Thailand

Ever since I could remember, riding an elephant in Thailand had been #1 on my bucket list. I feel so lucky that I was able to make that dream a reality after visiting Thailand for our anniversary this year. Technically our anniversary was a couple days after we got back, but for such a low price we couldn’t wait to go to Thailand! So read on to hear about our adventures and some quick travel tips on Thailand.

S U N D A Y

Even though we flew out on a Friday morning it was a long all day flight to Thailand and since they’re a day ahead, we just skipped Saturday and got there Sunday afternoon! Although the flights are long (particularly the one from LAX to Shanghai) it’s nice that they give you full meals and the TV screens are hooked up with all sorts of free games, movies, shows, and entertainment. This is why I love flying international :D

Going through customs and immigration was a breeze and our AirBnB arranged for a chofer to pick us up at the airport. As usual when dealing with foreign currency we just withdraw the max we could out of an ATM machine, much less fees than going through a money exchange. Another nice thing about traveling to Thailand is that mobile phone plans are extremely inexpensive and they have kiosks just as you exit custom. We paid $10 per phone to have unlimited data for 8 days! It was perfect for our week long trip, especially when trying to navigate around a city you don’t know.

Once we got taken to our AirBnb, we immediately dropped off our luggage and hit the road! Transportation in Thailand (as most everything else) is very affordable, taking a taxi 30 minutes into downtown Bangkok cost 67 baht, the equivalent of $2!

Once in the main touristy area near the Grand Palace, we got a tuk-tuk to take us to 3-4 spots for only 200 baht or $6. He’d drop us off out front and wait for us and then take us to the next stop! He first took us to Wat Pho which is the famous temple of the reclining Buddha or “sleeping Buddha” as the Thai called it. Wat Pho is a pilgrimage sight to devout buddhists being that it houses the countries largest reclining Buddha at over 150 ft- a vision in gold! As we walked around in awe you heard the constant clacking of metal, but it wasn’t until we went behind the Buddha where was saw people tossing coins into metal jars, 108 to be exact! 108 is a significant number referring to the 108 positive actions and symbols that helped lead Buddha to perfection. It is thought that if you drop 108 pennies, one in each pot, your wishes will be granted and it will bring you good luck and a long life. The rest of the temple grounds are full of tall turrets known as pagodas, temple cats, and beautiful fountains. There was even an eastern medicine shop where you can get Thai massages.

Next was Wat Benchamabophit or the marble temple. This was a great one to see because unlike What Pho, it is lesser known by tourists and our tuk-tuk driver advised us to walk clock-wise through the temple for good luck. Buddhist temples also have strict dress-code requirements, long pants, no sleeveless shirts or tank-tops, and you must remove your shoes in the prayer areas of the temple. To the Thai, the feet are the lowest part of the body and therefore the dirtiest, the opposite is also true for the head which is the most sacred part of the body. It would be extremely offensive to touch the head or pass something over the head of another person.

Our last stop was at a suit shop. Travis is so tall and thin (as the tailor said, he has a European body, haha) and finding suits that are slim, but also long enough has always been a challenge. The tailor had several catalogs of designer suits like Armani and Burberry that he could choose the style and fabrics from. Travis went with a Burberry suit with a matching vest, they took all his measurements, he chose a charcoal cashmere wool with a black silk lining. The next day we stopped by and the suit was almost all made and they measured some of the final pieces for the sleeves, break, and pockets, it was impressive! By Friday the suit was complete and delivered to our hotel! Not only was I impressed at their speed, but Thailand seriously has the BEST customer service in the world!

M O N D A Y

The second day of our trip we booked a tour with Bangkok Day Tours. We made several stops throughout our day, our tour guide Ken picked us up in a van with a driver and was full of energy and enthusiastic for our action-packed day!

He surprised us with a quick-stop at a Coconut Farm, on the way we passed by salt pools where salt is extracted form ocean water. The coconut farm was a cool place and we were able to see how they extract the coconut sugar, milk, and oil from the coconuts for Thai cooking.

Our second stop was the Elephant Camp called Chang Puak Camp. Upon arrival the first thing we did was ride an elephant, my life-long dreams came true! Elephants are such large and majestic creatures, we had to climb unto a platform in order to be at their height to sit on top. Travis and I were strapped onto an elephant together, and our mahout sat in front of us leading the way. We went through a little village of houses where the mahout’s live and around a large area of trees and through a river which was the scary part, but so cool!

After our elephant ride the camp had other animals that we could feed and take pictures with. We chose to just take pictures with a liger, I honestly had never seen one alive, only the taxidermied one at the BYU Bean Museum, hahaha! It was quite the adrenaline rush to sit next to the liger and put your arm around him. Although he had a chain, he was extremely playful like a house cat and you could feel him purring as you pet him! It was incredible!

