I just got back from a two week vacation in Thailand. It was amazing.
But, why Thailand?
The main reason is that my girlfriend and I have never been to Asia and we really like Thai food.
We traveled during October because that’s my only semi-relaxed time when summer camp is over, Fall has begun and class rosters are, for the most part, finalized.
We saved up vacation money the old school way: by putting away money every week since the beginning of the year and said “no” to a lot of other short-term excursions.
Like every business owner/professional I scrambled to get “everything” taken care of before I left, of which I was partially successful.
It took 22 hours of travel by taxi, metro and flights to get from Culver City to Bangkok.
First Impressions
We exchanged currency to the Baht and immediately felt like royalty. We went out to restaurants, got massages and explored many temples and buddhas throughout the city.
I also picked up a lot of recipes to incorporate into our upcoming enrichment classes
Here are highlights from the trip.
Chiang Mai
1. You can visit the city, beach or mountains within a few hours.
This trip started in Bangkok, a bustling metropolis with poverty and wealth within a few streets of each other. It has great transportation via the metro, taxis and uber.
After spending a few days here, our next stop was Phuket, a popular vacation spot with crystal clear water. We sipped fresh Thai coconuts (only $.40) and enjoyed the sun and seafood
We then took a ferry to Ko Phi Phi Island, a stunning beach paradise and went on day trips to smaller islands by long boat.
To round it off, we went to Chaing Mai, our favorite spot of the trip, which had all the comforts of the city but green mountains all around.
33 bahts = $1
2. The Food is incredible.
After eating Thai food for 2 weeks, I’m not even close to being bored of it. The reason?
There is SO much variety. A lot of dishes are made up of staples like rice, noodles, lean meats, seafood, veggies and soup but the combinations are endless. Go to any Thai restaurant and you’ll flip through pages of dishes.
I tried A LOT of foods and didn’t even get close to experiencing everything I wanted to.
Favorites include: Chicken Satay, Green Curry (making the paste from scratch is an extensive process), Pad Thai, Tom Yum Gong (hot and sour soup with shrimp) and lots of freshly steamed, fried or bbq seafood, particularly snapper.
Freshly made ice cream made to look like flowers
3. The dollar is strong and you can live like a king!
In Thailand, the cost of living is low, especially compared to Los Angeles.
Example: After weeks of travel, my girlfriend and I wanted to treat ourselves to a lavish date.
- First we each got a one-hour massage
- Then we went to a local restaurant and ate to our hearts content plates of stir-fried vegetables, chicken, shrimp and rice.
- We finished the night off by treating ourselves to an American movie (the Jack Reacher sequel, which was solidly entertaining)
Total Cost: $30
$13 for two massages (including tip), $8 for dinner and $10 for two movie tickets
Now we’re back in the city of delicious (but pricey) lunches and we miss the fun days of ballin it up.
I’m not gonna sugar coat the trip, because like every vacation, there were a couple hardships. Thailand has mosquitoes everywhere and we got bitten up.
Also we almost got scammed into buying overpriced suits and typically got charged more on EVERYTHING than a local.
My least favorite aspect of Thailand: the HUMIDITY (and heat)
Within moments of stepping out of our hotel or airbnb during the day time hours (or even at night) the temperature was high, typically between 80-95 degrees F with ridiculously high humidity.
I rarely wore jeans because it was just too uncomfortable to sweat so much.
The Thai wear a lot of shirts, sandals and flip flops and for good reason.
You can take respite in an air conditioned mall or 7-11, but only briefly.
You don’t want to be out during touristy things between 1pm-5pm because you’ll just sweat everything you have. At the Grand Palace, everyone was enjoying the beautiful architecture and statues, but were noticeably hot.
I am now very thankful and appreciative for the cool Los Angeles Fall weather. Plus I can wear jeans, boots, long sleeve shirts and a blazer before I go visit some churches and other venues in Sherman Oaks for summer camp (and maybe a Winter break camp…)
Stay tuned,
More Thai recipes and culture coming to a classroom near you!
