It's Me, KP

When I'm looking through my Thailand photos I wish I would have taken more.  The 700+ just aren't enough.  But really, there were so many cool things that I saw, but never snapped a photo.  Ah well, next time.

Next up is the island of Ko Samet.  It's about three hours from Bangkok and we headed there for three nights.  Erin's friend Mike, who is backpacking around the globe for a year, joined us for this little adventure.

While I love being on any boat, we had an extremely windy and bumpy ride to the island.  Hence my cool new hair-do.  But we treated ourselves right once we arrived...

The first night I had fresh crab with garlic and it was oh so good.

Ko Samet is a small island and we stayed at a resort called Tub Tim in a cute little bungalow.  This is one of the things I wish I would have taken more photos of.  It was a peaceful place that I would love to go back to.

There was a raft you could swim out to in front of our beach... I wish I would have had a waterproof camera with me because laying on the raft and looking back at the island was the most amazing view.  Especially as the sun was setting. 

During the day we lounged on the sand and did a little swimming. We sampled some of the food from the men walking up and down the beach.  I bought a banana pancake (almost like a crepe) and it was one of the best things I ate in Thailand.  So warm and delicious.

At night we enjoyed dinners on the beach and fire shows.  The three of us had some good - and hilarious - conversation to match the good food.  It was all definitely relaxing.

Next up, the city of Chiang Mai... as seen on Monday night's episode of The Bachelorette.  And spoiler alert - unlike Ashley's, no Thai Boxing was involved on my trip ;)

After only being home for three days in the past four weeks, it's an understatement to say that I'm really happy to lying on my couch right now watching Millionaire Matchmaker.  It's good to be home. 

But I did have the opportunity to fly halfway around the world and it was amazing...

My best friend Erin and her boyfriend are currently living in Bangkok, where I started my trip.  The city was not what I expected. Very metropolitan.  High rises and skyscrapers.  Starbucks and KFC and 7-11 everywhere you look.  I had two full days in Bangkok to do some exploring...
 
We took a water taxi to the Wat Pho temple and finally, there was the Thailand I expected.

The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho is really stunning.  This was definitely my favorite temple that we visited.

The next day included a trip to the weekend market where it seemed like there were miles of stalls selling everything and anything you could think of. I didn't take many photos there, but did purchase some beautiful handmade paper.

 

Dinner was near Khao San Road... which is a street that reminds me of Times Square.  It was also the place where I saw a food cart full of insects - grasshoppers, roaches, and other creepy crawlies for consumption. 

And speaking of food (well, food that I will actually eat)...
The food in Thailand was incredible.  A whole meal cost about $4 and everything was so fresh.

In terms of street food, New York has nothing on Thailand.  I wish I would have taken more photos.  There is someone cooking up something every few feet.  Whether it's restaurants with open store fronts, food carts, or just someone on a bicycle with a built in grill - you can literally eat your way through the country.
I also indulged in $1 fresh fruit smoothies that you can find everywhere. I had a pineapple smoothie one day that I'm still dreaming about.  Since I've been home I've been craving fruit... if only it were as cheap here!

One of my other favorite things about Thailand were the Tuk Tuks... these little taxis that speed around the city.  A ride is cheap - our first one was about a half hour long and I think it only cost $4.  If only Tuk Tuks could take over NYC.

And that's a little look at my days in Bangkok.  More to come.

(Card class giveaway winners posted below, thanks for entering!)