After the elephant camp we went to the Damnoen Saduak floating market! We got to go on a traditional long boat and check out the market shops who were selling everything from spices, fruits and vegetables to thai fried chicken, coconut ice cream, and mango & sticky rice…YUMMMM! What I liked about it was that we went on a traditional long boat steered by a paddle. Many other boats were motorized which is a modernized version of the traditional Thai paddle boat. In the middle of our boat ride through the market it started to downpour! Luckily Trav & I are always prepared and brought our rain coats and umbrellas, and luckily our boat guide had giant lawn umbrellas for the long boat.

After out boat ride we walked around part of the market on dry land trying thai street food and taking pictures with more exotic animals like this adorable slow loris!

After some souvenir shopping and mango sticky rice, we headed to a lunch buffet at Sampran Riverside, an adorable mock Thai village. The buffet was in a beautiful building on the river which had monitor lizards walking around it. We ate a variety of thai cuisine form the infamous chicken pad thai to things I’d never heard of like pandan gelatin topped with coconut cream.

After our delicious meal we walked around the Thai village where we learned about the traditions within Thai culture like thai dancing and boxing, medicine, silk making, flower arranging and more!

FLORAL ARRANGEMENT

THAI SWORD FIGHTING

THAI COOKING

LEAF WEAVING

CLAY ART

THAI BOXING

THAI SILK MAKING

THAI DANCING

After an epic and fun-packed day with our tour guide, they dropped us off at Wat Arun or the Temple of Dawn. This temple is beautiful because it’s right on the Chao Phraya River in the heart of Bangkok. The pagodas are all covered in intricate Chinese tiles in floral designs. The buddhist temples can be such peaceful and serene areas when they’re not flooded with tourists!

T U E S D A Y

After a couple of days in the city we were off to the coastal town of Krabi which was a short one hour plane ride south of Bangkok. I love Asian airlines cause they always give you a meal even if it's a short flight! I guess this year it was the airline's anniversary so they gave us a dessert, too.

Once we landed we headed straight for our hotel which was such a great pick- Beyond Resort. Krabi Town is full of tourists, excursion offices and souvenir shops, but Beyond Resort was a serene getaway from the hustle and bustle of Krabi town. They greeted us with a cold drink, took our suitcases to our ocean view rooms (which were spectacular) and then we headed to the spa to book our complimentary massage! Then we changed into our swimsuits and hit up the beach first thing! The water was sooo warm and really reminded me of my hometown beach in FL. The water was clear and blue, and the beach had the most adorable sand crabs the size of my nail that would dig holes and leave behind the most perfect spheres of sand. We had dinner at the resort grill, lounged at the pool, and just relaxed.

Something we weren't expecting was the low-tide in the evening! Travis went exploring the now visible sandy coast and saw all sorts of cool marine life like starfish, sea cucumbers, and even monkeys who walked over from a nearby island scouring for crabs! When we first arrived we had seen a tree in the ocean and were so confused as to how it grew there, but it all made sense during low tide when the tree now appeared on dry land and we could walk to it. Overall it was a relaxing day after all that city-walking!

W E D N E S D A Y

Wednesday we wake up with some really fun plans! After sleeping in we go and enjoy the incredible breakfast buffet at the resort! They have everything from eggs and bacon to curry and thai noodles! My favorite thing were these fruit pasteries and their awesome selection of juices! I wish I would’ve gotten some pictures of it, but I was so busy eating that I spaced LOL

After that we got picked up by Thai’d Up Adventures! A company we booked a 2 hour zip-lining tour with. They picked us up in this tiny pick-up truck thing and drove us through town and into the jungle. We drove through a rubber tree plantation which was also pretty neat.

Once at the starting point of the zip-line we met our instructor Chuke, super cool guy with a man bun who’s up for all sorts of adventures. He got us all geared up, which was funny because I’m so skinny he had to use a child harness on me LOL We did a practice zip to make sure we had all the safety guidelines down and then we were off into the deeps of the Krabi jungle!

The zip-lining was awesome! We got to see some of the beautiful cliffs and rock formations on some of the vantage points and it was actually Travis’ first time zip-lining and he had such a blast! It makes me so happy that he’s always up to try new things with me :)

After the 2 hour course we headed back to our starting point where we were welcomed with cold water bottles, moist towelettes, and a juicy pineapple cut in half and cubed for us to share! Thailand has some of the most amazing hospitality of all the countries we’ve visited! Then they drove us back to the hotel where we met up with my mom and aunt for our complimentary massages at the resort (what did I say about that Thai hospitality?!)

The massage was amazing and I’ve had such a stressful couple weeks leading up to our trip that Trav was sweet enough to book me another spa appointment for the next day. Plus everything is SO cheap compared to US prices that we wanted to take full advantage!

