ON THAILAND
Quintin and I just wrapped 3.5 weeks in Thailand where we explored five different regions of the country. From bustling cities to remote islands, we didn’t stop sweating for even a single second. In this blog post, I will share the highlights of our trip, including the places we visited, the food we tried, and the people we met along the way!
Bangkok
The undeniable highlight of Bangkok was basking in the grandeur of the city. The sheer scale of Bangkok is dizzying. The majesty of the city’s wats (temples) cannot be understated, with each compound boasting vastly different architecture, dazzling colors, excruciating attention to detail, and Buddha statues that make David look like child's play.
The number of different types of markets?! And the size of these markets?! Floating markets take over Bangkok's canals on the weekends, night markets bustle with never ending lights, crowds and vendors hawking their wares and on the weekend the biggest market of all, Chatuchak Weekend Market, comes to life with 15,000 stalls selling anything your heart could desire.
What was unexpectedly grand?! The number of transit options available (walking not being one of them because the heat in Bangkok is no joke. If it’s more than a 10 minute walk away, go on ahead and get yourself a tuktuk). In our six days in Bangkok we took cabs, tuktuks, the metro, a bus, boats, and ferries.
Chiang Mai
While Chiang Mai is renowned for its never ending wats, my undisputed highlight from our time in Chiang Mai was an all day cooking class which started in the cities central market and then took us out into the countryside for a full day of cooking (Quintins highlight) and eating (my highlight.). We feasted on pig brain, ant eggs and frog. Aside from the frog, pig brains and ant eggs weren’t on the menu but we happened upon them in the market and the woman leading the class thought “why not”, and purchased enough for us and the two Lithuanian brothers also participating in the class to give them a try. King Soopers could never.
After stuffing ourselves with the aforementioned, plus more than healthy helpings of green curry, red curry, massaman curry, khao soi, pork belly and fried pumpkin we arrived back home sloshing and slightly nauseous. To let everything settle, we passed out for a few hours and upon waking decided the only suitable way to round out the day would be a massage. Off we went to the dozens of massage parlors littering the streets of Old Chiang Mai City.
This day was my highlight because it exemplified “exactly what I signed up for” – new experiences, new skills (I can cleaver a frog now), meeting people from new places (never met anybody from Lithuania), and a massage to top it off. Chefs Kiss!
Red Karen Villages
Following a few days in Chiang Mai we went on a three day tramp (New Zealand vocabulary) through the jungle, where we stayed in two different homestays with Red Karen Tribes.
A brief history lesson based on our experiences in Northern Thailand. Chiang Mai used to be part of the Lan Na Kingdom, and didn’t become a part of what is now Thailand until 1932. Today, people in northern Thailand don’t refer to themselves as Thai. Rather, they refer to themselves as Lan Na, Northern, or their own tribe (IF they come from a tribe…not all northerns do!). They speak a separate language up north which people referred to as both “Lan Na Langage '' and “Northern Thailand Language” which seems to be universal in the northern provinces, in addition to the tribes who speak their own language. So for an example, the Karen would speak a different language than the Lahu but they would speak together in Northern Thailand Language, which somebody from the south would not speak. The Red Karen are Catholic, while the other Karen tribes are Christian, while other tribes in the area are Buddhist or spiritual (believing the elements are deities), or a combination of both. A fun fact is that our guide for this excursion was a Buddhist monk for 6 years, and that’s how he learned English!
ANWAYS! The highlight of this jaunt was watching Quintin being fawned upon by the men of the village we stayed in the first night. When it was dinner time, Q didn’t key into the fact that there is a table for the farangs (us) to eat at, separate from where the host family eats. So we waltz into the kitchen to grab our food and one of the men motions for us (...Q…) to sit down with them. The next thing I know, Quintins big ole ass is splayed across the floor and he’s slurping down squirrel soup and moonshine elevating his status as the most popular foreigner to have ever dined in this village. He was a hit as indicated by the hosts spending the remainder of the night thrusting their hands towards Quintin (to shake), shouting “WHAT IS YOUR NAME?! WHAT IS YOUR NAME?! My name is Raum. ARE YOU HAPPY?!” He was indeed happy, but I was happier.
Khao Sok
After two days recovering from the undesirable consequences of eating jungle squirrel, we headed to Khao Sok. The low hanging fruit highlight was the sheer beauty of the place.
The specific highlight was seeing a wild elephant. For two full days we had heard this elephant rummaging in the bamboo…we could see the bamboo sway as it walked, but the creature evaded us. On our ride out of the park our typically soft spoken guide shouted “ELEPHANT!!!!” and sure enough, there was the elephant, in the water, dousing itself in mud. We were able to pull our boat right up to it, take a billion photos, sit in awe for a few minutes and then head on our merry way. Stunt.
Phuket
As a girl who loves being on trend and obsesses over pop culture phenomena, the undeniable highlight of Phuket was The White Lotus announcing season three would be set in Thailand, while I was literally relaxing at a resort in Thailand. Like I found out on a sun lounger with a mango smoothie in hand, and I’m not even being hyperbolic. But Thailand is a big country and I prefer to be closer to the action. Queue luck, destiny or karmic currents, but they make the announcement that the show will be filmed in Thailand on day one and on day two?! Amanpuri goes offline for two months OBVIOUSLY for the filming. As Amanpuri went dark, I realized the resort was but 4 miles from where I was currently parked (again, at the beach, mango smoothie in hand).The closest I’ve been to a pop culture phenomenon? No, I saw Bad Bunny from the front row, BUT CLOSE!
Otherwise, my highlight was Quintins determination to properly use a bidet. I’ll spare you the details, but after many questionable google searches, soaking wet floors, yelps, and one visit from maintenance later, Quintin popped his head into the living room, BEAMING, to exclaim “I think I got it.” I took him at his word. The sunsets weren’t bad either!!!!
Koh Yao Yai
Following our beach vacation in Phuket we obviously needed another beach vacation so we headed to Koh Yao Yai, a mostly undeveloped fishing village with a smattering of small resorts across its 40 kilometers. The undeniable highlight was the day we rented motorbikes and zipped our way across the island, enjoying empty streets, beaches and restaurants. Although Quintin was at least 25 meters ahead of me at all times, I could tell he was having the time of his life, his sun hat billowing in the breeze, his shoulders shimmying to the beat of him singing to himself.
It was all fun and games until we came across a 6ft monitor lizard making its way across the road. I have a 6th sense when it comes to perceiving the danger of a nearby reptile so I obviously spot the creature a mile away and as we approach I’m wondering if Quintin even see’s it. As we draw even nearer Quintin drives right up to it, stops, peers over his shoulder throwing me a look that say “bitch are you SEEING THIS”, cracks the naughtiest smile, and then zips off. All in the time it took me to wet my pants!!!!!!
In conclusion, our journey through Thailand was an incredible adventure filled with unforgettable moments. From the bustling streets of Bangkok to the idyllic beaches of Koh Yao Yai, this country offered a diverse range of experiences. Thailand truly has something for everyone, whether you're looking for a cultural immersion, a relaxing getaway, or an adventure-packed trip. I hope that my highlights from this trip have inspired you to plan your own visit to this amazing country.
Until next time 💕
