Thailand has become one of the most popular tourist destinations. While this can be frustrating for a traveler who isn't thrilled to see a lot of other foreigners in the same area, it was still an amazing trip to go to. Though I feel like I barely saw any of what Thailand has to offer. It is a beautiful country with such friendly people, fresh food and beautiful landscapes. I had planned a trip to Thailand two years before but had to cancel due to my boss forcing me to extend my teaching contract in Korea. So I was beyond excited when it worked out for me to go. An added surprise was that I would actually be traveling with two others girls which was such a relief after spending so much time traveling on my own.
One of my travel mates was my former Korean exchange student that I hadn't seen since Sophomore year of high school. The second travel mate was my teacher friend I met while living in Korea. So while they are both from Korea, they did not know each other but were committed to spending two weeks together.
We had the same days off work and it all fell together for us to meet in Thailand for some adventuring. We were going to go to three different areas to try and see as much of the country as possible. We flew into Bangkok and spent a few days there before escaping to the beach in Krabi then heading off to soak in the culture of Chiang Mai.
Our time in Bangkok was mainly spent at the markets and temples. We did the weekend market and night market in the same day and it was utterly exhausting and I bought way too many weird shirts. But is there really a limit to how many funny Asian shirts you can have? I don't think so! We went to Wat Arun which was beautiful and is way better in person as you can see all the intricate carvings that cover the entire temple. There was a funeral for a monk that day, so there was music and free food for all given put by cute old toothless women.
After eating our weight in Bangkok we were off to Krabi for some surf and sun. We did some boat tours to get a better feel of the area. I put on loads of sunscreen, wore a shirt and sat in the shade and still walked away with a nasty sunburn. I went off on my own to do some scuba diving which was great because I saw an endless supply of box fish which are always my favorites. We went on a really strange sunset boat tour where we were supposed to go to 7 islands but only ended up going to about 3 and spent most of the time confused or transferring back and forth between the big boat, smaller boat and the beach over and over again. It was the strangest trip of my life but the sunset was surreal.
Our final stop was in Chiang mai where the highlight was going to the Elephant Jungle Sanctuary where we got to play, feed and bathe the elephants. It was so much fun and one of the greatest things I have ever done. The baby even sat on my lap for a bit, it was so precious.
Overall it was an amazing trip. The people were so friendly and helpful which always makes traveling easier. I want to go back someday and spend more time in the remote areas where there are not as many tourists.
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