val and I both got sick on the flight(s) home, and it was not pleasant. I literally grabbed the (unfortunately still sealed) airsickness bag and started to say "I think I'm gonna--" before projectile vomiting all over myself, my seat, the floor, and Val. She is a true gem for continuing to be my friend after this occurred.  Then we both spent the remainder of our 20-ish hour trip slogging back and forth to the bathroom. Yikes.

Overall, it was an amazing trip. I was apprehensive about traveling with just a backpack and taking so much time off from work, but it was absolutely worthwhile. I had what you might call a moment in Railay, when I was lazily floating in the ocean, soaking up the sunshine: everything just felt right. I think that experience kicked off my recent feelings of contentment, actually.

I'll leave with you some carefully curated (by that, I mean "semi-randomly chosen from my 400+ photos") pictures from the trip. Enjoy!

The greeter at the entrance to Wat Arun in Bangkok.

The detail on the temple was incredible, especially given its size (several stories).

The Istanbul floor at Terminal 21, a giant mall with an international theme in Bangkok.

Me with Mrs. Val, my delightful traveling companion.

The main drag in Siem Reap, home to many restaurants, bars, and $1 fruit shake stands.

Touring a temple at Angkor Wat.

Elephants. In case you didn't know.

Watching the sun set from a hilltop in Angkor Wat.

The beach in Railay, AKA one of the coolest beaches I've ever been to.
The cliffs right next to the water made it pretty stunning.

Sunset at said cool beach. Pretty much perfect.

I have returned!

Playa Norte – probably the best beach I've ever been to, and it was right in front of our condo complex.

Well, I've spent about two days back in the real world after Mexico, and I didn't love it. Beach > work. Always and forever. But a girl's gotta make a living, so I have (reluctantly) returned to Colorado. It was about 15 degrees the night we arrived home, but it has since warmed to the upper 50s. Still not quite as nice as the beach, though.

Isla Mujeres was absolutely amazing. We had one rainy afternoon/evening, but otherwise the weather was gorgeous – clear skies and sunshine every day. The island itself was great – it's only about 20 minutes from Cancun by ferry, but it has a much more small-town feel. There are still plenty of restaurants and shops, but it has less of a party vibe, which I preferred (after all, I am old now).

We stayed in a condo at Nautibeach; they have a rental pool but I ended up finding a deal through Orbitz. It was nice to have a kitchen and more space than a hotel room. We rented a golf cart one day (a common mode of transportation) and made a trip to the grocery store, so we prepared our own breakfasts and lunches and only ventured downtown (easily within walking distance) for dinner. The condo itself was bright and beach-themed, and the staff at the complex was great. They have a nice pool, but I never used it, as we were steps from the beach.

Overall, it was so nice to just relax, unplug, and take it easy for a week. It was the perfect way to celebrate my 30th. And it was great to spend some time with my mom and sister; we all seem to only get busier as the years go by, and it was really special to have that time together. Since I was unplugged, I wasn't terribly focused on documenting the trip photographically, but here are some of the pictures I did manage to take.

The sculpture garden on the south end of the island (Punta Sur). Apparently, this is where the sunrise first hits Mexico – I didn't test this personally, as I was busy sleeping until 10 a.m. every day, but that's what the plaque said.

Lin and Mom walking around the reef at Punta Sur.

Iguana. There were a bunch of these guys sunning themselves at the sculpture park.

Sweaty me enjoying an ice-cold coconut. The change in climate was a bit of a shock.

Lin feeding her leftovers to the stray cats (and dog) of the island. I think they're fairly well-fed, as they had zero interest in her grilled-vegetable sandwich. 

What I looked like for most of the week. Parked on the beach in my giant sun hat. The only thing missing is my book – I had to put it down to take a selfie.

Pups playing on the beach. They chased each other in and out of the water, which was pretty adorable.

A south-of-the-border take on Bronco orange and blue.

The monkey tree on Hidalgo (kind of a pedestrian mall of sorts, home to lots of shops and restaurants).

Paying homage to my blog ad (currently running at Living in Yellow), but the beach was too sandy for Chucks. Those are sand-flea bites on my legs/feet – AKA the worst bites I've ever had. Word to the wise: Do not eat dinner on the beach. Sitting in the sand in the dark resulted in all of the bug bites. I've only just stopped itching 24/7. 

Lin waiting to take the ferry back to Cancun. She is not happy to be leaving.

View from the ferry.

Mexican flag in Cancun. I never saw it up close, but given its size compared to surrounding buildings, it must be huge!