Bangkok and Chiang Mai – two very different cities located in one very awesome country.
Highlights:
Bangkok, Thailand
– Extra spicy food (which Matt LOVED)
– Handful of massages – mixed quality
– Visits to a plethora of temples/palaces including the Golden Buddha Temple (Wat Traimit), Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho), Grand Palace (PACKED with tourists and soooo hot), and Wat Arun which we took a two minute mini boat to cross the river (no bridges).
– Day trip to Ayutthaya and cruise down the Chao Praya River – Summer Palace and more Wats (temples).
– Night Markets! Can’t get enough of those scorpions on a stick. Really though, Khao San Road, although touristy, was still so fun. We also had the opportunity to check out the Chinatown night market and Pat Pong (red light district).
– Muay Thai Boxing – We “splurged” for ringside seats. Great matches, entertaining betting by the locals, and plenty of fighters with shins of steel.
Chiang Mai, Thailand
– FOOD (again…although this pretty much goes for all of SE Asia)
– Our very first Segway tour. The ultimate tourist activity and we have always been people to judge, but this is the perfect example of “don’t knock it ‘til you try it.” So so fun. We may have even left the tour with delusions of purchasing one of our own.
– “Flight of the Gibbon” – aka Zip Lines Galore. Matt went solo on this while Anne-Marie stayed in town for a spa day.
– Elephant Nature Park (a NO RIDING park!!! Can’t stress that enough. Here are one of many articles which explains why we urge you NOT to ride elephants: https://expertvagabond.com/elephants-in-thailand/) Anyway, ENP was such a wonderful rescue center/sanctuary for some of the worlds most magnificent creatures. We were given the lovely opportunity to feed, bathe, and love up on the many animals at this camp (elephants, dogs, cats, etc.). 100% will return for an overnight and continue to volunteer. Highly recommend.
Thailand didn’t disappoint AM during her first visit 10 years ago, and may have even been better the second time around. Not much to complain about when you can get over a week’s worth of delicious food, frequent massages, and excellent entertainment for less than a couple days worth of D.C. rent.
…and we’ve still got “One Night in Bangkok” stuck in our heads.
-AM and Matt
For more pictures from our trip to Thailand, check out the image gallery page or click on the links below: