Kanchanaburi province is in central Thailand, with a capital about 150 km west of Bangkok. Jackie and I got there on a very tumultuous (but also very cheap) minivan ride from the Bangkok bus station that took about 3 hours. The first thing on our Kanchanaburi to-do list was to see elephants. We went to…
Category: Asia
Phuket, Thailand
They are less than 100 km apart across the Andaman Sea, but Phuket and Ko Lanta couldn’t be more different. Both islands boast beautiful beaches, but that is the end of their similarities. Where Ko Lanta has empty beaches and a small town feel, Phuket has night clubs and McDonalds. That being said, Phuket is…
Ko Lanta, Thailand
A few weeks ago my mom visited me in Thailand! After visiting Sanpatong and a few market, waterfall, and elephant-filled days in Chiang Mai, we headed South for the laid back islands and beaches of Thailand. Before this trip I had only been to southern Thailand once, when I spent a weekend in Krabi, so…
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai was like a second, second home for me while in Thailand. From my apartment, it took 40 minutes by motorbike to get to the city, so I spent lots of time there. From Chiang Mai you can grab a songthaew to elephant sanctuaries, waterfalls, and hill tribe villages, but there is also so…
THAI FOOD
When I was preparing to leave for Thailand, one of the most popular comments I heard was some variation of “Thai people are so small, you are going to lose so much weight over there!” Well… let me put that myth to rest. Thailand is actually the second most overweight country in Asia (behind Malaysia),…
Doi Inthanon, Thailand
At 2,565 meters, Doi Inthanon is the highest mountain peak in Thailand and part of the foothills of the Himalayas. Doi Inthanon National Park is 482 square kilometers and is located in Chiang Mai province about two hours south of the city, or, lucky for me, an hour drive south of my town. The park…
Chiang Rai, Thailand
After four hours scrunched practically in the fetal position on a bus meant for tiny Thai people, I arrived in Chiang Rai, a city North of Chiang Mai near the Laos border. This was my first solo trip in Asia (!!!). I stayed at Grace Hostel, and it is completely possible that the reason that…
Lamphun, Thailand
I was bored on Saturday with no weekend plans, so I took a motorbike trip about 30 minutes away to the town of Lamphun. It’s not a tourist destination, so I knew it would feel very “authentically Thai” like my town, but its also a bit older and larger. It’s apparently known as the “City…
Sanpatong, My Thailand Home
Sanpatong, Thailand is about 25 km Southwest of the city of Chiang Mai. Its a small town where you can eat dinner for under $1 USD, stop by one of the many markets for fresh fruits and veggies, and then stay home after 7 PM because everything except 7-Eleven is closed by then. I have…
One Day in Bangkok (feat. my new favorite temple)
Once you get past the toxic air pollution, ridiculously inflated prices, mass consumerism, and endless traffic, Bangkok is a pretty cool city. While I’m obviously not a huge fan of Thailand’s capital city (see reasons listed), there are some things that you just can’t do or see anywhere else. The Grand Palace is one of those things,…