I promised forever ago to write about our trip to Thailand- and finally, before 1 year officially hits us, I'm writing about our incredible opportunity to visit the land of Thai! Just some pics and highlights that i want to remember always. My sister Kel had a chance to go to Bangkok, Thailand for a special Ear Nose and Throat conference- so, since I had just passed my NCLEX and was just waiting on orders, Drew and I decided to tag along. We were so super excited!
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| Wat Po |
To this day, drew is a very loyal Korean air fan. Best flight of our lives.. and our first taste of Bi Bim Bap.
It's hard to really write much- easier to capture what I'd like to say in the lovely pictures (even tho Drew and kel took pics that are waaaay better than mine:)
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| Out exploring the streets of Bangkok. Kel's conference felt like it was 8,000 miles away in that 100 degree heat. |
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| Looking down at the sidewalk vendors- there wasn't a sidewalk without them. So fascinating. |
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| Fresh fruit every few feet! The little bags of sliced mango were our fave. |
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We learned how to greet people in Thai- the "Wai".. it shows respect or reverence. So neat. We're probably going to make our kids do this all the time. All the time.
Everything was covered in color and sparkles. you know i loved this.
Exploring the street market outside of the temple, Wat Po. There were just piles of dried fish and meat. ...They still had the eyeballs in them. Sadly, that was one of the most vivid memories i have of the street market. I'm 6.
At Wat PO. These were everywhere- fascinating.
Making friends. you can't tell, but it was SO super hot.
A picture with Wat Arun behind me, the Temple of Dawn.
 
Crazy cool details on every square inch of the Temple.
They had fancy cameras.
Yes, I used a filter- but this was at the top of the temple of dawn, Wat Arun. So peaceful, quiet and beautiful. The Monks were all heading to their prayer time. We watched from the top and saw the sun rise. Incredible.
Wat arun and kel. That temple is where we took the previous picture from. Lots of skinny narrow stairs.
I wanted to take one home-....not being disrepectful. But they were really cute.
Climbing wat Arun- very scary stairs
Looking out over the city.
Thai foot massage at Wat Po.
I had to be covered when we were at the temples.
We were too cheap to pay to get our laundry done, so drew bought what he thought was detergent.... but it was definitely just fabric softener. We washed our clothes in the hotel bathtub..and they were quite soft.
Laundry day.
We got fancy and went to dinner.
Thai foods are so pretty. plus my sister is the most pretty.
Feeling fancy pants
 
Hundreds of little fish...just nibbling at your toes. Drove drew crazy how ticklish they were.
Orchids. SO huge. wish i could have brought some home.
Train station.
About to take the fish pedicure plunge
 
Next leg of the trip! Drew and I headed to Phuket! See that crazy right sided steering wheel? Also, the driving was INSANE...no lanes, blinkers, stop signs. So chaotic.
Beach in Phuket- it was rainy and cloudy most of our trip, but still lovely...and no, we didnt' get to feed the monkeys like they did on the bachelor...it was too stormy.
Breakfast- Phuket style.
Blurry...i'd never had an elephant trunk reach out to me before.. I loved her. we named her Lola.. but her eyes were red and scary just a little bit.
I kept saying "we're riding an elephant!!! We're ON an elephant"
When we first got to the Kok Chang Safari it was DOWNPOURING. But it cleared up just in time to ride. We just prayed our elephant had some good traction.
The guide had us take turns riding on the elephant's neck. It was prickly. Felt like i was invading her space, but she was cool with it.
You heard the man. No, comma!
Trunk touching.
And then there were the Monkey cages! The guide told us to pretend we were grooming them and they wouldnt bite us. Not sure how safe this entire experience was- they did have sharp teeth. But we were just excited to be touching a monkey. I'll never forget their hands, these little tiny black rubbery baby human hands. that's just exactly what they looked and felt like. They just watched us so intently. The guide also told us to pretend like we found bugs in their fur, and to pretend to eat them... i still think this part was a trick that we totally fell for. I'm sure he still laughs at us.
if a butterfly garden is near, i will always find it.
They gave us tiny containers with mashed bananas inside- to feed the butterflies..I imagined them all flying up to me the minute i walked in with this banana treat- like in a disney movie. but no- at one point i had to literally move a butterfly from a flower to my finger...guys i needed the experience, ok! don't judge me. i did not, however place this butterfly on my head. Butterflies, in fact, are drawn to blonde haired individuals with bad roots.
Drew found this amazing deal of a private villa. I've never felt so spoiled.
Drinking a fancy smoothie by the pool, feeling like lucille bluth. The main pool was like a giant lazy river- it wrapped around the entire resort. Best part? It had SPARKLES on the bottom of the pool- so at night, it looked like stars in the pool...
sunset in phuket
So pretty.
this boy. i love him. Airport on the way home. We bought tiger balm, which they strangely sold EVERYWHERE. and also those eucalyptus nasal sniffers. People used them alot.. we needed some real mementos.
It was such a neat experience for us, I felt so blessed to get to go- and truly blessed to come home to where we live..One of the hardest things to see in Thailand was the poverty.. it's a dark place spiritually, as well. We watched people stop by the idols on their way to work. They placed full meals, pigs heads, bottles of un-opened soda and water at the base of the idol. It was fascinating to watch, but it did leave me feeling sad inside. This trip took me far outside of my comfort zone- which was awesome for me. I've noticed how much more vivid my memories and senses are when I am out of my comfort zone- it's cool..
I know i didn't capture the full essence of our trip- but each of these pictures brings back such intense memories and smells and feelings for me. I wish I could show you that. My most favorite was getting to spend time with my sister and drew. I'll never ever forget these times.
I won't wait AS long to blog next : )
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