Thailand, January 2024

Day 13 and Day 14: Koh Samui, Thailand

This deserves its own post

The Buffalo Bills are your #AFCEast champions.

Thankful to the wait staff at ARKBar for turning the game on to save some of my data.

Day 15: Koh Samui, Thailand

If you’ve been following me along on this journey, you might have realized my travel plans changed. Originally I was supposed to go to Cambodia yesterday. Today I was supposed to see the ancient city of Koh Ker, the former capital of the Khmer Empire. Tomorrow, I was supposed to see a sunrise at Angkor Wat. Admittedly both amazing experiences.

However, after meeting people in Chiang Mai, I decided to change my itinerary up a little and head back to Thailand. Specifically a small island called Koh Samui, located within the Gulf of Thailand. I found a last minute flight and a nice hotel and settled in for this last leg of my trip and some much needed R&R.

But you know, it’s hard to rest and relax when there is so much to see a half a world away. So instead I booked a jungle tour with waterfalls. I almost instantly regretted it. I really did want to get some R&R. But it wasn’t refundable and I had already lost some money on the itinerary change so I went with it.

And I’m so glad I did the tour. A beautiful swimming hole. A temple in the middle of the jungle (Magic Temple). A lost temple. A great tour group. Views for miles.

Next up: R&R

Day 16: Travel Day

Today I left paradise and headed back to Bangkok for the third time this trip.

But before leaving Samui, I spent a lazy afternoon reading by the pool. I can’t believe my trip is almost over.

One of the best things about traveling is how much you learn about yourself as well as about the people and places that you go.

I learned that I can easily revert to some of my bad habits especially when i am not feeling confident.

I’ve learned that it’s okay to just spend time taking in your environment AKA rest and relaxing.

I learned that while I may be too afraid to sit on the top of a Jeep, I wasn’t too afraid to hop on the back of a motorbike. You’ll need to go to IG to see that video.

I’ve learned that I can not open a laptop for 3 weeks and not miss it.

I’ve also learned that work won’t necessarily miss me either after 3 weeks.

I learned that I am capable of learning other languages. Vietnamese is high in my list.

I learned about the impact of China on Thailand and Vietnam, both past and present.

Edited for my new friend Thanh Minh I’ve learned that the Thai and Vietnamese people prefer to call the sea surrounding these countries the East Sea instead of the South China Sea.

I learned about how different Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese food really are.

Most importantly I learned that just because I don’t fit in in one space doesn’t mean there isn’t another one that I will. For one of the first times in my life, I feel like I fit in and I loved that feeling. I am going to hold onto that feeling for as long as I can.

Pics: my view this morning (The Gulf of Thailand) and my view tonight (Downtown Bangkok).

Next up: Bangkok

Day 17: Bangkok, Thailand

Third time is the charm, right? It’s my third time being in Bangkok for this trip. It’s my first time being able to see the city. I had a planned tour to the Ancient City of Ayutthaya. Once again, I had no idea what I was in store for. But I wasn’t disappointed.

I saw the Bang Pa-In Summer Palace, The Old Royal Grand Palace & The Old Royal Temple (Wat Phra Si Sanphet), Wat Mahathat (Temple of the Great Relics), Wat Ratchaburana. And our day was capped off with a relaxing boat ride. So much history and culture and the ruins were incredible.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a great shout out to my guide, Joy Rapeepan. Not only did she bring me treats and a Thai language cheat sheet, but she also put up with me as I melted in the “feels like” 96F temperature. And she really won me over when we walked by someone with a bamboo fan that I expressed interest and came back with one for me!

I have been consistently impressed by the hospitality of my guides throughout this entire trip. I’ve used private guides on many of my travels. They have all been incredibly knowledgeable and nice. But on this trip, the guides have gone above and beyond. They came with a ready supply of cold water (so critical), wet wipes and tissues, coffee and other treats. They endured my endless questions. They ate lunch with me and asked questions about America and my life. And they took copious amounts of photos for me - so fortunate for a solo traveler who typically only gets selfies or the random stranger picture.

I can’t encourage my friends enough to leave North America and Europe and explore SE Asia. It was amazing and I already can’t wait for my next trip back.

SE Asia

Day 18-19 Travel Days

Update: Uber ride home from airport was uneventful and price was not inflated. Home safe and sound.

Well I made it back into Chicago.

The flight was uneventful. The upgrade to premium economy on both legs was definitely worth it. We did a couple of circles in the air and headed south before finally coming back to land at ORD. And the pilots Japan Airlines (JAL10) did an awesome job of landing the big jet in a blizzard.

Stay safe out there Chicago. Now I try to figure out how to get home from the airport.