What did we love most about Thailand? Well, just about everything, and we easily could have stayed longer- eleven days was only enough time to dip our toes in the water and taste a few of the flavors, but we did catch a glimpse of the life that spills out on the streets of Bangkok, breathed in the earthy scent of the jungles in Chang Mai, and visited sacred temples throughout our travels. And...oh...the Thai food- there wasn't a bad meal on the trip- the lingering tastes of finger root, galanga, ginger, coconut, and assorted fresh fruit drinks kept us completely satiated. After a private Thai cooking class with Kwhan, the girls and I are now inspired to host a Thai party upon our return to the States- so get ready! Most of you are aware that we're returning in early July- so excited to see everyone. We'll be able to celebrate more once we secure jobs. Okay, back to Thailand....Ahh...the Thai way of eating- eat when your hungry agreed with us all and our travel schedule.
Don't feel you need to read through all our highlights. It's more of a scrapbook for ourselves, but do take a minute to sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy the photo viewing. Sierra's taken many of them and has developed quite an eye for photographing images that tell stories- like the modern day monks with their hand held devices in hand, or the barefooted Thai laborers, or the street food kitchens and outdoor markets. Hopefully through the photos you can capture a taste of Thai and it might just inspire you to visit someday.
Phrases we picked up from our trip
- Oh my Buddha (a common expression and one we heard from our zip-lining guide and Kwhan)
- Same, same but different (the name of a restaurant, but captures the essence of traveling and learning from other cultures)
- Sharing and caring, read this in a few adds and it stuck
- Kapunkaaaaaa (thank you in Thai)
- Blah, blah, blah (too much talk and not enough do)
Bangkok
-Temples Grand Palace, reclining Buddha, Emerald Buddha
-Chatachuk market
-Street food green curry
-Grand canal ride
-Kaoson road on. New Year's Eve -crazy place. A place young children should avoid. :-)
-MBK shopping mall, OMG (an experience to have... LOL)
-Eating amazing dumplings in Chinatown
-Participating in the tithing mediation by dropping coins into the bowls at the reclining. Buddha temple
Chang Mai
-Zip lining- seeing Gibbons apes, the largest zip line in all of Asia through a canopied jungle.
-Hanging out with the friends we met at Hideaway House and waking up to the sound of birds.
-Eating the best Christmas Dinner ever prepared by Jar and the staff at Rwang Tawan.
-Food, food, and more Thai food- curies galore- lemongrass kafir lime, chili, galanga, ginger, finger root, dragon fruit, coconut , mango and watermelon shakes and oh yeah, Thai milk iced tea!
-After a ho-hum Christmas morning where we broke away from Christmas gift giving traditions, we decided to go to the markets in Chang Mai and buy each other gifts (Aleah's idea)
-Outing with Lex, our trusty driver for the day. Visited a hill tribe village, King's gardens, and Wat Suthep temple, including all of 106 steps we climbed
Koh Lanta
Ahh... The islands of paradise
Unforgettable boat trips. One included riding in a traditional long tail boat. The chain broke on the return trip and we were stranded until another Long Tail escorted us back to the dock. This trip included four island stops visiting the Trang islands. One of which stopped at a limestone cave where we swam through a cave in complete darkness.
The second boat trip to Koh Rok Island had the most memorable snorkeling. A wonderful relaxing trip until our boat trip home where we were caught in the middle of the ocean in a major storm with large swells. Mom panicked a bit, as I quickly noticed the size of the boat in comparison to the waves, and the lack of visibility and safety precautions. Needless to say I was glad to return safely to land and that was our last boat trip. Next day we relaxed on beaches and toured the shore in an outdoor taxi/ tuk tuk.
Kwan's cooking school was next. An hour cooking class turned into almost four as we learned the Thai ways of Kwan, who first started in the kitchen at age six. A delightful, cheerful woman, who kept us laughing, "oh my Buddha" and taught us her simple secrets in the Thai kitchen, We learned the base of all curries starts with red and how to create different dished from this base. We also learned the inspired northern. Thai dish Kao Soa, this was Sierra's favorite dish by far. She absolutely loved it! We also learned how to cut mango, and the importance of presentation. We're ready to host our Thai parties both in Istanbul and the Sates as we're also returning with all the ingredients.
