Thailand 2019

So here I am 28 with two kids and my Fiancee tells me we are going on a Trip. I’m thinking…oh we are taking the kids and going to San Fran, or Point Reyes National Sea shore, which both happen to be a couple hours away. He laughs, hugs me tight, and then hands me our tickets. I Almost fell on the floor when I saw what was on the ticket. WE were going to THAILAND! (This did not include both our kids, our son being only 6 months old at the time). YIKES!

I am not that educated when it comes to other Countries around the world, heck I’m not even educated when it comes to a lot of states here in the United States, so at first I was incredibly nervous. We had taken a trip to Paris, which I’ll share with you later on, and that flight was a bit much for me at the time too, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever visit ASIA.

My honest opinion about the entire trip was a mixture of hate and love but so many incredible memories.

Here was the worst of the trip.

To start with Bangkok is probably the scariest place I have ever been, and that’s because I was very sheltered growing up. The city is dirty, but almost everyone was pretty kind. Their were so many different smells it gave me a instant headache, which was caused by all the food carts all over town. They had small shops everywhere, I mean, if you ever find yourself trying to dodge the kiosks in the mall, this was way worse. No one paid full price for anything so you had to be prepared to haggle them down on price which was out of my own comfort zone but it’s the way things were done. The traffic was horrendous, it took us over an hour to go 3 miles down the road to a nice restaurant and unfortunately there isn’t anything you can do. The heat was almost unbearable and it made you feel as though the shower you just took was pointless, leaving you feeling sticky and uncomfortable.

NOW for the AMAZING part of the trip!

Justin and I decided to travel around Bangkok for the day that we had there visiting all sorts of amazing temples.

We went to a place called Ayutthaya and saw the mysterious head statue that is stuck in the tree. We saw statues that are covered in Gold, Tall towers, and so much history. You just don’t see this kind of thing in the states.

From this point on we decided to leave Bangkok and head to the ISLANDS of Thailand!

Now there is so much magic to this place I don’t even know where to begin. The water was so blue, warm, clear, inviting almost as if to grab you in a hug and tell you to never leave for home again. The people were SO friendly, the sand so soft between your toes, and the mountains surrounding you were like nothing I have ever seen. My favorite Island was called the PHI PHI Islands, and I could have lived there forever. We got much needed rest, adventure, and alone time that we desperately needed when having kids.

Oh that’s right I have kids! Pretty horrible to say this but during our stay here I was able to really unplug and recharge. It was really nice to not have to worry about poopy diapers, screaming toddlers, or the messes you clean up and somehow five minutes later it magically reappears as though you never cleaned. It was great having family support to watch our kids where you know they are safe and loved. I also love Apple for allowing me to video chat my babies while we were gone.

Back to my adventure on the Islands, we canoed, ate great food, walked on the beach, swam in the water, went to monkey Island, snorkeled and saw amazing fish, lounged around, had drinks, got engaged. WAIT WHAT? That’s for another post, another day but I may sneak in a photo!

When we went to Monkey Island it was the most eye opening thing I had ever seen. The amount of trash on the Island that the monkeys lived with was devastating, we really need to take better care of our oceans. The monkeys were so thirsty that they would hang out around shore to steal, find, get water from the tourists. You were told not to feed or bring anything on the Island because it would cause them to get aggressive over the food. Not everyone listened and when one monkey found a large water bottle in someones bag the monkeys did in fact get protective of it. I was proof of that when one wild monkey attacked my leg! Luckily I shook my leg around like a mad man till the critter let go. I got very lucky I did not get bit.

We also had heard about several organizations that would let you ride the elephants! At first I thought it was a really neat idea, but after talking to several people who live there, we decided against it. These poor animals are forced to do trails day after day and chained at night in stalls. We found an organization that takes in rescued elephants and allows you to walk, wash, and feed them. We decided to go that rout and so glad we did! These animals are so intelligent and kind! They are giant, could easy step on you and yet they choose to walk beside you, play with you, and trust you.

We were able to make their food and feed them which was really cool! Did you know when you hand feed elephants you actually put your hand IN THEIR mouths?! IN IT! You get to feel the tongue and everything! First few times you do it, it’s scary but then you get the hang of it.

I didn’t know that elephants could have such different personalities! I was shocked when one was a hoarder, she liked to hold on to as much food as she can before eating it. Another would only eat the fruits that did not include pineapple. If you tried to trick her she would spit it out. Then there was another that would just stuff her face as much as she could all at once. Elephants also remember people from years prior they have wonderful memories. They are also prickly and are covered with tiny little hairs you can’t see unless you are up and personal with them.

Here are some photos of the Islands.