GUEST TRAVEBLOGGER LELU:

May 10-24, 2018

(They had a 13 hour layover in LA and went to Disneyland with Master D and his friend that worked for Disney who was very kind to get them all in for free)Thailand, well, Asia for that matter, is unlike any other place I’ve ever traveled to. It’s not Europe, it’s not New Zealand, it’s not Mexico, it’s certainly not anything like the U.S., Thailand stands on its own two feet and has the MOST unique vibe to it. Before I get into details, I would like to give you the pros and cons of purchasing a round trip ticket for $400… More or less, what to expect. I’ll start with the cons.. Expect to be traveling for over 36 hours. Expect a small selection of cat food for your meals. Expect to sit in a middle seat. Expect to sit by someone who doesn’t believe in deodorant. Expect to be treated less than kindly… Especially if you have s layover in China (no offense). Expect to have your flights at the worst times (3:50 AM for example..) Expect to be absolutely miserable for approximately 4 days (total). The pros… You paid $400. And well, DUH your reward is THAILAND for 2 weeks! So up to you. I’d still do it.

Upon arrival, you will feel like the hottest wettest blanket is suffocating you. Well I’m sorry. Get used to it. That blanket will not come off of you. Not the whole time. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a fully air conditioned room. That wet, damp blanket… it stays. But lucky you! Because Thailand makes up for it in its raw BEAUTY. What a magnificent place. If you’re an ocean lover, Thailand should be your next vacation. I LOVED the ocean, it was like a refreshing, while still heated pool. There weren’t any waves for some reason (I literally have no idea why), but it was awesome. We swam every single night and day while we were there. It was aaaammmmaaaazzzziiiinnnggggg. The best of the best. Beautiful sunsets, green hills, beautiful ocean, but deathly heat haha. Worth it though. See pictures below.

So, on my adventure, I was accompanied by my friends Grant, Garrett, and Amanda. Which, I would describe them as energizer bunnies. No rest for the weary was my motto in Thailand. I thought (emphasis on thought) I was an energetic person. Turns out, I fall quite a few levels below Garrett and Amanda. In fact, if you would place us on a scale and they were a 10, I would be a 2. Haha on the real though, they are some fun kids! We were up at 7 AM and out until 11 PM. I slept like a baby in Thailand. A baby that likes to sleep anyways. Our first stop in Thailand was Phuket, we were only there for 2 days and it was the perfect amount of time! Our hotel had this private secluded beach and I had one of ‘those’ moments the night we got there.. the moment when you’re on this amazing beach with some great friends in freaking Thailand! I’ll never forget it.

After Phuket, we took off to Chiang Mai. Our hotel in Chiang Mai was To. Die. For. It was a good 40 minutes away from the city, wayyyy up in the mountains, but oh my heavens was it worth it!! I loved life there. In Chiang Mai, we took a cooking class and played with elephants! Both were definite highlights.

After Chiang Mai, we went to Bangkok. We got some amazing recommendations for restaurants AND the world’s highest bar. It was incredible. We only spent 2 days in Bangkok before we went back to Phuket to visit the Phi Phi islands. Little did Grant & I know, we missed the last ferry of the day to Phi Phi so we payed for ANOTHER hotel and spent the night in some bizarre little town. But it turned out to be such a fun memory!
The phi phi islands were amazing, but it reminded me a little bit of Las Vegas.. like Vegas on a little island haha. We still had so much fun. We took a long talk boat ride one of our last day’s which I LOVED, and then went back to Phuket to leave.

Thailand was a dream. Yes, there were some quirky, weird things about the country. I didn’t like the food… (sorry all you Thai food lovers) and the heat… and the smell… Haha sometimes you just have to be real about stuff! But that’s one of my favorite things about traveling. You get to see how big and how different the world is! And Thailand was no exception.