That night we decided to get dinner outside of the resort and walked to the strip of restaurants out on the main road. At the spot we picked I ate the most delicious fried fish, one of my favorite meals when I’m in a coastal city. And as we finished eating we got a complimentary fruit salad (again, that Thai hospitality!) And who can do without some more mango and sticky rice?! The mangos are so ripe here, it was a daily staple.

T H U R S D A Y

We once again slept in today and enjoyed the scrumptious resort breakfast. We decided to just relax and have some beach time in the morning while my mom and aunt relaxed by the pool. By the way, I haven’t seen my mom in a swimsuit or even swimming in water in YEARS so it made me happy to see her enjoying her stay as well.

After catching some rays I headed to my spa appointment which was incredible! Like a medical office or hospital, spas are considered a clean and almost holy place in Thailand where one comes to treat the body, so before coming you leave your shoes at the door. They greeted me with a cool tea cup of water and moist towelettes. Once I was done my appointment started with a salt foot rub. It was OG biblical style and she had a little clay bowl of warm water and kneeled down and massaged my feet with a scrubby mud mixture. In Thailand, the feet are the unholiest part of the body, so I felt incredibly humbled by the whole experience and the therapists care. Then I was taken to the sauna where I was given a disposable undie to sport and left inside for 30 mins. The sauna had some amazing essential oils in it and the moist air filling my lungs was incredibly relaxing. Living in Utah I feel like my mucous membranes are always so dry and I often get soar throats or cough attacks from it. After those 30 mins I went to the massage table where I laid down for a body scrub; exfoliating is my absolute favorite part of my skin care routine, so getting a full body exfoliation was a dream! She then massaged the cooling mud all over me, which felt sooo nice after the hot sauna, and wrapped me up in sheets and plastic to marinade. After 30 mins of sleeping in a swaddle she came back in to unwrap me for a shower and set a pair of linen pajamas out for me. I changed and laid back down on the massage table for the BEST 1 hour massage of my life! Thai massages are unlike any massage I’ve ever received, and I’ve worked as a therapist in chiropractic office, had a friend who was going through massage therapy school give me massages and also had massages at resorts, and let me tell you, Thai massages are my favorite! It’s like getting a massage and a back adjustment all at once! They stretch and pull on your body in ways you don’t expect, she would get up on the massage table and do all sorts of crazy maneuvers, it is extremely hands on, and I just felt like a bowl of oatmeal by the end of it….soooo limber!

After my massage I was given a cup of warm herbal tea as I paid and signed the receipt, I was extremely pleased by the entire experience and would go back to Thailand for that alone!

Once back at the room it was time to pack up and catch our flight back to Bangkok. It was an amazing and relaxing couple days in Krabi and a stay I’ll never forget! Back in the city we were picked up at the airport where we stayed at a little hotel nearby. We got ready for bed and knocked out to get an early start on tomorrow’s last quick adventure before ultimately heading home.

F R I D A Y

Any normal person before a flight would sleep-in, have a nice breakfast, and take their time going to the airport to walk around the shops. But I’m no ordinary traveler, and since our other days in Thailand we didn’t have the opportunity to go see the Grand Palace, I decided we should go on one more sight-seeing adventure before catching out flight, risky, but worth it!

We took a taxi (which by the way was almost impossible to grab because no one wanted to take us into downtown during traffic hour), but a nice old man picked us up named Walai. We were stuck in some of the worst traffic ever, but it was so entertaining because Walai was a hilarious guy! He’d been a taxi driver for over 50 years and spoke pretty good English from all his years in the business and driving tourists. He told us how his dream was to get a pair of Levi or Wrangler jeans and visit Texas and Wyoming, he was a huge fan of old cowboy films. It was a great time with him!

Once in the city we arrived at the Grand Palace of Bangkok. This is a place where the kings of Bangkok used to live, but now is used for ceremonies like coronations and welcoming foreign leaders. The palace grounds are extremely strict, like most areas with buddhist temples you must be wearing pants and have your shoulders covered, but they took it the extra mile here and didn’t allow tight pants or for you to have a tank top on even under a jacket. Since I was wearing leggings I had to wear a sarong over my pants, as if it wasn’t hot enough!

The palace grounds were beautiful, amazing turrets covered in pieces of tile, mirror, and gold. Inside the palace grounds was one of the most popular temples, Wat Phra Kaew, or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It’s considered the most sacred temple in Thailand, the Emerald buddha itself is a 26 in tall statue sculpted out of a single piece of Jade (strangely enough) and is deeply revered and venerated in Thailand as the protector of the country. We took so many pictures and it took us at least 1 hr 1/2 to walk around the entire grounds full of throngs of tourists and buddhist monks who travel for miles to see it!

With traffic hour over we got a taxi back to our hotel to get a quick change of clothes and head to the airport for our departure back home. I bought my last plate of mango & sticky rice from Thailand and was sad to board the plane. I feel like we BARELY scratched the surface in Thailand, there’s still so much we want to see and do! Definitely somewhere we hope to re-visit very soon!

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