Thai Massage- we all experienced the bliss and made sure to try out different practitioners. The most memorable was the massage, following sunset and the healer who worked on our bodies- felt like I shed a few years from the deep tissue work.
Thai smile- from our driver to the market people, such beauty, and grace.
Next time
we visit Thailand-
Plan a trip longer than 2 weeks, at least 3.
Visit Awadeka and Ayudhatah in the north
Visit Putara Animal Aanctuary and return to Chang Mai
Stay at Aibliang Bay in Koh Lanta or Kao So
Don't feel you need to read through all our highlights. It's more of a scrapbook for ourselves, but do take a minute to sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy the photo viewing. Sierra's taken many of them and has developed quite an eye for photographing images that tell stories- like the modern day monks with their hand held devices in hand, or the barefooted Thai laborers, or the street food kitchens and outdoor markets. Hopefully through the photos you can capture a taste of Thai and it might just inspire you to visit someday.
Phrases we picked up from our trip
- Oh my Buddha (a common expression and one we heard from our zip-lining guide and Kwhan)
- Same, same but different (the name of a restaurant, but captures the essence of traveling and learning from other cultures)
- Sharing and caring, read this in a few adds and it stuck
- Kapunkaaaaaa (thank you in Thai)
- Blah, blah, blah (too much talk and not enough do)
Bangkok
-Temples Grand Palace, reclining Buddha, Emerald Buddha
-Chatachuk market
-Street food green curry
-Grand canal ride
-Kaoson road on. New Year's Eve -crazy place. A place young children should avoid. :-)
-MBK shopping mall, OMG (an experience to have... LOL)
-Eating amazing dumplings in Chinatown
-Participating in the tithing mediation by dropping coins into the bowls at the reclining. Buddha temple
Chang Mai
-Zip lining- seeing Gibbons apes, the largest zip line in all of Asia through a canopied jungle.
-Hanging out with the friends we met at Hideaway House and waking up to the sound of birds.
-Eating the best Christmas Dinner ever prepared by Jar and the staff at Rwang Tawan.
-Food, food, and more Thai food- curies galore- lemongrass kafir lime, chili, galanga, ginger, finger root, dragon fruit, coconut , mango and watermelon shakes and oh yeah, Thai milk iced tea!
-After a ho-hum Christmas morning where we broke away from Christmas gift giving traditions, we decided to go to the markets in Chang Mai and buy each other gifts (Aleah's idea)
-Outing with Lex, our trusty driver for the day. Visited a hill tribe village, King's gardens, and Wat Suthep temple, including all of 106 steps we climbed
Koh Lanta
Ahh... The islands of paradise
Unforgettable boat trips. One included riding in a traditional long tail boat. The chain broke on the return trip and we were stranded until another Long Tail escorted us back to the dock. This trip included four island stops visiting the Trang islands. One of which stopped at a limestone cave where we swam through a cave in complete darkness.
The second boat trip to Koh Rok Island had the most memorable snorkeling. A wonderful relaxing trip until our boat trip home where we were caught in the middle of the ocean in a major storm with large swells. Mom panicked a bit, as I quickly noticed the size of the boat in comparison to the waves, and the lack of visibility and safety precautions. Needless to say I was glad to return safely to land and that was our last boat trip. Next day we relaxed on beaches and toured the shore in an outdoor taxi/ tuk tuk.
Kwan's cooking school was next. An hour cooking class turned into almost four as we learned the Thai ways of Kwan, who first started in the kitchen at age six. A delightful, cheerful woman, who kept us laughing, "oh my Buddha" and taught us her simple secrets in the Thai kitchen, We learned the base of all curries starts with red and how to create different dished from this base. We also learned the inspired northern. Thai dish Kao Soa, this was Sierra's favorite dish by far. She absolutely loved it! We also learned how to cut mango, and the importance of presentation. We're ready to host our Thai parties both in Istanbul and the Sates as we're also returning with all the ingredients.
Thai Massage- we all experienced the bliss and made sure to try out different practitioners. The most memorable was the massage, following sunset and the healer who worked on our bodies- felt like I shed a few years from the deep tissue work.
Thai smile- from our driver to the market people, such beauty, and grace.
Next time
we visit Thailand-
Plan a trip longer than 2 weeks, at least 3.
Visit Awadeka and Ayudhatah in the north
Visit Putara Animal Aanctuary and return to Chang Mai
Stay at Aibliang Bay in Koh Lanta or Kao So